Running Shoes

Originally Posted by Ed

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Originally Posted by neio79

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You are very lucky boys ...

The way I see it is the same as with so many things. As an analogy, not many would recommend using very worn tyres on your bike, you CAN and there is a good chance it'll never be/cause a problem, but you have to realise you are at more risk of losing traction, handling, getting punctures more easily doing so ...

Common sense would dictate replacing tyres before you HAVE to (i.e. they are illegal, worse still down past the canvas )... also the more miles you do, the more frequently it'd need to be ... finally the more scabby a rider you are, the more you need the safety margin newer tyres give ... (analogous to having dodgy joints, feet etc).

Originally Posted by hovis

yeah......... but in the 3 years you have only run twice (to the chippy & back)

i think not my yellow loving friend!! done mre than my fair share of road running given my job

Need to get myself a new set of road shoes, my Mizuno Waves are coming up to 3 years old, and have done a marathon, a 20k, two triathlons, two duathlons and numerous road runs for training, time to demote them to gym duties. On a couple of recent runs my feet have been a little less comfy than normal.

I've a nice pair on Inov-8 off road shoes, great in the mud and on the trails. Going to use them in anger for the first time tomorrow as I'm doing my first ever adventure race, 5 hrs of running and MTBing hell no doubt. My fittness has been going down hill since christmas (food, drink, flu etc) so it's going to be a physical and mental battle. Sorry for the derail.

Some peeps on here might get away with using a pair of running shoes for a couple of years, but impact damage to the joints doesn't always manifest itself straight away, it could take years before you are aware of any damage and by them its far far too late.

I've done my fair share of running over the years, been a coach at my local running club etc.

Without boring y'all with my medical history, I was forced to stop running in June of last year as my consultant decided the my diabetes was out of control and it was time to start on insulin injections. My weight had plummetted to UNDER 10 Stone. I was told to stop for about 5 months to give my self time to adjust to the insulin and for my body to adjust and my weight to return to normal. I had just bought a new pair of NIKE's at £80 and only run in them about 10 times.

I started running again in November, and found that my cardio was really quite good considering the lay off, and started with a couple of light jogs, buliding up to 5 miles, (but not really pushing it). Anyway after 4 weeks i was back at the doctors as my knees were in agony. It turns out that my weight had gone up about 2 and half stone (just returning to normal), but the extra impact on the knees had given me tendonitis,,,,,,,,,,,,

BUT what really sticks in my mind is the comment passed about my running shoes. Had they not been so new I may have done some PERMANENT damage.

My doctor is also a keen runner (veteran of about 8 marathons and a dozen plus halfs, countless 10k's.), so really knows what he is on about and one of his interests as a doc is fitness/sports injuries etc. I know a couple of sunday footballers/rugby players who only see him if they have an injury.

My advice would be to get shoes recommended by a specialist running shop and change then every 600 miles/12 months whichever comes first. Remember the shoes might feel fine, but you cannot see/feel impact damage until its too late.