How many shoes should a distance runner have in his rotation?

Currently have three shoes in rotation

Nike Dragonfly

Zoom Fly 4

Nike Reacts 3

I use my reacts for long runs and easy but people around are telling me I should get a separate one for long runs.

Three pair is fine for a rotation. One for hard days, one for easy and one for races. Now, if you have the money, it’s nice to have something like:

Easy day

Tempo

Interval flats or spikes

Long run

Race

Trail

At least 2

At least 2 pairs but I heard once, as many as running days in a week you have.

I usually have two in daily rotation and some others for races and trails.

3

I don’t know what most do, but I have the following.

Slow daily trainer that is comfortable

Fast trainer for intervals and tempo runs

Plush high stack shoe

Racing shoes

Trail runners

And now the Tempo Next%, because I saw them at the Nike store for $50. I guess I’ll rotate them in on tempo runs.

You're a walking/running Nike commercial. Just like every high school runner. You won't run clockwise around a track. You also won't run a race longer than 5k nor an event not sanctioned or recognized by your State high school athletic association. You are a follower.

Wake up. Have original thoughts. If you order a float in an ice cream parlor, decide for yourself your soda and ice cream flavor. Getting root beer and vanilla will just prove my point. I realize everyone on your team wears Nike as does everyone in every race you've entered.

Volkswagon used to have a commercial for the Jetta. "On the road of life there are drivers and passengers," the narrator points out. Stop being a passenger. Be a driver.

2 main pairs: daily trainer, workout shoe. These are the two that are truly used "in rotation"

1 old pair of trainers: to keep in my office, or wear if my main trainers are wet

racing shoes: 1 road racer, 1 track spike

Is the plush high stack shoes for long runs?

Trainer, racing flat, and spikes.

I think 2 but then I don't count racing shoes/spikes to be in the rotation.

I WILL use the racing shoes/spikes for track workouts but for a typical day on the roads I rotate.

Having said that, I'm 63 and can't do as many workouts, tempo runs as I used to.

Getting old sucks even when you're in great shape and health. My doctor told me that I'm 48 according to my bloodwork numbers.

3x daily trainer

3x workout shoe/race shoe

1x spike

I also do threshold in my daily trainer pairs some times, pretty much all shoes are good enough for that imo.

I run 7 sessions a week so kinda goes with the rule of thumb another poster proposed.

2-3 should be the minimum.

1 daily mileage trainer.

1 road racing flat or lighter shoe for workouts.

1 spike if you are racing track or xc.

I currently have:

Daily Mileage

1. New Balance Zante

2. New Balance Prism

Recovery and/or Long Run

3. New Balance Supercomp Trainer

Mid Range Intervals or Occasional Trail Racing

4. New Balance Hanzo

Tempo Runs

5. Brook Hyperion Elite

Racing or Occasional Short to Mid Range Interval

6. New Balance Supercomp Pacer

7. New Balance 800 Spikes

Longer Racing or Occasional Tempo Runs

8. Nike Vaporfly Next% 2

For me it’s just an alternate shoe for the daily trainer. Mix it up depending on what sounds good that day.

Count your miles on each pair of shoes, wear them all out eventually, and you don’t need to feel guilty for having lots of shoes at any given time.

Three plus rare use shoes.

NB1080 for easy runs, endorphin Speed for sessions, Vaporfly for races.

Also got trail shoes and XC spikes which are used only a few times a year

2-3 is correct but not always necessary if you really don't want to.

Saucony Triumph 20 - easy/recovery

Saucony Ride 15 - regular easy-progression, easy long

Saucony endorphin speed 2 - workouts, long run workouts

Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 -racing

3 minimum.

What would you do with 3 shoes?