You were together through those long miles and they helped you achieve goals you thought you’d never reach. It’s hard to say goodbye to shoes that made you the runner you are today. But after 500 miles, you start to feel a little different than you did when you first started wearing your running shoes- and it’s normal! Nothing lasts forever, and running shoes are no exception even as expensive as they can be to replace. It’s like replacing tires on your car: your build (car type), style of running (heavy foot? city driving?) and the type of terrain (mountainous landscapes or pancake flat trails) you run on all impact the life of your shoes.
Think about what kind of mileage you are running weekly, monthly and how you run? Do you shuffle your feet and wear down the tread? you won’t get as many miles as someone with good running form. Here are five signs of wear and tear you shouldn’t ignore and when it’s time to replace your shoes:
1) High mileage
A good rule is try replacing your running shoes every 300 to 500 miles. Depending on your build, your style of running and the terrain, this is roughly every 3 to 6 months. If you have a fitness watch or keep track of your miles somewhere else, you’ll know when you hit that distance. Another easy way of keeping track is to write the exact date you bought your shoes (or started wearing them) on the inside of your shoe. That way you know how long it’s been since you started adding miles to them.
2) Pain while you run
Have you noticed any new aches and pains after a run you didn’t before? Common issues are shin splints, knee, ankle and lower back pain and they can impact one or both sides of your body. These pains are a result of the cushion in your shoes wearing down and this could be a sign that you need to replace your running shoes.
3) Worn out treads
When you are running, you shouldn’t feel every rock or bump in the road. After a few hundred miles treads wear down and lose the shock absorption. Shock absorption minimizes strain on all parts of your body like muscles, bones, and tendons. The treads on your shoes are important for maintaining the natural stride of your feet along with preventing slips and falls.
4) Uneven wear
An easy way to tell how you run is to look at the bottom of your shoes. You will quickly tell if you are overpronating (your foot turns too far inwards as you run) or underpronating (your foot shifts outward with each stride). When this happens specific areas of the soles of your shoe will start to wear down faster than others. This can be indicators of gate issues, which you would want to talk to an expert at your local running store.
5) New shoes feel better
If you try on a new pair of shoes and they just feel better than your current running shoes, it’s time to consider switching to a new pair. A trick to help keep track of the status of your current running shoes is to rotate in a second pair about half way through the life of your old pair. That way you can break them in as well as feel the difference between a new pair and an old pair. After a while, your old pair will start to be more and more uncomfortable compared to the new pair and then it’s time to officially make the switch.
Eventually even the best pair of shoes wear out, and you will have to retire them for good. From my experience, the best time to get a new pair of shoes is during Black Friday or Boxing day sales. If you find the right deal you can buy enough shoes to last you an entire year. Don’t ignore signs of worn down runners, they are just as important as any part of training and running.
What signs do you notice when it’s time to switch out for a new pair of shoes? How many miles do you have on your pair of shoes?