Your shoes are the most important piece of equipment you’ll have as a runner. Make sure you find a pair that works best for you. Also, knowing when you need to upgrade to a new pair is critical to keep you running! Shoes that get too worn out, or that aren’t suited for the unique structure of your feet, can easily cause injury, fatigue, or burnout. In this post we’ll look at the different ways to assess when you should invest in a shoe upgrade.

Use Distance as the Threshold

Running shoes wear out somewhere between the 300–500-mile mark. Using a pair of shoes over that threshold can be dangerous, as the shoes will be worn out. Wear and tear happen on the soles of the shoes, but also in the upper structures of the shoe, where there are important features that support your arches and ankles. Upgrading to new shoes is not only more comfortable but is also a way to protect yourself from injury!

Use Time as the Threshold

For slower runners, walkers, or people of larger stature, the distance threshold might not be sufficient. There is also a threshold of “Time on Your Feet” that can be applied. For example, someone who runs five miles in 75 minutes will spend a lot more time on their feet than someone who can do the same distance in 45 minutes. Their shoes are still being worn out, to a degree that is more intense than a faster runner. If this sounds more like you, you can think of 200-300 hours of active use as a threshold to use.

Track Your Gear

These levels of calculations may seem difficult to manage. Many running apps, like Strava, allow you to track your gear. You can add every pair of shoes that you own into your profile, and then at the end of each workout, you tell the app which shoes you wore during the run. You can set notifications to alert you when you have reached a certain mileage threshold. The time threshold is harder to calculate, but the data in the app can support that effort as well.

Talk to a Professional

Perhaps the most important part of buying new shoes is that you do it with a professional. Running stores have knowledgeable staff who know running shoes inside and out. They will be able to look at the shape of your feet and know which model of shoe will work best for you. Most running stores will also have a treadmill in the store, so that the salesperson can watch you run. They will analyze your gait and use that information to make a recommendation about which shoe will support your feet the best. No two pairs of feet are the same, so finding the right shoe for you is important to keeping you on the go.

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