DO YOU NEED NEW RUNNING SHOES? 7 SIGNS THAT TELL YOU WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR OLD ONES
You wear your beloved and longtime running shoes everywhere you go and you never miss a day not wearing them. They bring nothing but comfort and safety to your feet. Only one day, they decided to backstab you. They’ve now become painful and discomforting. What a horrific ending to a beautiful and long friendship.
If your running shoes are no longer cozy, this is a clear sign to replace them with new ones. Follow this blog post to find out the 7 indications.
NB: We included a fun test at the end that lets you know whether or not you own good running shoes.
- Your running distance and weight change your shoes
- Intense pain in your feet
- Hardened or wrinkly midsoles
- Your shoes rub too hard
- You can feel everything under your running shoes
- Your running shoes make you slip
- Your shoes’ heel cups are ripped
- Test your shoes with the twist test
1. YOUR RUNNING DISTANCE AND WEIGHT CHANGE YOUR SHOES
Your running style and weight change your shoes over time.
You know, it’s not always the shoes that change all by themselves—their owners can affect them too.
First, every runner has a different running style, and it all depends on their speed and distance. For light runners, shoes can last up to 805 kilometers (equal to 500 miles). For heavy runners, they can run up to 482 kilometers (equal to 300 miles).
Second, weight also plays a vital role in affecting your shoes. If you’re at your ideal weight, you’re likely to benefit from your shoes’ mileage and run ideally. However, if you’re overweight, your shoes get worn out and make you overpronate (your feet roll inwards).
2. INTENSE PAIN IN YOUR FEET
The durations, pressure, and intensities you apply to your shoes change when you move in them. This damages your footwear’s cushioning, which is a component needed to provide comfort to your feet.
If the bottom of your feet, especially your arches, become very sore, then your shoes are telling you that you need to change them. This is because their shape has changed over time, making them unfitting to your feet. If you’re unfamiliar with your foot shape, take the wet test and get the perfect running shoes for your feet.
So either way, it’s you or your BFF who put an end to the friendship. We’re sorry we had to be the ones to tell you.
Credits: Tenor
3. HARDENED OR WRINKLY MIDSOLES
If your running shoes’ midsoles appear wrinkly, it means you’ve exceeded your shoes’ lifespan.
Midsoles are the thick outer layer of foam found at the bottom of your shoes. They’re essential to look out for when buying new running shoes.
The midsoles’ cushioning and shock absorption set the force and pain resistance on your feet. The lifespan of midsoles is around 805 kilometers. If you go beyond that distance in the same pair of running shoes, the midsoles become hardened or wrinkly.
If you’ve exceeded 805 kilometers, then it’s high time you buy new running shoes.
4. YOUR SHOES RUB TOO HARD
When you run, your shoes avoid rubbing and friction that can hurt your feet. Like Point 3, your shoes’ shape changes every time you increase your mileage in them. As a result, they lost their shape, paving the way for rubbing and friction.
5. YOU CAN FEEL EVERYTHING UNDER YOUR RUNNING SHOES
Change your jogging shoes if you feel everything under your feet.
If you own a pair of worn-out running shoes, don’t be surprised to feel every single pebble in your run. Your shoes are history once they lose their cushioning and their outsoles have deteriorated.
6. YOUR RUNNING SHOES MAKE YOU SLIP
If you find yourself slipping out of your running shoes, then you must replace them.
Your running shoes can handle any surface you run on. That’s all thanks to your shoes’ outsoles, treads, and materials combined. If you find yourself slipping out of them, then the parts mentioned above have become worn out. It’s a clear indicator that you must replace your old running shoes. You don’t want to end up with two left feet.
Credits: Tenor
7. YOUR SHOES’ HEEL CUPS ARE RIPPED
Ripped cups in your running shoes can get you plantar fasciitis.
Every time you move, your heels are in constant contact with the ground. Your plantar fascia (tissues that support the arches of your feet) faces a lot of pressure. It can ache your heel and midfoot when you go on long runs. That’s where heel cups come in and save the day. Heel cups are pads in your shoes that pull up your heels, give comfort, and lessen pressure on them. This drops the chance of getting plantar fasciitis, an inflammation on your heels.
If you witness a huge rip in your shoes’ heel cups, then you need new shoes. You can get plantar fasciitis if you pay little attention to the rip. If you want to avoid foot problems, massage your feet daily.
8. TEST YOUR SHOES WITH THE TWIST TEST
Check if your current or new running shoes are good to run in by taking the twist test.
Like its name suggests, the twist test requires you to hold both ends of a shoe and twist it. It tells you whether or not your footwear includes the support needed for your feet when running. The test proves the available support by showing the creasing that should occur when the feet flex.
Start the test by holding the shoe’s heel and front and twist as firmly as you can. If the shoe remains stiff, then you’re good to go! But if it’s too flexible, then the whole pair is too hazardous to your feet.
Look out for these 7 signs to know when it’s time to get new running shoes: 1. You changed your running shoes from your training and weight, 2. Your shoes are killing your feet, 3. Your footwear’s midsoles are hard or wrinkly, 4. Your shoes rub too hard, 5. You can feel almost everything under your shoes, 6. You’re slipping out of your shoes, and 7. The heel cups are torn. Take the twist test to see whether or not you own/will buy good running shoes.
While you’re out buying new trainers, get some sportswear to match with them. And once you’re done shopping, get started with running.