46 replies to this topic

[Also Ran]

I wear my runners when I walk to and from my car every week day, as well as occasionally when out & about on weekends. In total I wear them for around 4 hours per week while not running.

I have an inkling that this is an equipment-abuse mistake that beginners like me tend to make! To help me justify buying a nice new pair of runners strictly for running use, please give me some tips as to why I should.

Thanks!

[Obi-Wan]

If you only wear them for running they'll last longer.

[Bellthorpe]

I don't know if it's equipment abuse or not, but I never wear runners other than for running. Just as street shoes would not be comfortable for running, they are far more comfortable than joggers for walking.

[miners]

Old runners (past their use by date) may be worn for mowing the lawns. Apart from actual running, I think that covers all acceptable activities for which runners may be worn

[Louise]

If you need to justify this to the missus (or yourself), then consider that walking in your runners may actually deform them - as your walking motion is different to your running motion.

The normal path of evolution (devolution?) of running shoes is:
running --> weekends --> gardening/painting --> trampling through mud/crap so bad you'll have to throw them out afterwards, but by this time they're probably worn through underneath so it's just as well really.

Besides, you can't be a "real" runner unless you have at least 3 pairs of shoes in various stages of decline. :D

[vat]

Must admit I've got a bit of a habit of wearing my least favoured shoes walking around. I've got a pair of 1090s (which, if truth be told are actually okay with orthotics) and Adidas Supernovas which I will potter about in, but my race shoes and favourite long run shoes - nup, won't walk around in those.

[Bellthorpe]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by Louise:
The normal path of evolution (devolution?) of running shoes is:
running --> weekends --> gardening/painting --> trampling through mud/crap so bad you'll have to throw them out afterwards,

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[/indent]--> using them for cross-country racing in good (=bad) conditions.

[Angus]

Vatman, do you find your Supernovas make a severely annoying 'squeak' with each footstrike? Or does this just mean time for new shoes?

I tend to keep my current runners for running... otherwise they would be 'walkers' I guess? I think Louise sums it up quite nicely!

[ads]

This isn't a fashion thread, is it? No runners with jeans or slacks. You may feel light under foot, but you look like a knob. Shorts are OK as we run in shorts.

It also depends on the frequency of wear. If you're in them all the time in addition to your daily (or less) run, the durability will diminish.

Save them for the road/trails/track etc.

Oh, for Stephen Jogs, where in Hoppers are you? Stu Mac will hunt you down once he's aware of another Hoppers CR...I'm ex-Hoppers but work there.

[queen_bee]

I am of the firm opinion that runners are only for running.

When not running, wear something that looks good. If you need to wear 'recreational' shoes, buy some that in no way resemble runners.

Then again, I'm a complete fashion wally and am loathe to wear my runners when I'm not training or racing! :D

[casper]

with you queen bee on that one, running shoes are for running only, not for casual wear. but then again I have a "shoe thing"

[Sparkie]

I live in my running shoes, for two reasons:
1. I am a dag, and gave up caring a while back

2. I have ridiculously flat feet, and my orthotics go best in running shoes. If I'm not in running shoes, I'll be in RM Williams, which are a bugger to try and put orthotics in.

That said, I am sitting here barefooted right now, which is my preferred footwear...

I normally wear runners that I no longer train in, but because of the hassle of swapping orthotics over, I sometimes wear the good stuff...

[Steve 'The Footman']

I wear runners all the time. I own a pair of Rockports for formal occasions but do not use them much anymore. Even for work I wear runners although I am often required to run with patients. I think runners are much more comfortable than normal shoes although I wear them looser walking around then running. I also have alot of running shoes and could not possibly wear them all out running alone. I do not use them for casual wear until they have been demoted as a runner.

I am sure that kids these days will have alot less problems with their feet because they were able to wear running shoes at school instead of stiff uncomfortable leather shoes.

I was also wearing runners with jeans before Seinfeld. :D

[tim]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by Sparkie:
I live in my running shoes, for two reasons:
1. I am a dag, and gave up caring a while back

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[/indent]I am glad I am not the only one.

Plus sometimes when my feet are a bit tired there is nothing like a good pair of runners to keep them happy.

[Kato]

Once you've paid for the runners, who can afford anything else, except Colac ;)

Seriously, I pay around $200 for a pair of good shoes - if they're no longer fit for running, they're going to earn their keep walking, gardening, fishing, mowing, etc..

One day in the future, Balri will ask is there a rule against wearing Fivefingers with pants. There is a rule against it.

Edited by Kato, 10 May 2010 - 11:24 PM.

[Bellthorpe]

Swimming, sleeping ...

[lostboy]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by minersrun:
Old runners (past their use by date) may be worn for mowing the lawns.

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[/indent]Thank you Minersrun for your support on this matter....As I was trying to explain to Mrs. Lostboy just the other day- I really am getting on a bit, to be expected to be out there in the elements mowing the lawn all the time.

[PodRunner]

Hey Steve,

My mates normally describe the runners/jeans look as "the Seinfeld" too. :D A real fashion disaster unless you just don't care.

I've avoided that look for a long time to protect my frail ego, but now walk to/from the station in old runners 'cause my business shoes look great but aren't up to the task(plus I'm usually running late and have to run for the train!).

I definitely keep my new runners for running only though. Counting three pairs of trainers, one pair of racers, and 3 old pairs for gardening and odd-jobs, that adds up to a regular confrontation with the wife about excess(she doesn't understand ;) ). Plus I think pods can be excused for having more shoes than other people as it's part of the job (excuses, straw clutching :P ).

[Mark S]

I agree heartily that the Seinfeld look is atrocious, however, he did exacerbate it by wearing long sleeved shirts tucked in to the jeans.

[casper]

Steve, you could be Seinfeld.

[Colin]

Is the original question based on fashion, practicality or whether the shoe will deform?

On the last one , I have heard other runners & triathletes comment that "you shouldn't walk in your running shoes, the footstrike is different and you change the shape of the shoe".
From those that really know, is there any truth in it?
Something I never argued against, since even if it didn't make sense, it wasn't useless advice.

As a fashion statement, no advice.

I don't wear my current running shoes other than running for two reasons.

1) I paid a lot for them to RUN in

2) More importantly, I run without socks, therefore they smell awful and I would be thrown out of the house. ;)

Other than that, after usefulness as a running shoe, they get their full use once cleaned, and also serve well when canyoning etc.

For the harder rennovation type work and even lawnmowing I usually wear steel tip shoes. At about $70 from safety shops, a small price to pay for protecting your greatest running asset--your feet. :)

[Also Ran]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by Colin:
Is the original question based on fashion, practicality or whether the shoe will deform?

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[/indent]Thanks everyone for your thoughts. The original question was about whether they deform from walking.

I think I will buy a new pair in the coming weeks and use them strictly for running.

Cheers

[Louise]

Old runners (past their use by date) may be worn for mowing the lawns.

ha ha Lostboy. The use of the term "runner" to describe SHOES used to irritate me when I first moved to the Land of Oz. Runners, walkers, joggers - are these shoes or people?!!

I think it's just laziness. Why use two words and 3 syllables ("running shoes") to describe something when you can be more ambiguous in only 2 syllables.

"Phwoar, nice pair of runners"

[miners]

[indent]quote:

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The use of the term "runner" to describe SHOES used to irritate me when I first moved to the Land of Oz. Runners, walkers, joggers

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[/indent]Louise, you forgot "trainers" - more of an americanism though I would have thought.

... oh & what about sneakers? Conjures up all sorts of stalking images ...

[Gronk]

Hey, don't forget www.recycledrunners.com.au !

The retirement home for old runners !

Gronk

[Bellthorpe]

[indent]quote:

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Louise, you forgot "trainers" - more of an americanism though I would have thought.

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[/indent]'Trainers' is definitely a Britishism ...

[Colac]

My shortest training session is 3 hrs 30 mins, so I have to break new shoes in by wearing them about town for short periods - otherwise the newness would blister my feet.

In my youth, we often got stubbed toes, stone bruises, thistles, thorns and p***kles in our feet, so shoes were "stone guards".

We prefered to be barefeet when playing footy, and washed our legs with freezing water from a bore to get off all the mud and grass stains. our feet got cold in the winter, but wet thought it was quite "cool" to walk on ice and frosty patches. We were able to use our imagination to create warm-up games on cold days.

During the winter, I used to swim 20 yards in cold water following a football match. It gave my skin a shock, but after a rubdown with a towel, I would feel an nice warm glow all over my body.

I sometimes ran in shearers' mocoassins made out of potato sacks. I could make a new pair in five minutes with a bit of woolpack string and needle, and they were "good" for 50 miles on grass.

My eldest sister made dresses out of potato sacks, as clothes were hard to come by after the second world war. Good to milk the cows in - easy to wash and hangup on the line to dry in a strong wind.

When you run about in barefeet, you actually stretch the muscles through a greater range of movement, so the risk of injury is less than with feet in "foot cages".

There are a lot of older folks who wore poor-fitting shoes that deformed their feet.

There is enough rubber in a $100 car tyre to protect a runners feet for 57 years if you melt down the rubber and use it to make new shoes in a slightly different format. Only problem would be is that they wouldn't necessarily be a fashion statement.

The wire inside a tyre has many uses in the vegie garden.

The best way to make shoes is to have your own rubber tree.

[Bellthorpe]

[indent]quote:

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My eldest sister made dresses out of potato sacks, as clothes were hard to come by after the second world war. Good to milk the cows in - easy to wash and hangup on the line to dry in a strong wind.

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[/indent]Colac, I'm rather puzzled as to why you put dresses on the cows before milking them.

Our cows remain naked, even in the coldest weather.

[Colac]

Bellthorpe, have you ever picked up the hide from a cow ? If you have, you will know why a cow can walk outside with no clothes on.

When mini skirts first came in, girls were warned that their thighs would get bigger with extra fat deposits laid down to protect them from the cold.

Perhaps humans would grow more hair on their bodies if they wore less clothes outside.

I have mentioned before about the scientist at the South Pole wintering over, who around 1960, ran out naked into the snow for a week with no food. It was zero visibility, so no one could chase after him. A week later, his mental state stabilised and he came back unharmed.

It is a true story discussed by my class at University with a scientist who witnessed it.

It is no surprise to me at the number of records falling over in athletics these days, as the mind has enormous reserves that have been barely tapped.

Just as some drugs can make a man so powerfully crazed that 6 policemen struggle to arrest him, your mind could make you run a lot faster than you could ever imagine you could.

[Sparkie]

Just remember, all those "fashion aware" people out there that dis the sneakers and jeans look, will have a pair of clogs at the back of their wardrobe somewhere.

My motto when it comes to fashion:

"If it looks stupid this season, it looked stupid last season!"

[Aki]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by Sparkie:

1. I am a dag, and gave up caring a while back

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[/indent]Yay! There is nothing wrong with sneakers and jeans. I have tried walking from the 1st bus to uni in high heels and my feet have hurt for hours, yet with sneakers, I can run if I want. (note that sometimes this can involve walking 4 - 14k a day, depending on what bus I catch.)

I don't care what other people think about my fashion sense. But I haven't heard anyone complain so far. Far to few women wear sneakers, but their feet can get REALLY deformed.

[The Owl]

I don't see what's wrong with wearing runners when you are not running...provided they are not the brightly coloured racing variety a la Horrie's mating toucans! :)

I haven't worn heels for over 10 years now (except for my wedding Nov 03 and NEVER AGAIN) due to a back injury which flares up when I wear anything with even a tiny heel. So that may have influenced my choice of footwear a wee bit. Still, I've never been a 'glamour girl' and personally don't really give a toss :rolleyes: !

[Colac]

So if we are going to wear shoes all the time they need to be very comfortable and sexy looking to complete our fashion statement to the world.

"Fitness" per se is sexy. It's a powerful energy statement of "participation in the fun opportunities of the world".

Beauty is skin deep.

Roll on the time when magistrates and lawyers wear 'runners' to work all the time..

...and burn their ties (just as women burnt their bras so many moons ago).

"Dare to be different"....that's one of my traits...but I don't give a toss, either....it's very impowering to do your own thing.

In 1970, I worked in a Sydney Building Society. Required dress was dark suit which was okay in an air-conditioned building but not in 37C on the street.

I broke protocol and wore rather tight short shorts which shocked the Accountant, but the CEO who set the rules didn't say a word. I just made sure they were always clean and well pressed - I considered them to be appropriate because I had to walk 10 kms a day to get a 6 am swim in before work.

[42.195]

Weddings and funerals are the only inappropriate places for runners.
You just need to have enough runners for only running in, and some runners just for work (not top quality runners, but pairs that are comfortable to wear and look OK. Bright neon colours and unusual gimmicks do not make suitable shoes for work).
I feel sorry for people who have to wear uncomfortable shoes to work in every day. <_<

[miners]

Vespa, ads & queen bee - I'm thinking we need to set some sort of dress code for the GC after-party ;)

[tim]

awww man! I hope there is not going to be a bouncer at the door telling me I can't get in there with "those" shoes

[Whippet Man]

minersrun said: [indent]quote:

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I'm thinking we need to set some sort of dress code for the GC after-party

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[/indent]Suggestion, keep it simple with something like:

No KT26s :D

[miners]

sorry Tim - sounds like whippet's seen you coming already :D

[tim]

dam!

[plu]

You can wear thongs to the Main Beach (GC)after Party - well I did in January.

Cheers
Plu

[Whippet Man]

[indent]quote:

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Plu said:                     
You can wear thongs to the Main Beach (GC)after Party

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[/indent]Still beats the KTs ;)

[Skizzik]

[indent]quote:

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Suggestion, keep it simple with something like:

No KT26s :D

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[/indent]No KT26s? - what about Volleys?...

[tim]

I would never wear the KT' out. but on a special occasion I would wear my volley classics. They come in many colours you know.

there is no excuse for thongs or Ugh Boots!

[Solo]

No one should spent $150 on runners and use them for anything but running. Walking in runners will wear out the shoes in a different way.

[Whippet Man]

Solo said: [indent]quote:

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No one should spent $150 on runners and use them for anything but running.

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[/indent]Are you kidding? I think they give KT26s away with Weeties. :P

[Kato]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by plu:
You can wear thongs to the Main Beach (GC)after Party - well I did in January.

Cheers
Plu

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[/indent]Bleh! I look bad enough in sluggos!!