Things You Might Not Know About Your Running Shoes

Most people see running shoes as something that assists people getting here and there. Here are some facts that you may not know about your shoes. 

• Those running shoes on your feet are really meant to go in one direction. Running shoes are truly built to move forward/backward. When you use running-specific shoes for say lifting or Jazzersize or Zumba, you are pushing that shoe to its limits. A flexible, cross training shoe is more suited for these sort of activities because they allow your feet to flex and move more naturally, where a running shoe will only be able to flex lengthwise and not widthwise. Using a running shoe when doing these lateral workouts may lead to blowouts or unusual wear. I say this because I have seen too many cases where people try to return a shoe because it was "defective" or they obliterated it with in the first month of wearing it. Running shoes are meant to run or walk in, only forward or backward. I cannot stress it enough. So for that Zumba or Kickboxing class, find a pair that will flex and allow you to move side to side. 
• Cushioning decreases over time (even if not wearing them). What!? How can this be?? Gravity my fair people. Over time, shoes cushioning compresses, no matter if you run in them on the daily or if they have sat on the shelf for years. When the cushioning compresses, you see less and less mileage out of them. Really. This is why outlet stores, for example: Nike Outlet, can sell last years, or even two year's ago models of shoes. Think of it this way. Every year a shoe sits on a shelf, it accumulates approximately 100 miles. Now, on average, most shoes last 300-500 miles, so buying last year's shoe is possibly done with a 3rd of its life. Now I am not saying that those shoes are crap because it has around 100 miles on them, it definitely does not make them a crappy shoe; what I am saying you just wont see as much of a mileage return out of them. One thing I will say is that the older models, to help move them off the shelves, many stores will sell them at a discounted rate. If you are looking to cut costs some, buying last years shoes is not a bad idea. I would stay away from the shoes once they go beyond 2 years though. 
• Cheaper shoes are just that, cheaply made. I think I have talked about this in previous posts, but cheaper shoes are usually just that. Cheap. The more expensive the shoe, the more technology and more miles you will see. I cannot stress how important a good pair of shoes are for runners. If your feet are happy, you will be happy. Putting on those $20 "athletic" shoe you bought at Walmart will give you $20 worth of cushioning, technology, and it will feel like it cost. Yes, I know, buying running shoes can be extremely costly. (This is coming from a girl who goes through about 4 or 5 pairs a year). But you get out what you put in. It is like anything that you do. If you would like more information or another person's opinion on this topic, I have posted a link to an article that discusses this further. http://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoe-reviews/shoeguy-you-get-what-you-pay?page=1
• How many miles you get out of your shoes depends on more than just how much you ran in them. Because I tell you a shoe is likely to get around 300-500 miles, this may vary person to person. Some things that may change mileage: weight, wear pattern, activities done in the shoe, surface ran on, how long of a rest you give your shoes after wearing them, conditions ran in, and how you care for the shoe. Well how do each of these things alter my shoes wear? 
• Weight: Heavier person, more wear. Think of it as the compressed cushion I discussed earlier. A heavier person will compress the cushion more than a lighter person. 
• Wear pattern: If you have a shoe that has little cushioning in the forefoot and you run on your forefoot, you'll see less mileage than a person who is a heel runner in the same shoe. (And vice versa)
• Activities done in the shoe: If you do workouts that incorporate lateral movement rather than forward/backward movement, you will wear the shoe abnormally, leading to fewer miles
• Surface ran on: Surfaces vary. If you are someone who sticks to concrete or gravel, you will put less miles than someone doing only treadmill running or who runs on limestone or grass. 
• How long of a rest you give the shoes: Now this one is tricky to explain. Think of a memory foam mattress. As you lay on it, you leave an indent, which, when you give the mattress time to reform, it regains it's original shape. Shoes are extremely similar. When you run or walk, your foot makes an indent in the cushioning. After wearing a shoe, that shoe needs about a day's rest to regain its shape fully. Now, I understand that many of you may not have the expenses to buy 2 luxury running shoes to rotate. That is fine. I am just stating that when you let it regain it's shape fully, the cushioning will last longer, giving you more miles. 
• Conditions ran in: Rain and running through water will break the shoe down some, but not a whole lot. Breaking down the shoe will lead to fewer miles.
• Shoe care: If you treat and care for your shoes well, (Hand washing, air drying, untying them, etc.), your shoes will give you a better outcome than if you treat them like crap.
• Shoes are not meant to be put in a washing machine. The tumbling and soaking them in water will break down the shoe more than you would figure. Shoes should be hand washed, or at least with a hose, if you want to clean them. Take the sock liner out of the shoe, and scrub it. Keep in mind, you may not be able to get the colors as vibrant as they used to be, it just doesn't happen. When I want to clean my shoes, I just will spray them with a hose, otherwise, I just leave them dirty. It makes me look like I am a tough runner. 
• Same goes with a dryer. Dryers are an absolute danger to shoes. The tumbling and intense heat breaks down the shoe an incredible amount. I have also heard from people who have dried their shoes that they shrink. Be careful, and treat your shoes right. If you just hand washed them, or you just got back from a run where your shoes got drenched, take newspaper or other paper lying around, and stuff your shoe fully. This will draw the water out and make your shoe dry. 
• If you run in a shoe, model after model, your feet will form to that shoe. You see this more than you think. Someone comes to a store to buy their most recent shoe, and they decide to try on a couple similar shoes to compare. One is the most recent update of their old shoe, the other two are competitor's comparable models. The person tries on the most recent model, and it feels just like what they have been in for years. They try on the next two as a comparison, and they feel defective. The truth is, their feet are now shaped to the shoes they have been in for years. The other two shoes are not defective, however, to their feet, they feel that way. This person is married to a shoe. To help avoid being married to a shoe, try a new shoe at each rotation. Now, for the first couple weeks to a month, that shoe is going to feel different, maybe even weird. Give the shoe the entire 300-500 miles before you decide if you like it or not. Is being married to a shoe really such a bad thing? It is and it isn't. It can be a problem if one model of a shoe updates, and it doesn't feel right or fit like it used to. Many runners feel lost if this happens and have trouble finding their next pair. It isn't such a bad thing, because you know what you like. You know how you like a shoe to fit and feel. 

Well here you are folks. I hope now you feel like you know your shoes better. Thanks for reading!

Eventually we all create a collection of our old, stinky running shoes.