I’m looking to get into more advanced running programs as I begin to prove my IM marathon time, and I have seen mentioned a lot rotating through different shoes throughout the week. How do you go about figuring out which different types to use? I typically race in Altras and like them, so I’m not sure what other kinds of shoes I should add to the arsenal
Shoe rotation is usually for two reasons:
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To give the shoes a chance to dry out and the midsole to uncompress (so the same make/model of shoe, just two pairs worn on alternate days). Personally I’m skeptical of this (anyone have data to share?).
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Using different shoes for different types of workouts. Examples are lighter shoes for speed sessions, or shoes for different surfaces (trail).
When people talk about rotation, it’s usually the former.
I’m not aware of any actual research into the benefits of a rotation. People used to say there was a benefit to letting a shoes foam recover over more than 24 hours but that has been debunked afaik.
So in the absence of any data the sensible approach seems to me to play it safe. If you run on different surfaces then that means you might use a trail shoe. Maybe you do your long and easy runs in more cushioned shoes and the odd faster run in your race shoes or as similar as possible. I did read something about taking time to adapt to different shoe drops so I bear that in mind and my different shoes are pretty similar in that respect.
If I was less injury prone I’d think about doing a short work out just focusing of running drills and I’d do it in a barefoot type of shoe. But at the moment that’s too much of a risk for me.
A benefit of having a few pairs of shoes is that you can get good use out of an older pair and have a newer pair that you break in but keep nice for races. You never want to be the guy who suddenly realizes they need new shoes the week before there A race.
Basically I’d choose the right shoe for what you are doing that day and get natural rotation that way.
Unless anyone can link to specific research in which case we can go with that.
I like having 2 pairs of my general Swiss army knife shoes (Altra Kayenta) ready at all times, one about 100mi ahead of the other so I always have one pair that’s broken in but not too broken in for my long runs. The great thing about that is if I’m running out and it’s raining, the next day I have a dry pair.
And since my work has a treadmill, and sometimes that’s the only safe place to run, especially here in Minnesota during the winter, I always keep a running bag with clothes and another pair of shoes (Altra 2.5s I got at a discount) there unsullied by mud and salt at my desk just so I don’t have to worry about remembering to pack my bag the night before or morning of.
I then have another pair of “speed” shoes. I got the Zoom Fly 3’s so I can experiment on the track (once it’s no longer covered in snow) with that shoe and see if I’d like the Next%.
Finally I have my racing flats, which right are Altra Vanish’s. Unfortunately I can’t get them on quick enough to be useful in a triathlon, so they are only used in open 5k, 10k, HMs, etc.
EDIT: Shoes.
I generally try to keep two pairs in rotation, a new pair and an older pair. They are normally about 1/2 life apart from each other. So I have a new pair at 0 miles and an older pair at 250 miles. When the old pair gets to 500 or so, it gets retired and a new pair brought in.
Its not for any “dry out” or rebound reasons. It’s just to minimize the change from running in a super old pair to brand new. Im always running in a new and old pair.
I think desert dude has commented before that the more different types of shoes in rotation is correlated with decreased injury rate.
This is a topic that is very different person by person. Here is a run down of mine:
2 x adidas boston boosts. Got them on sale and Ive read that rotating shoes improve the life. if not, it doesnt decrease the life. I use these for any non-workout day and on some workout days as well (particularly tempo runs)
1 x saucany kinvara. Lower drop shoe that I will wear 1-2 times a week just to mix up the drop a bit on my feet so that when I wear a race shoe I am not too comfortable in the 10mm drop bostons. I basically use the kinvaras and the 2 bostons on a 3 day cycle for any day that isnt faster than 10k pace
1 x adidas adios. Racing flat that i will also use for a handful of workouts throughout the season when I go faster. basically for 5k-10k pace ranges. Thinking v02 max intervals mostly and race prep work. Use them more often for workouts around the peak race.
1 x nike LT streak. Really fast shoe that I only use for short and fast workout or for strides at the end of a run. Would also race in this one for OD and sprint tris while I use the adios for racing in 70.3 and 140.6 events.
Others might opt for a more cushioned shoe for the long run and maybe another designated workout shoe that they do all hard efforts in
Runners are consumables like tyres and tubes. You will eventually use all of them, so having extra pairs does not go to waste.
- during the week you will run in new, old and middle aged shoes, rather than slowly wear one pair out
- cushioned shoes for long runs, but still enjoy the benefits of less cushioned shoes for shorter runs
- trail runners better suited for when you go off road
- dedicated race runners (with elastic laces setup just right)
- have a pair (or two) you leave at work for lunchtime runs
- never in a hurry to get a new pair, so you can wait for specials (never pay full price)
- much easier to experiment with new brands/models if they are part of a large rotation rather than an only pair
- non preferred runners can be relegated to shorter recovery runs
I generally have at least 12 pairs of runners in my rotation (use Strava to track mileage). My wife thinks I have a problem
I let my shoes rest for 48 hours - to let the foam decompress. It’s just the way I have been doing it for the last decade, don’t have any science to back it up - just what the older athletes told me when I was a junior.
But I found that trying different shoes and putting a slightly different stress on my legs - helps me staying away from injuries.
I’m really lucky to be working with the ASICS FrontRunner project in Denmark and have access to try a lot of different shoes.
Right now I’m trying to better my running and I run everyday - for the first time in my life.
These are in my rotation now:
Long runs: Always the new GlideRide (really helped my form on the back half of my long runs)
Treadmill: I only run 4-5 k on the treadmill in my gym before my rehab/prehab - I have a dedicated pair of DynaFlyte to always have a clean pair of shoes without dirt
Tempo: Mostly GlideRide, but also some of the racing shoes - still trying to decide on which racing shoes to use in 2020
Easy: Kayano and GT2000 - if the weather is really bad I have a winter edition of the GT1000 with GoreTex (nice for the rain in Denmark)
Trail: FujiTrabuco Pro in good weather and FujiTrabuco 7 GTX in bad weather
My legs feels better - when I remember to switch between shoes.
Coming from swimming I have always been prone in injuries.
I’ve never had more than one pair of shoes that I run in.
Shoe rotation is usually for two reasons:
-
To give the shoes a chance to dry out and the midsole to uncompress (so the same make/model of shoe, just two pairs worn on alternate days). Personally I’m skeptical of this (anyone have data to share?).
-
Using different shoes for different types of workouts. Examples are lighter shoes for speed sessions, or shoes for different surfaces (trail).
When people talk about rotation, it’s usually the former.
- That’s pretty much my shoe rotation.
I have three in my rotation now. Topo ultrafly, Nike vaporfly next%, Nike trail Pegasus 36.
I rotate the three and keep the oldest pair to mow the lawn and get wet in the lake then it’s done.
I’m open to more pairs of shoes if anyone has favorites.
I skimmed the study and I don’t think you can conclude, solely based on it, that multiple shoes reduces injuries. Leaving aside that this wasn’t an experimental study, the two cohorts look to be significantly different in terms of both running experience and overall athletic participation, and the study itself identifies issue with some data collection issues.
Nike Pegasus Turbo for the treadmill during the week (3xweek), Nike Vaporfly for track workouts (1xweek), Nike Zoom Vomero for the long run (1xweek always outside). I’ll replace the Turbo’s and Vomero’s every 3 months and since I only use the Vaporfly’s once a week for track workouts, I replace them every 4-6 months. Race in the Next% which last a full race season unless they get trashed sooner.
It all depends on the running surface but here is my rough plan.
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You need one shoe that is universally good - Simply a shoe you can always rely on. Running isn’t always going to sound good on the day. A running shoe you know feels great can solve that. The Brooks Ghost is by far the most universally used running shoe by runners. I have 5 or 6 shoes that fit this. Some are testing shoes I can’t tell you about just yet.
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Your Long run shoe - 18 miles down the road or trail you should not feel anything out of sorts in your feet. Find that shoe or shoes that provides that. Currently for me it’s the Epic React on the road and Terra Kiger on the trials.
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Track/Hill Repeats/tempo - A shoe that feels fast on your feet. I have a 361 that I love for this. I also often reach for the New Balance Rebel or the Reebok Float Ride Fast.
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Race Day Shoe - It’s like your race wheels, you bring them out on special days to feel really special on that day. Let’s use the current choice race day shoe Nike Vapor Fly Next %. You really want that shoe to get you excited about getting off the bike. If you run every day in the Next % it won’t feel all that special. If you save it for that one day it will feel alive and fast just like your race wheels do.
I switch between some altra elantras and hoka cliftons. I also mix in some trail shoes in the winter. Maybe once in a while, when I want to feel extra fast for something, I run in hoka carbons. I always rotate because in the summer I sweat enough to wet my shoes, and in the winter there’s usually snow and ice getting them wet.
I’m not sure whether the foam actually needs 48 hours to fully come back, or if switching actually reduces injury. I think whether that stuff is true is sort of irrelevant because there’s definitely no downside to rotating. However many miles a pair of shoes is going to last is how long they’re going to last. So I wear 2-4 pairs of running shoes and replace each pair 2-4 times less often.
It all depends on the running surface but here is my rough plan.
-
You need one shoe that is universally good - Simply a shoe you can always rely on. Running isn’t always going to sound good on the day. A running shoe you know feels great can solve that. The Brooks Ghost is by far the most universally used running shoe by runners. I have 5 or 6 shoes that fit this. Some are testing shoes I can’t tell you about just yet.
-
Your Long run shoe - 18 miles down the road or trail you should not feel anything out of sorts in your feet. Find that shoe or shoes that provides that. Currently for me it’s the Epic React on the road and Terra Kiger on the trials.
-
Track/Hill Repeats/tempo - A shoe that feels fast on your feet. I have a 361 that I love for this. I also often reach for the New Balance Rebel or the Reebok Float Ride Fast.
-
Race Day Shoe - It’s like your race wheels, you bring them out on special days to feel really special on that day. Let’s use the current choice race day shoe Nike Vapor Fly Next %. You really want that shoe to get you excited about getting off the bike. If you run every day in the Next % it won’t feel all that special. If you save it for that one day it will feel alive and fast just like your race wheels do.
Based on this I’ve gotten this far:
Race day shoe - Next %
Long run shoe - Turbo 2
Track shoe - carbon x (still undecided here)
Universal shoe - split between ghost/revel or Rincon. Going to have to test these out soon
Am I on the right track here?
I use a four shoe rotation. All are light stability trainers, and the mix of brands/models depends on what is on sale at my local running specialty store.
Current rotation:
- New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo 2
- Skechers Forza 3
- New Balance FF Vongo 3
- Brooks Ravena 9
The Vongo 2’s are next up to be retired from the mix.
I don’t pick or choose which to run in based on the training plan for the day. I just work through them in the order I have listed, and I don’t deviate.
I like mixing it up, and I like to have lots of running shoes, so this works for me. I had heard something about reducing the risk of repetitive use injury (RUI) by running in different shoes. I can’t say for sure if that works, but I really enjoy the multi shoe plan.
I pretty much have outdoor and indoor running shoes and then race day shoes. Indoor for the treadmill are currently Hoka Napali (quite similar to the original Clifton) and outdoor are the reissue of the Clifton 1’s (I purchased 6 when they came out, so have maybe another 1 1/2 years worth of shoes). Race day are 4% or Next%. I got well over 2000 treadmill miles out of a pair of the original Clifton 1’s, and retired them last year when the uppers were falling apart.
For me, most weekday runs are on the treadmill, and I try to get weekend runs done outside, but that is weather dependent.
For an Altra-centric perspective:
Escalante Racer as my day-in, day-out shoe. Also use them for races, as I can leave them laced and slip them on in T2 while still feeling locked in on the run. Always feels fast and stiff and I just love running in them.
Vanish R for runs under 7–8 km. Feels super fast, faster than the Racer, once I get above 10 k pace. Minimal cushioning keeps me from pounding the ground as the pace ramps up.
Barefoot for anything under 5 km. I feel like it really helps me focus on form and technique. Don’t have any data to back this up.
King Mt. for all trail runs. The rock plate is awesome for staving off fatigue as the odd pointy rock tries to stab the bottom of your foot. And it’s super handy to be able to cinch down the velcro strap before steep descents.
I emailed Altra back in June to ask them whether they had anything in the works to compete with the Nike Vaporfly Next%. They said they don’t. So I’m about to order a pair of the Next%. It’s getting hard to ignore all of the testimonials (and the NY times article) and it will eliminate one of the excuses I tell myself when I get beaten by guys running in them. Hopefully the switch from zero drop to the 8 mm drop on the Nikes doesn’t cause any issues.