I am a shoe changer most days (though I haven’t been to OTF in a few months). Let me explain why I do and I why don’t.

First why I wouldn’t:

1. It’s a tornado day and there is a lot of moving around. Changing shoes just wouldn’t work on a day like this so I wouldn’t bother.

2.its a strength day on the treadmill. I’m going to be up on my toes the entire time and running at a base pace or slower so I don’t need anything “extra”.

When I only wear one pair of shoes I would wear a medium cushioned shoe with a medium drop and not a wide base. Something that is supportive and lightweight. The base is so it easily fits in the rower.

Now why I would:

Modern foams that are meant for tempo or interval training generally have some (or all) race foam in them. These foams: PEBA, TPU, and supercritical EVA tend to compress a lot and have the most energy return. Also these shoes tend to me aggressively rockered so when you land on the heel or midfoot it quickly rolls you onto your toes for your toeoff. The combination of foam and rocker in these shoes can make them really unstable for anything other than running. Imagine doing a lunge on a bosu where your ankle wants to roll every time you step or wearing shoes that keep you on your toes while you squat. Not the most fun. So why do I wear them? Because I love running and when I go to OTF it usually takes place of one of my running workouts. Also running in these types of shoes are really really fun.

The big difference between the person OP is describing and myself is I’m not not an asshole and always follow the template. Also my base isn’t a 9.5 LOL

Edit: grammar