Tie Your Running Shoes The Right Way
Getting the best fit from a running shoe is about more than just finding the right shoe. How you tie your running shoe laces makes a difference, too.
There are more than a dozen ways to lace your running shoes. Each method changes the fit and feel of your footwear. Proper lacing can help eliminate pain, soreness, blisters, and more.
Feeling banged-up in the toes? There’s a running shoe lacing trick for that.
Feeling pressure against the top of your foot? There’s a running shoe lacing trick for that, too.
Heel slipping out of the back of your running shoe? There’s a running shoe lacing trick for that as well.
Here are the four most common running shoe lacing techniques runners use to get the best possible fit from their shoes.
Running Shoe Lacing Technique For Top-of-Foot Pain
For runners with high arches, try the Ladder Method of lacing for your running shoes.
The Ladder Method creates a secure fit with the sides and heel of your shoe, while leaving room for your foot to arch against the shoe’s tongue and upper.
To lace your running shoe ladder-style:
- Start at the top-most eyelet and pull laces through so that they’re of even length
- Run the left lace on the inside of the shoe to the first available eyelet
- Push the lace through the eyelet and pull straight across
- Run the right lace on the inside of the shoe to the next available eyelet
- Push the lace through the eyelet and pull straight across
- Repeat until shoe lacing is complete
The Ladder Method of lacing will relieve pressure from the top of your foot.
Skip Lacing For Runners With Wide Feet
For runners with wide feet or extrusions on the sides of either foot, try the Skip Lacing Method of lacing for your running shoes.
The Skip Lacing Method relieves pressure from a specific area of your foot where the fit may be overly snug.
To lace your shoe skip-style:
- Start at the top-most eyelet and pull laces through so that they’re of even length
- Lace your shoe in the traditional cross-over method, stopping at the eyelet where the point of pain begins
- Run the left lace on the inside of the shoe, skipping to the first eyelet past the point of pain
- Push the lace through the eyelet and pull straight across
- Run the right lace on the inside of the shoe, skipping to the first eyelet past the point of pain
- Push the lace through the eyelet and pull straight across
- Finish lacing your running show in the traditional cross-over method
The Skip Lacing Method of lacing will relieve pressure from specific areas of your foot.
Heel Lock Lacing For Runners With Narrow Heels
For runners whose heels slip from the base of their running shoes, try the Heel Lock Method of lacing for your running shoes.
The Heel Lock Method holds your heel snug in your running shoe, which can improve your impact forces and help to prevent injury. It can also reduce friction blisters on your feet.
To lace your shoe heel lock-style:
- Start at the top-most eyelet and pull laces through so that they’re of even length
- Lace your shoe in the traditional cross-over method, stopping with two eyelets remaining
- Run the left lace on the outside of the shoe to the last available eyelet
- Push the lace through the eyelet
- Tuck the left lace into the remaining unused eyelet
- Pull the left lace through the eyelet, beneath the existing lace to create a loop
- Run the right lace on the outside of the shoe to the last available eyelet
- Push the lace through the eyelet
- Tuck the right lace into the remaining unused eyelet
- Pull the right lace through the eyelet, beneath the existing lace to create a loop
When you tie your shoes as normal, the loop you created will gently secure your heel to your running shoe, improving your heel fit.
The Heel Lock Method is terrific for runners with narrow heels.
Diagonal Lacing For Runners With Jammed-Up Toes
For runners whose toes get banged up and sometimes turn black-and-blue, the Diagonal Lacing method can be a good solution.
The Diagonal Method creates extra room in the toe box of your running shoes which can be the difference between running in pain and running pain-free.
To lace your shoe diagonal-style:
- Start at the bottom-most eyelet and thread lace unevenly so that one lace has enough slack to tie
- Run the longer lace diagonally to the top-most eyelet on the opposite side of the shoe
- Pull the longer lace through the eyelet
- Run the longer lace across to the opposite eyelet
- Push the longer lace through the eyelet
- Run the longer lace diagonally to the opposite side of the shoe, beneath the “diagonal” lace already in place
- Repeat Steps 4-6 until reaching the last eyelet
When you tie your shoes as normal, you will feel the extra room created in the toe box of your shoe.
Tie Your Shoes Better, Run Your Runs Better
Running faster and better is the result of good form and good training, but having the right shoes makes a difference, too.
So does tying your shoes to match your feet.
Use any of the above methods to custom-fit your shoes to your liking. Pain-free running is the best kind of running there is.