Six Care Tips For Your Running Shoes

Running is a physical activity and your shoes are constantly subjected to a lot of elements as well as stress. So if you want to run with them a little longer, here are some running shoe care tips.

1. It is always best that you stick to the sport specific rule, which means that you do not use your running shoes for walking, playing basketball and any other activity other than running. If you treat your running shoes like cross-trainers, it will result fast wear off of the cushioning.

Keep in mind that some activities require a specific kind of footwear. Like for basketball, you will certainly need a pair of basketball shoes; in tennis, you will have to wear tennis shoes; in football, you will need football cleats and in trekking, you do need hiking or trekking boots. Use your running shoes only for running. In this way, you will help lengthen or preserve the cushioning.

2. It has become a habit for some of us to take off our running shoes while the laces are still tightened and tied. This is not good practice because it will result to unnecessary stretching and even tearing on some parts of your running shoes. The laces can stretch making them less efficient in securing the shoes to your feet.

When taking off your running shoes, whether you are in a hurry or not, always loosen the shoes laces before you take them off. Loosening the shoe laces will allow you to easily remove your shoes without straining some parts of it.

3. There are times while running when we accidentally step on a puddle or a wet spot. This usually happens when we run in the morning after a rainy night. When this happens, our running shoes end up wet.

Just because it is made mostly of rubber and cloth doesn't mean that we can just stuff them inside the closet without drying them. In fact, drying your running shoes is one essential way to preserve it and it also prevents them from getting all smelly and squishy. So after each run, always air dry your shoes. Do not store them moist or else the fibers will weaken.

4. Having an alternate is another way to preserve the life of your running shoes. When you have an alternate, you don't really subject your running shoes to a lot of stress because it gets time to rest. Letting your shoes rest will actually lengthen their lifespan and you get to use them longer without having to replace them as often as possible. Your running shoes can decompress and completely dry out before you use them again.

5. Do not leave your running shoes just anywhere. Storing them properly will certainly help preserve them. Store your running shoes in well ventilated areas where these can air out naturally. Avoid leaving them inside your gym bags where these can stay moist for days or your car trunk where these can be subjected to extreme changes in temperature, which is not good for the fibers and other materials used to manufacture your running shoes.

6. When you need to clean your running shoes, do not just simply dump them inside the washing machine. Remember that your running shoes are not machine washable so if you want to clean them, use a clean cloth, a scrub, mild soap and of course water for rinsing.