2 Pairs Of Running Shoes?

Zak Flaps

Hi. I read somewhere before that it's a good idea to have 2(or more) different pairs of running shoes.
I myself am just starting out. Bought myself a pair of Nike Zoom Structures (fitted to my running style) and have just began the C25K programme. Day 2 's run this evening.
For someone at my level, is there any need to buy a second pair just yet??
I have the money to buy a second pair so the money's not an issue, and I'd rather get a second pair if it would be beneficial.

Any advice?

Zak.

mloc123

why would you need a second pair... you have only two feet I presume

Wear them to they are done and then get a new pair... new runners don't really need to be broken in, imo.

donothoponpop

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Hi. I read somewhere before that it's a good idea to have 2(or more) different pairs of running shoes.
I myself am just starting out.

God bless your innocence, I'm only running a few years, but there's about ten different pairs of running shoes cluttering up the house at the moment. I'm far- far!- from the worst offender here when it comes to Imelda Marcos levels of sneakers.:)

Straight answer is different shoes would be suitable for different terrain (trail, muck, xcountry, etc), but assuming you are just hitting the pavements, the only real benefits in having a second pair of runners is you can rotate them when wet.

macinalli

I think that if you're doing heavy mileage then the shoes might take some time to recover but shouldn't be an issue if you're just starting out.

In weather like this it's always handy to have a spare dry pair but not worth buying a new pair just for that....

Oryx

mloc123 wrote: »

why would you need a second pair...

If you run every day and they get wet.

I used to use an old and new pair of shoes alternately, I didnt buy two new pairs, I just overlapped when the old ones were getting a bit flat. It is handy to have two pairs available to wear, esp when the weather is lousy. When I was running high mileage I used to alternate shoes cos I felt it gave my feet a break, the rubbing/pounding on the feet and legs would be varied just a bit!

Now Im using one pair for road running mostly and an xc pair for rougher ground.

Krusty_Clown

Supposedly having two pairs on the go will prolong the life of both pairs beyond the single life of each pair, as after a hard session the runners (like the runner!) have a chance to recover.

I keep two pairs on the go as I run outside 6 days a week, and typically one pair will get soaked at least twice a week. I track the mileage of both pairs (on Garmin connect) so I can query what mileage each shoe has covered.

tunguska

donothoponpop wrote: »

God bless your innocence, I'm only running a few years, but there's about ten different pairs of running shoes cluttering up the house at the moment. I'm far- far!- from the worst offender here when it comes to Imelda Marcos levels of sneakers.:)

Straight answer is different shoes would be suitable for different terrain (trail, muck, xcountry, etc), but assuming you are just hitting the pavements, the only real benefits in having a second pair of runners is you can rotate them when wet.

Damn you donothoponpop I was gonna use that Imelda Marcus line. But the OPs question is very innocent. I remember the days when I only used one pair of running shoes.........More like 10 different pairs now. Theres training shoes for short to medium runs. Theres training shoes for long runs. Theres racing shoes for short races. Theres racing shoes for medium length races, Theres medium - long race shoes. Theres marathon shoes, theres tri-athlon racing shoes, theres runners for the gym and on and on........Its a sickness

Oisin11178

I use Nike structure triax myself and am on my third pair now. I had 2 pairs of the 12s and im on the 13s now. I must say imo they are fantastic. Anyone else use these and have an alterative pair they use. Would be interested to know.

christeb

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I track the mileage of both pairs (on Garmin connect) so I can query what mileage each shoe has covered.

Can I ask how you do this K_C?

donothoponpop

christeb wrote: »

Can I ask how you do this K_C?

Seperate garmins for each shoe... you do have more than one garmin, right?;)

Krusty_Clown

Lol. I have a Garmin for each limb. In fact, I am half-garmin - a cybernetic organism.

After uploading the run to Garmin Connect, in the description field for the run, I use a keyword for the shoes I was wearing (like YellowMizuno13). Then anytime you want you can run a query, by clicking on [Activities] and then search by keyword. It'll list all the runs with that keyword. The only pain in the a$$ is that it doesn't provide a total, so you have to add them up yourself.

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The only pain in the a$$ is that it doesn't provide a total, so you have to add them up yourself.

I use logyourrun.com. It can keep track of miles per runners.

I have 3 pairs of runners on the go at the moment and I'm currently wearing another 2 pairs around the house to break them in very slightly.

BeepBeep67

Imelda here - you can't beat Excel and VLOOKUP

Blueskye

One pair of runners is just fine starting out Zak Flaps. No need to follow in the footsteps of these running shoe fetishists just yet

shels4ever

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Hi. I read somewhere before that it's a good idea to have 2(or more) different pairs of running shoes.
I myself am just starting out. Bought myself a pair of Nike Zoom Structures (fitted to my running style) and have just began the C25K programme. Day 2 's run this evening.
For someone at my level, is there any need to buy a second pair just yet??
I have the money to buy a second pair so the money's not an issue, and I'd rather get a second pair if it would be beneficial.

Any advice?

Zak.

Starting out one pair of runners is all you need, the more you do the more you buy. I've 2 pairs at the momne but will be getting a 3rd in 3-4 week time but then i'll be back to two pairs soon after.... Oh do flats and spikes and warm up runners count too

Brianderunner

You should definitely have 2 or more pairs if you are a serious runner, as krusty said to allow the shoes to recover, the foam expands to normal size over the 2 day period i think. An idea is to have well cushioned shoes for slow mileage and lighter shoes for speed sessions. You should wear well cushioned (ie not worn out) shoes on rest days too not just while running from what i've heard, which isnt possible for most people i know.

Zak Flaps

Thanks guys, it seems like most of you are saying 1 pair of shoes for the moment. As I'm following the C25K programme, I'll just be running 3 times a week so 1 pair seems perfectly adequate.

One more thing (as Columbo would say), a mate of mine is going to get a pair of running shoes. He wants to play 5 a side football with them also. Is that possible with running shoes? Or is it a bad idea?

Zak.

macinalli

Zak Flaps wrote: »

One more thing (as Columbo would say), a mate of mine is going to get a pair of running shoes. He wants to play 5 a side football with them also. Is that possible with running shoes? Or is it a bad idea?

Zak.

Bad idea! Good running shoes are all about support and have very little in the way of grip that you'd need for an astro pitch. They're also more likely to tear at the toe as they're just not built for kicking a ball. Good shoes are usually pretty expensive - it's worth it to save them for running alone and get a separate pair of astro boots. It's a couple of years since I played astro but I think the boots are a lot cheaper than a decent pair of running shoes...

aero2k

tunguska wrote: »

Theres training shoes for short to medium runs. Theres training shoes for long runs. Theres racing shoes for short races. Theres racing shoes for medium length races, Theres medium - long race shoes. Theres marathon shoes, theres tri-athlon racing shoes, theres runners for the gym and on and on........It's a sickness

Good to know I'm not the only sufferer!

Krusty_Clown

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Thanks guys, it seems like most of you are saying 1 pair of shoes for the moment. As I'm following the C25K programme, I'll just be running 3 times a week so 1 pair seems perfectly adequate.

One more thing (as Columbo would say), a mate of mine is going to get a pair of running shoes. He wants to play 5 a side football with them also. Is that possible with running shoes? Or is it a bad idea?

Zak.

I find runners to be dreadful on an Astro surface, particularly if it's a wet or sand surface. Astro boots with the small rubber grommit stuyle studs are around 50 euro. I also found I'd get through a pair of Astro boots in around 10-15 games (we payed on a wet pitch (three rock rovers) and the wear and tear was atrocious).