Can You Wear Running Shoes Every Day?

There are many types of footwear that are purely for a specific purpose and would not be suitable for anything else. An example would be golf shoes which are great when you are playing holes 1 through 18 but try wearing them anywhere else, they are not only unsuitable, they are likely prohibited as in the case of the clubhouse bar.

This brings us to another type of sporting footwear, namely the running shoe. It is a perfectly valid question to ask whether they are suitable for wearing every day, and it gets trickier when you consider there are different types of running shoe, so there may be more than one answer.

Types of Running Shoe

Asking whether you can wear a running shoe every day, is a question made more difficult to answer because running shoes exist that are designed for different purposes and needs. Below are the five types with a brief explanation of each, which may reference the term ‘pronation.’

Pronation describes the way in which someone’s foot moves inwardly when it makes contact with the ground when they walk or run. This can either be normal pronation which the foot rolls evenly, over-pronation where the foot rolls inwardly too much, or under-pronation where the roll of the foot is minimal or even nonexistent.

Stability Running Shoes

For runners whose arches are normal and provide good support for your ankles and foot arches.

Motion Control Running Shoes

These are most suited to runners with over-pronation and have enhanced support in the midsole and bridge areas.

Cushioning Running Shoes

As you may have already worked out, these are designed for those who have little or no pronation. The extra cushioning acts as shock absorbers, especially in the heel area.

Lightweight Running Shoes

These are designed for runners who primarily do a lot of speed running or racing. They have limited cushioning to keep their weight low, however, this does mean that there is less support and shock absorption.

Trail Running Shoes

For runners who love to run on surfaces that aren’t as flat and smooth as tracks and sidewalks. We are talking here about dirt tracks, country trails and other off-road locations where mud, rocks and inclines of varying degrees all create a challenge.

Running Shoes That You Shouldn’t Wear Every Day

Lightweight Running Shoes

Of the five types of running shoe we have just described, there is one in particular that is not suitable for everyday use, and that is the lightweight running shoe. Although these do not have spikes like traditional track shoes, they are still primarily designed for track running or racing.

With speed being their No. 1 feature, they tend to be more lightweight than other running shoes, and this is achieved by reducing the amount of padding and cushioning within their construction. While this achieves the objective of making them weigh less, it is done at the expense of protection and comfort.

Any footwear which has less of these two important features is not going to be one which is suitable for wearing every day or all day for that matter.

Trail Running Shoes

The second type of running shoes which we suggest you do not wear every day are trail running shoes, however this is for completely different reasons to the lightweight running shoe.

Trail running shoes are designed with enhanced grips to make sure they give you a sound footing when you are running on wet, slippery surfaces, which can sometimes be treacherous, especially when they are on an incline. If the grip you have underfoot is any way compromised this can make trail running far less enjoyable because you are slipping all the time and can even be dangerous in certain circumstances.

One of the ways this happens is when you are wearing your trail running shoes every day. As you do, and this will undoubtedly mean walking on concrete surfaces like sidewalks, the lugs and other components of the grip are being slowly but surely worn down, which reduces the grip they provide.

Running Shoes That You Can Wear Every Day

With the three other types of running shoes, (cushion, stability and motion control) if they fit you well, and are comfortable, there is no real reason why they cannot be worn for everyday use. This comes with the caveat that the more they are worn, the quicker they are going to wear down, in areas like the grip, and the insole.

This means that they will need replacing more often, and when you consider that running shoes tend to cost more than so-called ‘ordinary’ trainers, you might want to think about buying a pair of these and keep your running shoes, for what they were intended for … running.