Running Shoe Lacing Techniques to Make Your Feet Happy

By Zuzana Rogers

Do you get black toenails? Do your heels slip in your shoes, creating blisters? Do you ever wonder why there is an extra set of holes on the shoe upper? Sometimes it is not the shoe, it is the way you are lacing it. There are different ways that you can lace your running shoes to make them more comfortable or to help customize the fit. [...]

Here are general tips on running shoe lacing technique to address several issues:

1.) Heel slipping: Use loop lacing lock; cross-lace the shoe from the toe box until second to last top hole and lace up each side of the eye row. Thread the loose lace ends through the opposite lace loop. Tie the shoe at the top, as usual. 

2.) High arches: This will give your foot more room in the midfoot are and help keep the shoe from feeling too tight across the arch.  Cross-lace from the toe box, then skip a row across the arch, finish as usual.​

3.) Wide forefoot: This will give your toes more room to spread or allow your toes to splay while running. Skip a row on the toe box, then cross-lace as usual.

4.) Narrow feet: This will help your shoe fit more securely in the places that it’s needed by adding a loop lacing lock in the middle of the row. Continue cross-lacing he shoe to the top and tie as usual.

5.) Toe problemsThis allows the material above your big toe to be pulled up and off the nail when the outside lace is tugged and tied tightly. Start by threading one end of the shoe lace through the eyelet at the top of the shoe on the opposite side of your big toe. Leave enough lace length to tie the shoe. Lace the rest of the shoe lace through the eyelet closes to your big toe, creating a diagonal pattern. Then lace the rest of the lace straight across toward the outside of the shoe then diagonally up an eyelet. Tie your shoes as usual.

6.) Feet swelling, or shoe feels too tight.This will give your feet overall roomier feel. Use this parallel lacing technique; lace from the toe box, skipping an eyelet and lace into the eyelet directly across from it.


Reposted from KatieRUNSthis

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