Interested to hear from those who rotate among different types of running shoes - what got you doing it, what principle do you use to decide which shoes to use for which run and what benefits have you seen from doing so as opposed to just running in the same pair for all runs?
I do it, I move through 3 or 4 pairs. The only time theres really a reason for it is if a pair is wet or im hitting a trail. Other than that its just whichever pair I grab.
I do it consistently for training.
Depending on the length/time I’m running - that will dictate the shoe. Low cushion/lower drop (although most of my shoes are pretty low) for short distances. I’ll usually go with a more cushioned shoe for longer distance training. Race day I have specific race shoes for certain distances.
My wife hates me btw 
I’ve been rotating shoes since I started running back in HS. For practical purposes, as mentioned, if one pair is wet, then I got a dry set for the run. Likewise, different set for trail running. I also alternate between pairs with more stability/cushioning and a more minimalist shoe; longer runs I grab the cushioned one, for days where I feel like going faster/lighter I grab the minimalists. There’s debate too that it is beneficial to alternate so your legs/feet don’t adapt to a set position, wear pattern etc…
I wear:
Merrell Trail gloves or huraches- flat, little cushion - once a week, 8 miles to keep form up
brooks pure flow - low drop, much more cushion - 3 a week, varied distances for recovery runs and base mileage
brooks pure connect - low drop, low cushion - races and occasional training
hoka mafate 2 - low drop, lots of cushion - long trail runs
brooks pure grit - short trail runs
.
Absolutely. Depending on distance largely, but if there is inclimate weather I throw in a more minimal shoe fore longer distances.
The shorter the distance, the more minimal the shoe. I just added Newtons to my longer distance rotation with success. I would use Nike Frees exclusively if the sole wasn’t so damn flimsy. I’ve coated one sole with Shoe Goo on the wear points and keep a spare set solely for racing.
Been rotating since high school. I typically have 3 shoes in the rotation. 1 is an everyday, all around, most enjoyable pair, 2 leans toward longer running but still an all around shoe and 3 is a racing/tempo shoe. In a year I will go through at least 2 of shoe #1, maybe 2 of #2 and #3 will last me a while.
I generally buy a shoe and run in it for about 2 months. Then I purchase the next pair and slowly rotate it into the stock. So as one pair is starting to go downhill a bit, a new pair is getting well broken in. Plus this gives me the option to buy new shoes every 8-10 weeks.
I rotate 4 pairs. 2 pairs of zoots that have similar fit. One is for races, the other is for training longer distances. I think they are kilanis and tt’s (spelling)? I like to keep a similar fit because zoots are the only shoes I’ve found not to give me blisters going barefoot. 1 pair is for trails (Salomons) and I also have a pair of Ice Bugs for snow and ice on the trails. If it’s a hard surface, I pretty much stick to zoots.
I have one pair of shoes with a little more cushioning for longer runs (Brooks Launch) and two pairs of shoes for most of my shorter or faster runs (Saucony Kinvara 2 and 3). I rotate other shoes in from time to time to try them out; for instance, I bought the Brooks Pure Connect and found that it works well for short, fast runs but not so well for longer tempo efforts. I have separate shoes for racing 10K and under; I try to keep the miles off of them because they are very lightweight flats and I don’t expect them to hold up under normal training for very long.
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I had shin splints years ago and have never had them since rotating shoes. I use different shoes too, so not the same pressure points, or repetitive motion issues. I also go against the grain, if legs are tired, I wear a lightweight shoe, helps me feel lighter and fresh.
Also, rotating shoes is better for the shoes as well.
I think rotating is good, but is still over-rated.
I’ve run for 20 years now, and I rotated pretty religiously through most of it.
However, I’ve noticed that my shoes work well even with high-mileage; I think most people throw their shoes away far before they are deteriorating in performance. Shoe marketers LOVE to pass off the idea that you have to change your shoes every 250 (!) - 500 miles, but there’s no real good data published anywhere showing that you either lose speed or increase injuries with older shoes. Even anecdotally if you interview experienced runners who are well past the typical placebo effects that beginners often fall victim to, most of them acknowledge that their old shoes work fine for training and even racing.
Last year and a half I wore one shoe for almost every weekday run, no rotation, for the whole year. At least 1000 miles put on it. And aside from getting really ugly and even stanky, it worked completely fine. I still have it to use for offroad trail runs where I expected dirt and mud.
I’ve also A-B’d quite a number of sneakers in training, since I used to run marathons and when I was putting up 80mpw, I didn’t want to get injured - but changing a shoe every 250 miles would mean a new shoe every 3 weeks! I thus would rotate 2-3 shoes, and then when one was getting older, gradually start introducing a brand new identical model shoe to see if I could detect a real performance or comfort difference. Bottom line was that the answer was no - every time. The upper would be softer yes, but midsoles today are constructed so well that I couldn’t even tell a difference in the ride between new shoes and shoes with 1000 miles on them.
I’ll be the dissenting opinion. Unless you’re running over 50 miles a week (most triathletes don’t) and you get new shoes at the recommended 350-400 miles there really is no need to rotate shoes. Rotating shoes comes from hours of running day after day–to give the shoe time to spring back. Inclimate weather and wet shoes is a great reason to rotate shoes.
That said, there is nothing wrong with rotating shoes assuming the all fit you correctly.
I use one pair of run shoes and one pair of trail shoes. My personal ‘rotation’ comes with some days on the trail and shoe days on the pavement. When I was training over 50 miles a week, I had two of the exact same pair and rotated daily.
Midsole foams don’t need a rest period to spring back.
I rotate between Brooks Glycerin(2 pairs) and Newton Distance.
My theory was switching over completely to Newtons, but I am not sure I am headed that direction now.
As for running I rotate purely only a third-third-third with the exception being I don’t run technical trails in my Newtons as of yet so if I trail run I stick to Glycerins or sometimes Cascadias.
after a couple season of injuries (2 bouts of ITBS and foot problems), my PT suggested rotating shoes to see if my body would respond. He suggested it as a way of getting my feet to get used to running in shoes that were different since I had developed some bad habits. I am not sure how scientific it is, but since a doc told me to, I did. And i have not had problems since. However, I was undergoing therapy so that may have done the trick and the rotating shoes may/may not have had anything to do with my recovery.
Like others, I have pairs of shoes with more cushion for easy recovery runs and lighter shoes for track workouts and tempo runs. It’s always nice to lace up some race shoes and pop off a good fast tempo run each week to really push the body. Hope this helps.
I rotate through 3 pair, and always put cedar shoe trees in my shoes after running in them (nearly doubles the life of the shoes, and they smell better to boot!). I never wear my running shoes if I’m not running, even to and from a race. I always buy the same model and color (surprisingly, there’s a considerable difference between the green and blue Asics that I wear ) And I mark the shoes (on the heel) with the date they go into service with a Sharpie (since I wear the same model and color, it also helps to keep them straight).
I’ve worked in running specialty, so I received a lot of discounted/free shoes. I’m also a size 8.5 or 9 depending on the shoe, so I’m a popular “wear tester”. I probably own 20ish pairs of running shoes and actively run in only 3 to 4 pairs depending on the distance/terrain/intensity. The rest are just “wear around” shoes because they’ve been given to me and do not fit properly for running.
Most popular shoe: Saucony Kinvara 2/3
Longer/recovery runs: Nike Pegasus
“Change of pace shoe”: Mizuno Wave Rider
Trail Shoe: NB Minimus Trail
I used to rotate through multiple running shoes. Similar to other folks, I would find a model that I liked and buy several pairs. Long ago I had 4 pairs of the Asics Gel Lyte Utlras (loved that shoe, bring back the mono-tongue!) and would phase in the next pair as an older pair was “wearing out”. I’m 5’9" ~ 150lbs and would put about 300 miles on each pair before taking them out of service.
More recently however, I’ve been running almost exclusively in just one pair of shoes. In the past 2 years, I logged 1800 miles (eighteen hundred miles) on a single pair of Asics Trabuco trail runners. I have an older pair of Asics DS Trainers that are my designated racing shoes, otherwise all my training runs are in the Trabucos. I run in them on the roads/pavement and on packed dirt/trails. Summer heat, long hikes, rain, winter frost, snow, ice, whatever. Trail shoes are the most versatile training shoe, plus they tend to be a bit heavier which help the feet fly on race day.
The whole thing about shoes wearing out within 300 or so miles - I’m no longer so convinced. Ok, the upper is definitely wearing out on my 1800 mile pair, but that in no way affects my running in them. My foot strike usually lands mid-foot and there’s still lots of rubber on the outsole (and cushioning on the inside), definitely still way more on this pair than on completely brand new VFFs and other similarly minimal shoes. At some point I guess I’ll retire this pair, some day…
Most of the year, I’ll rotate at least 3 pairs. One will be a pair of trail shoes (usually cascadias); the other two will be road shoes. usually one will be softer, for long runs; the other lighter/firmer, for shorter runs and/or track workouts.
maybe it’s outdated, but my goal isn’t so much to rotate shoes as it is to avoid running 2 days in a row in the same pair. if i was more of a triathlete and less of a runner, this woulnd’t be so necessary.
what i learned - and maybe this isn’t true anymore, as someone on this thread has suggested - is that you’ll get more miles out of shoes if you give them 48 hours btwn runs.
i log my miles on the shoes; i can tell when they’re starting to go, the feel changes. i don’t know that i get injured, just sorer.