A few people at the club have suggested we get a shoe discussion going, so I’ve written my personal opinion on some shoes with some random information to get the ball rolling.
Head Coach Ed has run his eyes over it and would like to emphasise above all that comfort in shoes is super important, especially for shoes you do high mileage in.
Running is not all about the Shoes
Before we start, I will say the main things that have helped me improve at running, is to run regularly, eat & drink well (I don’t mean drink alcohol well!), stretch, sleep and maybe throw in a bit of swimming / gym cross training & physio. And of course be a member of a running club with great coaches and great people to run with! Once you’ve got to a level where you are doing all the above consistently and are just trying to shave seconds off your PB’s, then your shoes can make the difference.
Shoe Rotation
If you are new to running and are doing low mileage you probably only need one pair of daily trainers. If you are training for a half / full marathon it’s probably best you rotate your shoes, and you might want a special race pair for the placebo effect if nothing else! If you do have a race pair, do remember to wear them in before race day and not run in them box fresh or you may get some unexpected rubbing / bleeding!
A shoe rotation is recommended if you are upping your mileage, this has worked for me in avoiding injury. If you ask some of the some of the old guard, they even had a limited shoe rotation back in the day although with not as many options. Times have changed there is a plethora of options now and it’s hard to work out what shoe to go for.
I heard a funny story recently from Alan Brazil an 80’s professional football player while on Paula Radcliffe’s podcast. He ran a half marathon in a pair of Adidas Gazelles, which have no cushioning and zero drop* in an impressive time of 1hr 32mins. He however admitted he couldn’t walk for 3 days afterwards and he was also in his early 20’s so could get away with it!
On the minimalist shoe topic there are members at the club that run amazingly in a minimalist shoe, however it takes your body some serious time to adjust if you want to go this route. It’s always important to listen to your body and back away from any shoe that you are not getting on with.
Here is a table of shoes and who in the club wears them so you can quiz them before making a purchase. This is put together by chatting to members and some Strava stalking so it might not be totally accurate.
Missing Brands
I haven’t included Inov-8 in the table above as they don’t really do road shoes. If there is a muddy XC and spikes aren’t an option, the Mudtalon range with the 6mm lugs are a club favourite. The competitor to this would be a Salmon Speedcross however they come up very narrow and Inov-8 are now doing a wide fit which are very comfortable for me personally.
You will have noticed I have not included some newer brands like ON Cloud, as I don’t have experience of running in them or see many people at the club wearing them. I see more people wearing them as a casual trainer as they look cool! If you have a brand you want to find out about there will probably be someone at the club that has tried them.
New Brands
There are new brands popping up all the time, whilst in Runners Need in St Albans on Saturday I noticed these 361 shoes that I have never heard off. Apparently it’s a new Chinese Brand that is trying to take on the likes of Nike, Adidas and Hoka. Whist at the National running Show at the NEC the other week there were several new brands I hadn’t heard of such as True Motion, a brand from Germany that claims it can reduce the risk of you getting running injuries.
New Kids On the Block
The shop Decathlon is heavily investing in R&D and have recently come out with a race super shoe called the Kiprun KD900X. If you want to find out more Head Coach Ed has a pair.
Personal Choice
The other important thing about shoes, is to get ones that are right for you, are comfortable and you are confident with. Everyone’s body is different and works differently so different shoes work for different people. We have a lot of people at the club with different styles and are loyal to only one brand as it gives them confidence when running. The strange world of Sports Psychology is a whole different topic!
I’ve not included some shoes in the table that some people swear by, like the Hoka Speedgoat as for me it’s like having a pair of bricks tied to my feet. Maybe it’s as I have big feet so I prefer a lighter shoe, like I said shoes are a very personal choice.
Brooks are a Favorite
I’m not going to go into pronation^ / supination^ / orthopaedic inserts etc you should go to a professional physio or a running shop like Berkhamsted Sports / Runners Need for proper gait** analysis and they will give you a recommendation of what shoe is good for you and if you need a support shoe.
Cost / Where to Buy
Some of the new shoes are extortionate in price now, I very rarely buy a pair of shoes at RRP.
Sports Shoes – Do make use of the Ultra Membership on Sports Shoes by using you English Athletics Number you get with being a member of GVH. If you have a profile on Sports Shoes they also send you a 20% off Birthday discount code. I had my birthday set to 1st January so I was able to get £44 off a new pair of the recently released Adios Pro 4’s. End of season Sales are the other time you can pick up great bargains, do your research first though and don’t impulse purchase as it rarely ends well.
Runners Need in St Albans – In this shop they can do gait analysis and if you buy a pair of Brooks you can wear them for 90 days and if you don’t get on with them you can return them for free.
Berkhamsted Sports – Robert and Darren are regulars in here and if you say you run for GVH you can get a 10% discount. They also are said to give great customer service and expert advice.
Vinted / e-Bay – This is a more risky route but I have got some great bargains in the past on shoes that someone has bought but not run in as they were the wrong size. I know others in the club that have had some joy in this area as well but you are taking a bit of a punt.
Super Shoes
Super Shoes are the top end race shoes with the top end price and have the huge marketing budgets. They normally include some sort of carbon plate technology that stiffens the shoe, which helps runners generate more energy and reduce energy loss. You can’t wear these shoes for every run as they put extra load through your legs that you need to recover from.
The top end the battle now is between the Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 and the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4’s. I personally think the Pro 4’s have an edge now however Nike are due to release the Vaporfly Next% 4’s in April! Puma are also making big strides in this area and a lot of the top Women runners are wearing their super shoes now.
Adios vs Vapor
The other big release coming up is the Hoka Cielo X2 which is getting rave reviews, it is rumoured Hoka fanboy Nick C will be getting a pair to try on the release date which is the 15th Feb 2025.
Track Shoe Mileage
One last thing I would recommend is to add your shoes to Strava to track the mileage. If your shoes do fall apart before 250 miles this help with claiming a refund and also deciding when to retire a shoe. Checking the tread and other wear is useful too, in my early running days I have injured myself running in shoes that were well past their sell by date and were changing my natural running gait. I’m quite a heavy runner so I do burn through my shoes quicker than most but I aim to get between 250 – 450 miles out of a pair. This equates to about three pairs a year at my current mileage.
Strava Shoe Miles
That’s the end of my waffle please do comment below on the Facebook post with any top tips, especially on shoes & brands you love and money saving tips to help other members…
Appendix
*Drop – Is the height from the heel to the toe of the shoe, zero drop is a totally flat shoe that puts more pressure on your achiles and your calves when running
** Gait – Running gait is the way your body moves when you run, and it’s made up of a series of coordinated muscle movements, joint angles, and body posture
^Pronation / Supination – The way the foot rolls inwards or outwards when you strike the ground