My Comeback Chronicles #2-It’s The Shoes…hmmm

Some of you are old enough to remember an early Nike JORDANS commercial staring Spike Lee, where concerning Mike’s greatness he says; “It’s the shoes”.

Well, I never bought into it, I’ve never even owned a pair of Jordan’s (don’t take my black card). Honestly, I couldn’t afford them until my thirties and never saw the use of spending $300 on shoes I wasn’t gonna play basketball in. My money was gonna be wasted on more productive vices, like video games!!!

Recently I made a bet with myself that if I won Nationals I would treat myself to some of those “newfangled” “carbon fiber super spikes”. I’d been intrigued by them over the past year and spent way too much screen time down the “rabbit hole” researching them….what’s up.doc?

I’d heard the claims and noticed almost every one at Nationals were wearing some brand or another. So I spoke with a few guys and even got to put my hands on some. Just holding them I could tell they were maybe a step up (pun unintened).

The difference is likened to two sports cars, same category, different levels, maybe my 2015 Infiniti Q60, nice daily driver, reliable, handles well, solid every mans sports car as compared to a Porsche 911 Turbo, meant to be driven fast to be appreciated, an enthusiasts choice and much pricier.

So I pulled the trigger and purchased a pair of Saucony Endorphins, on sale of course ($145) FYI, as of this writing I just saw them for $135, it figures.

I’m like goldilocks when it comes to picking track spikes. Ill get a pair, if they don’t fit my tootsies just right, give the right response on the track and offend my sensitivites their banished to a storage bin.

I’ve kept every track shoe of my career, I’m nostalgic like that, so my spike graveyard is deep.

Anyway at first feel they were light in the hand but sturdy, the just right amount of stiffness, flex and cushion. That was just walking around in the house. Four days later I took them for a spin. I ran some 80 meter sprints, not all out but about 75-85% effort. First easy on the turf, oo…oK… the second and third on the track giving a little more gas each rep. After the third rep, I smirked and said…”this ain’t even fair”. I can’t say this about other carbon fiber shoes but there is a noticeable difference from regular spikes. I wanted a shoe that gives more bounce and response off the track, these did just that and even more, the faster I decided to run the faster the shoe wanted to go, it was like a dog pulling on a leash…who let the dogs out?!!!

For those interested, my legs didn’t have a sprint “hang over”, the achilles or calf tightness or soreness from wearing a carbon fiber spike. I know it was only a couple sample runs but I wouldn’t recommend doing full blown interval workouts in any carbon spike. Except for block starts or flys I generally stay in racing flats anyway.

My reccomendation to parents, not for the novice sprinter, you have to have a solid command of your sprint mechanics to one get the benefit, not hurt performance and not risk injury to yourself. To use my auto analogy you need an experienced driver to get the most out of what a great sports car has to offer. There are great solid sprint spikes in the $60-$80 price range. Get a pair comensurate with your athletes abilities. I wouldn’t give my sixteen year old the key to my Porsche.

So my initial impression, I like them, Ill try a couple more times if training permits to get more acclimated to them. Ill still travel with my old ones as a backup, just in case they don’t feel right on the mondo track surface at the World Championships. Remember I got “finicky” feet.

It’s been ten years since I was in the game, shoe technology has definitely made a jump, at least in regards to the “superspike” category. In regards to my old spikes, was I bringing a knife to a gun fight? technology wise maybe, but in the end I believe “It’s Skills That Pay The Bills!”

So to wrap up, Do shoes make the man?…Naw… but carbon fibers can add a little more *do” to your doing and to answer Spike Lee; “its not the shoes” but it doesn’t hurt to hedge your bets.

See ya at the finish line

Coach Aaron