When we get panicked clients into the clinic with a niggle weeks before their race. One of the first questions we ask is: Have you changed your shoes recently?
Your body adapts to your shoes, and your shoes adapt to your body. Your wear pattern on the sole of the shoe has been formed by the way you run. How your foot hits the floor. The forces you exert on the ground.
When you change your running shoe, you literally change how your foot hits the floor. This can be beneficial but it can also lead to:
- Pain
- Injury
- Inefficient running
What happens to your body when you change running shoes?
The way you strike to floor impacts everything in running. An old pair of running shoes will have moulded to your feet. So, if you supinate (land on the outside of your feet), you will see this in your shoe, there will be more wear on the heel on the outside of the shoe.
If you pronate (so roll excessively inwards), you will have the opposite issue with. The wear showing on the inside of your sole.
This wear pattern almost reinforces the pronation or supination pattern. Holding the foot in the position it has created over time and miles.
When you change your running shoe, the new shoe hasn’t worn, so it will hold your foot in a different position. This can create issues, especially if you are doing high mileage on the run up to a long-distance event such as a marathon or ultra.
Why changing running shoes alters load and movement.
Changing the worn-out running shoe to a shiny new one will subtly hold your foot in a different position because the new shoe isn’t “worn” down to your specific foot mechanics. As a result, it will affect the forces that move through the foot and leg.
Even subtle changes can create problems, especially if the foot is weak in the first place, and the shoe was doing the lion’s share of the stabilisation work.
When we run, we hit the ground with a force. The ground returns that force with equal load and direction. Altering the running shoe alters that load direction and therefore the way the muscles adapt to the load being placed on it.
For example, if you heavily supinate (or roll outwards), when you land and your shoe is old, it collapses on the outside when you run. Your body and muscles will have adapted to this. It is normal to your body. If you then put a normal shoe on, that has less give and hasn’t moulded to your feet. It will collapse outwards less.
This changes how the forces run through your foot and up into your lower leg. Your muscles will now have to adapt to this change in force direction and that takes time.
Why running injuries often appear before a race.
Prior to a race, you will be peaking in your distance runs. So changing shoes at this point puts the most pressure on your muscles.
Let’s look at 2 scenarios:
- Changing running shoes and going for a 10 minute run, won’t cause any issues, the muscles will accept the new position and adapt. You stop after 10 minutes and the muscles aren’t very fatigued, so all is good.
- Let’s say you changed running shoes and went out for a 2 hour run because you are training for a marathon. Now the muscles have to cope with the new load for a lot longer, as a result it will get fatigued.
It may tell you this by giving you pain, it may just go and find some other nearby muscles to assist it. But that can lead to pain as well. You may get though the run, but the next day you are stiff and sore and don’t know why.
When is it safe to change your running shoes?
It is much better to change your running shoes earlier in the training process. Ideally continue your marathon or specific race training in one pair of shoes and change them after the event. If you have a summer of races, wait until the winter and then transition.
This will allow you to build up with shorter runs, helping your muscles to adapt without causing you pain.
The key message though is to only do this if you are not in pain. If you just feel your running shoes are coming to the end of their life, stick with them until you have finished your upcoming event. We regularly get clients who have changed their shoes a few weeks before their race. They had no pain in their old shoes and they were still working perfectly well. So we just put them back into their old shoes for their race, and then transition them afterwards.
If you are in pain when you run, this is a more tricky situation. We then need to understand whether the shoe is the issue or something else is causing the problem. Old shoes are not always the cause of running pain. Usually we can assess your running and solve the painful issue for long enough for you to complete your race. If necessary, we can then transition you later
If the running shoes are the cause of your pain and really do need to be changed, then it is important we work out the best shoe for your situation. There are training regimes that can get you to where you need to quickly, and there are many types of running shoes available but specialist help is needed at this point.
When should you avoid changing your running shoes?
Definitely avoid changing your shoes within about 6 weeks from your event. Muscle adaptation generally takes around 6 weeks to occur. So changing shoes less than 6 weeks before your race makes muscle adaptation tricky.
How we assess running shoes in clinic.
How you run naturally is key to understanding the best shoes for you. We analyse running by taking you out into the real world and videoing you running.
From there we can see the biomechanics of how you run. How the forces are traveling up your body, and how your muscles are coping with these forces.From there we can see what needs to be strengthened with exercises, and which style of shoe will work best with your natural gait.
For example, just because you over pronate, this doesn’t mean you automatically need a control shoe. We can strengthen your feet reasonably easily and place you in a natural shoe that will last you a lot longer and protect the health of your joints at the same time.
Frequently asked questions about running shoes before a race.
Should I wear new running shoes for race day?
- No, changing shoes close to a race alters load through the body and increases injury risk.
How long does it take to adapt to new running shoes?
- Around 4–6 weeks for your muscles and joints to adjust to the change in load.
Can old running shoes cause injury?
- Sometimes, but pain is more often due to changes in load or movement than the shoe itself.
Should I change my running style when I change shoes?
- Possibly, but would need the help of a specialist.
What should I do if I have pain before a race?
- Get it assessed, the issue is usually how your body is managing load, not just the running shoes.
Final thoughts…
To summarise:
- If you aren’t in pain, keep your shoes until after your race.
- Change shoes after races or in the “down” season.
- If you are in pain, it may not be the shoes get specialist help if your race is imminent.
- If the shoes are the cause, there are ways to transition rapidly with specialist help.
Take a look at how we help Warwickshire runners choose and transition into new running shoes here.
Learn more about how running shoes and biomechanics influence injury risk here