leftover shoes

I have a lot of running shoes. I tend to retire them after about 400 or 500 miles of running. One pair went 600 and still felt great. A couple pairs only made it to 300. It’s hard to know when a shoe is done. You just sort of get a certain feeling - a dull feeling.

It’s amazing how good and new a pair of shoes can look after a few hundred miles. I usually keep wearing my favorites as regular around-town shoes. Recently, though, I’ve been wondering if this is not such a good idea. Running shoes are designed to be worn while running. In particular, they have a high cushioned heel to absorb the shock of repeated heel-strike impacts.

Maybe a high heel isn’t the best sole for standing and walking. Maybe it doesn’t allow for proper stretching/lengthening of hamstrings and calves. I’ll keep this in mind but I’ll probably end up continuing to wear old running shoes around just because it’s easy – because they’re all over the house.