SS 159 – How to pick the best running shoes w/ Jens Jakob Anderson of RunRepeat.com
Episode 159 Show Notes
Grant and Heavey are joined by Jens Jakob Andersen from Denmark. Jens is the Founder of RunRepeat.com, the aggregator of running shoe reviews to help you find the right running shoes for you. Take note, what’s best for others might not be the same for you. Listen in to find out how you can best pick the right pair for you.
[02:14] Can Nike’s Vaporfly Make You Run Faster?
Grant mentions this article about the study that came out about Nike’s Vaporfly 4% shoes. The study done at the University of Boulder demonstrates that all the runners they tested showed improved running economy. They had one guy run a marathon in two hours and twenty-five seconds. Even non-elite runners showed a “running economy” improvement.
[03:09] What is Running Economy?
Jens defines running economy as how efficiently you move and how little energy you consume while running.
He adds that running fast is an equation that consists of several parameters, one of which is running economy.
Running economy is also a combination of a few other parameters like your weight and how much oxygen you consume. This is just one parameter, so it in itself can’t tell how much faster you can run.
[04:55] Or Is It All Marketing?
Back to the study, the goal was to get somebody to break the 2-hour marathon. Although Grant is kind of suspicious whether this was really their goal or was this only used to be a marketing ploy to get people to buy the shoes.
Jens agrees, saying there’s no doubt that it’s all about the shoes and marketing. What he thinks with these kinds of brands is that although there is some truth to what they’re saying, they’re just trying to promote their products.
Grant mentions, too, that looking at the amount of shoes being sold to people who could notice a 4% improvement is just a small portion of the total buyers. Heavey raises this valid idea that although it may improve one’s running economy, there could also be other factors that it could decrease. The point is, just isolating one variable doesn’t give you the whole picture.
[06:50] Benefit to the Pros
Grant thinks though that the pros are so good that probably any small percentage of increased performance can make a significant difference. These companies have incentives to utilize those performance extremes to sell and market to normal people, but there’s something to be said for these improvements in technology.
Grant thinks the science and technology behind athletic equipment is interesting. Still, for the vast majority, that 4% isn’t going to help us that much.
However, Jens says that the equipment is basically way down the list of how you can improve. But if that brings you joy or makes you do your sport, then buy all the stuff you need. Nevertheless, a running shoe doesn’t make you faster.
[08:30] How You Can Run Faster with a Regular Shoe
If you have a running shoe and you want to go faster, Jens doesn’t recommend buying the Vaporfly. Simply just buy a lightweight running shoe. If you make your shoe 3.5 oz lighter, you go about four seconds faster per kilometer.
Grant points out that if you want to run faster for a race, you would want to train in a heavier shoe to push yourself to exceed your performance day. So you want to train a little above what you expect to do on your best day.
Jens agrees with Grant, saying that you don’t want to run in really lightweight running shoes all the time.
[10:41] Minimal versus Maximal
Jens describes two recent major movements in running shoes. The first is the “minimalist boom” where everyone had to buy the five-fingers where you could see your toes. They became a huge thing. Afterwards, all the other major brands started producing minimalist footwear.
Minimal drop is when the heel height and the forefoot height is the same. Jens admits this is still a hot topic.
The other movement is the “maximalist boom” which is the complete opposite. Jens says that there’s always these niche brands that believe in this minimal footwear. The other brands tap into it when the market is big enough. Then they tap out when there’s not enough money to be made anymore.
As to whether you should choose minimal, maximal, or regular range shoes to prevent injuries, anyone can cherry pick.
Generally speaking, Jens explains that what is widely accepted is that the more minimal footwear you go with, the harder it is on your ankles. The more maximalist the footwear, the harder it is on your hips and your back.
[13:18] What is RunRepeat.com?
RunRepeat aggregates reviews on running shoes. Jens says that when you have infinite information on a specific topic and the internet has made the information to explode, there is that challenge of what is true and what isn’t.
Therefore, there’s a need to aggregate, compile, and sort things. Just like what Google does, Jens also wants to do this in running shoes. Previously, he owned a running store and was annoyed that people bought the same five pairs of running shoes. They bought those because those products were the ones promoted the most, not necessarily the better ones.
He adds that when you go to a running store, you always see 30-50 pairs of running shoes so you don’t get the full market. Jens reveals how companies may impose certain conditions before you can sell their brands.
Nike, for instance, might tell you that one-third of your inventory must be Nike. And you have to accept that, otherwise you can’t sell Nike. Nike could make up 15% of your sales so you need to bring that brand on.
Hence, Jens wanted to create a database of all running shoes.
[15:10] How They Aggregate Information
At the very basic level, they spend between 10-20 hours just to read reviews around the internet about one specific shoe. They then aggregate their research in what people liked and disliked. They read reviews on Amazon, expert sites, etc. This is a very tedious process,
[16:20] Grant’s Testimony
Grant really hates running but decided that he needed to do something and decided to start running. But all the shoes he had were his crossfit shoes which were minimalist. He started doing research and came across RunRepeat.com. He was blown away not just by the amount of reviews they’ve collated, but he thinks they have the smartest algorithm to put these articles up. He feels like someone is really reading these reviews and writing a response about it. There are so many shoes on the database that Grant couldn’t believe they’re doing these things manually.
[18:18] How They Review the Reviews
Jens stresses that more reviews doesn’t mean better reviews. Expert reviews form the other part of the equation. They check all expert reviews out there and they rank them according to the level of the expert. If the expert has given his score, they use that score too.
What Jens does when he’s looking something up is read the good and the bad reviews. Then he would end up getting confused whether the expert recommends people to buy it or not.
So for RunRepeat, they cite seven bullets of negative things, but they have a score of 1-100 that rate how runners really like the shoe. While for the expert reviews, they are ranked from 1-5 and number 5 has more weight so it’s more trusted.
They also remove all the crap on the internet, such as the affiliate websites that never actually owned the products. They’d just write super long articles to rank number on Google and then they link to Amazon.
[20:00] Determining the Run Score and Dealing with Bias
To determine the run score from 1 to 100, comprises 2/3 of their user ratings. So they are the ratings done on the site and then 1/3 from expert reviews. The downside about user ratings is they can be generic, which is why they also tap into the expert reviews.
Jens wants to mention one bias here is that if they use information by others and they have been influenced by someone then they, too, are influenced.
Also, if you get a free product, you tend to review that product slightly better. He has heard of several situations where expert reviewers have given bad reviews and the brands stopped sending them shoes.
This being said, Jens encourages people who go on the site to remove 5 points from the scale to remove bias in a way, since they can’t control the fact that some experts will be biased. On the other hand, there are also some that get free shoes but they won’t have any biases.
Jens clarifies that although he wants to be 100% neutral, but still hasn’t figured out how this factor can be removed.
[22:45] Why Such Passion in the Gear
Jens owns one pair of running shoes, but he does admit he has a huge shoe fetish and if he sees someone on the street, he’d always be curious about the shoes. He simply loves watching shoes walking on the streets. It’s not only limited to running shoes, but shoes in general.
He believes that shoes tell so much about a person. More importantly, he wants people to buy the better products. He’s not saying buying more products, but better products. For him, running shoes don’t make you a better runner. When you’re in a new sport, you don’t have to buy all of the equipment, do one training session, only to find out you want to do another sport.
If you’ve got worn out shoes that you really like, then just go and run in them. Don’t worry too much and figure out if it’s something you want to do more. Running shoes are not making you a better runner.
[25:35] How to Pick a Running Shoe
Jens recommends you go to a running store. The tests these stores make you do are actually true. But the most important thing for you to do is to try on 6-10 pairs of running shoes. Comfort is, above all, parameter number one when you’re buying running shoes. Stand and run in the store.
[27:10] Looking at Pronation, Neutral, and Supination When Choosing Shoes
Jens defines pronation as when you’re feet are falling inwards. Neutral is when you land on the heel and you roll naturally forward on your feet. And supination is when you fall outwards.
If you fall inwards, you need stability shoes. If you fall inward a lot, you need motion control running shoes.
RunRepeat.com actually featured an article where they looked at more than 150 studies on this topic. Jens explains how amazing the human body is that we have a way of absorbing shocks. If you land on your forefoot, you will absorb the shock by falling slightly inwards. That’s the natural movement. But in their study, their conclusion was to just buy neutral shoes.
According to Jens, multiple studies show that the injury rates are not higher if you “need” arch support but you just run in neutral shoes. But if you tend to get a lot of injuries, go to a specialist to get some help.
[29:25] Solution for Big Toe Problems
Grant has been having problems with his big toes due to playing too much basketball. In fact, he ended up getting surgery on one toe. It got so bad that he had to quit playing.
To those with big toe problems, Jens recommends getting one that has wider sections in the forefoot. An example is Altra, an American brand. Many running shoes have a snug and tight fit because it improves your performance. But there are also reviews that it’s better to have more natural movement because it strengthens your feet. Another brand is Topo Athletic.
[31:35] Do More Expensive Shoes Equal the Nicer Shoes?
Jens suggest you go to the Value for Money segment on their site. What you actually get from those extra, say $60, is another half ounce weight in your shoes which is not always preferable, and a slight snug fit in the heel. But because of the snug fit in the heel, people don’t untie their shoes and end up with holes in their heels and they blame it on the shoes.
[33:15] How Long Should You Replace Them?
This too, depends on some variables. It’s not as simple as saying a number. But if he were to give a number, Jens would say replace your shoes every after 500-600 miles. So it’s probably twice as much as the brands are saying. But he has had shoes he had used for 1,500 miles. And if you go with lighter shoes, they tend to tear down faster. Otherwise, just go to a running store and ask them. Ask them but be critical. On average, Jens replaces his running shoes between 400-800 miles.
[35:25] Minimal Shoes Outside of Performance Environment
The general philosophy or thoughts of minimal footwear is great. You’re born natural and you don’t need shoes to control for your movement. So the idea of natural movements makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense, as Jens suggests, is that when you switch to minimalist shoes after hearing this podcast but you’ve been wearing cushioned shoes all your life. Doing this could cause injury in a week. So you need to adapt and it takes a very long time to do that, preferably a few years.
[39:15] The Pricing Aggregator
Grant shares his two cents here. He says that it’s not about collecting gear. But if he’s going to buy a pair of shoes, he wants to buy the right pair of shoes.
Heavey also adds that what’s cool about the RunRepeat.com is they tell you where these shoes are available. What’s cooler is you get to see the price at different websites and know if you could get a deal somewhere.
Jens adds that in the U.S. they have access to around 70 stores with a price guarantee. So if you see the price cheaper anywhere, they match that price by 10%.
Lastly, Jens shares why he loves running and it’s because of the simplicity. He believes it’s the most efficient way to burn calories. Some say it’s a meditation thing, but for him, it’s the simplicity it offers.
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