Asking a shoe salesman when to get new shoes is like asking a barber if you need a haircut!

Most running shoes last four to six hundred miles. The difference is going to depend on the individual runner's weight, stride, and biomechanics. Also thrown in the mix is the terrain and environment.

All that said, we do recommend replacing running shoes after 12 months even if your mileage has not reached the four hundred mile threshold. Including shipping time, warehousing, and store time, a running shoe may already be 6 months old when you purchased it. They don't spoil, but time does have an effect on the molecules of air in the foam mid-soles.

If your shoes are two years old and you are seeing ware on the tread, I am quite sure you will notice the difference when you put on a new pair.

Another related tip: when you are purchasing new running shoes, bring along your old ones so our staff can see where and degree of your shoe's ware patterns.

Steve
Running Fit World Headquarters

Determining "shoe life" can be tricky especially since there are many "schools of thought" out there. Chances are high that if you notice tread break down, your cushioning is "going south" or if your shoes are older than 6 months (dependent though on your weekly mileage) you’ll want to replace them. And you want to replace the shoes in question BEFORE you start to notice any pain in your knees, hips, etc.

Keeping track of the mileage on your shoes is recommended, as depending on your size (bigger people generally wear down their shoes faster), runners tend to get anywhere from 300 to 500 miles out of them although 500 is generally for a smaller, lighter runner.

Rotating a couple pairs of shoes at a time can prove to be helpful in prolonging the life of your shoes.

If you ever have question, it is probably a good idea to replace them soon, and if nothing else, come on in to Running Fit, and let us take a look.

Run Forever
Tracey Cohen
Running Fit Novi