New Shoes
It’s time to wear in some new trainers.
This is my fourth pair of the same: Asics GT-2150 (D). They’re a wide fitting, as regular fit ones hurt the outsides of my feet. Ten years ago, when I was training for the London marathon, I got a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of my right foot three weeks before the race. It was heartbreaking to have to pull out after all that training, but more so because I’d brought it on myself: I went out in new shoes for a long run without breaking them in.
Despite this bitter lesson, I’m still tempted to pop on the new trainers and dash out for a 6 mile run as soon as they arrive in the post. I always leave it too late to get new ones – my old ones should have been retired at least a month ago. I’ve been putting it off for a few reasons: they’re expensive and I’m going through too many (at 25 miles a week, the recommended 300-500 miles is only 3-5 months); Al Gore; Sweatshops; but mainly because I ran my first marathon, ten years on from the one that never was, in them.
I know they’re not magic shoes, I’ll run another marathon, and at this rate I’ll get through another 30 pairs before I’m 50, so I think I’m ready to bin the old pair and walk around for a bit in my new shoes.
Not a Jogger 
My friend is a pretty serious 400m runner who trains regularly. His coach told him that sprinters can expect to have a pair of shoes last for about a year but if you’re training for distance then 3-4 pairs a year is usual. So you’re 3-5 months is about the average from what he said…
Hmm, I guess we just have to swallow the cost. It’s annoying as my number one pro-running argument to people who don’t run is that it’s free exercise. However, I guess it works out at £15 a month, so that’s a pretty cheap gym membership.