When is it time to replace your running shoes?  It’s not an exact science and I am never quite sure if I time it right.

This evening my workout was a 50 minute run that included some hill sprints at the end.  Just like my run on Tuesday, my legs felt tired as I ran for about 40 minutes ahead of the hill sprints. The hill sprints went quite well, but I forgot about my legs because I was breathing so hard.

When my legs feel like this for more than a couple of runs, my mind goes in search of an answer and during easy runs is a great time to think.  My thoughts tonight were … 

Is it my shoes getting too old?  Conclusion: it could be a factor.  The shoes that I ran in tonight, and on Tuesday, are not new.  I have done 63 workouts in them, for a total of 320 miles (yes, I track these things).  In the past, I have retired the same brand of shoe at distances anywhere between 300 and 440 miles.  It might be time to replace this pair, so I’ll buy a new pair and try them out.  If I feel a noticeable difference, then these will be retired.

Is it my legs are fatigued from the hard bike sessions I have in this training block?  Conclusion: it could be a factor.  I do know that my legs are basically toast at the end of the hard bike sessions I have been doing these past few weeks.  I’m doing big gear intervals or up to 25 sprint intervals.  These are workouts that I do at high power and pushing that amount of power repetitively definitely fatigues my legs.    

Am I getting enough nutrition?  Conclusion: it could be a factor.  This one is easy to overlook but food is fuel and insufficient fuel certainly leads to a tired feeling.  You will recall from my blog on Monday, that I started tracking my food intake this week.  How can tracking my food intake be a factor here?  The answer is, I track my food to stop me eating bad stuff, like the candy and cakes that are ever present at work.  Not eating bad stuff is good for me, but it also means I have likely reduced my total calorie intake significantly too.  So guess what, I might not be getting enough calories.  This one is easy to fix and I will increase my calorie intake for a day or two to see if that helps.

So you see, it’s complicated.  If I had been eating more calories and doing less strenuous bike workouts, would my legs be feeling bad on my runs?  Maybe I would be feeling fine and I wouldn’t be questioning if it’s time to retire my shoes. 

So it’s time to change a few things and if I change them one at a time, I might educate myself for the future.  Time to go eat !!