How To Choose Your Long Distance Running Spikes
If long distance running is one of your passions, you will probably already know that your best friends are your trusty running shoes. They are the tools of the trade that keep you on the road. The chances are, if you are running for several miles, that you are either doing your jogging on the roads or you are going cross country. After all, imagine the monotony of running a half marathon on a 400-meter athletics track – boring!
For road-running, a high quality pair of rubber soled running shoes is fine, and once you know what works for you, it is best to try and stick to that brand and range. So for me, it’s a hard-working pair of Saucony Rides – actually I’m just breaking in the second generation Ride 2 shoes at the moment. If you switch to cross country running, you will more 
likely need a pair of long distance running spikes.
The spiked running shoes used for cross country courses are very different from the more familiar ones you might see sprinters wearing. They have substantially more cushioning and padding to enhance comfort. For this reason, they will be heavier than a sprinter’s spikes, but you will be running considerably further than 100 meters. The actual spikes themselves – the teeth that do the gripping – will be slightly longer too, and the angles they protrude from the sole may be different, as your running surface will be less predictable. There might be soft mud or uneven ground and your spikes will need to be able to handle any of these problems to stop you from slipping and sliding. Usually it is these unpredictable slips that can lead to pulled muscles and other frustrating injuries that take weeks to recover from.
So when you look for cross country or long distance running spikes, make sure to look out for some of these extra features, and don’t be persuaded into buying something you don’t need (eg sprinters’ spikes, which will be useless and painful). Most spiked running shoes have detachable pins these days, and this will be an important factor for your cross country shoes. You will be able to remove the spikes on hot dry days when the ground is hard, or screw them in for a race in rainy weather.
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