So, shoes do not make you faster - that's simply impossible.
Decent shoes can HELP prevent you from going SLOWER.
If a shoe feels good (cushioned) and retains energy well (Pebax) and is light, then it will mitigate in part you going slower.
You are still travelling at the speed you are travelling - you created that energy - not the shoe.
I agree, with the expected provisos:
-as long as they are well made shoes made for distance racing,
-as long as the runner is reasonably fit, trained, and motivated,
-as long as the runner has no mind set about shoe construction.
Obviously it's not the shoes. Nike chooses to sponsor the best runners out there add on top of that increased running economy from the shoes (not increased speed) which translates to better retention of pace. My two cents.
The 7aji wrote:
Obviously it's not the shoes. Nike chooses to sponsor the best runners out there add on top of that increased running economy from the shoes (not increased speed) which translates to better retention of pace. My two cents.
As long as you are below your top speed and assuming you race at best possible pace you can sustain for the distance, increased economy will also increase speed. Decreased running economy later in the race due to mechanical wear is yet another factor that is also affected by shoes. But benefits of better economy start immediately. And it's true for any modern running shoe compared to barefoot/old school monstrosities.
The 7aji wrote:
Obviously it's not the shoes. Nike chooses to sponsor the best runners out there add on top of that increased running economy from the shoes (not increased speed) which translates to better retention of pace. My two cents.
Congratulations on your Vaporfly'd Marathon PR.
That's the only thing which makes sense reading such insanity.
Pace / Speed = Distance / Time.
So you're claiming that shoes do not help people run faster than they would run if they were barefoot, but shoes could help people not run slower than they would run if they were barefoot... So it's impossible that anyone could ever run faster in shoes than barefoot. Seems like the smart move would be for everyone to run barefoot then since you know for sure that shoes will never make you faster but could make you slower.
Shoes protect your feet they absorb shock. Some are more cushioned to make you comfortable. Some stabilize and change your form. The vaporfly's simply are a masterpiece that maximizes energy return without allowing your body to absorb a lot of shock. If you want to talk about shoes vs barefoot then try maintaining your top end speed for 400 meters barefoot on a track. You probably will struggle to much more than with a shoe. You wanna argue that that means shoes make you faster go ahead but i see it as the shoes remove a lot of the shock and allow you to maintain your speed over the distance rather than providing it directly.
A pedant arguing "faster" vs. "less slow" on Letsrun? I'm shocked.