Running Economy While Running in Shoes Categorized as Maximal Cushioning

The purpose of the study was to determine if running economy was influenced by wearing maximal cushioning shoes vs. control (neutral cushioning) shoes. Participants (n=10, age=28.2±6.1yrs; mass=68.1±10.2 kg; height=170±6.1 cm) completed two experiments. Each experiment included running conditions wearing control and maximal cushioning shoes. In Experiment 1, participants ran on a treadmill at three speeds in each shoe condition (6 total conditions). The speeds were: 1) preferred speed, 2) preferred speed + 0.447 m·s^-1, and 3) preferred speed - 0.447 m·s^-1. In Experiment 2, participants ran on a treadmill at two inclines (0%, 6%) in each shoe condition (4 total conditions) at preferred speed. Experiments were conducted on separate days with Experiment 1 first. For all conditions, participants ran for 8-10 minutes while rate of oxygen consumption (VO₂) was recorded. Average VO₂ during steady state for each running condition was calculated. For Experiment 1, a 2 (shoe) × 3 (speed) repeated measures ANOVA (α=0.05) was used. For Experiment 2, a 2 (shoe) × 2 (incline) repeated measures ANOVA (α=0.05) was used. Rate of oxygen consumption was not influenced by the interaction of speed and shoe (p=0.108); VO₂ was different between speeds (p<0.001), but not between shoes (p=0.071). Rate of oxygen consumption was not influenced by the interaction of incline and shoe (p=0.191); VO₂ was greater for incline vs. level (p<0.001), but not different between shoes (p=0.095). It is concluded that a maximal cushioning running shoe did not influence running economy when compared to a control shoe (neutral cushioning running shoe).