Running
Shoes

Drop (or heel-to-toe drop) is the height difference between the heel and toe of the shoe. A 10mm drop means the heel is 10mm higher than the toes.

High drops (8-12mm): encourage heel strike, more cushioning. Low drops (0-4mm): more natural posture, foot closer to ground, encourage forefoot running. Medium drops (5-8mm): ideal transition for those wanting to gradually reduce.

Most running shoes last between 600-800 km. After this point, cushioning degrades significantly — even without obvious visual wear signs.

Practical tip: record the km of first use in the app. Strava and Garmin Connect allow associating equipment to activities and alerting when the limit is reached.

Signs of worn shoes: pain or stiffness where there was none before, or feeling of more impact than usual.

The gait-type theory (neutral/pronated/supinated) as the sole criterion for choosing shoes is being revisited by science. Recent studies suggest that perceived comfort while trying shoes on is a more reliable predictor of injury than gait type alone.

That doesn't mean gait doesn't matter — it means it's one criterion, not the only one. Someone with pronounced pronation and a history of knee injuries clearly benefits from shoes with more medial support. But someone with mild pronation and no injury history can wear neutral shoes comfortably.

The current consensus: try the shoe on, and run in it for at least 10 minutes in the store if possible. Immediate comfort and the absence of pressure points matter as much as the cushioning type on paper.

Runners above 50km per week benefit from having two pairs with different characteristics: a daily trainer (more cushioning, more protection) and a dedicated pair for quality workouts or races (more responsive, with a drop suited to your ideal biomechanics).

Beyond extending the life of each pair, rotation exposes your foot to slightly different biomechanical stimuli — something recent research links to a lower rate of overload injuries.

The logic is simple: the same biological tissue under the same stress over and over is more vulnerable than tissue exposed to varied stresses. Two pairs with different drops beats two identical pairs.