Its no secret that good runners come at a cost so looking after them and increasing their lifespan is wise. There are many different ideas and suggestions you hear through the grapevine on how to care for your trusty kicks. But we’re here to provide the most important hacks and truths about maximising your mileage!
- You often hear people talking about rotating their shoes to extend the lifespan. This is 100% true! Allowing your shoes a 48 hour “rest” in between wears and training with a second pair can increase the life by up to 160km. This is because it takes about that long for the foam and materials to decompress.
- Avoid stacking your shoes, especially placing heavy shoes like boots on top of your lightweight runners. The upper materials are very pliable and crushing them looses the shape.
- It is important to dry your shoes properly, as shoes that air dry on their own tend to shrink. Stuffing the toe box with newspaper helps retain the shape and with water absorption. You may have to replace the newspaper after the first 10 minutes, switch it out and leave it to dry.
- As mums always say, “undo your laces properly” and she was right- no surprises! By untying and lacing them correctly it helps prevent the heel cup from getting crushed and losing support.
- Knowing your shoes birthday is probably the biggest hack. It’s hard to know if their past their use by date especially if your primarily only worn them indoors. If you don’t track every kilometre (most don’t) then write the date you started using them on the side to allow you to estimate your total mileage. A shoes maximum limit is 800km although some more cushioned shoes (like Hoka) need replacing by 480km.