Your feet are important.
They are quite literally the base of the human body.
And with this, your shoes are important too.
Something I see discussed and am asked time and time again is how often do trail runners or running shoes need to be replaced? And, before I dive into this, I’m going to say this covers hikers using trail runners too. Miles are miles folks, regardless of speed.
So, how often do you replace your sneaks? The “standard” is every 300-500 miles. This will vary as shoes degrade and wear down differently and individual bodies need different things. Take me for example, I have chronically tight calves, poor dorsiflexion, and am at risk for stress fractures – I don’t run or hike in shoes over 400 miles (and sometimes before this). That’s a boundary I’ve placed for my own physical health and injury prevention.
Look, I get it, we find the perfect shoe. It’s comfy, works well for our needs – why replace it? It seems to be working just fine. Plus, running and hiking shoes are expensive.
Let’s break down what your shoe offers:
→ support and protection
→ cushion
→ traction
→ injury prevention
As a running shoe gets used, over time the cushion becomes compressed which changes how the shoe can help protect your joints and body from impact. The traction wears out becoming less grippy (not ideal for mountain athletes). Additionally, the outsole breaks down and provides less structure and support.
The main reason to make sure you’re keeping track of mileage and getting new sneaks at an appropriate time?
Injury prevention.
Injury prevention.
Injury prevention.
I will emphasize this until I can’t anymore.
You know what, our feet are all different. Our needs are different. While I replace my trail runners by 400 miles, some can get away with 500+ without issue. I’m not here to say what you may or may not be doing is right or wrong. I’m here to have you consider the importance of your shoes in your performance and overall being a healthy endurance athlete if you haven’t before. Different bodies require different things.
How to phase in a new pair of shoes?
Personally, around mile 300 I begin to break in a new pair, while still also using the older ones. I opt towards breaking them in on shorter days, and phase out the older pair gradually. This will depend entirely on your training volume and the new shoes (are they the same make/model as what your body is used to?).
How to track shoe mileage?
1. Old school with a notebook
2. Strava (you can add you shoes and select which pair you used during each run/hike!)
Keep your feet happy and strong!