How Long Do Running Shoes Last
The oft-quoted guideline for running-shoe longevity is 300 to 500 miles. As far as ballparks go, though, thats quite a range. Ultimately, it comes down to wear and tear, both in terms of what you can see and what you can feel. Ground-down treads, separating soles, and abraded fabric are all signs your shoes have logged their last miles. Also, newly developed aches and pains in your feet and legs could indicate that your shoes cushioning is no longer absorbing impact adequately.
Brooks Ghost And Glycerin
After I broke up with the Nike Pegasus, I went on this long and arduous journey to find the next best thing. After trying on about 8 different pairs of shoes I fell in love with the Brooks Ghost and Glycerin. Like the Pegasus and Vomero, the Ghost and Glycerins are Brooks Premier cushion running shoes. But there was some stark difference between the two. The Brooks Glycerin had more cushion and more blown rubber on the tread. Which for me was a plus because that meant they would last longer. The Ghost was also good to me but for an extra couple of bucks, the Glycerin would last longer the Ghost.
Why I stop wearing the Brooks Glycerin 14
Like Nike, Brooks wanted to make the Glycerin more responsive and lighter. They reduce the amount of foam the shoe and blown rubber the shoe had. Those were the things that I loved about the shoe!!! Look at the picture below on the left is the Brooks Glycerin 14 and on the right is Brooks Glycerin 15.
While it wasnt enough to change the ride of the shoe. Theshoe wasnt as durable as the previous model. I had 2 pairs on the BrooksGlycerins 14 in my closet when I bought a pair of the Brooks Glycerin 15s. Iwent through them in half of the time that it took for me to wear out theGlycerin 14s! Luckily I had those two pairs of Glycerin 14s stored away untilI found a shoe that fit my needs.
Consider Your Foot Strike
Most people land on their heel while running, while some people land more on the midfoot or forefoot.
There is not a sinlge best way I am actually a supporter of the fact that any landing works as long as it works for you.
What is important though is to be aware of this and to pick a running shoe that works for that particular gait.
One of the easiest indicator of this is the heel to toe drop, also known as offset or just drop, which is the difference in height, in millimiters, between the heel of the shoe and the toe.
Traditional running shoes, have a drop of 10-12mm and are more indicated for people who land on their heel. Other shoes have drops between 5 and 8mm and work well for a midfoot landing. There are then low-drop shoes, or even zero-drop shoes that are meant for runners who land on their toes.
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Get Started By Walking
Walking is a great way to get active and even to slowly work yourself into running. While some brands do create specialized walking shoes, running shoes are equally good to walk in. The cushioning and close fit of a running shoe provides support to your foot as it moves, regardless if you are walking or running.
Read more about using running shoes for walking.
What Are The Different Types Of Running Shoes
There are different types of running shoes out there, so choosing the best pair for you will depend on the intensity and terrain of your route. Trail shoes are most suitable for those who want to run outdoors across lots of different terrains, maneuvering around obstacles as they go. With a sturdy design, they will offer support around the ankles and have improved grip so that you dont lose your footing.
Aside from terrain, its also important to think about the particulars of your feet as you purchase the right pair of running shoes for you. Pronation is the way your foot rolls inward for impact distribution upon landing, and varies from person to person.
Knowing which of the three types of pronation you have will help you avoid injury and improve your workouts. In order to get the best idea of which sort of pronation you have, visit a podiatrist or your local running store in order to find out which category you fit into according to your gait analysis .
From there youll find out if you need shoes with more stability, motion control shoes that are more rigid, or cushioned shoes for those with neutral pronation. Sprinters will also likely be looking for lightweight shoes so they can challenge their personal bests without worrying about their shoes hindering their performance.
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Foot Type & Pronation
There are three different foot types: neutral arch, low arch, and high arch. The height of your arch affects the direction and severity of the way your foot rolls or pronates. Here are the three types and how they most likely roll:
- Neutralarch typically causes the foot to roll to a healthy spot.
- Lowarch typically causes the foot to roll excessively inward, or overpronate.
- Higharch typically causes the foot to roll in only slightly at impact, or underpronate.
Terrain And Running Surface
Think about the terrain you run on most frequently. If youre looking to shave minutes from your 10K time, lightweight road shoes may help. If youre tackling trails, youll want a sturdier, more protective shoe. If you run on a mix of surfaces, youll have to decide if you want one pair of hybrid shoes to handle both, or dedicated pair to wear for road running and races and another pair for your off-road days.
Road running shoes are designed to cushion and absorb the impact of repetitive strides on paved or hard-packed routes or the firm surface of a treadmill.The uppers are made to be light and breathable rather than abrasion resistant. They are quite flexible to allow your foot to bend at the forefoot and move naturally from the strike through push-off phase of your stride. Their soles are designed to wear well on hard surfaces, and they are smoother, with shallower lugs than trail shoes. The soles balance traction with efficiency, and the lugs are arranged to help propel you forward.
Most brands offer a hybrid versions of popular models so you can cross-over and add some light trails to your regular paved running route. Youll also find hybrid fitness shoes designed to keep you stable on smooth surfaces and to support the side-to-side moves of strength training workouts, Generally, these are OK to use for road running and treadmill training.
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Choosing Your Next Pair Of Running Shoes
So if selecting a pair of shoes based on a runners basic foot type is not supported by scientific evidence, what is the running shoe consumer to base a decision on?
The answer is really quite simple. The following six key considerations need to be considered when making your next running shoe purchase.
How To Lace Running Shoes
How you lace your running shoes can make a big difference in terms of fit. If youre new to running and unsure which style of lacing to choose, ask a shoe expert for help.
Beyond that, Lobkova recommends using the style that provides the snuggest fit: Laces that are too loose and too tight are common signs that the shoe is not the right fit, and the lacing is being done to compensate for poor fit.
In general, Holland says, make sure the shoe fit is correct before you consider lacing techniques.
If theres any part of the shoe that slips or feels tight, or you feel the structure of the shoe too much, tell your running store adviser, and they will help you with lacing or provide socks, heel cups, or other accessories that make the fit better.
A good rule of thumb, says Holland, is that the shoes should essentially disappear from your consciousness when you run: Anything that registers to you will turn out to be a nuisance at mile 14.
To get a better idea of lacing techniques, check out this video that demonstrates several methods.
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Consideration : Stack Height
Stack height is the third consideration when selecting running shoes. A shoes stack height refers to the amount of cushioned shoe material that exists between the ground and the foot. Two different stack heights are often described: the forefoot stack height and the rear-foot stack height .
Running shoe stack height
A shoes stack height is different to its pitch or heel drop . Conventional motion control shoes often have a rear-foot stack height of greater than 30 millimetres, while minimalist type shoes will often have a rear-foot stack height of approximately 10 millimetres. By having lower stack heights, the minimalist shoes provide for more foot awareness of the surface that the runner is running on.
So how do you choose a stack height that is best for you? The good news is that there is no hard and fast rule. The bad news is that there is no hard and fast rule! Getting the stack height of your running shoes correct comes down to trial and error. I suggest you trial a pair of shoes, taking note of how they make you feel and, of course, any potential niggles that may develop.
Keep trialling shoes until you find what you feel works best for you. If you still lack confidence in your selection, I suggest consulting a health professional and seeking their advice . However, care must be taken to not be too radical in experimenting. Avoid going from a shoe with a large stack height to a very small one too quickly, as this may result in problems such as unwanted injuries.
How Do You Know If You Are Wearing The Wrong Shoe
The wrong size running shoes can put you at risk for pain and injury. So, what are some signs that you are wearing the wrong size shoes? If you end up with sore shins and feet every time you run, you may be wearing the wrong shoes. If your shoes are too small, your toes will repeatedly hit the front of the shoe. Your poor toes will end up bruised and sore. The right shoes will give your toes room to flex and move forward with each stride. If your shoes are too narrow, this can cause painful blisters on your toes. Your toes should not rub your shoes when you run. Another sign that your shoes are too small is if you have trouble taking them off. You should be able to easily slide your shoes off when they are untied, without having to loosen every lace. Do you have pain or numbness in the top of your feet after you run? If your shoes are too tight, they can compress the blood flow to your feet causing a tingling sensation and pain.
If your shoes are too big, your heel may slip around while you are running. This can cause blisters and calluses on your heels. Shoes that are too big or too wide can also cause blisters on the bottom of your feet. When your shoes are too big, your feet slide back and forth against the shoe and the sock, rubbing and putting unnecessary pressure and friction on your skin. Shoes that are too large can also cause pain in the balls of your feet.
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Theyre Hurting Your Feet
Your shoes should make the experience of exercising better, not worse.
After all, theyre designed to fit your feet perfectly and support your specific walking/running style. They should provide the stability and cushion required to facilitate a positive experience.
If your feet start to hurt when wearing your shoes, then its a reasonable sign theres a problem. For example, sore arches and stiff soles could mean they no longer fit correctly, having worn away through excessive use.
Want to keep your feet nice and healthy? This post should help.
If Youre Running Pain
Motion control or stability shoes prevent your foot from pronating, a natural movement that occurs when you move forward and your ankle rolls inward and the arch of your foot flattens. Everyone pronates, but in some people the effect is more pronounced, and earlier evidence suggested this overpronation could be linked to running injuries like shin splints and runners knee, says Paquette.
As a result, companies begin designing shoes to correct this, installing plastic posts or denser foam into the shoe to correct this motion, Paquette says. Thus, the stability, or motion-control, shoe was bornas was the term neutral shoes, to identify those that lack these stiff pieces and allow your foot to move more naturally.
The problem is, when runners began wearing motion-control shoes, overall injury rates didnt change that much, as Nigg points out. And when scientists did follow-up research, measuring biomechanical factors like pronation and then watching to see which runners got hurt, the results were all over the place. Some studies showed a link between pronation and injury risk, others none, and at least one study even suggested overpronation might actually protect against injuries, Paquette says.
While science is not exactly clear on the benefit of correcting overpronation with running shoes, that doesnt necessarily mean you should skip them.
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Top 5 Best Marathon Running Shoes
You know a big part of my philosophy is that you need to rotate your running shoes, which means having shoes for different kinds of runs. Today were talking about .
Whats going to have enough cushion, enough structure and enough life to get you through training.
More than that, theres something that gives you a mental boost when you find the right shoe. It just feels good to put it on, it carries you through the miles and come race day youre confident in that running shoe.
Running Shoe Fit Tips
| Measure your feet each year, as they can change size as you age | The foot arch may lower over time, resulting in a longer foot, or a stronger foot may cause the arch to rise, resulting in a shorter size. Weight changes and activity level can also influence foot size. |
| Women’s feet may become larger during and after pregnancy | Weight gain during pregnancy may cause permanent lowering of the foot arch resulting in a longer foot. |
| Your standard running shoe size is typically a half size larger than your casual shoe | In general, running in shoes that are a tad too large is preferable to running in shoes that are too small. |
| Fit your larger foot | Your left foot and your right foot may differ by as much as a full size. A shoe that is too small is more likely to cause issues than one that is too big. |
| Faster running means you want a snugger fit | A tighter fit means you’ll stay better connected to the shoes when picking up the pace, so it might be worth giving up some wiggle room for a more secure fit. Many racing and performance shoes have a tighter overall fit than everyday training shoes. |
| Sock thickness can affect shoe fit, so try on shoes with the socks you plan to wear | You can change the thickness of your sock to fine-tune your fit. For example, use a thinner sock to create more space or a thicker sock to make the fit snugger. |
| Different lacing techniques can also affect fit | For more information, watch the video below. |
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Consideration : Stiffness In The Forefoot And Mid
The fifth key consideration when selecting a pair of running shoes is to consider the shoes forefoot stiffness. It is my opinion that over time all runners should aim to move towards a lighter pair of running shoes. However, when selecting a lighter running shoe it is important to choose a shoe that has some degree of stiffness in the forefoot. Why? Well because stiffness in the forefoot appears to be consistent with better running performance.
Researchers propose that having a stiffer midsole of the shoe can increase the rebound a runners foot gets at the time of toe off . The research asserts that this increase in rebound due to a stiffer midsole of a shoe can improve a runners economy. The importance of having some mid-foot and forefoot shoe stiffness is evident when you look at the racing spikes worn by track runners. The shoes have rigid plastic that reinforces the forefoot with the aim of reducing the wasted energy for high speed running at the point of the runners toe off.
Therefore, when you go to a lighter shoe you should still feel the rebound from the surface you are running on. The shoe should not be too soft, floppy, or thin in the forefoot. If it is, the runner will be wasting energy at the time of toe off , which will likely reduce running economy and therefore running speed.
You Wear Your Shoes Too Long
Historically, running shoes have a lifespan of between 300 and 500 miles, but many runners either dont keep track of mileage or they throw caution to the wind and wear out their pair.
Wearing out shoes can lead to injury. According to Ken Larscheid, owner of Running Lab in Pinckney, Michigan, a tell-tale sign for replacing your pair is when you get unusual aches and pains in certain areas. A lot of people who come in and feel pain or soreness dont even question the age of their shoes, says Larscheid. What we suggest at the store is overlapping them a little bit.
Introducing a new pair before your current pair wears out will help you ease into new shoes as you ease out of your old ones. Other indicators to start changing out include worn, smooth grooves at the bottom of your shoes, and uneven foam on one side of the shoe, meaning the sole is no longer level.
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