Track Your Running Shoes
By HITCH on Sep 01, 2009 with View Comments
Most of us know that all running shoes eventually lose their spunk and have to be put out to pasture. Somewhere beyond the 300-mile mark, our shoes no longer provide proper support and make even the youngest and most resilient of us prone to the aches and pains of overuse injuries.
So, we trek to our favorite specialty running store/big box retailer/discount website/5,000 sq. ft. personal running shoe cellar and replace our loyal friends, happily looking forward to the extra bounce that will make our next long run take on an unimaginable ease. (See Unimaginable Ease)
However, figuring out when it’s replacement time for said running shoes can be an art form.
As avid runners, we analyze for tread smoothness, tongue floppiness, and depth of mud brown staining. Some of us compare our current shoes with their previously-retired counterparts (which reside in the back of the closet for rainy days or lawn mowing). Others monitor the level of disgust on our better halves’ faces as they deftly toss our shoes out of the room for a more nose-friendly resting place. All of us need a better solution.
That solution comes from Beth C., one of our readers, in the form of this simple 3-step process:
1. Grab that Sharpie from the back of your junk drawer
2. Write month/year of purchase on back of new running shoes
3. Recap Sharpie
You’ll still need to have a sense of your monthly mileage, but what proud runner doesn’t? Plus, marking your shoes will not only help you decide when it’s time to replace, but also provide you with evidence for the family checkbook balancer when they inevitably moan, “You need new running shoes, AGAIN?!”
Yes, again. And this time before our knees or our noses tell us.
What are your shoe tips? Leave a comment to tell us what tricks you use to know when to replace your shoes?
(photo courtesy of It’sGreg! on Flickr)
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Filed Under: Athlete's Corner • Blog • Featured • Moji Tips and Tricks
