An article from Triathlon Magazine ( triathlonmagazine.ca/gear/what-are-the-perfect-shoes-for-treadmill-running/) from Sep 2022 popped up on my Facebook page suggesting the ideal running shoes for Treadmill running.
One specific recommendation was that carbon sole shoes were not good for treadmill running.
As I have just bought my first pair of carbon shoes (not Nike) and was having great fun running on a treadmill with them I wondered about other people’s experience with treadmill running and the shoes they prefer.
It’s winter here in “the six” and I run indoors from now till April as I live downtown and hate street running in the winter. I am a self confessed “duck” when it comes to running but my experience with the shoe on a treadmill has been great.
I don’t think there would be any benefit to using a carbon shoe on the treadmill (unless it’s a race).
I have dedicated treadmill shoes, and got over 2000 miles on a pair of the original Hoka Clifton. Current treadmill shoe is a pair of the original Saucony Endorphin Speed - around 800 miles thus far. I find that the upper is the part that fails rather than the outsole. The pair of Clifton’s that I got 2k miles out of had what looked like an almost brand new outsole, but I had used gorilla tape in a few spots on the upper to keep them from literally falling apart before they finall did!
I’d just go with whatever shoe you like the most - you should certainly get a lot more mileage out of shoes indoors than out.
I don’t have treadmill specific shoes, and I don’t have any with a carbon plate. I use whatever training shoe is up next in my (6 shoe) rotation. That being said, I did take my racing flats (Skechers Razor 2 hyper burst) for a spin on the treadmill, and they felt better than all the rest in that application. But, I’m not adding them to the training rotation. That was just a one-off.
I recently got a pair of On Cloud Monsters for the treadmill and really like them. My treadmill is a hard surface so I like the extra cushioning in the cloud monsters.
It’s interesting that you liked the racing flats in a treadmill.
What I noticed was a small but measurable lowering in HR at the same speed but with an small angle added on the treadmill.
Also less wear and tear on me (not so worried about the shoe). Resulting in a 50k week for the first time in a long time with no aches and pains.
I have, up till now, rotated through Hoka, Altra and Nike. The carbon shoe happened to be on sale so I’m not so worried about wearing it out.
Even tried changing from one pair to another during the run and the results are the same, the HR comes down a tick each time.
Do people not just treat it the same as they do for outdoor running? I haven’t done much treadmill running but will be in the near future and that was my plan. Rotate through my shoes just as I normally do.
As my question came about simply because a magazine article suggested the use of a particular shoe was not a good idea on a treadmill, that’s why I asked about individual experience and preference…
And no, running outside versus a treadmill are rather different experiences. There’s no wind, there’s a constant temperature, there’s no sun, camber changes, surface changes, grass, sand, etc, you can’t (usually) run downhill in a gym, and there’s no turns, you don’t run carrying your drinks or food and you don’t need a hat, visor or sunglasses.
I have run on the treadmill with my Vaporfly and Next% shoes and see many others using all sorts of race shoes on the treadmill. For my treadmill work I use the same shoe selection as outdoors so if I am doing tempo/interval work I will use the same shoes I would outside. Same with easy days. Did not read the article but wonder why they think they are not good for treadmills. Or is it that they say you do not get the same benefit? The plate might not be magic on the treadmill but the foam sure is great on there just like outside.
That article is pretty devoid of reasoning/barebones – I wouldn’t pay much mind to it. After a recent month of treadmill-only running, my personal view is to just use what you’d use outside. I did shorter, easier, and pretty standard runs in my usual trainers. I did threshold runs and long runs in my carbon shoes. As with outside, I hit faster paces more easily, and with a lower heart rate and less post-run fatigue, in the carbons; and the usual trainers also performed as expected.
I don’t feel there’s a need to use carbon shoes on a treadmill, but they performed better on my more important runs, and I’ve picked up a bunch of pairs for cheaper than my trainers, so why not?
That article is pretty devoid of reasoning/barebones – I wouldn’t pay much mind to it. After a recent month of treadmill-only running, my personal view is to just use what you’d use outside. I did shorter, easier, and pretty standard runs in my usual trainers. I did threshold runs and long runs in my carbon shoes. As with outside, I hit faster paces more easily, and with a lower heart rate and less post-run fatigue, in the carbons; and the usual trainers also performed as expected.
I don’t feel there’s a need to use carbon shoes on a treadmill, but they performed better on my more important runs, and I’ve picked up a bunch of pairs for cheaper than my trainers, so why not?
That’s my experience as well.
Currently running on Saucony Endorphin Speed 2’s but I will run on anything.
My only criteria is that the soles are clean so I don’t get dirt flying off and in the house. Otherwise I like others use the same rotation I would outside. I guess it may depend on the type of treadmill you have curved/flat, bouncing/non bouncing or motorized/non motorized
*That article is pretty devoid of reasoning/barebones *
To be honest I wondered about that. We all expect that a sports dedicated magazine would have experts and the writer seems to have done a few ultras and a some marathons although nothing spectacular (they’re still better than me). But I could not see where the information was that would lead to their conclusions. So I thought I’d ask the “experts” on here. And like you, I can pick a couple of pairs (right now) for less than most trainers, so why not.
And as I train to maintain, regain or even (with hope) go faster, finishing a 10k treadmill run even 1 minute faster cheers me up…:0)
Currently running on Saucony Endorphin Speed 2’s but I will run on anything.
I tried running on the mill with my Endorphin Shifts and it just felt weird - too much rocker I think. They’re fine outside but I just couldn’t abide them on the mill.
I just use shoes I’ve retired from the road. Currently using an old pair of Brooks Ravennas, before that an old pair of Saucony Fastwitch. No problems with either of those though I’ll say that the Fastwitch probably felt best (I assume cause they’re lighter).
I can almost guarantee that some enterprising individual with almost certainly come up with “treadmill-specific running shoes” as its own class/genre in the running shoe world and it will sell millions.
I have a pair of Brooks Hyperion Tempo that I use on the treadmill, forgot I had them and now use them more or less exclusively indoors. Got over 1000km on them and they still look new and still have life in the midsole.
They are extremely well ventilated too, which obviously helps.