ultrarunningmom

I’m talking about shoes, here. Everyone says you should replace your running shoes after 300 miles, but what if you don’t track the miles on your shoes. If my car didn’t track it’s own miles I wouldn’t know how many miles were on it.

It would be nice if you could pull up the tongue of your shoe and it would tell you how many miles you had run in them.

There are a few ways you can keep track of your miles. If you run the same amount of miles each week it’s really easy, just write the date you bought the shoes on the tongue or write the date they need to be replaced.

You can also put this information in your calendar. If you do this, I would count out the miles you expect to run and then put “New Shoes” in your calendar. You can even put it on a payday.

You can also just look at the bottom of your shoe. If the tread is worn away quite a bit, it’s probably time for a new shoe. If you have been running in the same type of shoe for awhile, you can tell when it’s time just by how the shoe feels.

Another way you can tell it’s time for new shoes is if your legs and feet start to ache during a run that is not a new distance or new terrain. You’d also have to pay attention to whether or not you have increased your miles.

The other question is whether or not you really need to replace after the 300 miles. I’ve read research articles which say cushioning in shoes diminishes over time whether you wear them or not, but I doubt it is at the same rate. I think it is dependent on the shoe. Some shoes just last longer than others. Hoka claims that their shoes last twice as long as other shoes.

Personally, I don’t track the miles on my shoes. I watch the wear and tear on them. If the tread is worn down and the laces don’t hold snug or my feet ache after a run. It’s time for new shoes.

With trail shoes, the tread is really important. It keeps you from falling on your face when you are running steep slopes, up or down. It’s also keeps you stable on rocky or loose surfaces.

If you can poke your finger through the bottom of your shoe, it is time for a new pair.