Shoe Wear, Tear, and Care

Like everything else in this world, running shoes eventually break down. They just seem to do so much more quickly than other shoes. Remember, with every running step, you create a force of about three times your body weight. Even for the lightest of us, that’s a lot to ask our shoes to put up with. So with more miles, your shoes begin to deteriorate. The outsoles get worn out. The midsoles compress. The uppers start to tear. Next thing you know, that shoe that used to feel so good is making your knees ache with every step. Most runners can comfortably wear their shoes for 500 to 600 miles. In fact, none of the cushioning technologies used in today’s shoes are designed to last more than 800 miles. Trying to squeeze more miles than this out of your shoes is the runner’s version of being penny wise and pound foolish, because it can lead to injury. In the early ’70s, I once wore clean through the outsole of a pair of running shoes; no wonder my calves were killing me at the time! So watch the wear and tear on your shoes. It’s a good idea to keep track of how many miles you have on a pair of shoes so that you can better estimate when you need new ones.

Even if you don’t meticulously record the mileage on your shoes, always keep an eye on them. If you’ve worn through a spot in the outsole, ditch ’em. The shoe is so worn down that it’s going to throw off your normal stride, and that’s a good way to get injured. You should also check the heel counters. If you set your shoes on a level surface and look at them from the back and see that the heel counters point in significantly, they’re no longer doing their job of providing support.

After a few hundred miles, you’ll probably also start to see wrinkles in the midsole. These wrinkles mean that the midsole is getting compressed and can no longer absorb as much shock as when the shoes were new. When your shoes get in this condition, press a fingernail in the midsole. If doing so leaves a mark that doesn’t quickly disappear, it’s time for new shoes. Lastly, if you start to notice little aches and pains that you can’t attribute to other causes, your worn-down shoes are probably the reason.
There are some things you can do to maximize how long your shoes serve you well. For example, I have a little area on the forefoot of my left shoe that wears down long before the rest of either shoe. I can sometimes get another two or three weeks out of a pair of shoes if I apply Shoe Goo to this spot every two or three days. After I do that, I’m back to normal biomechanically. That is, the wear on my shoes isn’t making me run differently; my footstrike is back to how it should be.

You can also extend the life of a shoe by doctoring the inside. I think most of the arch supports and inserts that come with running shoes are weak. As your shoes get a bit worn, you can take out the standard-issue inserts and replace them with a couple of the many commercial inserts available at running shoe stores. Many of these inserts supply extra cushioning, which I find to be helpful as the midsoles of my running shoes compress.