For runners of all levels, from weekend joggers to elite marathoners, the simple act of lacing up their shoes is a critical, yet often overlooked, component of performance and injury prevention. The right lacing technique can transform a good shoe into a perfect one, providing a customized fit that addresses specific foot shapes and common complaints. By strategically using the eyelets on your running shoes, you can alleviate pressure points, prevent painful blisters, secure a slipping heel, and create a stable platform, ultimately allowing you to run more comfortably and efficiently every time you hit the pavement or trail.
The Overlooked Science of a Secure Fit
Your running shoes are a sophisticated piece of equipment, but they can only function as designed when properly secured to your feet. The lacing system isn’t just there to keep the shoe from falling off; it’s an adjustable interface that connects your foot to the shoe’s supportive structures.
When your foot is not securely held, it can move excessively within the shoe. This internal movement, or “slop,” is the primary culprit behind friction blisters. More critically, it can lead to a lack of stability, forcing the small muscles in your feet and ankles to work overtime to prevent rolling, which can increase the risk of sprains and other overuse injuries.
Conversely, lacing your shoes too tightly can create its own set of problems. Excessive pressure on the top of the foot, known as the dorsal aspect, can compress nerves and tendons. This can lead to numbness, tingling, or a painful condition called extensor tendonitis, where the tendons that pull your toes upward become inflamed.
The goal of proper lacing is to achieve a “locked-down” feel without creating pressure points. Your foot should feel snug and secure from heel to toe, but you should still be able to wiggle your toes freely. This perfect balance ensures the shoe moves with your foot as a single, cohesive unit, maximizing comfort and biomechanical efficiency.
Before You Re-Lace: The Foundation of a Proper Fit
It’s crucial to understand that lacing techniques are for fine-tuning, not for fixing a fundamentally poor shoe choice. Before you start experimenting with knots and loops, ensure you’re starting with the right raw materials: a pair of running shoes that are the correct size and type for your feet and gait.
Always have your feet measured at a specialty running store, preferably at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest due to natural swelling. A general rule of thumb is to have about a half-inch, or a thumb’s width, of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. This space is vital to accommodate foot splay and swelling during a run.
Once you have the right shoe, you can use lacing as a powerful tool to customize its fit to your unique anatomy. Think of the shoe as the house and the lacing as the interior design—it’s what makes it feel perfectly like home for your feet.
Essential Lacing Techniques for Common Running Woes
Most running shoes come from the factory with a standard crisscross lacing pattern. This works for many, but if you experience common issues, a simple change can make a world of difference. Here are the most effective techniques to solve specific fit problems.
For a Slipping Heel: The Heel Lock (or Runner’s Loop)
This is arguably the most important lacing technique every runner should know. It utilizes the often-ignored extra eyelet at the very top of your shoe to create a powerful lock that prevents your heel from lifting out of the shoe’s heel cup.
How to do it:
1. Lace your shoes in the standard crisscross pattern, stopping before you get to the final two eyelets (the top one and the one just below it).
2. Instead of crossing over, take the lace on each side and thread it into the top eyelet on the same side, going from the outside in. This will create a small vertical loop on the outside of the shoe.
3. Now, take the end of the left lace and cross it over, threading it through the loop you just created on the right side.
4. Repeat with the right lace, threading it through the left loop.
5. Pull both laces downward and then back to tighten the loops. You’ll feel the shoe cinch snugly around your ankle. Tie your knot as usual.
Why it works: The Runner’s Loop leverages mechanical advantage. The loops act like a pulley system, allowing you to apply significantly more tension around the ankle with less pulling force. This securely pulls your heel back into the heel counter of the shoe, eliminating slippage and reducing the friction that causes blisters on your Achilles.
For High Arches or Instep Pain: Window Lacing (or Box Lacing)
If you feel a painful pressure point on the very top of your foot, you likely have a high instep or high arches. The standard crisscross pattern can concentrate pressure directly on this sensitive area.
How to do it:
1. Identify the area on your foot where the pressure is most intense. Unlace your shoes down to the eyelet pair just below that spot.
2. Instead of crossing the laces over, run each lace vertically up to the next eyelet on the same side.
3. After this vertical “skip,” resume the normal crisscross lacing pattern for the remaining eyelets.
4. This creates an open “window” in the lacing, completely removing pressure from the sensitive area.
Why it works: By creating a gap in the crisscross pattern, you are removing the source of the pressure. The tension is distributed to the eyelets above and below the window, allowing the shoe’s tongue to cushion the top of your foot without being constricted by a tight lace.
For a Wide Forefoot or Cramped Toes: Forefoot Volume Lacing
Runners with a wider forefoot or conditions like bunions often feel cramped in the toe box, even if the shoe is the correct length. This technique provides more room and volume in the front of the shoe.
How to do it:
1. Unlace the shoe completely.
2. To start, instead of running the lace across the bottom two eyelets, thread the lace so it runs vertically up the sides. Take one end of the lace and run it from the bottom eyelet to the top eyelet on one side. Do the same with the other end on the opposite side.
3. Now, begin your crisscross pattern from the second pair of eyelets upward.
4. Alternatively, you can simply unlace the first one or two sets of eyelets, effectively starting your lacing higher up the shoe. This frees up the entire forefoot area.
Why it works: The standard lacing method pulls the sides of the shoe inward at the very front. By skipping the initial crossovers, you allow the shoe’s material to expand to its natural width, giving your forefoot and toes the space they need to splay naturally upon impact.
For Preventing Black Toenails: Big Toe Relief Lacing
Repetitive impact against the front of the shoe can cause subungual hematoma, or “runner’s toe”—bleeding under the toenail that turns it black. This can be caused by a shoe that’s too small, but it can also be due to pressure from the shoe’s upper on the big toe.
How to do it:
1. Unlace the shoe completely.
2. Take one end of the lace and run it diagonally from the eyelet nearest your big toe all the way to the top eyelet on the opposite (outer) side of the shoe.
3. Take the other, much longer end of the lace and thread it through the remaining eyelets in a standard horizontal pattern, working your way up.
4. Tie the knot as usual at the top.
Why it works: The long diagonal lace pulls the entire upper material of the shoe up and away from your big toe. This creates a small pocket of space, lifting the pressure off the nail and preventing it from banging against the shoe with every stride.
The Finishing Touches: Tension and The Unfailing Knot
Your lacing technique is only as good as your tensioning and your final knot. When tightening your shoes, don’t just pull on the two loose ends at the top. This only tightens the ankle collar and leaves the rest of the foot loose. Instead, start from the bottom eyelets and pull the slack out of each crisscross section, working your way up the shoe. This ensures even pressure distribution across the entire foot.
Finally, secure your hard work with a knot that won’t come undone mid-run. The standard “bunny ears” bow is notoriously unreliable. Use a Reef Knot (or “Secure Knot”) instead. First, create your starting knot (left over right). Then, when you make your loops or “bunny ears,” go right over left, and then pull tight. By reversing the direction of the second knot, you create a square knot that lies flat and holds firm under tension, yet still comes undone easily with a simple pull on a lace end.
With your shoes perfectly laced and securely tied, you can focus on what matters most: the joy of the run. These small, simple adjustments are a testament to the idea that in running, as in life, paying attention to the details can lead to profound improvements in comfort, health, and performance.
