<p>I’m sure it’s been asked before, but I’m too lazy to try to search for the answer … How do you know when it’s time for new running shoes, especially if they’re not visibly broken down/worn out? Do you go by mileage? I can’t “feel” by wearing them that mine are ready for replacement, so I’m not sure how to judge.</p>
<p>I track my mileage on a spreadsheet along with how many miles the current pair of shoes have been used. I also keep a watch for Plantars Fasciitis. I had a twinge yesterday morning which means that I need to recycle my tennis shoes (they look and feel worn). Our office participates in the Nike athletic shoe recycling program and we have boxes where we can drop off shoes for recycling.</p>
<p>I have wide feet. I have never found a pair of Nikes that fit well, even with the size ranges that the local (excellent) running shop offers. Lately I’ve been buying Asics Gel Kayano; I need the stability and they don’t crowd my toes. My running store has treadmills. If it is something other than “another pair of the same, please” – they get you up on the treadmill, and you walk or run while they video you, and you try out different shoes until you’re pretty neutral on your foot strike. I walk rather than run, but tend to pronate rather severely. </p>
<p>I might order replacement shoes on-line if I went through pairs very quickly, but the value of getting someone who knows what they’re doing and the local store with the wide selection is worth the fifteen bucks I’d save by ordering on-line. I know I’m lucky to live in a big time running town, but you might have similar resources available to you.</p>
<p>D’s HS XC coach really emphasized to us (the parents) the importance of replacing shoes long before they’d been run into the ground – the injury rate really seems to amp up for kids wearing the older shoes.</p>
<p>I’m happy enough to be cheap on clothes for exercising (except socks!) – but I never economize on athletic shoes. Ever.</p>
<p>Running in the rain… 12 miles (8:10 mile :eek:). Where is DH and my coconut water? *%#'@ Grrrr… </p>
<p>I think I will go back on the trail and run a couple more miles - to the brewery ;)</p>
<p>Runners typically replace shoes every 250-500 miles. 250 is on the early end and 500 would be for a very light, efficient runner who doesn’t do anything weird to the outsoles (I tend to drag on the left and wear through outside left edge).<br>
I wouldn’t keep a pair longer than a year even if I didn’t use them much. I think the midsole cushioning breaks down in ways you can’t see.</p>
<p>Agree. I replace my shoes as soon as my feet start to hurt. My doctor – who happens to be a marathon runner – has treated all my foot injuries with two recommendations: Ice, and new running shoes. Works every time. </p>
<p>(Except for this damn plantar fasciitis, which I can’t get rid of.)</p>
<p>Workout today:</p>
<p>I warmed up on the recumbent bike for about 15 minutes.</p>
<p>Intervals
30 seconds on, 30 seconds off with these three exercises:
–Single Arm Kettlebell Swings with 20# KB
–Goblet Squats with 40# KB
–Box Jumps on 24" box</p>
<p>I did 2 sets of 9 minutes. Wasn’t happy with my results today though. Heart rate was up there with averages of 175 and 178 I believe, but I didn’t feel like the workout challenged me as much as I had expected. Also, I was upset because I had to stop due to ankle pain. My left ankle did not like the box jumps today and I actually cut my last set of box jumps down a little bit because of it. I’m not sure what happened…</p>
<p>I tried coconut water for the first time today.</p>
<p>It’s not for me. I really don’t like coconut except for in a very diluted state in coconut rice. Not a problem though - son likes it. We bought a big box of it at Trader Joes.</p>
<p>Brand and model of running shoe that one prefers is really personal preference. Fit on your feet and matched to how you run is most important.</p>
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<p>Well, that’s the whole point of such shoes (or running completely barefoot). They force you to adopt a running style that does not depend on a running shoe’s support and cushioning, with a mid/fore foot landing that uses the foot itself as the shock absorber. Some people like it; others do not.</p>
<p>I’ve visited this thread occasionally and am quite impressed with what I see. I guess it’s time to join the thread as I’ve recently discovered that my blood pressure is too high. My doctor considers it borderline high but over the last two days it suddenly shot up and it feels scary (my father suffered from high blood pressure and then died suddenly from a heart attack when he was my age). My cholesterol, etc. is very good, my health is basically okay, but I’m about 30 pounds overweight. I do exercise regularly. I walk and hike in the hills nearby, I go to Curves, I treadmill or do an exercise video that has both aerobics and yoga-like stretches.</p>
<p>I was a very thin child and teenager and very thin through my twenties even after two kids, thin after my third kid in my early thirties and then didn’t lose quite so easily after my fourth was born at 36. Since then, I’ve continued to struggle. First I was just a little bit overweight but, as I’ve gotten older, the pounds have crept on. I’ve lost weight a few times, but it always comes back with a few extra pounds. My doctor suggested I try to lose just five pounds for now. He thinks it might be just enough to bring my blood pressure down without medication. So I guess that’s my goal for now. Of course, I’d love to lose more (which I think will be easier to do when my son, the foodie, goes off to college in 18 months) but I think I need a realistic short-term goal.</p>
<p>mimk6:</p>
<p>Yep. I know all about losing five pounds! That’s a great way to look at it.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are doing a good bit of exercising. That’s fantastic. Push the pace goiing up the hills. That’s great for fat loss.</p>
<p>It seems pretty clear that fat loss is all about diet. It doesn’t require starvation, but it does require a caloric deficit – eating less than you burn – on a consistent, sustained basis. We’ve all got to figure out where we can cut 100 calories here, 100 calories there. 500 fewer calories a day is a pound a week of fat loss, which is an ambitious target. It is, however, surprisingly easy to find 500 junk calories a day. </p>
<p>A lot of research is starting to show that carbs – sugars and grains and starches – are probably the place to start cutting.</p>
<p>I feel so bad for my wife. She has decided to go hard-core diet, keeping a food journal, tracking caloies, etc. She’s eating 1000 - 1200 calories a day, basically starvation level. She has totally bought the low-fat jihad and the breakdown on her food journal is basically all carbs. Low protein and vitutally zero fat. Egg whites. Low fat this. Low fat that.</p>
<p>I mentioned that research is strongly suggesting that the whole lo-fat thing isn’t necessarily the answer and that carbs appear to be the problem for most of us (she’s Type 2 diebetic). She took my head off and said that just because I’ve lost weight doesn’t mean I know anything about dieting. Well, alrighty then…</p>
<p>I feel bad for her because she’s going to starve herself, be absolutely miserable, and probably wonder why she’s not seeing results.</p>
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<p>Junk food companies have gotten very good at making low fat junk food.</p>
<p>If low carb becomes huge, they’ll get good at making low carb junk food (besides fried pork rinds and the like).</p>
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<p>Egg whites are pretty much all protein, and are sometimes used by body builders and such as “protein supplements”.</p>
<p>Does your wife exercise?</p>
<p>The egg whites are pretty much the only protein she ate that day. Low fat whole grain pasta for dinner. Fruits and grains and a little bit of low-fat this and low-fat that on the side.</p>
<p>Hey, if she can stick to a 1000/1200 calorie a day high carb diet, more power to her. She’ll probably lose some weight. And, she be miserable starving herself.</p>
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<p>Ancient humans did run barefoot… they just did not have paved trails. In this urban jungle, I’ll stick to my Brooks Glycerins :)</p>
<p>DH finally showed up with the coconut water, 10 minutes after I finished my run. He thought I had another hour to go. When I first tried coconut water, I was very disappointed with the taste. I decided to give it another shot after a long run, and it tasted… heavenly. The 12-pack is almost gone! BC, you have to give it a second chance.</p>
<p>idad, step away from the wife. Repeat after me: Step away from the wife.</p>
<p>You strike me as someone who likes to share his knowledge with other people. We on this thread are all grateful for that – but your wife doesn’t want to hear from you right now. Let her do what she needs to do (which might be, Diet and fail) and just be there to support her. Don’t be her teacher; just be her husband.</p>
<p>And just support her in her desire to try to lose weight. She’s got to find her own path, as we all have.</p>
<p>Lol VeryHappy, that’s good advice. Idad, it’s hard to watch someone doing things the hard way, but at least she is trying. My H is the same way, he either eats everything in sight or tries to eat too little. Neither way works out very well, but I am the last person who can make any suggestions to him :).</p>
<p>I got my 3 workouts in for last week. That makes two weeks in a row. It’s much easier now that I’ve accepted that this is about the best I can do right now. I can see that once my son leaves for college I’ll have more time for exercise, so I’ll try to add another day when that happens.</p>
<p>I feel sorry for idad because she is going to be absolutely miserable! It’s hard to watch someone close to you be stupid.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus- I am well-versed in the barefoot/minimalist trend. I was summarizing the Minimus shoe for others. I DO believe there is a lot of benefit in less structured shoes if used properly and with a ramp up. I’ve done it for years. As I have reported, I have been known to wear Vibram 5 Finger shoes to work, and for 1-2 mile runs on softer surfaces. The Minimus is a good shoe for forefoot strikers (which I am) but not for everyone.</p>
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<p>Yep. Good advice. I think it’s great that she’s keeping a food journal and writing down everything she eats. And, hey… the surgeon general says that the diet she’s following is the best way to lose weight and combat health issues, so who am I to argue.</p>
<p>I am enjoying the nutrition info on all of the low-fat granola bar and yoghurt snacks. They make it sound so healthy and then you look at the bottom line and it’s like:</p>
<p>100% carbs
0% protein
0% fat</p>
<p>I should try the Red Twizzler diet! Those are low fat. It’s no wonder there’s an obesity epidemic. We are bombarded with nutrtritional advice thatis used to put a “healthy-eating” rationalization on diet that will pack on the pounds. It’s really frustrating because my wife has Type 2 Diebetes, so she is definitely caught in the insulin resistant > eat carbs > spike sugar > produce more and more insulin > store more fat cycle. It seems crazy to me to be taking medicine to lower blood sugar while eating a high-carb diet.</p>
<p>As the Stanford researcher points out, you have to eat something and the tradeoff is always fat versus carbs. If you don’t eat fat, you will eat carbs and if you stop eating carbs, you will eat fat.</p>