I have been running 3 days a week now for about 6 months on a treadmill. For the last month it is about 3 miles each time I run, so overall I would say I have put 200-300 running miles on these shoes. How do I tell if I need new running shoes? The ones I have look fine–but I don’t want to get to the point where I might hurt myself because of my shoes. There doesn’t appear to be tread wear on the sole, they still feel firm and in good shape, a little dirty, but how do you tell when they need to be replaced? I run with my orthotic in the shoes so I have good support and they feel fine.
I have Asics Gel-Foundation Plus (TN410) running shoes now–but looking on their website it appears they don’t manufacture them anymore. I got them from a running store about six months ago, guess I need to go back there for a new shoe recommendation. I thought about just picking another shoe from their site but that seems risky to me, as when I bought these ones the guy had me run on the treadmill to see how they worked on me.
So the question I guess is before I spend $100-150 for new shoes–how do you tell when you need them?
Depends on your weight, foot movement(pronation), running style and/or foot plant. Rule of thumb, about 300-500 miles.YMMV The midfoot foam will feel hard and a bit compressed compared to a new shoe. It’s really hard to see visually unless they’re really worn. Sometimes you can see the structure of the shoe tip to the inside if you overpronate badly and you don’t have a suitable shoe.
Also, the foam material hardens by itself with time so don’t try to save money on that 2 year old pair on sale.
ETA: Go back to that store for a new recommendation. Having a store that knows how to do that is GOLD.
Yea that is sort of what I am leaning towards. I would rather err on the side of safety. When I first started running I was pushing myself too hard and hurt myself a couple of times, now that I seem to be in a groove, I don’t want to put myself back three steps because of shoes. I think my shoes are still okay–but for $100 it seems like good safety to just get new ones. Just the frugal side of me hates to waste money if I don’t need to!
And I have tomorrow off, and will be by the store where I bought the first pair. Perhaps I will stop in for a recommendation. Thanks for your comments!
According to these numbers I should change my shoes every 2.5 to 4 months. I usually keep them a little more than 4 months but by that time the soles are totally compressed and cannot support my heavy overpronation.
And to answer the OP:
It is not easy to tell because the degradation creeps in slowly with time. But whenever I slip on a new pair and I can run faster with half the effort it is a good indication that the old pair was dead.
Cool. I was wondering if I needed new shoes, because I was told that they would last a year for an average runner. I bought mine nine months ago, and around January I noticed that it felt like I was walking on the side of the shoe, but only on the right hand side.
I found this picture that shows you your foot type based on the wear patterns on your shoe. Of the 4mm of sole on the rest of the shoe, I have about 1mm left at the most worn point on the inside of my heels. I guess it is time for a new pair.
The midfoot foam will feel hard and a bit compressed compared to a new shoe. It’s really hard to see visually unless they’re really worn. Sometimes you can see the structure of the shoe tip to the inside if you overpronate badly and you don’t have a suitable shoe.