Watch Your Step!
We often talk about how long we should keep a lipstick or the shelf life of our food but we rarely stop to think about the length of time we should keep our athletic shoes! My dear friend Franklin is an avid runner. She works out every day and she works out hard! When I was visiting her recently I noticed that she had two pairs of exactly the same tennis shoes! When I questioned her she told me that it is wise to alternate the same pair of shoes so that they last longer. I thought she was crazy so I did a little bit of research and it turns out she was right (as usual!). The life of a running shoe is much shorter than I would think. Researchers from The University of Texas recommend that you retire your sneakers after 200 miles! The old data used to recommend that you tossed your shoes after 350 to 550 miles! The midsole of the shoe wears down first and the problem is that we can’t see that part! The damage really occurs long before we see any wear and tear to the sole of the shoe. The weak midsole causes more stress to our feet and legs and our sneakers loose stability and shock absorption. That translates to an increased chance of injury! So, Franklin was right….again!