Good Running Shoes Are Worth Every Penny!
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How long should a running shoe run? How long those favorite new shoes will last will depend on a number of different factors such as your weight, your gait, how far and how frequently you run.
The generally consensus is that a new pair of running shoes is needed every 300-500 miles. This means if you run 3-5 miles four times per week, you could need new shoes again in as little as 3.5 months or as much as 10 months. This distance rule is best gauged by keeping an accurate training log.
Another indicator for when shoes need replacing is time. The consensus here is that running shoes should be replaced every six months. However, this is just a rule of thumb. Some runners may find themselves replacing their running shoes every four months while others may find they only need to replace their running shoes every eight months.
You should also be aware of how the running shoes feel and how well they are performing. In your running log, keep notes of how you feel after each run. You may notice, for instance, shin or knee pain on a regular basis after approximately 250 miles on a particular pair of running shoes. This type of information may indicate you need to purchase new running shoes more often than the average runner.
Keep in mind, running shoes can solve problems for runners or cause them. Paying careful attention to this key instrument in your run can help you avoid trouble down the road.
Girl Talk Along the Path
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7th Golden Rule of Running: Recovery Times
By · Comments(This is number 7 in our periodic series of the Golden Rules of running: time-tested guidelines and best practices that experienced runners have agree work for them.)
The Race-Recovery Rule
For each mile that you race, you should plan to allow one day of recovery before returning to hard training or racing.
That means no speed workouts or racing for six days after a 10-K or 26 days after a marathon. The rule’s originator was the late Jack Foster, the masters marathon world record holder (2:11:18) from 1974 to 1990. Foster wrote in his book, Tale of the Ancient Marathoner, “My method is roughly to have a day off racing for every mile I raced.”
So when you run in a race, whether it’s a 5K that you do with your girlfriends, or a grueling marathon that taxes and challenges every fiber of your muscles, you’ll want to keep this in mind. Give yourself time to recover. This rule has been proven and tested by runners of all ages and at all levels.
The Exception: If your race effort wasn’t all-out, taking fewer recovery days is okay. But don’t race back to the starting line before you (and your coach) are ready. And consider when you are taking those days off, you are doing it in-step with Foster, one of the great masters of running.
