4. Learn the secret shoe-tie.

Running tip #4

If you’ve ever experienced a sore tibialis anterior tendon (the tendon that flexes when you lift your big toe/forefoot) from a too-tight shoelace, you will want to learn the secret shoe-tying method I discovered back in my New Balance track club days (thanks, Kevin Ryan!).  The reason this method works is that the pressure (or tightness) from one lace pulling across your tendon is distributed over two laces, separated by a 1/2″ or so.

First, take the laces out of the top holes:

unnamed-2

Next, make loopholes by threading up the side, not across the shoe:

unnamed-3

Then, thread the single laces through each loop.

.unnamed-4

Finally, pull tight for a snug fit with no tendon pain!

unnamed-5

And, by the way, this is just one of several of my 365 tips that has to do with shoe-laces.  Haha, I’m such a dork.

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

3 Responses to 4. Learn the secret shoe-tie.

  1. Layna Mosley

    Funny, I learned that trick long ago, as a college student working at the specialty running store in Orlando. But it was taught to me as a way to get a snugger fit around the heel, rather than a way to keep tendon pain at bay. Guess it works for both! (And keep up the good work on the new blog 🙂

  2. Liza

    Thank you, Joan!! I’ve had this pain for awhile now and wasn’t sure how to fix it; I just kept tying my shoes looser and looser (which causes other problems), to no effect. I’m re-lacing my shoes RIGHT NOW! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Liza Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *