2nd pair of shoes

Hi everyone,

I am thinking about buying a 2nd pair of running shoes. My first are the Nike Air Pegasus 2002, a cushioned shoe. Now I do not know, if it is better to buy another pair of Pegasus or an other cushioned shoe to give my feet some alternation.
Does anyone have a good advice?

I have been running now for 20 years. My first pair of "expensive " shoes were New Balance 703's ( I think. ) They were great. Then I read that you should change your shoes after only 3 months wear. I decided that I couldn't afford to do that when buying these New Balance 730's @ 70 quid a pair, so I switched to Hi-Tech Silver Shadow @ about 16 quid ( at that time ). I found them excellent value, and a great shoe to boot. ( Please excuse the pun. ) I have continued to use them all these years and change them twice yearly, now that I am a slow runner. They are still great value,and offer everything that I require in a running shoe. I think they are around 24 quid nowadays. Please excuse my using "quid! instead of pounds.My German keyboard does not have a pound sign.

I would normally only buy/wear one pair of shoes at a time, but after talking to the guys in my local running shop, they suggested two pairs of shoes, one for training and running in and the other for racing in. I genuinly believe he was not on a sales pitch, they're not like that. I did buy the 2 and next weekend will see the test of the racing shoes. Looking at the make up of them and the rubber used on the sole compared to my training shoes, it makes a lot of sense. I suppose it depends on what you're inro running for. I am in it to get fit but also get quicker, over time. Worth bouncing the idea around to a few people, see what response you get and make your own mind up!

I keep two pairs of shoes, of the same type but one pair is half a size bigger than the other - for the long Sunday runs when the feet swell a little more.

Hmm, I used to dismiss Silver Shadows out of hand, but recently I've found out the Army issues them as its standard issue P.T. shoe!! I might have to look into acquiring a pair for less demanding duties...

I have three (plus a pair of off-roaders).
One to wear for long runs/races and the other two to alternate as i often run twice a day. I like to try and give the shoes 24 hours between wears to reconstitute themselves.

I think it really depends on what shoes you need as a runner. I had the wrong shoes about a year ago and it screwed my legs up terribly. I now have the right shoes for me and have noticed a significant improvement, not only in my running, but so far this year, no injuries!...touch wood!

I'm a bit of a shop-aholic when it comes to shoes and I tend to buy when they are cheapest i.e. when last years model is on the run-out. Can't resist a bargin!

Buying the right shoe is always tricky and it always seems that manufacturers change models unnecessarily i.e. I alwys used to run in Pegasus (in about 89/90), then they ruined them - since then I've tended to stick with Asics (the 20xx range). I tend to buy shoes regardless of cost although wouldn't ever buy the "top" shoe in a range as virtually the same features are available in the next model down.

I tend to break new shoes in over 3-4 weeks i.e. by using them once, twice, three times etc a week until completely swapped. I will also keep the second pair 'on the go' for when my main pair gets wet etc. I also like to have one 'clean' pair for use on my treadmill as bits of mud are really not that good for the mechanism.

So in reality I generally have three pairs at any one time (but 6-7 pairs lurking in the cupboard!). My advice is find a model you like and stick with it, and if you like one years model buy 3-4 pairs when its cheap!