Running Terms Explained
There is a lot of jargon, technical terms, and confusing language used when looking at running shoes, from what exactly is the Midsole, to the meaning of terms like Super Critical, or PEBAX foams. If you have ever wanted to know a little more about some of the technical talk, please read on and we will make it all a little clearer.
Running Terms
Transition: From the moment your foot lands, the transition begins, from landing, throughout the flex and motion until you toe off, and your foot is in the air again.
Toe off: The very last part of your transition, and the last chance for your toes to put their power down before becoming airborne again.
Heel/Midfoot/Forefoot strike: This refers to the part of your foot that hits the ground first as you run, most of us will heel strike, but professional athletes tend to skip this part of the stride, landing, and taking off from their forefoot. For many, a midfoot strike bridges the gap in terms of efficiency.
Gait: Simply the way you run.
Pronation: The perfect gait is a flat landing that runs straight through to toe off without deviating. If your gait turns inwards, or rolls outwards you would over, or under pronate.
Neutral: Neutral shoes offer varying levels of support but are not designed to correct or alter your gait.
Structure: Structured shoes are built to correct over or under pronation. From redesigning the upper for a more supportive hold, re-shaping the midsole, to placing devices/firmer foam on the inside of the midsole, there is as many ways to do it as there are shoes that try, but all are designed to minimise injuries and maximise efficiency.
Support: All shoes offer some level of support, some more than others. From an upper that holds your foot in place well, to a midsole shaped to alter your gait, support means helping your foot travel through the stride. Structured shoes will offer much higher levels of support than Neutral shoes, but in truth it is more of a spectrum than two distinct categories.
Tempo training: A type of fitness run that involves running “comfortably hard” usual between 3 – 6 miles at the pace you could maintain for an hour in a race, but not as fast as sprint, or 5k pace.
Road running: Running on concrete.
Trail running: If you are not running on concrete, it’s probably trail running, from mud to gravel, from making tracks to running on them, it’s all trail running. Trail running needs specific trail shoes with improved off-road grip and often improved protection.
Cadence: The number of steps you take in a minute.
Running Shoe Terms: The Basics
Upper: the top of the shoe that holds your foot, often material or mesh.
Liner: For some reason running brands use the term Liner, or sock liner for an insole. Whatever you call it, it sits directly below your foot offering a little extra comfort, and sometimes cushioning.
Midsole: Just below the liner, the midsole is the engine room of your shoe. The foam section you can see from the outside of the shoe, its job is primarily to cushion your foot from the impact of repetitive landings. Modern foams add energy return for a bouncier feel.
Outsole: The last layer of the shoe, and the part that grips the floor. More carbon in the rubber makes it heavier but more durable, less will make a great lightweight race shoe, but might sacrifice durability.
Parts Of The Shoe
Upper
Toe box: The front section of the shoe, and the part that houses the toes. There is a current trend towards widening this section of the shoe to let your toes splay more naturally.
Midfoot: This is the part of the foot that needs to be locked down for a good fit. The area around and below the laces should hold you snuggly with zero pain.
Heel Clip: Most shoes have some form of heel clip, sometimes it is a low collar, sometimes it reaches to the top of the shoe, they can be narrow or wide, solid, or only a little stiffer than the surrounding, but it lets you lace your foot back into this firmer area, holding your heel in place.
Toe bar: Most often found in trail and children’s shoes, this protective overlay runs around the toe area in a horseshoe shape, offering improved durability and protection.
Engineered mesh: While every brand has a unique way of creating an upper, perhaps the most used term is engineered mesh. By engineering a mesh, brands can give a tight knit to the midfoot and the sides where protection and a stable fit are the priorities but open the mesh wide above the toes to improve air flow, giving you the best of both worlds.
Midsole
Stack height: This is the height of the foam from the ground to your foot. Measured to the highest point. The legal maximum height for racing under IAAF is 40mm meaning anything around this hight is considered Max Stack
Heel drop: The difference in stack height from the highest point (under the heel) to the lowest point (under the toes). Adding a heel drop leans you forward into your stride slightly. Brands and runner’s views on whether this is a good idea, and how high it should be, vary wildly but most shoes have a drop between 6-10mm.
Geometry: Used to describe the way brands shape the midsole/outsole, and most commonly to describe an upward curve at the front of the foot, the geometry can make a big change to the way your transition feels and can be tuned to fit the style of shoe you are buying.
Responsive: A term often used by brands who want to describe the bouncy, energy return properties of their proprietary midsole foams
Energy Return: All foams lose energy, that said, high energy return foams can absorb the impact of landing and return some of that energy in the form of a quick rebound, propelling your foot into the next stride.
EVA: The original midsole foam, first used in the 70’s and still going strong. Its proper name is ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer foam. Lightweight and great at cushioning, it’s the versatility of the foam that is so enduring, with various chemicals and gases being added to make it stronger, lighter, and more responsive, it can be tuned for the exact needs of each shoe/brand.
CMEVA: Compression moulded EVA, CMEVA is one of the ways in which an EVA midsole is formed and produces beautifully detailed midsoles with very precise builds.
TPU: (or Thermoplastic Urethane) is the material used to make foams like adidas boost and Saucony PWRRUN+, seen in shoes like the Ultraboost and Ride. Traditionally heavier than other foams, it offers a bouncy feel with excellent rebound properties. It is also temperature independent, meaning that it stays soft and comfy even if you left in the porch on a winter’s morning. It also has excellent durability, as it does not soften up overtime as much as EVA can.
PEBAX / PEBA: The first true “superfoam” PEBAX is simply a brand name for PEBA foams. They are highly prized for their huge level of energy return in a very lightweight foam.
Super foams: The new wave of foams that offer high degrees of energy return are sometimes referred to as “Super foams”, these include PEBA/PEBAX foams and certain types of gas infused foams that can reach similar levels or responsiveness and lightness.
Gas infused: All foams are created by blowing a gas (normally air) into a plastic starting block, but by using different gases some brands can gain improved characteristics from the foam.
Supercritical: Refers to a specific state that can be created in the foam production process. By applying heat and pressure to the correct level it is possible to make the embryonic plastic form both a gas and a liquid at the same time, like a steam or vapour.
Outsole
Lugs: Almost exclusively found in Trail running shoes, lugs are small, chunky spikes that stick out from the outsole surface. They give excellent traction when digging into mud, the longer the lug, the better the traction in wet mud, while shorter lugs gain better grip on hard packed earth or gravel tracks.
Multidirectional Lugs: Research reveals that runners put pressure on different parts of the foot going uphill than down, or even on the flat. This means that by placing lugs facing various directions on certain sections of the outsole, brands can maximise traction for any rise.
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