products Archives - Midlife Athlete

Post published:July 10, 2020
Post category:Training

There are many variables to look at when shopping for running shoes, such as brand, price, breathability, stability, flexibility, comfort, durability, performance and weight. The latter is often overlooked, yet it’s an important part of your training toolkit and racing strategy.

Every runner has his or her own individual priorities and preferences, but weight is a variable that you can use to your advantage. It can drastically improve speed, pace and race times. Here’s why:

Take an average person who is 5 feet and 7 inches tall and averages an 8:00/mile pace. Over the course of one mile, that individual will take 1,315 steps. For each ounce of extra shoe weight that translates to 82 lbs of additional weight lifted over the course of a mile. A marathon? The average person takes 55,000 steps. That’s a lot of extra impact on your joints and a surefire way to accumulate muscle fatigue! Think about how much you can save by dropping your shoe weight by 1, 2, 3, 4 or more ounces.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder partnered with Nike and conducted a study to see how the weight of running shoes affects speed. They recruited a group of sub-20 minute 5K runners for the study and led them through a series of tests on the university’s indoor track. They had the runners perform three different 3,000m time trial runs in three different pairs of shoes. A normal pair, and two additional pairs that were identical except weighted down by 100 grams and 300 grams, respectively, of lead pellets inside the shoe tongues. The results of the study showed that the runners ran 1% slower for each 100 grams (3.5 oz) of lead added to the shoes.

Imagine the difference that makes over the course of a marathon. For example, a 3 hour and 30 minute marathoner could shave 2 minutes off their time with shoes that are 3.5 oz lighter.

However, it’s not that simple. Reducing shoe weight can be counterproductive because it may cause you to expend more energy, as your body must absorb the shock. Essentially, if the shoe is too light, it forces your muscles to compensate for support, so proper cushioning reduces the overall energy cost of running.

The trick is to use shoe weight to your advantage. You can do this by training in a heavy shoe and racing in a light shoe. The benefit is two fold. The extra weight during training will strengthen your leg muscles and the switch to a light shoe will provide a mental boost on race day.

For example, use the Adidas Ultraboost 20 Running shoes, which weigh approximately 11 oz for training purposes, while using the Reebok Floatride Run Fast shoes, which weigh only 6.9 oz for racing!

Post published:May 19, 2020
Post category:Training

History

Traditional bicycle pedals have flat platforms and are designed to be used with any type of shoe. These are the kind of pedals that you used when you were growing up. Further innovation led to pedals with toe clips, which are essentially cages that keep your foot in place.

It wasn’t until 1984 when a French company applied snow ski technology to pedals that the modern day clipless pedal system was born. In this system, your feet are locked into place and won’t come off unless you want them to by swinging your heels in a lateral movement to disengage. Bernard Hinault’s victory at the Tour de France in 1985 led to widespread acceptance of the clipless system by cyclists and triathletes around the world.

Clipless pedals have several advantages over traditional, flat pedals.

Maximum power transfer
Increased pedaling efficiency
Reduce slippage in wet conditions
Increased stability on uneven terrain

How do they work?

There are three components to the clipless pedal system.

Cleats
Pedals
Cycling Shoes

The cleats are small, separate devices that attach to the soles of the cycling shoes and engage with compatible pedals on the bicycle. They should be positioned to hold the balls of the feet over the pedals and to match your natural foot inclination. Most systems allow some lateral movement called “float,” which helps prevent knee injury caused by misalignment of your foot with your natural leg movement.

To attach the cleat to the shoe, you line up the bolts and tighten with an Allen wrench.

See the diagram below from Shimano.

Pedals

The platform pedal is designed to work with any type of shoe, but they work better with grippy soles or treads, and are easy to get off of in the event of a crash. These work best for commuters and recreational riders.

The MTB or Mountain Biking pedal works with MTB cycling shoes that allow the rider to disengage from both sides of the pedal. These pedals are smaller than road pedals.

The Road pedal works with road or triathlon cycling shoes and they can only be clipped-in from one side. These pedals have a greater surface area than MTB pedals.

Clipless Shoes

MTB (walkable)

The cleats are recessed into the soles of the cycling shoe. You can clip into either side of the pedal and it’s easier to walk around in them because the cleats do not contact the ground. However, they are bigger and weigh more than road shoes. These are typically used on mountain bikes or for off-road riding.
Road

Alternatively, the cleats protrude from the bottom of the soles of the cycling shoe. These are single sided so you can only clip in from one direction. They are difficult to walk in, but feature several advantages over MTB shoes such as, lighter weight, increased aerodynamics and better performance.

*Ironically they are called “clipless” pedals because they were proceeded by toe cages, called “clips.” However, they actually “clip-in” to the pedals, similar to a ski binding.

How to Use Them

Clipless pedal systems are intimidating at first, but the performance benefits are substantial and it becomes second nature once you become comfortable with engaging and disengaging your feet from the pedals.

To practice, stand over your bike with one foot planted on the ground. Take the other foot and practice getting your foot in and out of the pedal. You should hear a clicking noise when the shoe is engaged onto the pedal.

Click your right foot into the right pedal and remove it 20 times, then repeat the same process with your left foot. Practice on a soft surface like a lawn if you’re worried about falling over. It should begin to feel easy and natural.

Once you’re comfortable, do a short lap around the block and practice slowing down and getting out of the pedals. Always remove one foot at a time. If you’re at a stop, you only need to disengage one foot to plant it on the ground, while leaving the other foot locked into the pedal. The most common mistake that people make is trying to get your feet out of the pedals by pulling back (the toe clip-in motion) instead of swiveling your heels to the side.

Check out these videos from Global Cycling Network for helpful instructions:

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