Forums >Gears and Wears>Rotating Shoes With Different Heel Drops
Return To Racing
Is it a good/bad/indifferent idea to use different heel drop shoes assuming you are having no foot problems? Shoe recommendations seem to revolve around support/stability, but not sure who the lower/higher heel drop is good for. Fwiw, I'm a flat footed, overpronator. Is there any rule of thumb er, toe on this?
Feeling the growl again
if you are going to race in flats, you need to train in them. I dam a fan of switching out up. my bulk miles are in lightweight trainers but I do workouts in flats or similar. so then when you race in them you don't suffer Achilles issues.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I rotate conventional-drop and reduced-drop shoes. Two years out from an Achilles injury, no problems so far. (knock on wood)
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
I took my time adjusting to 4-mm drop trail shoes since I've had achilles issues in the past - lengthening runs and increasing frequency. I started with them because they had a wider toebox and better forefoot protection. The 4-mm drop just came with the package. Now I'm mostly using them with an occasional run in my older shoes if something feels out of whack.
Smaller By The Day
I have one pair of shoes with an 8mm drop. I'm pretty sure that my other shoes are all 11 or 12. You can definitely feel a difference, but I like to rotate them in frequently. I like the change.
Improvements
Weight 100 pounds lost
5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)
10K 48:59 April 2013
HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013
MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013
I vote 'good'.
I keep about 4 or 5 pairs of shoes in the back of my car and select whichever I feel like running in that day (I run on my lunch hour). No set rotation. There are zero-drop, racing flats, 4mm drop, 12mm drop, cushioned trainers. Sometimes I take some out and replace with other pairs - I have a lot of running shoes!
Fight The Future
I dam a fan of switching out up.
Could you clarify?
Heh. Damn auto-correct. I am a fan of switching it up.
Whippet
I definitely switch it up - Mizuno wave riders and brooks pure flows. I gradually introduced the Pure Flows and run only up to halves in them.
13.1: 1:45 | 26.2: 3:55
I agree with this. Majority of miles all in a trainer or lightweight trainer (Wave Rider or Wave Elixir) and then my workouts are in my racing flats (Wave Ronin).
I feel the bulk of your mileage should be in a solid trainer though, especially the more miles you run. The elite and sub-elite runners I know run in some of the heaviest/well cushioned trainers... but then do workouts in race day flats.
---------