One shoe, two shoe, three shoe...

If you’ve been running for any amount of time, you’ve probably learned a little bit about what you like and don’t like about different running shoes. There is so much variety in the types of shoes available on the market these days. Sometimes it can almost feel like paralysis by analysis, right? Neutral, control, cushion, performance, race, trail, oh my! Stack height, carbon plate, rocker, weight, drop. What? Every shoe was made with a purpose. Some are designed to perform well in a certain kind of race or with a specific type of runner in mind, while others are designed to appeal to the masses and be a do-it-all type shoe. So what is the best shoe for you? Chances are, there are many shoes that would be just fine. So don’t sweat the small stuff and get overwhelmed with the choices. But if shoes are your thing and you love to geek out over all the specs, then go right ahead. We have plenty to talk about, so get ready to hear about some running shoe specs. 

“Heel drop” or sometimes referred to as “shoe drop” is the difference in height between the heel and forefoot of a shoe, measured in millimeters. Most daily trainers will have a drop of 8-12 mm, with some as much as 14 mm and others as low as 0 mm. There isn’t a “best” number to look for in general, but there can be a better shoe for you depending on your foot and how you will be running in that shoe. For instance, a shoe with a large drop may feel more comfortable if you are dealing with plantar fasciitis or Achilles pain because a bigger difference between heel height and forefoot height will put less stress on those structures. But that doesn’t mean you should only run in those shoes. Those parts of the foot need to be stressed appropriately so they can adapt and become more resilient. Since a lower drop shoe places more load on the Achilles, this can be helpful providing a more engaging type of feel if you are wanting to go faster and create more force during the push off phase of the running cycle.

Shoe weight can vary a lot with most shoes weighing in around 9-11 ounces, but some of the lightest and fastest racing shoes will be as light as 7-8 ounces. That may not seem like a very big difference at first, but if you were to run for one hour at a cadence of 180 steps per minute in a shoe that weighed 8 ounces and then did that same run again in a shoe that weighed 11 ounces, your foot would have lifted an extra 1000 pounds compared to the lighter shoe! So now you understand why shoe companies are so adamant about advertising their newest, lightest shoe to get people to buy them. But, sometimes the extra weight is worth the benefits that come with it. Heavier shoes generally have either more cushion, more components to make the shoe more stable, or both. This can be vital when choosing a trainer you will be doing most of your long runs in while getting ready for a big race. Those shoes may not be ideal when you are doing speed work or for a race where you are trying to set a new personal record. But if you are trying to be more speedy for a particular run, the lighter the better. This may mean sacrificing some of those stability components and cushion mentioned earlier, but could be worth it. There is a fine line between too light and too heavy, and only you can determine what is important to you when it comes to what you want to keep in a shoe and what you’re willing to sacrifice. 

So, there are several types of shoes available these days. Some categories include daily trainers, performance trainers, super shoes, and trail runners just to name a few. Shoes are being made with much more specific purposes in mind these days than in previous years. Companies have gotten better at knowing exactly what needs to be changed in order to make a shoe for every type of runner. So if you’re going to have a shoe rotation (which you should), here are some things to think about when creating your lineup. Include one shoe that is more designed for comfort and support that you can use for easy daily miles or long runs, and have another shoe that is a little lighter, snappier ride you can use for those track workouts and tempo runs. As mentioned earlier, there are some shoes that fall in the “performance trainer” category that can kind of do it all. Even so, It’s still in your best interest to have at least two pairs of shoes so that your body gets different experiences and has the chance to adapt. 

As a general rule of thumb, most shoes will last 300-500 miles. So one way to think about that is if you are running 20 miles a week, you will need to replace your shoes every 4-6 months. By having more than one pair, you can prolong the life of your shoes and make them last longer. If you use an app like Strava (aka a runner’s favorite form of social media), you can log how many miles you do in your shoes to see when you’re getting close to retiring them. But not everyone uses those kinds of apps or they forget to log shoe miles and end up having no idea how many miles those shoes have run. In that case, you can use the eyeball test. See if there are deep creases in the side of the shoe where the shoe has flexed over and over, and take a look on the bottom of the shoe to get an idea of the wear pattern. 

I’d argue that trying to find the “perfect” pair of shoes isn’t what we should be the most concerned about when it comes to footwear. The bigger point is the importance of having more than one pair of shoes to run in on a regular basis. Some people will have three, four, even five pairs of shoes they rotate through for different workouts. Again, if shoes are your thing and you love trying out lots of stuff, then go ahead. But most people will be good having two to three pairs to give them just enough variety for their feet. So, why does this matter? There are two main reasons: 1) your body needs to have different stresses placed on it so it has the chance to become stronger and more resilient and, 2) a shoe that is designed to be a race day shoe will feel drastically different than a shoe designed for daily runs. Shoes are an investment. They eventually will begin to fall apart and wear down, so the investment isn’t necessarily in the shoes themselves. The investment is in your feet - in yourself. And you are worth it.