Shoe rotations can often be something that slips off the radar or you are just simply unaware of the concept of rotating your trainers. It’s not applicable to all running cases but when training for a marathon it can be a super effective way to gain those extra benefits and reduce the risk of injury, allowing you to stay on track for your goals and get the most out of your training. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to get yourself a shiny new pair of shoes!

Not sure where to start with rotation? We’ve got you covered! Coach Ben & Coach Anya have teamed up to bring you their best recommendations for shoe rotations. What’s better is you can get them all in one place at ProDirect running!

We’ve broken this down into three key sections:

These are your classic everyday trainers, they’ll be with you through it all and in marathon training, it means you’ll be getting more than well acquainted! These are the trainers you should use when you have an easy run - they’ll provide enough cushioning and bounce to keep you clocking up the miles.

“The ON Cloudeclipse is a max stack cruiser, with an extra upgrade of cushioning, this new edition to the ON line up offers a buttery smooth transition with reduced impact through your joints. A perfect cloudy trainer for those daily miles.”

“A stable yet highly cushioned, flexible shoe. Slightly more rockered than other easy run shoes on the market making it very versatile and responsive if you need to up the pace.”

“This is my go to tempo run shoe. Comfortable yet bouncy which means it responds to a change of pace effortlessly. It gives a constant boost over long reps or longer runs which helps you hold form.”

“If I was going to recommend any runner looking for 1 shoe that does everything I would suggest the Adidas Boston 12. Softer than previous Bostons but just as responsive. Efficient when running at a slower pace and dynamic when picking up the tempo.”

This is where the fun really starts, these are the shoes that you’ll pull on when you have a speedier interval session or on race day. The goal here is to get moving quicker and more efficiently. These shoes want to be lightweight to enable a good knee pickup which will help drive the arms and increase speed. Both of these shoes are carbon plated which is a concept that is often spoken about in the running world but it’s not always made clear how these ‘super shoes’ actually work. Essentially they help improve your running efficiency. They enhance your energy return by harnessing the force generated by your leg muscles instead of a lot of it being lost. Your running economy will have never looked better!

“An explosive and cushioned shoe. One of the most fun shoes I own which is fast but less aggressive than other carbon plated shoes which helps towards a faster recovery. It effortlessly rolls the runner onto their forefoot to push the pace in a race.”

“My go to marathon race shoe. A race shoe that propels you forward and provides maximum energy return to allow you to settle into a fast pace. Designed to give that extra 1% to a more experienced runner with a refined running style.”

There is no specific number or limit on how many running shoes you should have and all of the shoes are currently available on the Prodirect running website so if you need a good excuse to get out and treat yourself this article should do the trick!

Reminder, It's not imperative you have multiple shoes in your shoe rotation. If you are just choosing one then going for a faster tempo shoe that is more durable than a race shoe could be the best of both worlds.

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