Marathon training Q: How many pairs of shoes do I actually need?

[The Expert]

I'm training for my first full marathon (January, WDW), and while I'm still in the early stages of my plan, I'm starting to see some speed work pop up. Not having done much of this for my previous Half training sessions, and knowing the mileage is going to get longer as I go, I'm starting to wonder whether I may need to have different shoes for different types of runs.

As a pretty casual run/walk mid-to-back of the pack participant in the past, I've always just had one pair at a time, replacing them as they start to wear out (300-400 miles or once a year). Knowing I'm now taking this more seriously and will be putting a lot more miles on shoes over the next few months, what's your advice? And if I DO need to have different types for different runs, I'd appreciate any tips on what to look for in each. (For reference, I'm in a neutral, cushioned NB 880v8 right now. I do have a bit of a flat arch. And yes, I know to go try on anything before buying. Just wondering if I need to go lighter, less cushion, lower drop, or whatever for different types of workouts.)

 

[camaker]

I'm training for my first full marathon (January, WDW), and while I'm still in the early stages of my plan, I'm starting to see some speed work pop up. Not having done much of this for my previous Half training sessions, and knowing the mileage is going to get longer as I go, I'm starting to wonder whether I may need to have different shoes for different types of runs.

As a pretty casual run/walk mid-to-back of the pack participant in the past, I've always just had one pair at a time, replacing them as they start to wear out (300-400 miles or once a year). Knowing I'm now taking this more seriously and will be putting a lot more miles on shoes over the next few months, what's your advice? And if I DO need to have different types for different runs, I'd appreciate any tips on what to look for in each. (For reference, I'm in a neutral, cushioned NB 880v8 right now. I do have a bit of a flat arch. And yes, I know to go try on anything before buying. Just wondering if I need to go lighter, less cushion, lower drop, or whatever for different types of workouts.)

How many do you NEED? Just one. Whatever works well for your feet for the distances is fine and serviceable for marathon training.

Now, that being said, there can be advantages to having multiple pairs that serve different purposes. Personally, I have a hard time finding shoes that work for my feet, so I typically have two of the same model of shoe in rotation at any given time. That allows me to run in one pair while "resting" the other. I think it can help extend the life of the shoes and ensure that you have maximum performance from the shoes for each run. There are different schools of thought on this, though.

I also know that it's a very popular option to have multiple pairs of different models of shoe serving different purposes, as well. A typical rotation might be a max cushion shoe for long runs, something a little less cushioned for medium distances and a third very light shoe for use during speed work. Basically, a specialist shoe for every occasion and purpose. There is even a school of thought that mixing up shoes may help with injury prevention by keeping your body from falling into an overuse rut with one shoe type. I don't know that there's anything definitive out there on this front.

Ultimately, it's up to you how much you want to try out and diversify, though.

 

[The Expert]

Really helpful analysis, thank you @camaker !

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I have only ever used 1 pair at a time. When training for the WDW Marathon in Jan, I replaced my shoes late Nov/early Dec and found that to be a good amount of time to break them in. I think it's up to you if you want to rotate more in

 

[The Expert]

When training for the WDW Marathon in Jan, I replaced my shoes late Nov/early Dec and found that to be a good amount of time to break them in.

That timing is good to know! I do have a tune-up Half on November 17, after which could mark my switch-over to a new pair if I haven't already.

 

[cavepig]

I only use one type of shoe. My feet are super picky so I just stick with the one type for now. Some people use various pairs, different for long run, speed work, race shoes, etc. People who use Nike VaporFlys tend to typically only race in them since they don't get a lot of miles on them. I do make sure before a marathon it's a fresh pair with maybe like only 50 miles on them. I tried the having two of the same type to rotate every other day (as they say cushion takes 24 hours to bounce back), but found that to be pointless for me as I didn't ever notice a difference.

 

[IamTrike]

How many do you NEED? Just one. Whatever works well for your feet for the distances is fine and serviceable for marathon training.

Now, that being said, there can be advantages to having multiple pairs that serve different purposes. Personally, I have a hard time finding shoes that work for my feet, so I typically have two of the same model of shoe in rotation at any given time. That allows me to run in one pair while "resting" the other. I think it can help extend the life of the shoes and ensure that you have maximum performance from the shoes for each run. There are different schools of thought on this, though.

​

I'd agree with this. "Need" is a strong word. This is going to be a personal decision based on what you want.
In addition to extending the life of the shoes, having multiple pairs of the same shoes enables you to rotate shoes that are at different points of their life.

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I also know that it's a very popular option to have multiple pairs of different models of shoe serving different purposes, as well. A typical rotation might be a max cushion shoe for long runs, something a little less cushioned for medium distances and a third very light shoe for use during speed work. Basically, a specialist shoe for every occasion and purpose. There is even a school of thought that mixing up shoes may help with injury prevention by keeping your body from falling into an overuse rut with one shoe type. I don't know that there's anything definitive out there on this front.

I think CAMAKER describes the potential scenarios well. If this is your first foray you may just want to look at a lighter, less cushioned shoes for speedwork/tempo runs. I think you could easily get by with two different pairs rather than 3 different pairs. You don't need lighter shoes to do speedwork, but you may find that you like that. I think the only issue is that there's not a way to find out if you prefer a different shoe for speedwork until you have a chance actually try a different shoe.

 

[jmasgat]

Also in the camp of "one is enough". I've always been a "one type of shoe" person, albeit I do have two pair so that I can rotate through. Kudos to all of you with sensitive enough feet/bodies who can actually recognize/appreciate the impact of different shoes on training/racing. I am definitely not one of them.

That said, I have run pretty speedy (for a 50-60 year old) in my one pair, so it can be done!

 

[garneska]

Also in the camp of "one is enough". I've always been a "one type of shoe" person, albeit I do have two pair so that I can rotate through. Kudos to all of you with sensitive enough feet/bodies who can actually recognize/appreciate the impact of different shoes on training/racing. I am definitely not one of them.

That said, I have run pretty speedy (for a 50-60 year old) in my one pair, so it can be done!

You are making me feel better. I am a one type of shoe person as well. Honestly I don't think I would notice a less cushiony shoe feeling more responsive when I do speed work. Part of it is I am cheap and hate to buy a shoe and find out it is not for me.

 

[jpakstis]

I also only train in one pair at a time. I never even really thought about have two pairs, honestly, or having different types of shoes depending on the type of training run. I also don't run every day, but 3-4 times per week. One piece of advice from the salesperson I got my first pair of my shoes from for marathon training - if you can, get a half-size longer than you are used to if you haven't run longer distances. You lose toenails during marathon distances because its the pounding of the toenails into the front of the shoe. Obviously only do this if you are comfortable wearing shoes a little larger than you're used to. For instance, I normally wear a size 10.5 in dress and casual shoes, but my running shoes are 11. In the two marathons I ran, I only lost two toenails!

I'm a bigger guy so I don't follow any hard and fast rules on when to change (i.e. no 300-400 mile distance, since I've had to change out after around 200 occasionally), but will get a new pair when I notice that my knees and feet start to feel a little worn out. I also don't want to run the race, or even the last couple of weeks of training, in a new pair so if its getting close, I'll just get a new pair about 3-4 weeks out. I did once have a defective pair of sneakers and they created a small gash on the side of my foot so that wasn't fun!


Good luck on the marathon training and the marathon itself!

 

[tigger536]

I also only train in one pair at a time. I never even really thought about have two pairs, honestly, or having different types of shoes depending on the type of training run. I also don't run every day, but 3-4 times per week. One piece of advice from the salesperson I got my first pair of my shoes from for marathon training - if you can, get a half-size longer than you are used to if you haven't run longer distances. You lose toenails during marathon distances because its the pounding of the toenails into the front of the shoe. Obviously only do this if you are comfortable wearing shoes a little larger than you're used to. For instance, I normally wear a size 10.5 in dress and casual shoes, but my running shoes are 11. In the two marathons I ran, I only lost two toenails!

I'm a bigger guy so I don't follow any hard and fast rules on when to change (i.e. no 300-400 mile distance, since I've had to change out after around 200 occasionally), but will get a new pair when I notice that my knees and feet start to feel a little worn out. I also don't want to run the race, or even the last couple of weeks of training, in a new pair so if its getting close, I'll just get a new pair about 3-4 weeks out. I did once have a defective pair of sneakers and they created a small gash on the side of my foot so that wasn't fun!


Good luck on the marathon training and the marathon itself!

I've never lost a toenail! I wear one full size up from my street shoe size.

I race in Vaporflys and train in other shoes. I used to like the Glycerin, but they messed with the 16s (need to try 17) and now I like the Nike Peg turbo, Mizuno wave rider and the Brooks Launch. Having multiple training pair also means that if it rains during a training run you have another pair while the wet one dries.

 

[jfinke]

I am in the as many as you can crowd. . I generally have 20 pairs at any one point. But they all have different uses, track, pacing, slow days, racing, etc... The bulk of mine are Nike, but I have several models which use different lasts and I have some different manufacturers as well. I feel that that gives my feet different pressure points and cushioning so the repeatable impacts take less of a toll.

Ultimately, you need to decide what is best for you.

 

[The Expert]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I feel like I'm fine with the one pair (though I like the idea of getting a second of the same to rotate as my mileage increases). I guess I just wanted to take a pulse.

You lose toenails during marathon distances because its the pounding of the toenails into the front of the shoe.

Yes, I learned this the hard way during training for my second Half a few years ago!

 

[cavepig]

You lose toenails during marathon distances because its the pounding of the toenails into the front of the shoe

I've never lost toenails thankfully and I've been running for 26 years.

I don't size up either. I actually had gone up a 1/2 size bigger for awhile and found my foot was just sliding too much. Over the years I have gone up a size and half though, I ran in 7.5 when I was 18 and now wear 9, so I guess feet keep growing or something.

 

[jfinke]

If you are losing toenails, I suspect you have too much pressure going on somewhere. Either you need to size up or get thinner socks. Just my opinion.

The trick is being goldilocks... just right.

 

[The Expert]

If you are losing toenails, I suspect you have too much pressure going on somewhere. Either you need to size up or get thinner socks. Just my opinion.

The trick is being goldilocks... just right.

I have a weird toe that is longer than the rest. If I size my shoe to accommodate, it's WAY too big everywhere else and I get much larger problems than losing a tiny little toenail. If I could find that perfect shoe I'd be very grateful but I've literally gone through everything my local store has. So, I'm just destined not to have a nail on that toe. I can live with that.

 

[jpakstis]

If you are losing toenails, I suspect you have too much pressure going on somewhere. Either you need to size up or get thinner socks. Just my opinion.

The trick is being goldilocks... just right.

I’ve only lost toenails when I’ve run marathons so it’s pretty clear it’s the distance that caused it. And it’s been my “middle” or longest toe, which would be the first toe to contact the front of my shoes.

It never hurt nor did it cause any long term problems. Just a reminder of what an accomplishment it was!

 

[Disneyslowrunner]

I would say that it somewhat depends on how many miles and days per week you run. If you run 3 days a week, you definitely only need one. But if you are running a lot of days in a row, with each additional day you start to actually "need" at least a second pair more and more. While the conventional thinking is that on consecutive days you should use different shoes so that the foam will completely rebound, I find that even two days in a row doesn't make a huge difference. But, I have found that if I run three days in a row with the same shoes, I can definitely tell my shoes are not cushioning as much and I start to get more pains in my lower legs. I found that sometimes this has led to injury.

I put in a fair amount of miles each week and currently have three pairs of road shoes and a pair of trail shoes. Once I retire them, I make them my walking shoes. Having this many shoes happened by accident because I just happened to have some great luck with some cheap closeout prices on two of the pairs of shoes and I really don't like my third pair of shoes. So, I will just run on my least favorites once a week on a short run until I retired them. But, normally I have two pairs of road shoes and one for the trails. I use different brand/models because some of my go-to shoe model changes each year and sometimes those changes are for the worse. So, by always having a second pair, it allows me to try out a different model/brand while having the safety of still having at least one go-to shoe that I know I can run in comfortably.

As far as black toe nails/losing toe nails. Sometimes it is the shoe, but sometimes it is just comes down to how long and hard you run. If I do an ultra marathon on a hilly trail course, it doesn't matter the size, fit, or orthopedic inserts or no inserts. I will get black toe nails. I can do a 20 mile slow, long run without getting black toe nails, but if I do an all out half-marathon or even 10K, I will probably end up with a black toe nail. I have tried sizing up, down, new models, etc...but it just seems to be part of how I run.

 

[habs0nut]

I have yet to run a full yet, have only done a few halfs and a 30k race for longer distances. When training for them I stick to one pair for my runs until my long run gets to a certain distance and then I start to wear the shoe I'm going to race in for my long runs at that point. For my speed/tempo and recovery runs I wear the shoes I generally will race a 5/10k in. I tend to have 2 pairs of that shoe that I'll rotate through to keep the wear even and lasting a little longer. Also helps when training for a 5 or a 10 where I designate one pair my "race" pair and only wear them at the lead up to the race.

 

[jfinke]

Interesting. It may also have something to do with stride, etc. Generally you have toenail problems with too much pressure on them. I just know that mine went away when I dialed in my size, no matter what the distance. Best of luck!