The best way to lace your running shoes depends on what kind of a
foot you have. This may seem counter intuitive but people with narrow or
wide feet may benefit from having two sets of shorter laces instead of
one longer set. People with narrow feet can lace their shoe normally up
to the middle of the shoe then finish by tying their laces with the
runner's tie described in the preceding writeup. Repeating this with the
second set of laces will bring the sides of each shoe closer
together making shoes more secure. This lacing pattern will help prevent excess lateral movement inside a shoe thereby improving comfort and possibly preventing injury.
If your foot is wide you can use two sets of laces to open
up the sides of your shoes. This will create room for your foot causing
less discomfort when you run. People with combination feet, a broad
forefoot and narrow heel, can benefit from channeling their laces up the
sides of the front of the shoe and criss crossing the laces as they
near the top of their shoes. Opening up the front of the shoe can also
help people with hammer toes or people whose toes have
turned black. If black toes are your problem make sure there is enough
room for your toes at the front and top of the shoe. Typically black toes
are the result of digits. repeatedly. striking. shoes.
People
blessed with a voluptuous foot may want to
channel their laces up the middle of their shoes instead of criss
crossing them. This lacing pattern accommodates an atypical instep by
giving people with high volume feet room where they need it most. Using
the runner's lace to tie your shoes will give you more lateral stability
in a shoe. Running shoes are designed specifically for forward motion
while cross trainers have extra lateral stability built into the shoe.
When you are tying your laces make sure you are not tying them too
tight. Excessively tight laces can compress nerves in your foot so
if any part of your foot goes numb while wearing a particular shoe try loosening the laces or using a different lacing pattern.
While
the preceding writeup describes the runner's tie it may be helpful to know that you can adapt the runner's lace if
your shoes are missing that extra hole. Simply feed the end of your
right/left lace through the underside of the opposite eyelet. Repeat
with the other end of your lace, cross and tie as you normally would.
Whenever you are running please double knot your laces and make sure to
feed lace loops beneath your criss crossed laces. If your lace does come
untied during a race this will prevent people from tripping on an
exposed shoe string. Hopefully this has helped you determine which
lacing pattern is best for your individual foot however if you have any
comments or require additional information please feel free to
message me.