Although the title specifies trainers, I am writing this with all types of athletic shoes in mind : tennis shoes, walking shoes, sneakers, aerobics shoes, basketball shoes, and so on. The principle is in general the same. For brevity, lets just refer to them for the most part as shoes.
We all understand that running shoes have a limited lifespan. The general public keep on wearing them until well past their helpful life has past. In my office, I most commonly will have people tell me that their trainers are many years of age BUT ( insert excuse here... Some of my favorites, "it fits my feet perfectly" ( meaning it's broken down ), the heel is worn out just how I like it ( meaning it has a hole within the shoe ), new shoes just bother me ( meaning that I've used these for so long, the support is too different at that point ), and my most favorite : "they still look new".
Yes, they continue to look new. When all you do is run on the treadmill, use the elliptical, and some stationary bike, and your sneakers have never seen the daylight, naturally they will look new. What's problematic is the part you do not see.
The support and function of a running shoe has nothing or little to do with the overall appearance of the higher part of the shoe or even the sole. It's the midsole, the part of the sole that is mostly invisible from the outside, that has the most function and restricts the helpful lifetime of shoes. With every walk, the midsole compresses and, over time, loses the bulk of its support. I guess the helpful lifetime of a running shoe for road runners to be roughly 350 miles. This amount could be barely shorter for heavier runners and barely longer for lighter ones. For people that really don't run frequently, or partcipate in other sports and activities that can't me measured by mileage, your shoes should get replaced every 4-6 months, depending on the frequency and level of the activity.
So start keeping track of the wear on your shoes. Write the date of the shoe on the tongue or the outsole of the shoe so you know how old it is.
Whenever you are involved in heavy exercise, minor injuries are inevitable. You may do all in your power to reduce them. Wearing the right shoes is one easy way to help you along.
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