We are regularly asked by customers why they have worn small holes inside the back of the heel area in their shoes.
Well apart from those who may have prised their shoes off with the use of their other foot, which I am sure we have all been guilty of, it is usually down to heel slippage within the shoes.
Sometimes it’s not even enough to really notice it, but those slight movements over time cause friction which eventually will lead to wear spots where the material splits and small holes develop.
The best way to try and eliminate this is by the use of what is known as butterfly lacing.
I have been showing runners for more than 30 years how to do this and yet we still get people (some seasoned runners too) who say I always wondered what the second eyelet at the top of the shoe was for.
In the first instance, lace your shoes normally (crisscrossing) until you reach the second to top eyelet on each side. Then instead of just carrying on, miss the second to last eyelet and go through the top eyelet instead before then doubling back from the outside of the shoe through the second to top eyelet.
However, do not pull all the way through as you need to create a loop. Once you have done this on both sides, pull each lace across the shoe and thread through the loops on the opposite sides whilst pulling the lace ends up and out a few times to gradually pull the shoe in around the heel for a nice secure fit. Do not over tighten it though. You can then tie your shoes in the normal way.
If when running it feels too tight, then just slacken the lacing off a touch. If it still slips then of course further tighten. If this still does not solve the problem, it may be down to sizing.
Some people only use this method for their smaller foot (most of us will have one foot bigger than the other).
You can check out the butterfly lacing method in this video here… https://youtu.be/-Wf7DEaituQ
