A simple change to the way you lace your running shoes to prevent blisters and reduce heel lift.

I won’t claim to be an expert in running or footwear – but I have a suggestion for how to lace your running shoes.

Yesterday I was shopping for new trainers and the girl next to me was trying on a pair of trainers. She preferred one pair over another but had problems with her heel lifting. I was able to give her a lacing tip that enabled her to buy the better looking pair.

This lead me to spend a little time researching this to make sure my advice was sound.

Years ago I had my feet professionally assessed, and I was also suffering from heel lift in certain trainers. It’s a horrible problem because even when you have an otherwise well fitting shoe you’ll suffer from heal blisters or discomfort. The assessor suggested a lacing method that he called ‘marathon loops’ to help reduce this issue.

Most training shoes have 6 standard holes which are used under normal circumstances, and a 7th hole I’ve rarely seen others use. The method he showed me I’ve used up until today on my running shoes – however having passed this advice on yesterday I though I better check to see if there has been any studies on lacing.
Thankfully, I found a great article with a study backing it’s advice. It suggests You remove the lacing out of hole 6 completely and go vertically up (without crossing sides) into hole 7.
The pictures below show this what I mean.

One great feature of this lacing method is that you get a far larger opening for putting your shoes on and off. The lacing is open from hole 5 rather than 6, whilst not compromising the support – in fact it provides more! Also it’s much quicker to tighten and loosen them.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

Want to loose weight and feel awesome? Check out my post about Huel and Insanity!