What’s In A Shoe Rotation
We all know that one runner - the one with a seemingly endless rotation of the latest and greatest shoes (and the enviable storage to house them all). They can spend hours talking about the specs of each shoe, and they are die hard fans or detractors of some of them.
Go online, and you’ll find a sea of these runners debating the pros and cons of every shoe on the market. It can be overwhelming.
So, let’s see if we can make this easier.
I currently have six shoes in my rotation, and I would argue that I am on the more advanced/excessive end of the spectrum. However, each shoe serves a particular purpose. I’ll outline the role each of my shoes play in my rotation, what kinds of runners I think would benefit from them, and give a few alternative options that I think would fill the same role.
Of note: I am a heavy pronator - my ankles roll in on my stride, so much so that my knees often end up chafing because they knock together. As such, I use shoes in the stability categories where it makes sense as well as adding arch inserts to help keep everything in line. I will note this where applicable, and I do have neutral alternatives for those of you blessed with not needing the added stability.
A few notes before we begin…
First: there is no such thing as a perfect shoe. Our biomechanics and our training needs are going to heavily impact which shoes are going to work for us.
Second: you do not need to own more than one running shoe if you don’t want to. Getting a good daily trainer and replacing it every 300-500 miles is 95% of the work. There are two main reasons you might want to introduce a rotation: (1) it can help mitigate injury risk by giving your body a different impact stimulus, (2) certain shoes can help support certain training goals.
Lastly: you are allowed to wear whatever shoes you want. Is wearing a plated shoe on an easy run a bit like driving a Ferrari to the grocery store? Sure, but who cares? As long as we are staying healthy and injury-free, there are no laws saying we can’t pull out the premium options whenever we want. Conversely, you can absolutely set personal bests in your old pair of daily trainers - shoes aren’t going to make you fitter, and you can still reap all those rewards regardless as to what is on your feet.
(1) A Plodding Shoe
The vibe // Plodding is not a pejorative term in my books. Plodding is peaceful and steady, where form and forward momentum are thrown out the window in favor of the sweet feeling of being able to sink into the easiest of easy runs. These are shoes that feel like stepping into soft pillows and let your body feel like it’s being cradled like a baby in a swaddle.
When I use them // These are the shoes that I pull out on days after hard workouts, where my body needs the most rest and the main goal of the run is to get in time on feet.
Who they are for // These are shoes that are perfect for people who have a stronger focus on mileage, want running to feel cozy, or have a history of stress injuries that they want to support.
My choice // Asics Gel-Kayano 31 (high stability)
Stability alternatives // Brooks Glycerin GTS 22 // Saucony Hurricane 24
Neutral alternatives // HOKA Bondi 9 // Brooks Ghost Max 2 // New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v14
(2) A Responsive Daily Trainer
The vibe // A good daily trainer can do it all - from long runs to recovery runs to speed days, it’s not a problem. If you’re only going to have one shoe in the rotation, this is the one you want. It might not be the star performer in any category, but it’s got the versatility.
When I use them // These are the shoes I pull for the “in-between” days - days I have a fair amount of easy running to do, but I also need a touch of speed where pace doesn’t matter like strides or hill repeats.
Who they are for // These are the shoes for everyone. They might not be flashy but they’re going to get you where you want to go, no questions asked.
My choice // On Cloudrunner 2 (mild stability)
Stability alternatives // Asics GT-2000 13 // Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24
Neutral alternatives // New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 // Asics Noosa Tri 16 // Hoka Mach 6
(3) An Injury Preventer
The vibe // We’ve all got an area that needs a little more TLC than the rest of us… these are the niche saviors of that chronic creaky knee, score ankle, or complaining foot. You don’t pull it out a lot, but when you do your body thanks you!
When I use them // These are the shoes I pull out for a short run when I feel my feet and ankles need a good stretching out.
Who they are for // These are an oddball only for those who have chronic issues that might need some experimentation to fix.
My choice // Altra Provision 8 (mild stability)
Note: I have been training in the Altra Provision 7.
Neutral alternatives // Altra Torin 8
(4) A Tempo Shoe
The vibe // Oh, so we’re getting speedy, huh? These are shoes built for forward momentum, when you know you’re going to care about the time on the watch. We might be talking carbon plates, nylon plates or super trainers - but in all cases, we’re talking about squeezing a bit more out of an effort.
When I use them // These are the shoes that I pull for road workouts where I am running a significant amount of time at specific paces and I want to make that effort as easy as possible.
Who they are for // These are for anyone who cares about getting a few seconds back per mile in a workout.
My choice // New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 (neutral, carbon plate)
Note: This kind of shoe does not come in stability options. I add an insert to provide some additional stability. I have been training in the v3.
Super trainer alternatives // Hoka Skyward X (partial carbon plate) // New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3 (partial carbon plate) // Asics Superblast 2 (no plate)
Plated alternatives // Hoka Mach X 2 (PEBA plate) // Brooks Hyperion Max 2 (nylon plate) // Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 (nylon plate)
(5) A Speed Shoe
The vibe // Okay, now we’re getting serious! These are the Ferrari’s of shoes that will cost a pretty penny - built for speed and maybe a little hot to handle at times. We’re almost definitely in plates now, although nylon or carbon is still up for debate! We’re not just squeezing out a bit more effort, we’re optimizing for speed now.
When I use them // These are the shoes that I pull for workouts where we start to approach 5K speeds and below, where seconds matter.
Who they are for // These are for anyone who is starting to optimize their training and those extra few seconds a shoe can provide come into play.
My choice // On Cloudboom Echo 3 (neutral, carbon plate)
Notes: This kind of shoe does not come in stability options. I add an insert to provide some additional stability. This shoe is also being replaced by the On Cloudboom Strike (carbon plate).
Alternatives // Hoka Rocket X2 (cabon plate) // Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 (carbon plate)
I also want to make a note about some of the shoes missing from this list. The shoes I am listing meet two criteria (1) I have been able to test them to some capacity and (2) I am comfortable recommending them to someone anonymously over the internet. So some shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Elite or Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4, I haven’t been able to test.
On the second count, I find shoes like the Nike Vaporfly 3 or the Asics Metaspeed Edge Paris to be too unstable for a generalized recommendation. I believe that the shoes that I am listing here have a comparable energy return without the added instability risk, so I am more comfortable recommending them.
(6) A Track Spike
The vibe // When it’s time to dig in, give yourself the tools to do the job right. These shoes have one job and one job only - give you the traction you need to move as fast as possible on a track.
When I use them // There are the shoes that I pull for track workouts where we are running mile paces and below, where I need the extra grip to maintain top-end speed.
Who they are for // These are shoes for track specialists who speed a whole lot of time running in circles. (Or, in the case of sprinters, in a straight lines and curves over and over again.)
My choice // On Cloudspike 10000m (neutral)
Notes: This kind of shoe does not come in stability options. I add an insert to provide some additional stability. This shoe is also being replaced by the On Cloudspike Amplius.
I don’t have alternative suggestions for spikes at this time, as I haven’t been able to test the latest iterations of most companies spikes. Brands like HOKA, Brooks, and New Balance all have spikes that I would trust. Generally, these are split between sprint, middle distance, and long distance depending on the race distance you will be racing. Because I train consistently in my spikes, I generally look for the long distance spikes over the middle distance spikes for the small amount of additional support.
