When should I change my shoes?

Now there are no exacts or hard and fast rules with this, but as a rough guideline most manufacturers will say around 500 miles for a pair of shoes. Many things will affect this: weight, terrain, frequency of training etc. The best tell is either the shoes fall to pieces, or you start having aches, pains, blisters or recovery takes longer, for no apparent reason (no change in mileage, training type, terrain etc.)

When it comes to changing shoes before events, we usually recommend to allow around 1 month if you are training for a marathon or half marathon, or around 2 weeks if training for anything shorter. This is to allow you to gradually break the shoes in. Even if the shoes are exactly the same, a new pair will be stiffer, and won’t have “moulded” to your feet. This wearing in period mitigates any risk of blisters.

Here are a few handy tips on making shoes last longer and how/when to change them;

– Have 2 pairs.  Whether this is 2 pairs of the same shoes that you cycle between, or different pairs for different activities (a trail shoe and a road shoe for example)

–Only use your running shoes for running.

–Keep a mileage diary from the day you buy your shoes. This way you can work out how many miles it is until you need a new pair, then it takes the guess work out of when to buy your next pair. You can also purchase a new pair a few weeks before and then break in the new pair whilst phasing out the old pair, therefore reducing any need to lower mileage to break in a new pair.

–Don’t be fooled by the way the shoe looks. The shoe may look pristine, however this doesn’t mean that it is still offering the same level of cushioning and support as it did when new. Listen to your body and if in doubt go and try on a new pair, 9 times out of ten you will immediately feel the difference if the shoe is now past its best.

This concludes our 4-part piece on running footwear. If you have any questions or queries, please get in touch or make an appointment to come and see us.