Off-season is upon us and in many countries and leagues across the world, football is currently on winter break. Staying fit and sharp during the off-season is imperative, because without it you will find yourself suffering next spring, when you try to fight a losing battle trying to get back to your former strength. The best way of doing so? We’ll there is no way around it, you’ve got to run. We boast a very impressive array of Nike running shoes, which we thought we would take you through, so you can get an idea of what you need and what suits your run best.

Within Nike they have three running silos, which house different running shoes for different purposes and styles of running. The three silos within running are barefoot, neutral and stability and I want to take you through all three of them here, as to explain the many different aspects and advanced technologies that go into some of the world's greatest running shoes.

Barefoot Running - The Nike Free

We kick off our run-through with the lightest and most flexible Nike running shoes, which are the famous Nike Free. Through the years many have stopped viewing the Nike Free as a running shoe, but rather as a lifestyle sneaker, and while it certainly makes for a comfortable pair of everyday shoes, it’s qualities as a running shoe still remain a huge asset to anyone who enjoys the barefoot run.

Barefoot running has big advantages for us footballers during the off-season training, one of which is that the flexible shoes allow your feet to strengthen the intrinsic muscles. The more stable and traditional running shoes are too rigid and don’t unlock this in your running.

Find the running shoes you see in this blog post here.

Neutral Running - The Nike LunarTempo & Pegasus

If good cushioning and a smooth ride is what you’re looking for, then Nike naturally have you covered there as well. The LunarTempo and Pegasus are both made for people with a neutral pattern, but provide their cushioning through two different technologies. The Pegasus running shoe is made with the Zoom unit in the sole, which gives a highly responsive step that makes the shoe more explosive in its kick-off. On the other hand you have the LunarTempo, which instead has the very recognisable Lunar sole. Here you get a far softer bounce off the ground and almost feel like an astronaut moving weightlessly on the moon.

Stability - Nike LunarGlide & Structure

For the longest and toughest runs, sometimes you prefer even more support in your running shoes and need even better cushioning than the other Nike running shoes. Here the two Nike running shoes in the stability category are the LunarGlide and Structure models, which offer the very most secure and powerful run. The structure features the aforementioned Zoom technology and if I need to tell you that the LunarGlide uses the Lunar sole, then you haven’t been paying attention (*wink).

The three silos of Nike running, which each suit different styles of running and the individual runners preferences. I certainly hope this helped you identify the running shoe you need, so you can stay in shape through winter and combat that inevitable Christmas weight-gain. Have you found your new Nike running shoes here?