The Three Different Shoes Every Runner Needs

Every sport has its tools. Golfers have a bag full of clubs. Cyclists have road bikes, mountain bikes, and townie bikes. Surfers have longboards and shortboards. Just as there’s no single best tool for golf, cycling, and surfing, the sport of running demands that you have a small quiver as well.

The shoes on your feet are the tools you use to run. They impact your performance and the stress on your body. A handful of studies show that runners have a lower risk of injury when cycling through different pairs of shoes. Any regular change in shoes and stress is good, but as a physical therapist, I’m going to suggest every runner needs to have at least one pair from radically different categories of shoes.

Truth be told, there is no “best shoe’ for everyone, as all runners are individually unique. Your anatomy, genetics, training, mobility, strength, and running form—not to mention your foot shape—all impact the exact shoes you prefer. So instead of calling out specific shoes, we are going to highlight the types of shoes you should have in your rotation, and let your local running specialty retailer help select the ones that serve your current needs best. Sometimes you need a workhorse tool for the daily miles, sometimes you need a tool to build a better body, and sometimes you need a tool for a new PR. Let’s dive in to help you select the right tools for your runs.

The Cushioned Trainer

The cushioned trainer is the solid, dependable, and unsung hero of the shoe quiver. It’s likely not the shoe making the most headlines, but it’s the type of shoe you trust and prefer for the vast majority of your runs. The reason is simple: there’s a metabolic cost to cushioning. Either you or your shoes need to expend effort to dampen the impacts that occur while running. Having a moderate amount of cushioning under your foot makes it a bit easier for you to hold your pace, and run day after day.

Cushioned trainers all have a moderate-to-thick layer of compressible foam between your foot and the ground. Other than that, today’s cushioned trainers are diverse, due to differences in geometry. Some of these shoes have a high heel-to-toe drop and some are balanced heel to toe. Some have a lot of upward curve in the front (called toe spring) and some have less. Some flex in the forefoot and some have a rocker to let you roll forward. Some cushioned trainers have a moderate amount of cushioning underfoot, some have a lot, and some are so thick they’re called maximal shoes. Some have road soles, and some have deeply-lugged trail treads.

Different geometries and cushioning levels all have an effect on your body and your stride. None are inherently superior, but some will fit your feet and match your stride mechanics better than others. Your specialty retailer can help identify your unique needs and help you find that ‘ol faithful’ cushioned trainer for your runs.

NOTE: This category does not include thick- soled, hyper-bouncy, plated, super shoe racers, for reasons we’ll get to later.

The Barefoot/Minimal Shoe

Yes, even though minimalism went out of fashion a decade ago, I’m advising you to have a pair of minimal shoes in your rotation. Minimal shoes have little to no cushioning underfoot, flexible soles, and simple, uncontrolling uppers. Barefoot shoes are the most minimal, and simply cover the foot with a thin layer of rubber for puncture protection.

Unlike the cushioned trainers waiting eagerly in your mudroom, barefoot kicks don’t reduce the effort, but instead make your feet work a bit harder. Wait, why would you want to make running more challenging? Why go through the process? Because the process gets results. One reason why we see so many foot and lower leg injuries (shin splints, plantar fascia pain, metatarsalgia, and achilles tendon problems) is because people show up to each run with weak feet.

Wolff’s Law says that tissues adapt based on the demand they are given. Putting less between you and the ground means the shoe’s cushion and geometry can’t do the work for you. Spending time walking, and yes, some running, in minimal shoes will load your foot and lower leg a lot more. This increased load cues your body to build stronger bones, muscles, tendons, and durability in your feet. And a direct connection between your feet and the ground does wonders for your nervous system, your sense of stability, and can help filter out some imbalances in your stride.

Throwing a minimal shoe into your rotation may result in your slowing down a bit on some runs, and you should start out in small doses (more on that later), but it will pay off big dividends in your body and your stride that will carry over to any footwear and situation you face.

The Race Shoe

If you are a runner who is happy not racing, or do races solely for the experiences and social interactions, two different shoes are all you need. (In that case, you can run races in your cushioned trainers.) Some of you, however, are only really living between the time the gun goes off until you cross the line. If this is you, it’s time to find a racing shoe to complete your shoe quiver.

This type of shoe is about speed. What makes a “fast shoe?” For decades, racing shoes were “flats” with little between your feet and the ground. These shoes target lightweight at the expense of durability and protection. According to research, lighter weight shoes are in fact faster. You can still find and race in lightweight trainers, a road racing flat, a svelte trail shoe for off-road adventures, or a pair of spikes for the track or cross country.

In the past few years, however, the buzz has all been about the new crop of “super shoes” with thick, bouncy soles that promise to improve your running by a few percentage points and reset the limits of human performance. Every runner wants to know, ”Do they work?” Super shoes have been shown to marginally increase your speed at the same effort, and by all accounts, if you show up to an elite road race without these shoes you are already at a disadvantage as everyone else at the top tier is wearing them.

So should you join them? That depends. Before you shell out $250 to $300 for a pair, here’s the short and sweet on super shoes: You should first be aware that super shoes don’t work for everyone. Currently, these shoes are tuned for runners in the 110–145-pound range who are moving really fast. If you are under or over that range, and running slower, you may not experience much, if any, effect (the shoe might, in fact, feel squishy, clunky, or controlling, in a bad way). And for reasons not totally understood, a handful of people in that elite category don’t get a benefit either.

Super shoes also cost several times what your cushioned trainers, or even other racing flats cost. It’s worth talking to your local retailer about super shoes, but if you aren’t ready to splurge on trampolines, a traditional racing flat, or ultralight trainer, at one-third the price is still worth some serious consideration. Alternatively, there are a number of super-trainers that look like the high-stack and carbon-plated big brothers, but instead use a flexible
plate to tune the response of the shoe. These shoes are quite lightweight, and will save you
about $100 that you can put towards more race registrations.

If you choose to splurge on super shoes, be aware that they are basically big, tuned springs under your feet. They act as mini-trampolines, loading up and exploding you forward with each stride to run with less effort. This all sounds great….until you realize that the way you jump on a trampoline is much different than jumping on the ground. These shoes change your form significantly. Even with embedded plates that help moderate and direct the explosive forces, they can magnify imbalances in your body and form—trampolines don’t just drive you up, they drive you any which way you load them. So if you land wobbly, they’ll spring you back wobbly, causing instability and strain all up the chain from feet to ankles to knees. This is one reason I highly recommend you not train in super shoes—except for the small amount you need to get used to the altered stride if you are going to use them on race day—and after you’ve slowly eased them into your rotation as gently as you did your minimal shoe.

Mastering Your Running Tools

This three-shoe quiver will expose your body to a good bit of variety, which will help you logvmiles, build a stronger foundation in your feet, and run fast. But, you know what separates thevfinest craftspeople from us mortals? Yes, they have fancy tools, but they put the time and effortvinto mastering them. Just buying these shoes won’t result in making you a stronger runner. Mastery of your new shoes requires you to follow a process to help your body adapt to each footwear type.

Cushioned Trainers

Most running shoes are cushioned trainers, and most are more similar than different. If you’ve been running in one cushioned trainer for a few years and give a different model a try you may only need a handful of runs before you break them in and feel comfortable and confident.

Minimal Shoes

Both minimal shoes and racing footwear, however, are very different from the cushioned trainers your body is used to. Minimal shoes increase the stress in your bones, connective tissues, plus shift the muscle strain in your feet and lower legs. You’ll adapt, and it will be worth the effort, but you need to ease into these over time—even if you’re an experienced runner who’s put in lots of miles in cushioned shoes. While your feet will see more load, your knees will experience less load, as minimal shoes make you feel more connected and can help improve the dynamics of your running form, reducing the tendency to overstride. Here are some guidelines to ensure a successful transition:

● If you don’t already spend much time walking around the house, yard, and beach barefoot, you should only walk in your new minimal shoes for a few weeks. Your body is used to soft and squishy things underfoot. Without that cushion underfoot, things will feel different. You’ll notice the cracks in the sidewalk and transitions in the floor. But without that squishy cushion underfoot, you’ll also likely notice that your balance is much better. It’s wise to walk, work, run errands, and even do your gym sessions in these shoes for four to six weeks before trying a run.

● If you do regularly go barefoot around the house and yard, and your typical cushioned trainer either has a level footbed (typically called zero drop) or a small, four to six millimeter drop, you can likely cut this pre-run transition period down to one to two weeks.

● Once you are ready to try your minimalist shoes out for a run, start small. Aim for about a mile in your first session. You’ll feel a lot more of the ground than you normally do. While it’s different, it’s not bad. Most people actually appreciate feeling more connected to the ground after a few sessions. If your workout for that day has you running more than a mile, switch back to your cushioned trainers after the first mile and keep on going until you ticked off your goal in your training plan for that day.

● After you have a few weeks of one-mile runs under your belt, it is generally safe to increase your time in these shoes by about 10-20 percent per week. Some people will progress quite quickly. Some will take longer. Pay attention to what your feet feel like during and after each run. You’ll definitely feel more, but that’s not a bad thing if you’re not getting increasingly sore. Give it a chance, your body will adapt, and you’ll likely crave these sensations eventually.

● Increase your time and distance in minimal shoes until you can use them for one to two of your shorter runs each week. Due to the changes in stride and the work your feet have to do, you may feel like you can’t run as fast at first—but ignore your watch and remind yourself you are training to be a stronger, injury-resistant, and eventually faster runner. Don’t be scared of progressively increasing your time in these shoes as long as you do it gradually.

● NOTE: If you are having any acute flare-ups of running-related pain, that’s not the best time to make a 180-degree turn in your shoe choice. It may be OK to walk in them if it doesn’t cause pain, but it is wise to hold off on running in them until things calm back down.

Race Shoes

Likewise, racing shoes are no instant panacea. Numerous studies confirm that racing flats, spikes, and super shoes all result in very, very different stresses to your body. Racing shoes shift your cadence, your running form, and the loads on individual joints, muscles, and tendons. All too often, runners keep these shoes under their bed and only take them out on race day morning—and then freak out when they have a new ache or pain after their race. The reason you get a race shoe is to post new times on the clock, not to log new injuries in your training log. (I’ve seen that happen too many times.)

Proper preparation will go a long way to maximizing your racing shoes’ benefits and minimizing injury risks.

● Like with minimal footwear transition, start small. But since these are for race efforts, your preparation needs to be quite different.

● First, take a look at your race calendar–your adaptation to your race shoes should start about three to five months before your peak race. If it’s a 5K, then your transition needs to be only about three months. If it’s a marathon, your transition requires closer to five months.

● Take your race shoes with you to the track, or carry them with you if you do your speed work on the road or trail. Warm up in your trainers, and then change into your new racers for a small portion of what you have planned for your speedwork or intervals. If you have eight 400m intervals scheduled for that day, do one 400 in your new race shoes, and then take them off and put your trainers back on. The next session, do two of the intervals in your racers. Do three the next session, and so on.

● After you build up to two full miles of speed in one session, you can start adding in some tempo-type intervals on the road as well. High-quality and low-volume training is the key—there’s no reason to run slow in a race shoe. One to two days of exposure to your race shoe per week is the long-term goal.

This three-shoe quiver approach will help you build tolerance for the new loads brought by new shoes. Your body will adapt, and it will flourish. Having the right tool for each of your running goals will help you build durability to run consistently, and to get more out of the sport you love.

Jay Dicharry, MPT, SCS is a physical therapist, professor, and author of Running Rewired, trying to help you achieve your goals, and counting down the days until his kids are faster than he is.