Runner Tips

Boost your running goals with a shoe lineup

July 3, 2023 | 5 min. read By Brooks Staff

Leveraging the different talents of Brooks technology can help you find your run.

Picture your favorite sports team — a diverse lineup of players, each with specialized skills tailored to their position, working in tandem to win. Just like a successful sports team often wins by taking advantage of different players’ strengths, a well-rounded shoe rotation can help you get the most out of every workout.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach in running. Every runner is unique in their stride, foot shape, and running goals. By rotating different types of shoes, you can enhance your performance, and ultimately, achieve your running objectives.

What does the perfect shoe roster look like for you?

If you are incorporating runs into your workouts at least three days a week, it’s not a bad idea to consider using more than one pair of shoes. Each shoe in your roster should be designed to address specific running needs, goals, or preferences. At Brooks, those needs and preferences are addressed through multiple shoe "experience" categories. You can choose shoes with super soft cushioning, speedy design, trail-ready features, and more. By rotating through your shoe roster, you’ll be ready to manage different kinds of workouts and tackle a range of run goals.

Tip: Slot your favorite running shoe for those long runs. This primary shoe is the one you’ll spend the most time in. Add secondary shoes to your roster for their technical perks to help meet your training goals, tackle tempo or interval training runs, and explore different running experiences.

Tip: To track your mileage or time in a shoe, write the shoe’s start-date (first day you run) on the midsole for easy reference. Strava or other similar apps have features to make this easy.

Dig into the science behind an informed shoe roster

Our nerdiness knows no bounds at Brooks, so of course we looked to science to help understand why building a thoughtful shoe roster can help you find your run. Here are two great reasons:

Muscles adapt and respond differently depending on shoe cushion. Research in “Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports” shows runners who rotate shoes can strengthen a variety of muscles because they’re effectively cross-training their legs by using different shoes.

Get more longevity out of your shoes. Rotating your shoes can give time for a shoe’s foam and shape to recover. Giving your shoes rest days allow foam cells in midsole to decompress. A “Clinics of Sports Medicine” study found cushioning properties of a shoe declined as shoe accumulated more mileage, and needed proper recovery time. Shoes — they’re just like us!

Do you need a neutral or support shoe?

Years of research in Run Signature has led us to find that every runner’s joints have a path of least resistance, or habitual motion path (HMP). Runners who don’t deviate from their HMP typically use neutral shoes, and those who do deviate from their HMP often choose a support shoe to optimize their run.

If you’re a support runner that who requires support shoes, you may ’ll enjoy the benefits of Brooks support shoes with GuideRails® technology. These options, which reduces excess shin and heel rotation to keep your natural knee motion in a safe range so you can run with more comfort and less pain.

You can find GuideRails® technology in the Glycerin GTS 20, Adrenaline GTS, and the Hyperion GTS. If you want to determine whether you are a neutral runner or support runner, before building a shoe roster, take our easy Shoe Finder Quiz to learn more.