How late is too late to change shoes before a big race? There are no hard and fast rules, but essentially it\u2019s never too late. And besides, rules are made to be broken aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n
Whilst old shoes are comfortable and familiar, they\u2019re tired from all the training you\u2019ve done! Shoes lose cushioning, and responsiveness as they age, and the older your shoes are, the greater your injury risk. You may have forgotten how good a new pair of shoes can feel to run in! You\u2019ll know as soon as you do that your old shoes are ready for the garden.<\/p>\n
Running in brand new shoes on race day is not recommended, but it has been done many times before. The cushioning materials used to manufacture shoes these days are fantastic. Your shoes should be comfortable right from the get go, and you shouldn\u2019t need to wear them in at all.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s still recommended that you run in new shoes a couple of times during training prior to race day. Ideally you want to purchase new shoes a couple of weeks prior to race day, and run in them a few times. If you\u2019re running in a different type\/style of shoe compared to what you\u2019re used to, it can take a couple of runs to get used to a different feeling.<\/p>\n
Running in a more relaxed and controlled environment means you have the time and ability to deal with potential issues, should they arise. Doing some longer running as well as some faster speed\/tempo efforts in these shoes during training will ensure that the shoes will be comfortable and suitable for your race.<\/p>\n
Article written by: Emily Donker (podiatrist, runner and running coach at intraining Running Centre<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n