Ultimately, it depends on your goals as a runner and what you are training for. Running shoes will typically last for 350-500 miles. The range is so large because several things play a factor in determining the life of the shoes. The biggest factor however, is how often you are using the shoe. Every time you run, walk, or stand in your running shoes the foam in the sole compresses. That foam can take from 24 to 36 hours to fully decompress. Letting the foam full decompress between uses will prolong the useful life of your shoes. When you use your shoes day after day and never give the foam a chance to decompress, the foam will break down at a faster-than-normal rate.

Buying two pairs of identical shoes and rotating them each day you run will give your shoes the amount of time you need to decompress and help prolong the useful life of your running shoes. There is an old saying, buy two, get the life of three. To make sure you don’t get them confused, take a permanent marker and mark a “1″ on the first pair and at “2″ on the second.

So where do you draw the line? How much running do you need to do to warrant rotating two pairs of shoes? A good general guideline to follow is this, if you are running more than 4 days per week then yes, you could benefit from rotating running shoes and will see an increase in shoe life.

Written by Jay Pedersen