It has been a CRAZY week for me. Why? I am leaving a week from tomorrow for my diving vacation in Bonaire so I have been doing lots of prep for that (shopping, packing, getting dive gear ready, purchase dive insurance), I am moving out of my house 3 days after I get back from my trip, I have been house hunting and finally put an offer on a cute condo (YAY!), filling out necessary paperwork and getting all the forms together to enroll Olive in doggie day care, riding my horse and my trainers horses, all while working both jobs.
Living by my coffee mug today.
I need this vacation.
While packing and running around like a maniac, I looked down at my shoes and realized they aren't looking so fresh and so clean clean. I looked at my mile tracker, did the math, and realized I have already run over 300 miles in these sneakers. I also make the big mistake of using my running sneakers for walking/ hiking, hanging out sneakers (oops). It is time to order up another pair of Newtons so I have a fresh pair broken in before my marathon.
Is it awkward that I am a little attached to my sneakers? I mean I fully intend to get the same exact pair... but I feel attached to THOSE sneakers. Those sneakers have endured every mile with me, those sneakers got me to 18 miles, and now I just replace them? I'm probably just a huge weirdo but I decided to compromise and use my old Newtons as my walking/every day shoes and use my new newtons strictly for running. If you are investing in a great pair of running shoes USE THEM FOR RUNNING ONLY! Gotta remember that one.....
I have so many friends who are trying to get back into running and I am so happy for them. When I ask them about their sneakers they usually tell me they are the same pair they have had since high school- OY!
How do you tell when its time to retire your trusty footwear? The Runners Guide provided these helpful tips on when and why to replace your running shoes.
* After lots of research, I keep reading that the magic number is some where between 300 and 500 miles. This however, depends greatly on your body weight, your shoe, the way you run, and the surface you chose to run on. I am already at the 300 mark with just running and I am sure I put on another hundred or so just walking around in them (I swear my next pair will be just for running!).
* Obviously, take a look at them! If the treads look really worn down, or the shoe is really flexible around the midsole- its probably time to pull out your wallet and buy another pair.
* Notice any changes in you? If you are developing new aches and pains, shin splints or soreness, it might be due to your worn out sneakers.
For me specifically I run in Newton Gravity. They are super expensive ($175) but I was told they last a little longer than most sneakers. I did a little more research and read this
"I'm on my second pair, and when I noticed my first pair wearing quickly I asked the people at Newton about it. They told me that your first pair acts like a coach and wears more quickly than you can normally expect. They told me that they are designed to last between 350-500 miles, but everyone is a bit different and will experience different wear. I ended up retiring my first pair at 325 miles - they looked pretty brutal and my knee started to hurt a bit. Too early to tell on my second pair. I do love my Newtons though!"
For me this made sense and I am over the 300 mile cusp. I rather replace them a little early than run a marathon on dead dead sneakers. Its killing me a little with this $175 price tag but I rather pay that than deal with shin splints or other injuries.
And hey.. its an investment to be healthy right?
I didn't realize it at the time, but when I ran my first half marathon, my Mizunos had about 475 miles on them. Three days after the race, I started getting serious pain in my left foot. I ended up with tendinitis and was out 12 weeks. Now I really pay attention to how many miles are on my shoes and how my body is feeling in them!
ReplyDeletewow out for 12 weeks because of some worn down sneaks- Scary!!!!! lesson learned though!
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