I train in a 11oz shoe and have been considering scaling down on the bulk in the shoes I run in. Most running shoes made for the general running population have soles that cannot even bend. When I run I sometimes feel like my foot is plastered inside something where my shoe is doing all the work and not my foot.
nice ad.
I've made the tradition down to lightweight trainers and heavier flats. I rotate a 9 oz lightweight trainer, an 8 ounce flat, and a 6 ounce flat for my normal running.
I was never particularly injury prone, but I had trouble with Achilles tendinitis coming and going in my old shoes, so I made the switch during a healthy patch, hoping to strengthen the Achilles and get rid of the problem. Results were mixed on that front, Achilles tendinitis still hits me over a year and a half later from time to time, but I ice, ibuprofen, and break out the 11 oz trainers for a few days until it goes away then resume normal training, so it never really interrupts my running. It is no more or less common than it was when I was running in normal trainers, but I've gotten a lot better at treating it and can usually get rid of it in a few days time.
My foot strike is noticeably improved. I never heel strike anymore, even at slow speeds, I used to heel strike down to around 6:20 pace, now even during recovery jogs as slow as 8:00 pace I midfoot strike, that is the biggest improvement I've seen.
Long story short, my injuries have not been effected positively or negatively for me, I might be slightly more efficient running now, but I didn't see any crazy improvement.
Overall, I'd say it is about a wash, I find I can generally squeeze more mileage out of lighter shoes though, so I've saved probably a couple hundred bucks by running in light weight shoes. That is the big selling point for me.
What's the running equivalent of Tadej Pogacar riding ~7 W/kg for 40 min?
2024 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion
JACOB and YARED, why won't either try to emulate Hicham's 1500m tactics?
Actual snipers (including a Congressman) think it was an inside job
What distance runner in history has had the biggest fall from grace?
If there are lions and leopards in Kenya, why don't athletes ever get eaten on their runs?
Can we talk about how crazy hard this Olympic marathon course is?