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The Run Testers Podcast | Running Shoe Rotations Explained
730 Plays1 year ago
Running shoe rotations are a staple for runners that cover various training sessions and spend time focussing on races. However, if you're new to running, you may be unsure why you might need one and how it might benefit your running. In this episode of the podcast, Mike, Tom and Nick delve into the world of rotations and discuss everything you need to know.
Perfect for that Sunday long run.
Big thanks to Fear of Tigers for the killer intro music. You can listen to more of his stuff over at https://www.patreon.com/fearoftigers
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Transcript
Introduction & Episode Overview
00:00:05
Speaker
Hey there, Tommy from The Run Testers with another Run Testers podcast. In this episode of the pod we are going to be talking about running shoe rotations. We're not going to be going into details about the actual shoes we pick in our rotations, but we're going to be talking about all the things that people may want to know about what running rotations are, what the benefits are, why you might have one and how to go about pulling together your own rotation. We'll also be covering all of the usual stuff like the latest kit coming out, running news and answering some of your questions.
00:00:35
Speaker
So if you're listening to this on a run, enjoy the run. I hope it helps you stay motivated throughout or if you're just lying on the sofa at home, enjoy yourself. Right, let's jump into the podcast.
Running Shoe Rotations Explained
00:00:53
Speaker
Okay, guys, the ninth run test of podcast.
00:00:57
Speaker
And this one's going to be, it's going to be focused on running shoe rotations, something that we get asked a lot of questions about. And something that is quite tricky for probably not everyone. Some people are obsessed with running shoe rotations and they're very specific about the type of shoes they got in. But for others, it's a bit of a.
00:01:16
Speaker
a gray area and how to create a running shoe rotation and what to do with it is something that is a bit of a quandary for some people. So we're going to talk about how to build a running shoe rotation, what it's for, what the benefits are, and that should be a nice discussion because it's something that
00:01:32
Speaker
We've probably got bigger running shoe rotations than most people in the world, so we're going to be diving into that in a bit.
Training Routines & Personal Challenges
00:01:39
Speaker
But first, let's jump into, and I've not actually spoken to you guys for a while about this, training. What are we up to? What races are we doing? What are things looking like in the near future in the running world for us?
00:01:50
Speaker
Yeah, what haven't you been asking us, Tom? What haven't you been asking us about training? That's a really important question. Well, you missed out on the last couple of podcasts because we've been doing ultra running and stuff. And as far as we know that you're not really into that. So, yeah. All right, then, Mike, how's your... Well, I know how your training is going, but does everyone explain what the current issues are? I've got a big pain in my butt and it's not letting me run. So basically... In your what?
00:02:18
Speaker
big pain in my butt so yeah I've got glue issues so basically I am not been able to really train properly I was trying to run through it which is obviously the stupid thing to do and I've had to take a couple of weeks off I've got a point with a physio this week as well to hopefully
00:02:35
Speaker
get me back up to speed. But I stupidly did. We went around 10K with you, Tom, which was probably not a good idea. I should have just stayed in bed and not run that, but that didn't help. So it is ruining my preparations for London Marathon, which I do have a place for now, which I think when we previously spoke, I hadn't really sorted out.
00:02:53
Speaker
I was going to do a spring marathon ride, so who knows how that's going to go. I am just wanting to kind of run normally or do any kind of longer runs at the moment, but I'm being scuppered by this little niggle at the moment, so yeah, not ideal at the moment.
00:03:08
Speaker
Yes, and anyone listening or watching this, I have myself and Nick are well aware of these problems from our what's up discussions, constantly reminded of it. So many glute picks. Yeah, it's unnecessary glute picks. But Mike's not the only one who's got problems. I've got a lot of problems with the glute saint one. Actually, the glutes are one because my gammy knee from smacking it into a radiator means I can't do my normal yoga routine, which means my glutes aren't being stretched as much as they should be.
00:03:36
Speaker
Yeah, my knees been a still bit dodgy. It's just fine. I've just got to I mean, I'm okay again. I'm running again I just can't do as much or as long runs as I'd like to so my marathon prep is kind of being knocked on the head But I'm not really prepping that hard anymore because Manchester in London marathons I've got places at both at my my second kid is due very close to those marathon days So I'm not gonna run them. I don't think unless I just decide to be terrible person and just leave but
00:04:01
Speaker
always a chance so instead I'm just training and enjoy training and training to test mainly lots of different shoes that we've got going on but I did run a 5k race at Battersea Park my favorite 5k race as in the 5k races video Friday night under the lights in Battersea Park and still got a bit of fitness, managed to sneak in sub 16 by a second so I'm very pleased with that given the where I am and where I've been recently so I'm just
00:04:22
Speaker
trying to get out as run as much as possible without inflaming this knee, which is the stupidest injury I've ever done. And my coach can't really believe that I've done this. Well, I spoke to you about three minutes after you did it. And I thought it was just one of those, you were just moaning about hitting your knee and then it's turned into this whole thing. I think you're milking it a bit.
00:04:42
Speaker
I'm frankly a bit bored of hearing about it. It's a weird injury. Don't hit your knee into radiators, pretending to disappear in a puff of smoke. That's just key. It's key to any runner out there. I'm begging runners out there to stop doing this. Well, that's a rule I live by, and I definitely don't do it anymore. Anyway, the big news though, Tom, I want the real stats from Tom, which is Tom's Ricky Hatton-esque gains and losses of weight when he had a wreck for Christmas. How much have you lost this Christmas, Tom?
00:05:07
Speaker
I'm currently, I'm down six kilograms since Christmas. It's incredible. I haven't changed six kilograms my entire adult life. My weight just stays the exact same. Yeah, you don't, I'm not very, my metabolism has never been that good. But last year, my strategy for really Chicago Marathon was I trained really hard. And in the back of my pocket, I had, well, if I sort of got down to my ideal weight, I probably find that a bit easier. So
00:05:35
Speaker
Yeah, on a bit of a healthy eating diet at the moment, it's working quite well. And the diet, for those who are looking to go the other way, to gain the weight at Christmas, is just a bottle of Baileys a day, right? It's not a full bottle. I sort of mix, I chop and change drinks, but yeah, I'm a master of putting the weight on. So yeah, if you're a boxer out there and you need to move up a pass, I've got some great advice for you around Christmastime.
00:05:56
Speaker
Tom will be releasing a running food cookbook eminently. The first 20 pages are just Baileys and the last one is to stop drinking so much Baileys. You've got races though, Tom, and you're actually trading properties. What are you doing this spring?
00:06:11
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not training that properly. It's not, I'm not the same level I was doing in Chicago. Chicago is on a very strict plan. Now I'm really just training okay. I'm not, I've got Barcelona in four weeks, but that race is a fun race. I'm doing it with a load of friends who somehow hadn't done the marathon before. So it's going to be a bit of a, bit of a lab trip. Fun, but competitive. Fun, but competitive. They all want to beat you Tom, don't they? Yeah. It's getting quite competitive in the WhatsApp group, but I'm not, I'm not that worried.
00:06:38
Speaker
And then the other, I was meant to be in Manchester, but I don't think I'm gonna do that now, because I might be doing a trip over to Boston, which is annoying, because I was actually going to, like, up the training for Manchester. So yeah, not, our classic spring is a bit of a fun time, a few races, and I've got quite a lot of halfs and 10Ks and stuff in, but desperately try. I got a 5K PB last week at Parkrun, so doing something right. You met your hero, your Parkrun hero as well.
00:07:04
Speaker
Joe Wilkinson, yeah, we're trying to meet him for ages. Yeah, so he had a chat with him, mentioned the podcast, so hopefully I can get him on at some point. But then, no, it's all about September. I desperately want to get into Berlin, or if I don't get into Berlin, another fast marathon, and then I'm going to train all summer, I think, on a proper coaching plan. Nice. And I'll be going backwards at that point with a new kid, so maybe we'll meet, we'll converge somewhere.
00:07:27
Speaker
Well, every time I see you do the under the lights race, I know I'm not allowed to do it because I'm not fast enough. Absolutely, that'd be a nice goal just to eventually get to the point where I can do that. We'll just do our own one, Tom. We'll do our own one.
00:07:42
Speaker
That one had a harsher qualifying time than most of them. I think most of them are more like 16.30, 16.45. But the Shri Trimway ones are very fast and bad, see? And they don't have a cost. Well, I'm very closely grasping at the sub 18 at the moment. I'm only 14 seconds off. So I've still got a while to go, but I'm not really training. So hopefully a bit of training I can actually get mid 17 something. That'll keep me happy for a bit. Fair enough.
00:08:08
Speaker
All right, there we go. That's a training update.
Race Insights & Marathon Discussions
00:08:10
Speaker
Right, let's jump into some running news. Now, I don't have any running news, so you guys are going to have to pick up what's going on in the world of running. What have you got for me? Well, I saw the World Cross Country Championships going down over the weekend in Australia, some pretty solid performances by British teams, especially considering it wasn't exactly British conditions for cross country.
00:08:29
Speaker
Mid mid low 30 degrees centigrade in Australia for cross country. That's not cross country It should be annoyingly cold and wet and muddy not parched earth But um, yeah some good for I think one British team was fifth and a few others were six some nice cool results fellow running podcaster Calla Nelson was down there and he didn't did a great job bowl again. So yeah very impressive to run well, I know what you're about XC and
00:08:54
Speaker
No. It's different down there. Don't come and do it up near me. It's very different to Australia.
00:09:00
Speaker
Anything else going on? I mean, not, I mean, I've thought I've got this kind of released through that's quite interesting. We were previously up before we jumped on here, we were kind of talking about the insightfulness of this, or this release of this study about the toughest UK marathon. So new back to the study. Well, they basically looked at the kind of DNF stats from kind of different races in the UK.
00:09:25
Speaker
And they found that the race with the kind of biggest DNF percentage was Langdale Marathon, which I believe is up in the Lake District. Isn't it a lap of the lake or something? A couple of laps, so a lot of hilly terrain. And then I think next was Southampton Marathon. It doesn't make any sense.
00:09:46
Speaker
Yeah, Appington. I think Snow Daniel was in there, which I mean, kind of makes sense, I guess, because of the terrain. And then, interestingly, I thought I found the fifth was Milton Keynes, which I have done, and I wouldn't say it was a hard course, but I do find it was a boring course. So these are DNFs because people have bought. I think Milton Keynes has changed, hasn't it? Yeah. I think they spent 42, 41k saying, you're going to finish in the stadium at least, and then the rest is just Milton Keynes. I would be like Milton Keynes, Mike.
00:10:16
Speaker
You kept that one quiet. I'm going to dig out this study. It sounds more like these are races that people signed up to and they're not that bothered about finishing. Imagine if you do London Marathon, there's probably more incentive to finish that race than there is for Southampton Marathon. I went to Milton Keynes once, one of the worst days of my life, walking around Milton Keynes. I went to an Oasis gig, five hours in the sun by the time Oasis came on.
00:10:42
Speaker
Sunstrike, didn't I? Had Sunstrike, so. Sounds like you're going to get Milton Keynes for that. What Milton Keynes was that it took so long to get there. That's more time than the Sun. It was a hot day, Tom. It was very much like the World Cross Country Championships in Australia, but I was just walking a little bit drunk to a gig and I got Sunstrike because of that and I played Milton Keynes in many ways.
00:11:02
Speaker
Any listeners who are from Milton Keynes? Nick's been injured and he's a little bit angry at the moment, so give him a bit of space. The stadium's a long way from the station, that's all I'm saying. A lot of my family are from Milton Keynes, so they probably all hate me now, so great. Justified.
00:11:21
Speaker
All right. Well, there's not many in that list that I want to do, but maybe Avondin. I can't give Avondin a go at some point. Avondin was quite a thought. It's like what used to be like the classic late in the year shot at a sub three for club runners. Very popular race with club runners. So maybe that's the high DNF rate was just people were doing it for a time. If they weren't on, they didn't bother. Okay. I just gave up on it when they weren't hitting it. Well, that's enough on news.
Running Shoe Releases & Reviews
00:11:45
Speaker
Let's talk about running kits.
00:11:53
Speaker
Now, because we're going to be going into depth of bat-runisher rotations, we're not going to do a big section on all the kit we've tested in this episode, but we'll cover the most recent stuff that's coming out and some of the stuff that we've been testing in this section here. So probably the biggest news that people would have heard about now is that the Nike VapeFly 3 is
00:12:12
Speaker
coming out very soon. And that is a shoe that is exciting a lot of people and causing a lot of discussion. And we knew a fair bit about it now. We've had the press releases, so we know some of the things that have been done to the shoe. And it's sounding quite interesting. Yeah, I'm very excited. Obviously, we haven't had this in ahead of the launch, just 6th of March, hoping we'll get a chance to test it before then.
00:12:33
Speaker
I think it's not going to be the most drastic change. I think Nike has reduced the weight of the shoe, which is never a bad thing, whilst keeping the midsole more or less the same. It's a tiny bit more stacked by reducing the amount of outsole material. I don't expect a drastic change on the foot, but a lighter vapor fly
00:12:51
Speaker
From what I saw, I've seen online, I think it's lighter than the Vaporfly 2, but probably just brings it back down towards the weight of the original Vaporfly next percent. So it's just going to be a bit more like that. But that'll do, really. You don't really want to mess with the Vaporfly, do you? It's not a great idea. I mean, that race in Battersea on Friday night, it's like 90% of people are in that shoe, and it's still the most popular by a mile. You don't want to go and change anything too much. It'd be very risky.
00:13:14
Speaker
Yeah, it's a big gamble. I imagine, I mean, Vaporfly 1 and 2 have been selling ridiculously since the 2's, well, the 2's been dropped in price recently, and that's suddenly made it the most tantalizing carbon plate ratio to buy, because if you compare it with some of the other options out there, you can get like 120 quid now. So if the Vaporfly 3 isn't better than that, then it's going to be a difficult shoe to
00:13:40
Speaker
Yeah, that's a big problem. It almost feels like maybe Nike's decided, well, we'll do, we'll go for big swings with the AlphaFly, you know, really try and try things out there. And the VapeFly now is, it works. We'll keep the changes fairly minimal, but I can't say that's a badger. But like you say, the changes are minimal when the VapeFly 2 is 110 quid.
00:13:57
Speaker
Yeah, it does look interesting though. There's been a few updates to the design. The outsole looks different. There's some modifications to that. And it's a great looking shoe. The pink one is. I'm not sure some of the other colors so much, but the pink one looks brilliant. Yeah.
00:14:11
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Well, so I imagine we'll be doing at least 20 videos on that when it comes out against every other carbon plate shoe that we've tested out. We've also got a shoe, which is, well, wasn't probably meant to be that exciting, but you've really gone all in on it. The Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro. Mizuno, Tom. I think you've been told that enough in the comments. I refuse to pronounce any brand name correctly.
00:14:35
Speaker
The mise and oo away rebellion. I think that my favorite new carbon issue in so long, like it, it was also just the most exciting and interesting carbon issue in ages. I've been editing the video review today. It's just me gushing for 15 minutes. But basically, I feel like a lot of the carbon issues we've been testing, they are almost converging into the format that works. You know, it's a 40 millimeter limit. Now they all get to the 40 millimeters, they put the scoop plate in, they make the foam soft, usually piba based. And then they tinker with geometry a bit. But Mizuno has just gone.
00:15:04
Speaker
Yeah, the check made swing I think quite different and it feels amazing underfoot. It's really bouncy. It's very like powerful and propulsive. And yeah, you hit your straps in that shoe and it feels brilliant. And I love doing a 5k racing. I've done some mile reps in it. I've done a longer hard training run in it. And I think it, I know it's pitched as a marathon shoe, but it's pretty comfortable at any distance. And I mean, saying in all the videos, it does remind me of the original Nike Alpha Fly. And those who maybe you'll put off the second one being a bit heavier and bulkier might want to look at the Mizuno.
00:15:32
Speaker
And it's 200 quid, which is not cheap, but that is cheaper than most. It's actually not at all cheaper than other shoes in America. It's $250. But in the UK, it's coming in with an RRP below most carbon shoes. And I put it right up there right now. I think I would be happy wearing it for anything. Nice. And the UK has been getting stiffed on shoes recently. So it's nice to see one where we actually look out a bit on it. Yeah, yeah. Our prices have gone nuts. So yeah, fair play to Mizuno. The least we could do is pronounce their name right.
00:16:01
Speaker
Well, they've never sent me the Rebellion Pro, so... Continue to pronounce it wrong. Yeah. Me and Mike are getting the stick for saying Hoka anyway, so we're all getting some. Yeah. Is it you getting the stick? I thought it was me getting the stick. Do you say Hoka or Hoka? I say both. I do say both as well. Yeah, I do say both, actually. That's true. I correct myself after a review and then I forgot which one I was... I don't know. It's pretty obvious. There's not two brands, one called Hoka and one called Hoka. It's obvious who we're talking about. It's fine.
00:16:29
Speaker
It really does rub people up the wrong way, doesn't it? All right, then from fast-rate shoes to quite a lot of cushion shoes at the other end of the market. Mike, I think you've tested all of the most recent cushion shoes that have been released recently. Go on, here's what's come out.
00:16:47
Speaker
I have because I mean these are the obvious shoes for me to be running in right now because I cannot run fast so cushion shoes are ideal. So we've had, I mean there's been three kind of big ones that have come out kind of the past month. There is the ASICS or ASICS Gel Nimbus 25, the Nike Invincible 3 and the Hawker Clifton 9. So the people who want kind of cushion kind of daily trainer style shoes has been some kind of nice options.
00:17:13
Speaker
So the ASICs, they've made a big claim about this being the most comfortable shoe out there. We've all tested our review videos up there and comparison videos have been up there now for people to watch. This is probably the generally because I've liked the most for a while, and the ones I've tested, is it the most comfortable shoe? I think we'd agree that it's good, but I think it's not the most comfortable.
00:17:37
Speaker
I think obviously we had the Nike Invincible 3, which just come in the last few weeks, and they've made some changes on that front. It obviously feels, I mean, for me personally, it feels a little bit more of a stable shoe compared to the previous Nike Invincible. I'm not sure I massively love the changes, personally. I quite like the second. I feel it runs a little bit differently for me personally, but we've had that in as well. And then the Hocka Clifton 9, which I stupidly raced in with Tom, and that's obviously,
00:18:05
Speaker
That's changed in terms of the feeling of the midsole foam that you're getting in comparison to the Clifton 8, which I think makes it a much nicer shoe, a shoe that I think sticks very closely to the roots of what the Clifton's about. But I think it definitely feels like a nice, a huge kind of run. The same types of runs, I think, ultimately that the Clifton you'd associate with. Yeah, I feel like the Clifton's more of a daily trainer. I always considered it more of a daily trainer than the other two, but just a big old one with the Bondi being the tank.
00:18:35
Speaker
Yeah, I've enjoyed it a bit more. I'm a bit of trouble with the invincible. I haven't been able to get through the testing. It just seems like it's aggravating my knee a little bit more than other running shoes, and I do prefer the two. I definitely say that, because it's more stable, but it's still not very stable. All in all, it's interesting the changes Nike's made there. I'm not sure they necessarily have improved the shoe.
00:18:58
Speaker
Yeah, well, we've got a lot of videos up on the channel on the latest cushion shoes that have been out, so I won't go into too much detail about my thoughts on all of them. But yeah, definitely, of all those three, none of them for me really have blown me away. But they are, all of them, good shoes. But yeah, if you want to find out more about those shoes and our thoughts on those, you can head to the channel and find out plenty of reviews and verses and things because we have gone
00:19:23
Speaker
a bit cushion shoe mad over the past few weeks. And then from shoes to tech and something I have to know nothing about, but I've seen you posting quite a few things about it, Mike.
Smartwatches & Tech for Runners
00:19:36
Speaker
The Huawei Watch Buds. Yeah, so this is an interesting one. I think we've got to a point with smartwatches where, I mean, particularly for me, who's reviewing a lot of them on a very regular basis, not a lot of innovation or, you know, creativity is really happening.
00:19:50
Speaker
in this space. So Huawei have basically launched a smartwatch which kind of discreetly hides away a pair of truly wireless earbuds, which initially I'm going to do I, do I need these? Do I need these in my life? Is it, is it a good thing for runners? But actually the more I've used it, the more I actually have found it quite useful to have. I mean, kind of, I do run generally with truly wireless earbuds. I have had it when I've grabbed my bag to go and do something where I've forgotten them.
00:20:15
Speaker
i've got the watch on and actually it's quite nice to have it now the watch itself it's not very sporty it's not like the huawei watch gt run in terms of design so it's a little bit chunkier but it's you know you wouldn't know that there are cases that kind of holds the buzz and i've kind of tested the kind of you know robustness of air and it's it's actually been very very good the problem is it's expensive it's more expensive than any other huawei watches you can buy and i think the
00:20:38
Speaker
core running experience is very good, but ultimately, would I pay that amount of money for it? I'm not 100% convinced. If it was a little bit cheaper, potentially, but I think, yeah, in terms of when it sits at the price point and the design, it's not the perfect kind of running kind of match. But actually, in terms of the, you know, taking concept for reality, I think it works pretty well. It's just, you've got to pay a lot of money for it. Speaking of niche, that feels niche. It feels like something they worked out they could do and didn't really stop to think enough if they should do it. I mean, are the earbuds
00:21:07
Speaker
Good audio quality, at least? Yeah, no, that's the thing. The AirBuds are very good quality, and that's the thing. I think, ultimately, if they could get it done a little bit cheaper, I actually think there is value in it, but, ultimately, the price point is just not right there. And the design-wise, from a running point of view, it's not going to... And, also, you're not getting the dual-band GPS support, all the bigger running features that Huawei have added recently, so you're missing out a little bit from that experience as well, too.
00:21:34
Speaker
OK, and then lastly, we've got the Google Pixel watch. Yeah, well, Nick, you've been I mean, I've I've been testing it and I mean, it didn't last long to be honest, but you've been testing more recently. I think main thing for me is that running running kind of side of things, there's not nothing much there in terms of what's there and what you get from the the promise kind of integration from Fitbit, you know, Fitbit's kind of running stuff is not particularly fantastic. And for me, it's just a battery life, the battery life is.
00:22:03
Speaker
terrible so that was kind of my take and i couldn't wait to kind of take it off to be honest so yeah i just saw i need to charge it it's frustrating to charge it if i'm going to get the sleep tracking it's it's yeah it's um i don't know it feels like it feels dated which is bizarre you know it's what you've been waiting for for ages and it's come in and it's missing stuff that's available on most lots of smart watches and what i i don't know why the where os app store isn't as developed as i know the apple app store is very what is amazing it's very well developed there's loads of people working for it but
00:22:33
Speaker
doesn't seem to be good third-party running apps going in the Wear OS app store, Google Play app store. And the native tracking is not very good. And there's all the things like Strava and RunTastic. And they're all just, again, basic. And it just feels basic. It feels like when you pull on the Apple Watch for the first couple of generations, it was like, oh, this is a nice smartwatch. It's not very good at sports tracking. And it's like, well, I don't know. Google would be making this for a while. Maybe they should have been looking at what's going on and going, well, let's at least do this kind of stuff. But I really like the look of it. And it's very small in sleek.
00:23:01
Speaker
you know, pretty, but yeah, it doesn't last a day. If you've got the always on screen on and stuff like that, it's got a few issues.
00:23:11
Speaker
Yeah. And that was the thing. I think the whereas three thing was, you know, maintenance, you know, make sure that they're kind of app support was really good. And like you say, the actual rebuilt apps, the running apps are not fantastic. They're still pretty basic and it's lagging behind. And I know it's, it's Android only, but it's lagging behind what Apple are doing in terms of their, their kind of running focus features. Um, even with the ultra. Yeah. And you've got written down here athlete athletes meet Nick, what's up?
00:23:37
Speaker
Athletes, me, yeah, it's a new little thing. So you can pop up on Instagram. It's a basically a new service where you can ask questions of elite athletes, essentially. So instead of asking us questions, you can go and ask people who know what they're talking about a bit better. So he's got like, you know, some Team GB athletes on there. Kevin Seawood, the Irish marathoner is on there as well. These are some great, great talents. And I think the idea is you can try and get advice direct one on one from people who, you know,
00:24:02
Speaker
I'll have lived a life and see what they can say about certain topics. So it's quite an interesting idea. I'll be interested to see where it goes in the next few months.
In-depth on Running Shoe Rotations
00:24:09
Speaker
Cool. Okay. Well, that'll do for the update this month. Let's dive into the next section.
00:24:24
Speaker
So guys, rotations, running shoe rotations, something that crops up a lot in the comments, something that we discussed quite a lot, and something that is possibly quite a tricky one for a lot of people to get their heads around if they maybe are new to running or if they haven't owned that many shoes before. So let's start off with a nice simple one. What is a running shoe rotation? Nick, you start this one because you talk about running shoe rotations more than anything.
00:24:53
Speaker
Quivers, if you will. According to this video, quivers, mate. Quavers? Quavers? Quivers and quavers. So running shoe rotation is basically using a mix of running shoes each week. So when you first start running, you probably start with one shoe, you do everything, all of your runs in that one shoe, whereas with a running shoe rotation, you'd have a variety. So it can be as little as two shoes.
00:25:14
Speaker
Three shoes is probably the most common running shoe rotation, like a race shoe, a daily trainer and a cushion shoe, that kind of thing. Or you can then start really extending it to adding in four shoes for niche purposes, trail shoes, all that kind of thing. So the idea is using different shoes for different runs. That's nice, simple. I was going to ask my question, but I think you covered it there.
00:25:33
Speaker
Sorry, Mike. All right, so let's keep this one. This was a good one. What are the benefits of having a running shoe rotation? I can do this on team. You can do it. All right, so I think I've done, I've talked about this a lot. I've just done an article on this, spoken to people about it.
00:25:50
Speaker
but there's kind of different benefits. I mean, the most obvious one to runners is that different shoes serve different purposes a little bit better. So while there are all-rounder shoes out there that are great at doing everything, but a lot of time you want a dedicated racing shoe that's a bit lighter, a bit faster, but it might not be as comfortable as you want it for your easy run. So you can have different shoes to suit different purposes. It's also good for the body. So this is something that comes up a lot when I speak to physios through my normal job. One of their main recommendations for runners is to have different running shoes, and it's not for performance benefits, it's because
00:26:17
Speaker
it places different stresses on the body to run in different types of shoes, particularly if you go for different brands, different drops, different foam types, that kind of thing just means that maybe having a nice firm shoe with a lower drop in your rotation alongside your big squishy high drop shoe just means your body is receiving the impact from running in a slightly different way, your muscles get a slightly different force applied to them and given that most running injuries
00:26:38
Speaker
10 towards being repetitive strain injuries, you know, overuse injuries, doing that using different shoes might mean that you reduce your risk slightly of getting those repetitive injuries. And then the last benefit come across recently is it's good for the shoes. So all of these shoes these days have, you know, nice soft midsole foams in them. A lot of them have air injected mid soles or nitrogen injected mid soles.
00:26:56
Speaker
And after a run, they basically are compressed during a run. It takes a little while for them to band again. And it's not a long time, but it just means if you're not using them again the very next day, you just give your shoe a bit more time to recover in between use and be at its best. The next time you use it, it's going to feel a bit better. And especially in case you're actually getting your shoes wet and you need to give them time to dry out. Just moving, using a different shoe the next day might just mean that
00:27:18
Speaker
shoe you used has a bit more time to recover and feel fresher and better the next time you do come to using it and it's not going to shorten the lifespan of your shoes definitely so even though it's expensive upfront you know you will have three shoes that still last the same amount of time and you know just used and it's not going to cost you everything extra as opposed to just buying one shoe it might in fact even save you a bit of money because your shoes might last a bit longer because you're not battering them every day
00:27:39
Speaker
Interesting. Can you give any of the benefits, Mike? I mean, I think Nick kind of quite comprehensively covered it. But I think for me, I think it's just getting the most out of the kind of sessions you want to do in that training. Or if you are training for something, I think having a shoe that will lend itself back to those types of sessions, I think it makes sense. And that's kind of why I probably
00:28:04
Speaker
fall back into a lot of runners where actually I'd want a shoe that I can use for everything but ultimately in a fortunate position where I can dedicate a shoe to a different session or a different type of runner and I think I've seen value in having a rotation whereas previously I wasn't particularly sure that I needed it but I do think that it has helped me in terms of being more focused in terms of trying to sessions that I do in the particular shoes and getting the most out of those sessions as well.
00:28:31
Speaker
I also would say it's pretty important to say that the benefits are probably quite marginal. Like it's not something that you drastically have to do, but for example, Kieran ran the same pair of shoes all the way across Europe and the shoe was fine. It's not like you needed that foam to recover every day. But given it's just an initial outlay is quite scary. It's a big amount of money upfront, but in theory, it shouldn't really cost you anything extra to have the rotation. And then like Mike says, you can have the perfect shoe for the job when it comes to a fast run in particular for me.
00:28:55
Speaker
Well, I think you've pretty much covered everything. That's a fairly good detailed answer. Well done. Okay, so does everyone need a running shoe rotation? I don't think so. Okay, next question. I don't want to keep hogging the question. I don't have a microwave to jump in. Yeah, I don't think necessarily. I think it depends on what you're doing in terms of your runs. And I think like,
00:29:21
Speaker
For me, if I want to go out and do a quicker session, but I can use that shoe or the same shoe to kind of race in, then I think that's absolutely fine. I don't think that's an issue. And if you're getting the good life out of it and it feels familiar and you like that familiarity of running in that shoe for all your sessions. And I think for me personally, I think it's absolutely fine. But I do think also there's room to have those rotations. And I think catering those shoes for the different types of runs that you do, I think it's absolutely an argument to do that. And Nick's kind of talked about the kind of
00:29:51
Speaker
the value of doing it in terms of the lifespan of your shoes as well and spreading the shoes across your runs, which initially may not feel like it, you know, a kind of cheaper thing to do, but actually you don't have to spend a lot on the shoes that can cater for kind of those slower, easy runs and do those kind of quicker runs. And actually you can find things that work for races, but also work for your training as well. So I think you can build those rotations. I think also at a value, you know, a cheap kind of,
00:30:17
Speaker
price point as well. And I think that's worth keeping in mind. But I also don't think it's for everyone. It depends on what you're using those shoes for, I think, ultimately. And if you're going to do those types of runs and you're looking at those types of improving the quality of those runs or maybe getting more out of those runs, then maybe there's an argument to do it. I think, you know, based on kind of my experience of having a rotation.
00:30:36
Speaker
Yeah, I'll say when you first start out running and you're probably running every other day, fairly short distances, and if you are a performance focused person, you don't really need to start thinking about that just yet. I would just get you a nice comfortable shoe and use it for a while because it's, yeah, you're just getting used to the sport. I wouldn't invest in a rotation straight away. Certainly I'd wait until you really know almost what the kind of shoes you like and what you're trying to do before you start adding other shoes to it. It's good just to get a good general shoe at first.
00:31:01
Speaker
Yeah, completely. I agree. I think really shoe rotations are a thing that quite often people get into because they get really into running and it almost becomes like a shopping obsession and you just want all the latest things. But I mean, we've got a lot of shoes and there's some shoes that I really wanted when I heard about them, but I never use. So yeah, having a big pile of shoes is not great if you never use them.
00:31:27
Speaker
And really, I think that if we have we've got a nice opportunity that we get to try lots of shoes. But if you if push came to shove, I'd probably end up with a handful of shoes that I really want to run in. And all those other ones I don't really want. And and that's because we test shoes. But I've got friends who have massive piles of shoes as well. They never use any of them, because they've been constantly trying to build out a rotation by new shoes all the time. But yeah, there's a sort of bias level of it as well, where having a
00:31:52
Speaker
rotation can be addictive and you can't keep adding in new bits and pieces to it. So yeah, I don't think everyone needs one. I think actually once you've got one shoe or even two, even if you do build a rotation of three shoes you're happy with, I would immediately stop watching or running reviews. It's terrible for our channel, but yeah, I wouldn't want to hear about any other shoes until I'd use those shoes up because yeah, like you say, it's just something distracting and shiny and then you've wasted money and wasted emissions. And quite often you'll find that a lot of, and I'm not speaking for myself here, because we test shoes, but I've got friends who
00:32:22
Speaker
have bought the Vaporfly, have then bought the Alphafly, and now they're buying the Puma carbon plate shoes, and they're constantly messaging you, going, oh, I don't like it as much as the Vaporfly. Well, yeah, you've now got seven carbon plate shoes. You only like the Vaporfly. You don't have to get all the shoes. And yeah, it's a tricky one. But yeah, I think it's definitely, there's a level of it, which is, it's enjoyable, isn't it, to get new shoes and build out your rotation, but it's not necessary for everyone.
00:32:48
Speaker
Can I do so much running after all? Exactly, exactly. All right, so let's talk about us in particular. And we will be having a video out soon where we talk about our actual rotations and each of the run testers will be talking about the shoes that they would pick for their rotation of three. But let's have a little chat. We're not going to go through the actual shoes now, but let's talk about how each of you build out your running shoe rotations. Mike, you'll start with your rotation.
00:33:14
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like my rotation has grown from someone who literally just did run in one shoe. But I think what I found is for me, personally, the way it's worked for me is I found a shoe that if I just want to go out and run, that is a shoe that I grab. There's no emphasis on me wanting to run quick. So that's kind of my easy, I guess, recovery shoe. And that's one I would have.
00:33:37
Speaker
I do a lot of track sessions. The track sessions are really important for me in terms of my training. I do have a shoe that I kind of would go to to use in the track that I like using on the track, which obviously could work for speed training generally anywhere, but I quite like having something for those specific running conditions and running environment.
00:33:58
Speaker
And then kind of a daily trainer where I think it's something I can use to kind of run faster sessions in. But if I want to go and run slower in it as well, then I have the capacity to do that. And I think that's a nice shoe to have. If you decide you want to change in terms of what you're doing in that run, then I think that's a nice shoe it's going to have. And then the last thing is I probably would have my race shoe, but it's a race shoe that I'd also use to train at my race pace as well. So that is a carbon blade shoe. That is something that.
00:34:25
Speaker
I would use, but it's something that I would only use for those quality runs where a kind of mirror reflects what I'm going to do in my kind of races. And then the other thing I would have is a big kind of rotation is a trail shoe. I mean, I do like running trails. I have to go and run to my trail. So I do have a road to trail shoe that I will have.
00:34:44
Speaker
that I kind of use on a regular basis, just because I have to go and do some trail stuff, some of my club runs are, then that's something that I would use as well. So my rotation is grown, but ultimately there's probably a couple of shoes that I would regularly use, and I think that's kind of faster, kind of daily trainer, and the kind of shoe that I would use for racing and kind of training at my race pace.
00:35:04
Speaker
Nick, your rotation, yours is probably slightly different than myself and Mike's. What have you got? Yeah, it's probably pretty similar. I'd start with, I have a dedicated ratio. I'm very keen on running fast and doing time, so that's been big choices. The racing shoe, which I wouldn't use very much in training because I wore my more daily trainer general shoe. I picked something that's speed tilted, I'd say.
00:35:27
Speaker
kind of the all-rounder shoes you see these days that, you know, plated training shoes, or even without a plate, very lightweight, quite good shoes for fast sessions, and I'd like to be able to use my trainer for that. So I'd have, yeah, the fast racing shoe, and then a daily trainer that's pretty speedy, and then for my general shoe for easy runs, relaxed runs, maybe some tempo runs, I would get a fairly cushioned shoe, not too cushioned, they're not so into the big max cushion trend, so I'd get something fairly cushioned, but the key thing for me with that shoe is definitely the outsole's gotta be able to handle light trails.
00:35:56
Speaker
the forest near me, the canal tapest near me, great place to go and do easy general runs. It's still a road shoe. I want the feeling of a road shoe because a lot of those runs will be on the road as well, but it's got to have a good outsole. And then I suppose a last must for me would be as I do Red Cross Country with my club, I'd have a big mud focused trail shoe, something with big lugs that I can then use as well when I go on holiday to areas with more
00:36:21
Speaker
aggressive trails than I find around Mimi's. I want a shoe that's got really reliable grip. That's a trail-only shoe that I'll use for those races, club sessions in the mud and that kind of thing. But for most of my trail runs would just be on light trails. I'd use a road shoe with a good outsole and that would be probably the shoe that does most of my runs in general.
00:36:38
Speaker
Okay, interesting. So I'm going to go for the full on most maximum cushion shoe possible. It's my main easy day shoe, but that's my training skews very much at the moment skews very much towards just ticking off the miles in comfort.
00:36:55
Speaker
I'd always have the most cushioned shoe possible for those days. And then in my center, my middle rotation shoe would be a non-carbon shoe that skews more towards faster running. I don't like to have a complex shoe as my daily shoe. I like to have something a bit more cushioning, but it's designed to be a little bit bouncier.
00:37:16
Speaker
And then for my ratio, I would always go for top-end carbon plate shoe, which I'm using for fast sessions. And it's probably no surprise as to which ones those are going to be. And then if I was going to have a trail shoe in there, it would be more like Mike's. It would be more of a road to trail shoe because most of the trail stuff that I do veers more towards the comfortable side of things. I'm not running fast on the trails. I'm not going through loads of mud.
00:37:39
Speaker
So it tends to be paths. I really cross the downs quite a lot. And even though there are some tricky sections on the downs, I tend to stick to the paths. So generally want a shoe that I can run out to the downs on, and that's about 5K, do like 20K on the downs and then run back. So a nice comfortable road to trail shoe for me in that. And also it's a shoe that I like. I like to have that shoe as an option where I can, like you have Nick, where you go away, you can take a shoe and still do a bit of road ring in it. You don't have to worry too much about
00:38:08
Speaker
being limited by that. So, yeah, that's my four shoe choice rotation. And as I say, the Opella channel, we'll link to it as soon as it's ready. But we will be going through our actual rotations at the moment. And they change quite a lot throughout the year. New shoes getting added, new shoes getting removed. But I would say that
00:38:28
Speaker
For most of us, actually, Kieran's an interesting one, because Kieran's probably the one that's got the rotation that's very different than ours, based on the type of running that he does. It changes a lot as well. Yeah. But for us, yeah, I think in issues that we generally
00:38:44
Speaker
always have a similar one from the same lineup in, but then there's some surprising ones that crop in every year that you couldn't have counted on that. So they take over the shoes that we previously had in our rotation. So there we go, really shoe rotations.
Audience Q&A on Shoes & Gear
00:39:03
Speaker
All right, so on the podcast, we normally do this. We haven't done the last couple of months because we've had specific themes. So we didn't really have questions that relate to those themes. But we're back on it this month with our questions from the audience. And this is our chance to talk about, or answer questions from the viewers where we haven't had a chance to, or haven't had time to do it over the last month. So let's start off with a question from JD's right to point. Did you like the Rebel 3 or the Mac 5 better?
00:39:33
Speaker
Oh wow, I've got a full video on that topic up on the channel for more detail, but I think they're quite similar in how good they are, which is to say very good. They are lightweight shoes without a plate that are versatile training shoes. The Mach 5 is a bit softer and better for long runs. The Rebel, is it bouncier? Maybe has slight edge for fast runs, but it might prefer in your ride feel preference is my main conclusion. And I like a rocker shoe quite a lot. So I probably prefer the Hocka Mach 5, but if you like a bouncy, softer shoe, the Rebel. Good answer.
00:40:02
Speaker
So this one is from, and I actually, this is foreign characters on this comment, so I've got no idea. But it is, as a beginner runner looking for a comfortable and fun shoe, what do you recommend more? Nimbus 25, or Nimbus Michelle Nimbus 25, Triumph 20, Nike Invisible 3, or new bands more V4? I think we know what my answer is going to be. New bands more V4 all the way. Although I would say it's the second, the Triumph. I think it's a bit of a toss-up between those two. What do you guys go for?
00:40:31
Speaker
I would put, I think the most lively of the, I would say the Triumph 20. I think for me the more before I find it a little bit heavy for me, but I think the ride is very nice on it. And I think I would probably go for the Invincible 2 as opposed to the Invincible 3.
00:40:45
Speaker
From those, I would probably go for the Triumph 20%. In terms of the enjoyment, and I think the cushioning is great on that. You're getting a similar level of cushioning on all of these, I would say, but I think for me, the Triumph is the one that I kind of use for those types of runs. Good choice, Mike. Best thing you said all day, Nick? I'm pretty biased because I started running in a Triumph, and so I'd always recommend start running in a Triumph. And it's so much... I mean, the Astax Dynamis is great. You will love it, but it's so much more expensive than the Triumph. And the Triumph's pretty good. Yeah, it's great, the Triumph. No problems recommending that.
00:41:13
Speaker
I would say that this Triumph 20 is the safest bet for anyone. If anyone is to ask me what cushion shoe do I get and I didn't know them very well, I'd say Triumph 20 is the safest bet because all the other ones, they skew towards a certain type of cushioning and they might not work for you. Okay, next question. Jean-Paul Bourbonnetes. Great. That'll do. Is the Clifton 9 softer than the Clifton 8?
00:41:37
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Yes. No, it's not massively soft, but it is softer. Yeah. And I do like it a little bit more than, well, I do a lot more than the eight, actually. It's a more enjoyable shoe, more comfortable shoe. Heron T says, which is more stable? Brooks Hyperion Max or Saucony and Dorp in Speed 3 for longer runs?
00:41:58
Speaker
Ooh, I've not done any longer runs in Hyperion Max. I mean, Hyperion Max is a firmer shoe, a bit more traditional. I'd say it certainly feels very stable, but the indoor speed is not unstable. I'd probably say the Brooks, but I've not done many longer, well, I haven't done any longer runs in it, but it just feels like it's going to be quite stable. Brooks are quite good on that front in general, and their foam is a bit firmer.
00:42:17
Speaker
Yeah, I always, I think, I can't remember what I was talking to you about this, but the Speed 3, because it's got that wider fit, it does feel a little bit more unstable for me, and I don't think it's the foam or anything, I think it's just because there's more space in the shoe, so it's harder to get it locked down, so it can feel a little bit less stable than the 2, because the 2's got quite a nice
00:42:34
Speaker
structured lockdown fit. But yeah, I mean, I've never tried the books Harry Piramax. Okay, Ben Wharton says, oh, it's one for me. Hey, Tom. Could the Super Blast be a good option to actually race in for my first marathon? Yes, I think it could. I think it's a very good shoe for that. It's nice, bouncy shoe. It's very comfortable to wear. There's a lot of cushioning on it, but it's definitely not a slow shoe.
00:42:59
Speaker
I definitely think if I was really my first marathon, I'd be happy in that shoe. So yeah, it's a good choice.
00:43:15
Speaker
Yeah, they're not stable. And if they are stable, they're probably not that super, especially how my friend who pronates summed up to me once. Yeah, this is why I put it in because I thought it was an interesting point. I think one of the things to flag about stability sheets is that they normally need more elements to the shoe and they become a bit heavier and they become a bit
00:43:33
Speaker
You can't really make them bouncy because it loses stability there. So yeah, unfortunately, you don't really get stability ratios. I was going to say the Endorphin Pro 3 is probably the most stable that I've used. But again, you're getting an element of, as we've said, that needs stability because of the weight and because of the weight those shoes are built and they're built for racing, I guess, and not having those extra protective elements, I guess.
00:43:58
Speaker
The Puma's Deviate Nitro Elite isn't quite as a high stack. That could help a little bit. It's not an unstable shoe. The Brooks Hyperion Elite line has always been quite stable, but that is because they haven't really got a very soft and bouncy foam, so you lose a lot of the joy of a super shoe. Yeah, yeah. I think over-prolation shoes, stability shoes, they're moving in the direction that they are getting a little bit more
00:44:21
Speaker
and a little bit faster, a little bit less like you would expect from a stability shoe, but I mean, sorry, Moggy, there aren't really any fast super shoes that are designed for overpronouncing runners. I can't even pronounce this one. Good boy, good boing dis yurto. Okay. Regardless of the price, Vaporfly Next%2 or Endorphin Elite for a 5K race. Vaporfly for me.
00:44:49
Speaker
uh i mean i'm not running the vapor flies so oh what we need to get your vape fly i'm sure i've got a spare pair of vape flies to give you um all right yeah you can get lost then um yeah i'm saying uh to be honest it's a tough one because i would for most races i would always say vapor fly but i think the 5k is the one race where
00:45:11
Speaker
I don't think I'd see a noticeable difference between the two. I would prefer the VapeFly because I enjoy that shoe more. I think it's more comfortable, but I don't think there'd be a difference in the time I got in those two shoes. Yeah, I agree with that. I'd say that at 5k in particular, once you reach a certain level of super, it's just coming down to weight, I suppose, and the VapeFly's slightly lighter.
00:45:30
Speaker
OK, and legswillmove says, is it really worth it to pursue these over regular buds with passive modes? And that was on the bone conduction video. So he's basically asking, is it worth getting bone conduction headphones? I mean, from my point of view, I think I don't run predominantly a bone conduction headphones, but there are definitely benefits for it. And I know a lot of people do prefer running on them. I think from a safety point of view, I think that's a
00:45:53
Speaker
a really big thing and if you're racing a lot of races will prefer that you run in these types of headphones and I think the main downfall for me is obviously the sound quality but the sound quality is getting better and you know in terms of fit and being you know rugged and good for for running that it's kind of they're kind of there right now but it's you're making compromises in certain areas but there's definitely reasons to have them and I think they are getting a lot better and I'm feeling
00:46:20
Speaker
there are headphones that I would want to run
Headphones for Runners
00:46:22
Speaker
in as well. I think they are getting better from that point. I'd say on the passive, by assuming by that he means like a transparency mode, so you can hear things around you within earbuds. With that setting on, a lot of buds just get a lot of wind noise. It actually takes, there's quite only a few on the market when you're running that actually it works. So you end up not hearing anything in the passive mode because you're just getting a lot of wind noise. You have to take the headphone out. So that, I do think, by induction one, if you are needing awareness, there's a big step up in awareness compared to using a transparency mode.
00:46:49
Speaker
Some of them are really good. The Apple AirPods 2 is a great transparency mode that doesn't seem to have that wind problem, but even other ones from very good brands have the wind problem when you're running. Yeah, I think that if I didn't have any buds and I had to buy one pair, I would buy in-ear buds with transparency mode.
00:47:09
Speaker
Having a pair of bone conduction headphones, I do use quite a lot for races, especially things like trail races. I don't really want to wear in-ear headphones because it's just because I want to hear what's going on and you need to listen out for stuff like that. So I think different things really. If you've got bone conduction headphones, you really need both because they're a different thing. You can't really compare the two. They're for different reasons. You use them for different reasons.
00:47:35
Speaker
And of course, you've got the fact that regular buds, you can use them all the time. You can't use...
00:47:40
Speaker
if you're on a train or if you're walking down the busy street in London, bone conductors are fairly useless. Cool. Okay, so what have we got coming up in the next few weeks?
Upcoming Content Preview
00:47:53
Speaker
Running shoe rotations, that's the big one that we're going to be chatting about our top three running shoes that we have in our individual rotations. Max storage shorts, this isn't one that I'm going to get involved with because I don't really care. Yeah, I love max storage shorts.
00:48:07
Speaker
I'll be probably plugging... Actually, I probably won't bother because the Decathlon shorts I'd be using for my marathons are never in stock, so I might have to not mention them. It should be gutting because they are the best on the market. Right. Okay. Oh, this is the big one. I only realised that we were doing this earlier on today and I had to sit back and go, oh, crikey.
00:48:25
Speaker
running shoes the best running shoes the full list oh tom's tom's magnum opus every year five days to edit that thing uh be kind be kind to tom when he puts that together we've got to wait a bit on that because sometimes it's with shoe releases there are some big ones coming i mean we can't do that video until we've at least tested the vaporfly 3 i feel like
00:48:45
Speaker
It takes about a month to do it so I should imagine we'll be ready to wear them. That's the big one. So that'll be our video that covers all of the best shoes out at the moment in really short, sharp format so that we cover everything that's out. Then I think Keira's doing Energy Gels. I don't use Energy Gels so I'm not involved in that one. Marathon Essentials, that's your one isn't it Nick? That'll come out next month.
00:49:10
Speaker
No, that's in the next... I spent the next four weeks, isn't it? Because marathons are coming up in... Well, you should be in the next few weeks, because marathons are all coming up. That's true, yeah. I'll get it done, don't worry. Geez. I'm just trying to get out of it, do it in the summer when everybody wants to watch it. It comes to Dad. And then... Because there's no video coming as well. I'm going to talk a lot about this Mizuno shoe, because I'm obsessed with it. Looking forward to that. And then Mike, I don't know if you know about this, but you've got running watches on the list.
00:49:45
Speaker
Oh, Xiaomi. Xiaomi that I can't even get it set up on my phone, so that's going well. OK, perfect. Well, that's that's what's coming up. So keep an eye out for those listeners. And if you want to get in touch with us, ask us a question that might might get added to the next podcast. That's team at TheRunTesters.com or you can contact us at Instagram on TheRunTesters or at TheRunTesters and on YouTube, of course, because that's probably where you've heard about us. And that's just at TheRunTesters, forward slash TheRunTesters.
00:49:57
Speaker
Apparently, that will be coming soon.
00:50:14
Speaker
So other than that, thanks a lot for listening and we'll be back next month. This episode of the podcast was presented by Tom Wheatley, Nick Harris Fry and Mike Saw. The podcast was produced by Tom Wheatley. The music was by Fear of Tigers.