This is not going to be the longest story. Just a friendly reminder, an acknolwedgment perhaps, that yes, your shoes matter and yes they do expire. Modern running shoes are quite fantastic but, they have a finite lifespan, that is really not marketing, just a fact.

One of the mistakes I made early on is assuming that running shoes are basically finished when they look worn out. As long as I kept them clean and tidy, and the bottom looked relatively ok, surely they were fine. I quite frankly never gave it that much thought until a friendly running partner pointed it out for me.

(Un)fortunately, your legs and hips usually know the truth long before your eyes do.

The cushioning and foam inside a running shoe gradually lose their ability to absorb impact, even if the upper still looks great and the outsole still has plenty of tread left. A modern running shoe can look perfectly fine while quietly becoming less comfortable and less protective.

Watt I’ve Learned

As a very general rule, most daily training shoes are designed to last somewhere between 500 and 800 kilometers. Some runners get a little more, some a little less, depending on factors like body weight, running style, terrain, and the specific shoe model.

The important thing is to keep an eye on mileage rather than appearance alone. You have a handy setting for that in Strava for example, use it, it is for free (at least it is at the time of this writing, which can quickly change with Strava :-)) and it will remind you in time to change your shoes.

Mind you, there is a different rule for the very expensive running shoes, Carbon plate, super foam, eye-watering price tag.

These shoes are fast (if you run fast enough), but durability is often not their primary design goal. While some newer models are improving, many carbon-plated race shoes start losing their magical “pop” much sooner than a traditional training shoe (!!!). Depending on the model there is a noticeable decline in performance somewhere between 200 and 400 kilometers. Much earlier than for your main trainers that you use during training

Keep track of the mileage on each exact pair of trainers, it takes almost no effort. And do not expect them to last forever. If they still look good, maybe use them as your casual shoes in the city or so, but not as your running shoes.