So you’re just getting into running and want to motivate yourself that little bit more. So you head down to your local running shoe store. You grab the shoes you like the look of without too much thought about their design. That’s alright, at least they look good!
Now you’ve been running for some time and you want to go faster, so you incorporate some speed sessions, but feel like your current shoes are a bit ‘heavy’ and ‘clunky’. You need something to help facilitate your faster runs. So you go online and find some shoe reviews and realise there are a myriad of shoes for different types of training sessions, etc., and you don’t know where to start. Well, hopefully you’ve stumbled across this blog, because we are about to break it down for you from a Podiatrist’s perspective.
So let’s break this down into a few categories…
Daily Trainer
Firstly, we have your daily trainer, also known as your day to day shoe. Every running shoe brand has their own version of a daily trainer. Daily trainers are versatile shoes. They do everything well. They’re not too heavy for speed sessions and not too light for long runs when your feet will be pounding the pavement. If you’re looking to buy your first pair of running shoes and are just getting into running, a daily trainer is the way to go. They often have a heel to toe drop of 8 – 10mm and weigh anywhere from 250g to 270g, depending on your size.
Lightweight trainer or competition shoe
Now you’re looking to run faster. You feel like you need a shoe that’s just a little lighter and more responsive for your speed sessions. This is where a lightweight or competition trainer comes in. Lightweight trainers are obviously ‘lighter’ and generally have less cushioning. The reason we can interchange this with the ‘competition’ name is that it’s a shoe you generally won’t be clocking many kilometres in. Some people choose to save this for that event they’ve been training so hard for. The lightweight trainer generally weighs anywhere from 210g to 230g, again depending on your size. You may have a shorter mileage life in these also as most tend to last around 400 – 600 km.
Max cushion or long run shoe
Now you’ve realised it’s hard to run at 110% all the time! You want to go long and slow, building up that time on your feet. That’s where the max cushion or long run shoe comes in. This shoe makes you feel like you’re running on clouds and offers a little bit more impact protection. These shoes are often heavier and have a heel to toe drop of 8 – 12mm. They tend to last a little longer than the above two options.
So what do I pick?
It’s important to note that rotating shoes decreases your chance of an overuse injury. If you can afford 2 – 3 pairs, we would recommend it. However, you don’t need to buy three shoes to run! If you’re looking for one shoe to clock up all your kilometres in, I’d recommend a daily trainer or cushion shoe if you’re new to running.
Chat to our Podiatrists, who have all the latest knowledge about running shoes, and will help you find what will work best for you!
