No posts for a long time but I’m back!

Hey - I’ve been running on my own without the forum - but I miss it!took all the advice of too far too fast and I’ve scaled back to 6 km - mostly trying to be consistent and steadily building up speed. I do a fast run once a week of 5 km and then slower slightly longer runs for a while. Cycling and strength training also helps my knees if I’m good about doing it. Happy running guys - one question- how do you know when you need new shoes? They feel fine but how do you know? (There is likely a post somewhere on here already - but I’m lazy and like attention 😆)

[nowster Graduate10]

Welcome back!

The usual advice is not to fixate on speed but to gradually increase distance/duration and the pace will naturally pick up.

On shoes:

* Look at the soles. Are parts worn down so that the pattern is no longer visible in places?

* Do they feel less springy?

* Are the seams starting to fail?

Usually you should get between 600 and 800 km out of a pair, but that varies a huge amount depending on manufacturer and your own technique.

I'm finding that as I get more experienced, my natural stride length has increased a bit, which means less wear per distance covered, and my shoes are lasting for longer distances.

I tend to need a new pair every six months, and typically they'll have covered about 800 km (500 miles) in that time.

[Hidden in reply to nowster]

Thanks - I use Strava now but the free version with my Apple Watch is there something that keeps track on there? I have no idea how far I’ve gone but I guess if I have nothing else to do I could add it up. I’ve been in these shoes for 9 months I’d say.

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, you can add shoes to Strava, and it'll track their use. You might need to do it through the website interface rather than the app, though.

[Yesletsgo Graduate10]

When I started c25k I used running shoes that had been languishing almost unworn in the cupboard for 10 years. Six months later I pulled a ligament and went to see a physio. He took my shoes and flexed them. They folded in half. He explained that this meant they were no longer giving any support, hence the injury.Garmin Connect has the ability to automatically track how far you've run in your shoes. Current pair have 357 km on them and are still fine. I think the advice is to renew every 500-600km depending on things like your weight, your running style etc.

I've also seen it suggested that you should buy a new pair before the old ones run out so that you can break them in if you've got a race or event coming up. Hmm, reminds me, it's my birthday soon ....

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

He'd have had conniptions with my shoes. Next to no support and they can roll up. 🤣