Question from a reader:
Any idea how many miles you should put on a pair of shoes before you replace them? I remember reading about this once before but now I can not find anything as to when to replace or get new shoes? In the past I tend to get new one once I have obtain an injury and now I am trying to be proactive and prevent that from occurring again. Thanks for your help and have a great day. -- Amy
There are a couple of schools of thought/rules of thumb on replacing your shoes.
One is that they should be replaced every 500 miles.
The other is that they should be replaced every 3 months.
I can never seem to keep track of mileage on my shoes. This is probably because I buy two pairs at once (I'll explain more about that below). I am a higher-mileage runner who likes a really cushioned ride, so I replace my shoes every three months.
For me, a visual cue is when I see that my big toe is poking a hole in the mesh on the top of the shoe -- it's probably time to consider buying a new round of shoes.
If you have any doubt on whether to replace your shoes or not, err on the side of caution and replace them. If you think your old running shoes still have life in them -- use them for walking or weekend recreation or aerobics or whatever. (Always reserve your running shoes for running only).
Buying two pairs at once: Many runners, particularly those who run consecutive days, buy two pairs of shoes at once. Doing this allows you to have an A pair and B pair and rotate wearing them from day to day. It can help extend the life of each pair of shoes and gives the shoe cushioning a chance to recover between runs. A bonus of buying 2 pairs at once? If you buy them online, most stores offer free shipping if you order more than one pair of shoes at a time.