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What the heck is heel to toe drop?
2013 Races:
Go! St. Louis Half Marathon - April 7, 2013 - 2:18:28 (10:32 min/mile)
Newburgh Rivertown Trail 5k - May 4, 2013 - 25:26 (8:12 min/mile) 1st Place AG out of 13 / 9th out of 100 Female / 45 out of 196 Finishers
YMCA 5k on the Runway - May 11, 2013 (Goal: 26:59) - Time: 26:40 / 8:38 min/mile pace - 102nd of 389 / 25th of 203 Females / 8th of 27 F25-29
This explains it in a nice short video.
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/LearningCenter/footwear.html?video=FOOT01
Shoes have a stack height, which is how far they sit off the ground. Typically, those numbers vary between the heel and forefoot, so you'll see something like this:
heel 32mm
forefoot 23mm
For that shoe, the drop would be 9mm, or the difference between the height of the heel and the toe.
PRs: Marathon (2:56xx; '13) Half (1:25xx; '12) 10k (40:26; '11) 5mi (29:23; '13) 5k (18:31; '11)
Okay......... do they effect you? Like when running in them, is there a difference between the different drops?
Short answer= yes.
they'll force you to use different muscles, specifically in your calves and feet. It can be a weird (but good) sensation when you try a shorter drop for the first time.
Eh, it's a pretty long discussion. The current trend is definitely to reduce the drop in shoes, in favor of something that's closer to a 0 drop (same heel and toe height). One thing that's pretty apparent is that a lower drop will put more pressure on your achilles and calf, so it's wise to transition slowly when going with a more minimal drop.
The other variable that's really in play is what type of strike you have, be it a heel, mid foot, or forefoot strike and how that changes or is influenced by the shoe drop.
All these issues are really why getting out and trying shoes on is pretty worthwhile.
i am big, flat footed, and over pronate. I wear the brooks beast. I think it has a 16mm drop.
”Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”
Tomas
Low heel to toe drop does use really different muscles than shoes with a larger drop. For me, I felt it a lot in my calves, and the biggest thing that it stressed was the bottom of my feet. I got a pair of Brooks PureCadence to play around with for shorter runs, and my first 2 mile run in the things gave me PF.
I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I'd love to work up to them slowly, because it would result in increased flexibility and strength in my lower legs which can't hurt.
My wildly inconsistent PRs:
5k: 24:36 (10/20/12)
10k: 52:01 (4/28/12)
HM: 1:50:09 (10/27/12)
Marathon: 4:19:11 (10/2/2011)
I am pretty sure I am either a midfoot or a heel striker.
I will have to take a look at the heel to toe drops in all my shoes and then think about which one feels best for me.
all my shoes have what appears to be 11+, hmm.....
I talked to someone recently that said when making this transition, that it's very helpful to wear the shoes for some everyday walking too. This will help the muscles and tendons adapt better.
Chief Unicorn Officer
I'm a heel striker and I used to run in higher drop shoes, like 10-12mm. I tried to switch over completely to the Saucony Kinvara, which has a 4mm drop and my calves were always very fatigued. I now wear the New Balance 890v3 which is an 8mm drop and that seems to be my sweet spot, no more fatigue.
Mile 5:49 - 5K 20:08 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
I wonder if between 7-9mm would be good for me? 11+ still seems a bit much even now... Trying them out wouldn't hurt
I have run in the same NB's as MJ5. I didn't realize that they had such a large drop. I hated the new model and moved onto a shoe that has a
3-4mm drop. (I just looked that up) I am a midforefoot runner. Take some time and try different shoes.
Good times never seemed so good.
Eh, it's a pretty long discussion. The current trend is definitely to reduce the drop in shoes, in favor of something that's closer to a 0 drop (same heel and toe height). One thing that's pretty apparent is that a lower drop will put more pressure on your achilles and calf, so it's wise to transition slowly when going with a more minimal drop. The other variable that's really in play is what type of strike you have, be it a heel, mid foot, or forefoot strike and how that changes or is influenced by the shoe drop. All these issues are really why getting out and trying shoes on is pretty worthwhile.
Great answer.
Slow and steady never wins anything.
Trail Monster
I transitioned to zero drops from October through December. I wore a pair of Altra Intuitions daily for errands and such. Then I began running shorter runs in Altra Superiors. As I got more used to them I found it harder and harder to go back my Saucony Triumphs until eventually I ditched them completely.
2013 races:
3/17 Shamrock Marathon
4/20 North Coast 24 Hour
7/27 Burning RIver 100M
8/24 Baker 50M
10/5 Oil Creek (distance to be determined)
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Brands I Heart:
FitFluential
INKnBURN
Altra Zero Drop
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