Running 40km a week, first half marathon in about four months, and I have 150 to spend on shoes for the whole build. Option one is a single well-reviewed daily trainer at around 130. Option two is a clearance daily trainer at 70 and a cheaper carbon-plated shoe at 80 that I would save for the race and two workouts. I do not have a shoe rotation now and my current pair is nearly dead. What would you do?
One good daily trainer, and spend nothing on the race shoe. At 40km a week over a four month build you will put roughly 600km through that shoe, and it is doing 95 percent of the work of getting you to the start line. A plated shoe might buy you a minute or two over a half; a trainer that suits your foot buys you four months of running without niggles. Buy the race shoe later out of a different month's money if you still want it.
The 600km number is a useful way to think about it. I was framing it as one shoe versus two rather than as cost per kilometre.
And a clearance trainer at 70 is often a genuinely good shoe from last season, so option two is not automatically worse if you have run in that model before. It is worse if you are guessing.
Whatever you buy, buy it now rather than at week 14. Running a build on a dead pair to save money for race shoes is the classic false economy in this sport.
If you can find a shop that lets you run in them on a treadmill for ten minutes, use that rather than any review. Fit is the entire variable and reviews cannot see your foot.
@flakey_test · 10mo ago · 2 replies
Different view: two pairs beats one pair at 40km a week regardless of which two. Rotating gives the midsole foam time to recover between runs and it changes the loading slightly, which is easier on your legs. I would take two 70 to 80 shoes over one 130 shoe every time.
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@dartfit_dana · 10mo ago
Agreed on rotation, but I would make the second pair another daily trainer rather than a plated race shoe. A plated shoe used for two workouts and a race is 40km of use out of a four month budget.
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