LOLZLetter 184 | How Can You Make Your Running Shoes Last Longer?
Plus a mini update on my life
Welcome,
As I retire two of my favorite shoes (Reebok Floatride Energy 4 for roads and the Hoka Zinal for trails, I realized many people want to know: how can I make my running shoes last longer?
But first, someone emailed me last week and said I haven't talked about "me" in the newsletter lately and what's going on in my life.
So what is going on in my life? Since getting the flu (way back in May), sometimes I've struggled with breathing during hard workouts and runs. I often wonder if I actually had COVID (I took 5 COVID tests during that time...two at the doctor, three at home...all negative). Even three months later, it feels like I still have lingering effects of the flu. I am fine in everyday life, even on most runs, but when I push myself in hard workouts...say a 5k, it becomes a lot harder to breathe than ever before. (so obviously, I do what's smart).
Outside of that, I'm really enjoying my new job. I'm learning a lot. The work environment is great, and I enjoy it. I work at Edwards in a civilian squadron that deals with math and statistics, engineering, and hosts our library!
And I finally picked up my new Tesla Model 3 that I ordered in April.
A funny story with my new car (kind of): When I hurt my back last November, I had to drive twice a week to Los Angeles for doctor’s appointments (100 miles each way). Most weeks, I would rack up 600 miles on my car. The closest hospital to me now is 33 miles, and most of the specialty doctors are located in Santa Clarita (75 miles) or LA (100 miles). I had a fuel-efficient sedan and with gas prices, I was *still* paying $90 each time to fill up my car. After I was healed and when I finally understood desert life more, I put about 300-400 miles on my car each week going into town. (It's easy to do when going into town is 90 miles round trip...yes even for Target). Miles in the desert are easy, but they add up.
So anyway, I decided I was done with gas and wanted a fully electric sedan. It's tough (right now) to find a fully electric sedan with a range of about 300 miles. You can find plenty of SUVs but not Sedans. I was between Tesla and Lucid (Lucids are around 80k) so I decided I didn't want a car payment for years to come and chose a Tesla. About a week after ordering my Telsa, I found out I got the job at Edwards which is 3 miles from my house. Now I put around 200 miles on my car if we go out of town on the weekends (who am I kidding...we do 95% of weekends). I don't think I would have dove into the electric car world if I predicted a drastic decrease in driving, but here we are.
Anyway, that's what I'm up to these days. (as you can see very few people ask me to tell stories because I ramble).
How Do Running Shoes Lose their Cushion?
Obviously by using them. I don't know of many people that buy running shoes to sit in their closet.
People don't realize that most cushion in a running shoe is located in the midsole (it's not the traction you see on the bottom). The midsole is typically the invisible part of the shoe. Over time and mileage, this cushion compresses and breaks down. Your shoes could "look brand new" but that doesn't mean the midsole isn't broken down.
What to keep in mind:
There is no exact mileage you get out of running shoes. It varies from person to person and depends on your form and hard you land (it really doesn't depend as much on a person's weight). Most traditional running shoes last between 300-500 miles.
These days, racing flats and carbon plated shoes get around 100 miles. When they first came out, it was only around 50 miles!
Running shoe models older than two years will deteriorate faster. The foam naturally breaks down, and if you purchase an older shoe, you're likely not going to get the full mileage out of it. That's why you'll see 2+ year-old shoes drastically cheaper!
Insoles (like Dr. Scholls or Superfeet) don’t make running shoes last longer. An insole will add cushion, but the actual cushion in the running shoe is located inside the shoe. Once the midsole breaks down, it breaks down!
How Can You Make Your Trainers Last Longer?
Use Your Running Shoes Just for Running:
Well, duh! But remember, when you walk, stand, or kick around in your shoes, that adds miles to them. You might only walk a mile during a typical workday, but that is still deteriorating the cushion. Time in running shoes is just as valuable as mileage.
Use your old retired running shoes for other things like walking, mowing the grass, or living life.
Alternate Shoes:
I actually wrote a post about alternating shoes in 2017. If you have two pairs of shoes, they’ll last longer, right?
Think of your running shoes like sponges. If you place a brick on a sponge, it compresses. When you take the brick off, it bounces back.
If you never take the brick off, it keeps compressing. If you alternate the brick between two different sponges, each sponge bounces back.
That is similar to alternating running shoes. Giving your running shoes a “rest day” can help the cushion bounce back and give the shoe a longer life.
Don’t Put Your Shoes in the Washer and Dryer:
The washer and dryer are a double whammy of quickly ruining your running shoes. The washer can stretch out your shoes and the dryer will break down the shoe cushion technology. You will ruin them. Don't do it. The end.
If you must clean your shoes, rinse them off and use a toothbrush or a small paintbrush to remove the dirt. Then let them air dry. Take your sock liners out and stuff your shoes with newspaper to absorb moisture faster.
Bring Your Shoes Inside:
Leaving your shoes outside in extreme elements can break them down (heat or cold). Have you ever left your shoes in your car overnight on a frigid evening only to find them frozen or stiff the next day?
Heat can severely damage the technology in your running shoes (hence don’t put them in the dryer). Your car gets much hotter than the actual air temperature outside.
Shop Locally:
Why does that matter?
I could write 100 newsletters on why you should shop locally for running shoes, but here is why you should shop at local stores to extend the life of your running shoes. Local running stores have the “freshest shoes.” They haven’t been sitting in warehouses endlessly waiting for an online order, and the cushion hasn’t been decompressing.
Old models linger in large warehouses for months or years and have broken down. Finally, there is no other place to stick this, but Amazon does sell fake shoes, so try not to get your running shoes from there (believe me I didn't know that was a *thing* until I saw several with my own eyes).
You’ll never get extra years out of your running shoes, but taking a few precautions can get you some extra miles.
What is Keeping Me Entertained?
Aliphine Tuliamuk to make marathon return at 2022 New York City Marathon
Podcast: Steph Bruce on C Tolle Run
Podcast: Mind, Body, and Sole with Tommie Runz: Running Shoe Opinion Hills We Will Die On
You Can Follow me on:
Glad you got over the "flu." I had a similar thing to what you described. . . God only knows what it was. Got over it slowly and can run, walk, and breathe again. I think it may have been about the same time. Took a little longer than you (I"m 75) but I'm our running again. That's what counts!
I didn't know the Amazon thing! I feel bad because I bought my hubby shoes from there. My rc elites I buy at fleet feet! I am glad you feel better and sometimes the og variant isn't detected on home tests. They have to do a more in depth test at the doctors. I only know that since I had pneumonia in April and my doctor said it had been detected so I had to have had it at some stage? The home tests were all negative and the ones I had taken at the docs before that. That Tesla is fancy! Love the white! I'm still into my Mini Cooper and we have a Prius... but you did have significant drives! I just worry about charging ports being available!