Spikes or no spikes for track mile race?

3. See how they feel, if you know you can definitely run faster in them then go for it. But if you feel like you can't handle them then it's not going to make much of a difference.

Okay, I'll give it a try and see what they feel like.

useless for a 5:00 min mile

Useless for a 5:00???

I would suggest dsdsdf may be grossly mistaken on this topic Of course the right spikes will aid a mile performance. Seconds are seconds The same at 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00 (as long as you are up on your forefoot pushing off)

I too am 'old' ( as in Social Security age old) but used spikes this indoor season in the mile and am planning to use them outdoors in a couple weeks at two different meets. BTW they worked fine indoors. Easily won the masters section over several much much younger runners.

However, to the OP I would suggest......

-No spikes. if you haven't had a chance to try them out first under the conditions you are planning to race in. On super short notice, a couple of 200s or a 400 and some strides will give you an idea if they will work.

Are you sure you can't find an open HS track somewhere to give it a trial under comparable conditions?

- If you feel good racing in the Zantes and don't want to risk any major 'wardrobe malfunction', then stay with your Zantes. They will work fine and you have whats on your feet cluttering you mind.

Good luck in your race.

NCAA runners have been racing 4:35 pace without spikes this year.

I wear zantes too. They are sorta heavy for "fast" stuff. Get some Saucony A8s. I use those for "fast" stuff. Won't be such a shock to the feet and legs and they are light and responsive.

Update: A chance encounter with a local high school AD got me 30 minutes on the track, which is otherwise locked and off limits. So I tried out all the spikes. The Zantes would work, but they're 3 ounces heavier than the others, and if that's worth 3 seconds in a mile, it's worth trying the spikes. The spike sockets are corroded on the Kilkennys, so they're out. The Endorphins are super light, but I need more shoe than that for a mile race. So I'm going with the Shays, which felt pretty good overall. 5:00 pace didn't feel all out.

Tell the BYU guys to wear spikes and they will all break 28 if you are correct.

Not Done Just Yet wrote:

Useless for a 5:00???

I would suggest dsdsdf may be grossly mistaken on this topic Of course the right spikes will aid a mile performance. Seconds are seconds The same at 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00 (as long as you are up on your forefoot pushing off)

.

Okay...i'll try spikes for my 7:00 min mile. Maybe i'll run 6:58.

Not Done Just Yet wrote: Of course the right spikes will aid a mile performance. Seconds are seconds The same at 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00 (as long as you are up on your forefoot pushing off)

Spikes make a difference only if you are pulling back on footstrike, which slightly increases forward acceleration. At the end of footstrike (which is more about pushing your body forward than pushing off the track) there is no chance of your foot slipping and no value in extra traction. It's all about the extra leverage when footstrike begins, that's when slippage occurs if the foot is moving backward too fast relative to the ground.

Wear spikes and ignore the clown above.

Coach smarts wrote:

NCAA runners have been racing 4:35 pace without spikes this year.

They would race 4:30 pace with spikes.

about 5 per mile wrote:

Coach smarts wrote:

NCAA runners have been racing 4:35 pace without spikes this year.

They would race 4:30 pace with spikes.

+1

about 5 per mile wrote:

Coach smarts wrote:

NCAA runners have been racing 4:35 pace without spikes this year.

They would race 4:30 pace with spikes.

lol...no way