Lots of questions regarding track spikes?

Question

1. Should you wear track spikes with or without socks? i usually wear them with Nike Elite running socks but my friend ( who is like the fastest person in my school ) said not to wear them with socks

2. When running '' on your toes'' should your heel be high up in the air or close to the ground (almost touching)?

3. I somehow made a much faster time wearing flat-footed shoes then spikes- how could this be?

4. Should I go to practice in my (only) spikes or should I go to practice in flat-footed shoes as I get best results from them?

5. Does weight matter in speed? Because my friend who is the fastest guy in our school is like 5'11 and weighs around 115lbs and is stick thin whereas I have a lot more muscle packed on at 5'9'' and 155lbs but still lost by around 5-7 secs to him. btw- It's not fat as I have only 8% bodyfat and I weightlift

Answer 1

never skip out on wearing socks. you can blister really easily and they are very painful. always wear socks no matter what type of shoe you are running in. not only can it give you blisters..but you can get athletes foot from the moisture which is not fun at all!

when running on your toes..youre not like..on your tiptoes..it pretty much means to lean your feet forward a little bit so youre sprinting very very fast...you shouldn't be running heal, toe, heal, toe like distance runners run...that's strictly for us long distance people...when you re springing keep your heal close to the ground but put most of your pressure on your toes.

your third question probably has nothing to do with the shoe youre wearing...flat footed shoes have no support and its probably just that you were feeling really really strong that time. spikes are lighter and tighter which always cause you to shave off time if they fit you correctly.

when you go to practice..wear your trainers. the shoes you buy to train in should be heavier than your spikes and offer support. i wouldnt train in your spikes often, as this is defeting the purpose of them

weight has some factor in running..but not that much. he could just be training harder than you or could just be naturally more talented.. try to stick with him next time. pretend you are a fisher and he is a fish and youre reeling him into you. catch up to him. yeah but weight has some factor..but not as much as you think...

goodluck with runningg =]

Answer 2

What events are you running, 5-7 seconds sounds like a 400 meter race or something.

1. I was also the fastest one at my school and I NEVER wore socks in my spikes but my spikes fit my foot almost perfectly, as in there was no rubbing what so ever.

2. Your heel shouldn't be too high in the air, it should be a natural fluid motion which you can practice. If you read some of my other posts to some sprinters I describe a runnnig motion technique you can do anywhere that will help.

3. You probably are used to sprinting in the flats than in spikes and you might've just been getting used to them. In all reality your time should drop dramatically or anything but in sprinting, a few tenths matter. Give yourself some time to adjust to it.

4. I only practiced in my spikes for starts but I wore heavier shoes to work out in for obvious reasons and I didn't practice long in them. I always took the spikes out when I was done anything I was using them for. Sometimes I wore older spikes to simulate 100m sprints while working out, I found this helped get more used to racing on meet days, I just felt more prepared and seasoned.

5. Weight has an effect but it's more about muscles and how they are trained. Look at the best sprinters, they are all cut. This is not to say that muscle builders make better sprinters but having a lot of muscle will help you push. the faster your arms move the faster your legs move and the stronger your arms are the more pull you are going to get. Sprinting is also a lot about technique. Strong leg muscles and hips really help.

Answer 3

1. wear socks. last year our senior boys told me not to and it hurt my feet really bad.

2. up on your toes should be your toes and the ball of your feet touching the ground. depending on what is more comfortable!

3. I am the same way, but i am a distance runner. i actually got a strained muscle from running in my spikes, look for spikes with a good arch support if you are a sprinter.

4. I would say don't practice in your spikes, you need more support when you're practicing.

5. I think that weight doesn't really matter, my friend an i are about the same weight and my times are a little faster than hers, a lot of it is how you run.

hope this helps!

Answer 4

it doesnt effect anything if you wear or dont wear socks under your track spikes just do whatever you preffer. your frend isnt the fastest person in the school because he doesnt wear socks with his track spikes.

you heel should be higher up when running on your toes but it really doesnt matter how high it is just depends on the runner and its ok as long at your heel not not at all touching the ground.

you got a faster time for one of these reasons. 1. the distance was very long and it was too hard for you to keep running on your heels so you ran slower. 2 at the time that you ran with flat footed shoes you were much better then the day when you wore spikes. 3. you had an off day or you were sore when you wore spikes. 4. how spikes increase your speed depend on the person if you can always run better with flat footed shoes do it. but if this only happend once then dont think it will happen all the time

practicing in your spikes only is bad for your feet because they have no heel support: putting lots of pressure on your mucles. practicing regularly in them is only recomended for very ver short distances out of bloks like 10-30 meters. and doing alot in them can cause achillies tendonitis plantar facitis and other unwanted foot problems so only use them during meets.

whight does not matter in running all that matters is how good your cardio is he can beat you because he practices more

Answer 5

1. I recommend socks

2. run normally, dont concentrate on changing your form

3. Spikes are helpful, but you may feel more comfortalble in flats. Its up to the individual

4. Practice in training shoes. flats and spikes have only minimal foot support

5. Weight isnt a factor as you described

Answer 6

1. You should go to a proper running store and try different spikes

I run without socks, but only do this if your shoes fit perfectly, as if they dont they will give you blisters

2. You should run how you feel comfortable but to answer your question running on your toes means pushing off hard from the front of your foot and putting very minimal support on your heel

3. Some people are just more comfortable in flats then spikes. Plus, it might be the spikes just aren't great or don't fit you well. If you didn't run on a track this is pretty obvious, since spikes are meant for the track.

4. Only wear your spikes for meets or track workouts

You should wear either regular running shoes to practice or i would recommend the Nike Jasari+ flat, which many people, as well as myself, train in.

If you're getting regular trainers I would recommend Asics

5. Weight is a factor, but not a huge one. Skinnier people are generally better at distance running, while bulkier people (like you) are better at sprints.

He might just be training harder, eating better, stretching more, have better natural running talent, etc.

Answer 7

Weight does too matter.  Experience is also a big deal and depending on what other events you run or on what the runners you compete against run they might not push as much because they might be focused on another event.