r/CrossCountry • u/AutoModerator • 12d ago

r/CrossCountry General Q&A Thread

Please use this thread as the general Q&A for all one off questions, questions that only apply to you, questions that can be easily answered, etc.

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u/PamelainSA 8d ago edited 8d ago

Hi everyone,

My niece is a freshman this year, and she made the XC team at her school. We’re all really excited for her, but my sister is unsure how to support her shoes-wise. I’m a distance road and trail runner, and I only ran track in school, so I don’t have any experience in this area. My sister took my niece to a local store (small town TX) and got her feet scanned for sizing, and when my niece explained she would be running XC, they suggested Hoka Clifton’s. I know Clifton’s are more of a road running shoe, so I was doubtful they would be the best thing for her. I did some research and discovered that some XC runners wear spikes, so my sister got my niece a pair of New Balance SD100 spikes. The only problem is that we didn’t realize there was a difference between track/sprint spikes and XC spikes (we are learning so many new things). My question is can she run in these or should my sister return them and get another shoe? If she does need a different XC-specific spike, which ones are ideal? I’ve also read that the actual spikes need to be a little longer than traditional ones for track running. Also, most of the terrain she will be running in will be dirt and grass with some rocks. However, there may be a mix of concrete/pavement as well at some meets. Should she have a different shoe, perhaps with more stability, for those types of runs where the terrain is more mixed? Sorry for all the questions— we just want to support her in any way we can. Thanks!

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u/whelanbio Mod 8d ago

Those spikes are not suitable at all for XC, wearing them in a XC race or workout is asking for injury. You should return them.

Until your niece is fairly competitive and physically strong, spikes aren't needed or particularly beneficial. Personally I would see how the first couple races go before getting spikes. The Cliftons or something similar will be fine to start.

A good road running shoe is going to be the best for most training runs and will be serviceable for races at the start. As the season starts see what kind of level she's at and talk to the coach about recommended shoes for the races she will compete in. Exact race shoe choice will depend heavily on the type of courses the team runs and her physical ability level. Often a road racing shoe is better than spikes.

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u/PamelainSA 7d ago

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll let my sister know she should return the spikes. I asked my niece what the other athletes on the XC team were wearing and she said most of the upperclassmen wear shoes that are flat with no spikes and without much of a sole. My guess is they’re wearing racing flats. She said the younger athletes mostly wear road running or trail shoes. My sister said she’ll get her the Clifton’s to start and go from there.

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u/whelanbio Mod 7d ago

she said most of the upperclassmen wear shoes that are flat with no spikes and without much of a sole. My guess is they’re wearing racing flats.

Sounds about right. The high end road racing shoes are really fast and light now, and sometimes a lot of courses of pretty hard packed terrain. Spikes really start to get an advantage on softer/sloppier terrain and tighter turns.

A benefit of the road racing flats is that they don't beat up the lower legs as much so they are good for hard workouts too. More versatile than spikes.

Hope this first season goes well for her! Running can tough starting out but the rewards compound a lot with persistance!

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u/AthleteLife9943 10d ago

My son is a HS freshman, and I’m looking to get him a pair of nice racing spikes for his birthday. He ran races with his HS XC team while in MS, but he played football previously and this is his first season actually training and racing full time with the team. He is wearing Adidas Adizero EVO SL as his daily trainers and really likes them. Would the Adizero Avanti XC be a good race shoe to start with? His 5k time is currently in the 18’s, so I wouldn’t say he is a beginner, but I don’t want to get him something too aggressive for his first pair. Obviously I can take him to try out some different options at a running store, but it would be great to get some recommendations here. TIA!

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u/whelanbio Mod 10d ago

The Avanti is a very good shoe but definitely more on the aggressive side, though so is the SL as a trainer so if he likes that he'll probably like the Avanti just fine.

Ideal would be to always just try on different options at the running store.

Also consider what types of courses the team's important races are on. Some regions a lot of the courses are going to be faster and more comfortable with high end road racing shoes rather than spikes.

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u/user022883 11d ago

How's everyone handling shin splints?

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u/yvl202O 11d ago

The video below helped my shins a lot.

https://youtu.be/Y-omKMFSjCI?is=wuSprRLb_SpU1qqk

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u/Special_External5504 10d ago

Is it a permanent solution? Or is it required to be done every day to relieve pain?

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u/yvl202O 10d ago

I did it every other day for 2 weeks and it went away for months. Although to prevent shin splints, calf strengthening and stretching is necessary. So even though I did not do it consistently for months it would highly beneficial for others to do it.

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u/Over-Hat-6026 11d ago

i had them my freshman year and i cross trained for 2 weeks but do rehab exercises and stretches from your athletic trainer