--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your spikes, which were really quite long…" description: "\"Your spikes, which were really quite long then, would catch the material of the track and your shoe would get heavier. I was simply filing them down an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/roger-bannister-11572_athlete_your-spikes-which-were-really-quite-long_1149342.png" --- # Your spikes, which were really quite long then, would… ![“Your spikes, which were really quite long then, would catch the material of the track and your shoe would get heavier. I was simply filing them down and rubbing some graphite on the spikes, so that I thought I would run more effectively.” quote by Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/roger-bannister-11572_athlete_your-spikes-which-were-really-quite-long_1149342.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/roger-bannister-11572_athlete_your-spikes-which-were-really-quite-long_1149342.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/roger-bannister-11572_athlete_your-spikes-which-were-really-quite-long_1149342.png) > “Your spikes, which were really quite long then, would catch the material of the track and your shoe would get heavier. I was simply filing them down and rubbing some graphite on the spikes, so that I thought I would run more effectively.” [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modifying equipment (spikes) by adding graphite reduced weight and improved running efficiency, illustrating practical problem‑solving in athletics. **In simple terms:** Changing gear can make you run better. Key Takeaway Experiment with small equipment tweaks for performance gains. Themes innovation performance athletics engineering Mood analytical inquisitive Type technical educational When to use this quote - track training - shoe design - coaching strategies - equipment testing Key Concepts material science friction reduction athletic biomechanics Questions to Reflect On - What other variables affect running efficiency? - How can you test equipment changes safely? A Different Perspective The anecdote may oversimplify complex factors influencing speed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Filing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filing/) [Graphite Spikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphite-spikes-3240815/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Shoe Heavier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe-heavier-3240814/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Spikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spikes/) [Spikes Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spikes-really-3240816/) [Track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track/) [Track Shoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track-shoe-3240817/) ## Related quotes > [Blackthorn has wicked spikes that are highly brittle and tend to snap off under the skin and then fester horribly. This means that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/blackthorn-has-wicked-spikes-that-are-highly-brittle-and-tend-to-snap/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [Red bottoms, spikes on em' that's dos stacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/red-bottoms-spikes-on-em-that-s-dos-stacks/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [“He feels spikes everywhere and rushes to impale himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/he-feels-spikes-everywhere-and-rushes-to-impale-himself/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“Next he grabs a round yellow thing covered in small bumps. It looks like a strange fruit and I half expect him to squeeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/next-he-grabs-a-round-yellow-thing-covered-in-small-bumps-it-looks/) [Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/) > [I tend to lean toward female leads who have their guard up, their spikes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab-2/i-tend-to-lean-toward-female-leads-who-have-their-guard-up-their/) [V. E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab-2/) > [Spikes, " he sighed. "Heads. Walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/spikes-he-sighed-heads-walls/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [The Rolls-Royce, its all white. Foamposites, the LeBrons, Im fuckin wit the Spikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/the-rolls-royce-its-all-white-foamposites-the-lebrons-im-fuckin-wit/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [I've been imagining spikes in my head since I was 13 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-ve-been-imagining-spikes-in-my-head-since-i-was-13-years-old/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [“Spikes shall determine what we eat as receptors latch on to our last meal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-t-hincks/spikes-shall-determine-what-we-eat-as-receptors-latch-on-to-our-last/) [Anthony T. 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/nothing-is-all-bad-there-are-very-beautiful-flowers-in-the-desert/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [Your spikes have gone floppy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/your-spikes-have-gone-floppy/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/) [Robert P. 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Achievement was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/my-concentration-was-really-on-getting-to-university-and-becoming-a/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [If there was the opportunity to climb a mountain, or to go ballooning, or some adventurous activity, I would always be keen to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/if-there-was-the-opportunity-to-climb-a-mountain-or-to-go-ballooning/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. 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People lived and intermarried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/my-family-actually-lived-in-the-same-village-for-about-400-years-they/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [The human spirit is indomitable. No one can ever say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/the-human-spirit-is-indomitable-no-one-can-ever-say-you-must-not-run/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [Doctors and scientists said breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/doctors-and-scientists-said-breaking-the-four-minute-mile-was/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [Beating John Landy was my defining race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/beating-john-landy-was-my-defining-race/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [I had always wanted to become a neurologist, which is one of the most demanding vocations in medicine. 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