Are your trainer shoes still protecting your feet?

Your trainer shoes play an important role - protect your feet and keep them injury free. But your running footwear can't keep it up forever. There comes a time when even the best running shoes will lose their cushioning and fail to properly support your feet - even though your trainer shoes look okay. So how do you know when it's time to retire you athletic footwear?

That all depends on how much abuse you subject your trainer shoes to. Are you a 275 pound weight lifter on even days and a pounding runner on odd days? If so, your running shoes won't last as long as the running footwear worn by the 107 pound girl next door.

The life of your trainer shoes depends on factors like weight, height, running style and even the surface you regularly run on. Typically you should buy new running footwear after you have logged 350-500 miles on your shoes.

Consider the fact that running shoes are much cheaper than paying your sports doctor for the injuries you might suffer. The thought of stopping their running program is enough for most runners to order another pair of their favorite trainer shoes. In fact, many athletes will buy two of the same running shoes so they can alternate them every other day. You can extend the life of your training shoes that way.

And one last point. Stay with the same trainer shoes once you discover a brand that works well for you. If you've been injury free for a while, then order the same running shoes - don't switch. Give your running shoes every chance to protect your feet.

For more running information, take a look at the following menu topics:

| Running Shoes |