I’ve just got back to Sydney after an overseas trip. Due to luggage limits of budget airlines in Europe I had to travel light. This included only taking one pair of training shoes. Up to a few years ago this would have been normal for me. However, now that I have increased my mileage I have found it important to have two and I was reminded of this on this trip.
Especially when I train in an evening and then again the next morning I found myself praying that it wouldn’t rain to avoid running in soggy shoes the next day. In England where it likes to rain a lot, this was a tall ask! Thankfully I mostly managed to time my runs to miss the rain showers. With two shoes, one pair can dry while you use the other.
The other factor which makes two shoes a blessing is that it gives your feet a bit of variety, working the muscles of your feet in slightly different ways. For me, I currently use two supportive Brooks shoes in training: the Ravenna and the Adrenaline. The Adrenaline is super supportive so my feet feel more secure in them but they can get a bit heavy on the legs in a long run. So when I switch to the Ravenna my feet really feel the change.
Having two different pairs of shoes that you are comfortable with means you are also a little protected if one of your shoes gets the cut from the manufacturer. It’s no fun for a runner when you’ve finally found your dream shoe and then you hear they have stopped making it.
While the initial expense is double, the gap til you have to next buy shoes again will also be double. So, for me, two is definitely better than one.
Mike Tozer 