If you’ve been running for awhile, you have probably read about or experienced the benefit of having more than one pair of running shoes and rotating Best Stability Running Shoes for Ultimate Support long run Other Hearst Subscriptions speed work. Or it could be alternating similar trainers for easy runs.
Giving your go-to trainers a rest day lessens the amount of cumulative stress on the shoe and can extend their longevity, explains What Is a Zero Drop Shoe., co-owner of Mobility Doc in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “You can extend the amount of miles you get from a shoe if you don’t run in it every day,” she says. For example, a rest day allows the shoe’s foam to return to its normal state.
Rotating shoes is beneficial for your body, too, Costigan says. She explains that running in a lower drop shoe, for example, can put extra stress on your calves, so giving your body time to recover with a higher drop shoe on another run can help you sidestep aches, pains, and injuries by reducing stress on that muscle group.
But with everything in life, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing, even when it comes to rotating your running shoes. So how often should you switch up your running shoes?
A change in shoes undoubtedly can tweak your gait or where your hips align, says?
Every runner is different, with different weekly mileage, paces, and goals. More experienced runners with higher mileage might rotate their shoes every few runs, running in maybe three pairs per week. This could be with an entirely different shoe—a lighter, firmer shoe for speed work, for example—or the same exact shoe model, but a few different pairs.
If your weekly mileage is low, less than 20 miles, for example, or you’re a Summer Running Gear, then you probably don’t need to swap out your shoes; you’re not running enough for it to be worth the financial investment, and your body may not have time to adapt to a particular shoe.
Adapting to a shoe is important because running shoes are designed to aid in running efficiency, Costigan explains. And being a more efficient runner can help you avoid injury. When you choose a shoe, you’ll factor in how the shoe affects the position of your foot, ankle, knee, hip, and spine. You’ll look at the width and size of the shoe and how those fit your feet.
Costigan also points out that understanding the basic biomechanics of your running—if you’re a heel striker, a midfoot striker, or a severe heel striker—and whether you overpronate (turn inward) will help you find a shoe or a style of shoe that fits your mechanics best and makes for a comfortable ride.
“You need to know what’s right for your body,” she says.
What are signs that you’re switching your running shoes too much?
One of the biggest signs you might be rotating your running shoes too frequently is otherwise unexplained niggles or symptoms of injury, Costigan says. You might also experience blisters or overall soreness. “A pretty good sign is how your feet and calves feel in the morning,” she says. If they’re not feeling good it could be due to the stress your body is experiencing from changing shoes.
In order to adapt to training, runners need to introduce different stimuli. That could include adding a hill workout to your schedule, decreasing recovery time between intervals, or trying new shoes. But it’s best not to try a new pair of shoes when also tackling a new workout.
“The variables have become your shoes,” Costigan says. “When you start rotating your shoes and have issues, you don’t necessarily know if [the problem] is coming from your shoes,” or the other variable you introduced to your training.
If you do experience issues, Costigan suggests cutting back on your rotation, maybe two shoes per week, to see if it resolves (old fashioned trial and error!).
Costigan raises an interesting point, too, that frequent rotation might not allow your body to adapt to a shoe, which can cause some of these symptoms. You might think the shoe itself isn’t working for you, when it might be that your body hasn’t had a chance to adjust.
ldquo;You need to know what’s right for your body,” she says The 9 Best Asics Running Shoes., CEO of Princeton Sports and Family Medicine. Wenger, who’s also an ultrarunner, explains that a runner’s biomechanics—how a runner moves—can change depending on the shoe. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re changing shoes to the point at which your body can’t learn What Are the Benefits of Super Shoes in a specific shoe, it could lead to inefficiency and potentially, injury.
What should you consider when switching shoes?
Just as you wouldn’t go from running 10 miles a week to running 40 miles a week without gradual buildup–right? Right?—you wouldn’t wear a maximalist Hoka Clifton-style shoe and then head on over to a zero drop Altra shoe.
Your body needs to slowly adjust to different types of shoes. So, for example, if you’re used to a highly cushioned shoe with a higher drop, try rotating it with a cushioned shoe with a slightly lower drop, rather than going right to zero drop.
“If your shoes are about the same there isn’t really that much of a risk and your body doesn’t need to adjust too much,” Costigan says.
If you’re introducing a carbon-plated super shoe for a goal race, don’t go out and run 15 miles in them on your first try. Instead, add them into shorter workouts, like midweek easy runs or intervals at your targeted race pace, to let your body adjust to the different mechanics of the shoe.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
