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Should you have more than one pair of running shoes?

Zoey · July 12, 2018 · Leave a Comment


The theory goes that people are either dedicated to one particular pair of shoes, or they have more than they can count, but for most people you are probably somewhere on the spectrum of that. When you find something that works for you, there is the tendency to stick to that thing like glue – but there are some benefits to getting a rotation happening and having specific shoes for specific jobs.

Before you jump into buying something new because it’s SO PRETTY (I know, the struggle is real), there are a couple things that you should look at first.

Neutral vs Stability

Neutral just means that your foot doesn’t roll either in or out when you run. If it does, you might like a shoe with a bit more support to stop that happening – which is known as a stability shoe. The cool thing is that most websites now will allow you to search exclusively for neutral or stability shoes so it makes it easier to look at the right shoes for you. One thing to be aware of is that often a pronation might be to do with a strength imbalance – so rather than treating the symptom – it could be worth your while to check it out with your treatment professional. By far the easiest way to tell if you need neutral or stability shoes is just to go find your favourite and most comfortable running shoe and search online to see what type of shoe it is.

Heel Drop

This is the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the toe. You’ll find some shoes are zero drop (popular with minimalist running shoes) or low drop (Hoka is famously high cushion but low drop and most of their shoes have about a 4mm drop) and then you’ll have shoes which are more standard with a higher drop (standard is around 10-12mm usually). There’s no right or wrong here, it’s just about what you personally find comfortable. The argument for a low drop is that it is a more natural motion and discourages heel striking, thus engaging your body’s natural suspension system. However, if you are prone to plantar fasciitis, the higher drop can help to take the pressure off your calves. Again, the imporant thing here is not to replace a shoe for actually getting to the source of your issue – but it can help to know the benefits of each.

What about all the technology and fancy words

Research indicates that despite all the jargon used to sell shoes, it all actually comes down to what you find comfortable. So don’t worry too much about the marketing and go with things that feel good for you and your body.

Different shoes for different runs?

In your week you’ll probably have long runs and easy runs and interval runs and sprint runs and tempo runs and probably a whole bunch of other types of sessions too. There are a few benefits to having different shoes for different purposes. One is longevity. If you think about the fact that shoes need to be replaced every 600km or every 12 months (whichever comes first) then spreading out your distance across a few shoes will tend to make them last a bit longer and you will have to break in new shoes a bit less regularly. The other benefit is that there is evidence to show that running in different shoes can reduce your risk of injury. This is mainly to do with the fact that introducing variety into your running movement (which tends to lack variety by design) is a good thing. But the main reason is that different sessions will have different goals. For long runs and easy runs where you have not pace goals a super comfortable shoe with a nice amount of cushion makes sense. But for sprint work, where it’s all about the power you apply to the ground, a larger sole and a bulkier shoe are counter productive. You want something that is as close to the ground as possible. And for tempo runs you probably want something in between. It has to be comfortable, but you want it to be lighter and more responsive as the pace demands.

You’ll notice in descriptions things might be described as a daily trainer (easy running shoe), racing flat (sprints or races) or an uptempo shoe (faster paced sessions like tempo runs) and that can help you find something that’s going to be appropriate for you.

Where do you start?

Chances are you already have an easy running shoe that is working well for you, so take a look at your training and decide which type of shoe you would get the most value out of and start there. Often, a safe bet is going with the shoe brand you already like because there’s a much higher chance their lightweight and responsive shoes are going to be good for your feet too.

It is the season (say goodbye to the safety net)

Zoey · November 20, 2017 · Leave a Comment

This week, I was on a mission to clear out my running gear. I have collected lots over the years, way more than any human could ever need. A friend at Crossfit said to me the other day “you must have a truly impressive acctivewear collection”. I do. And thank you for noticing. I’m not much of a collector generally. I’ll hold on to a few things for sentimental reasons, but mostly I’m totally okay with being completely brutal about getting rid of stuff. The only thing I can’t seem to throw away are books, wool and running clothes. which tells you all you need to know, really.

We are planning on getting some built ins put in after we’ve done a few other things around the house, so for now all of my clothes are in two chests. I have a running clothes chest and a normal clothes chest and the running clothes chest, is by necessity the much larger one.

I could spin myself a story about how I’m attached to my running clothes because of all the runs I’ve done in them, all the firsts, all the PBs, all the training hours. And that is true. I do tend to wear things down until I literally wear a hole through them or a seam comes undone. The few times I’ve fallen over, I’ve been far more upset about the tights I tore than the wound on my knee. But really I hold on to them as a security blanket for when I put on weight again. That’s what they are, insurance for down the track. Just in case.

It’s been nearly a year now. It might be time to say goodbye to my just in case safety net. I still don’t really know what size I am. I consistently buy things that are too big for me. I had to get my husband to check the bra size on the bra I was wearing on the weekend because I was about to buy a couple of bras that were a size too big for me. It takes the brain a long while to catch up is all.

I decided the only way I was going to be able to part with all of those running clothes would be to give them a new life. So I posted them all for free in the community group if people were willing to pay postage. And it makes me happy that all bits and pieces of my collection will be out tackling new runs and new PBs and new adventures. They are all in little piles around my office now, ready to be sent out. It puts me in the spirit of the season, and I might just start researching food to make tonight.

When I think about the last year, I think about how it was scary. But I was more scared to stay the same than I was to try. And although physically all the changes are there, emotionally I’m still carrying around a lot of baggage and it still weighs me down and tries to tell me what I should believe about myself. And maybe I can let just a little bit of that go, without a safety net.

Podcast: Episode 58 – The Most Expensive Cheap Sport

Zoey · September 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment

This week, I thought I’d share my tips for how to save money on our *cough* cheap sport

I mostly focused on shoes and sports bras because that’s what I think you should save your money for!
But I go into:

  • Where to pick up last season’s stock
  • Why Amazon is like the stock market
  • Buy/Sell/Swap groups
  • And some recommendations for online stores

You can view this in video form here

Head over to iTunes to listen (and subscribe! and review!)

You can listen and download episodes in Itunes here.

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