There’s an old saying that evokes a warm and cozy feeling that something delightful is “as comfortable as an old pair of shoes.”

Nice image, but for runners an old pair of shoes is simply anathema. Running in worn-out shoes can cause a host of injuries over time such as shin splints, strained muscles, plantar fasciitis, hamstring strains, knee pain (runner’s knee), tight calves, Achilles tendonitis, possibly even stress fractures.

None of these ailments would be as comfortable as an old pair of shoes. But take heart – a new pair of shoes can help prevent and injuries, so the trick is to know when to replace your running shoes.

Checking with any number of sources in the running community, there seems to be some consensus that the viable life of a running shoe is something between 300 and 500 miles.  Mileage is variable depending on what types of surfaces you run on, how hard you are on your feet in a stride, and your particular style.  The real measurement of when to replace your running shoes has more to do with the feel of each individual.

Most experienced runners will tell you not to look at the tread on the shoe, and the wear on the tread, as a guide. The outsole will wear out much quicker on some running surfaces and terrains, and a worn out outsole doesn’t necessarily mean the shoe is inadequate.

A more telling sign of diminishing running shoe life is in the mid-sole where most of the cushioning and stability comes from; this section generally will break down sooner that the bottom of the shoe since it takes the pounding of your weight.

Many runners keep a training log, so it is a good idea to make a note of when a pair of shoes is purchased and pressed into service, and over time you’ll have a better understanding of how long they last. After a few pairs it’ll be easy to replace them before they begin to feel “flat”. Keep track of your shoes in a runner’s log, write the purchase date in the tongue of the shoe, anything that will help measure longevity.

For many runners, the ultimate test, the goal, the aspiration is the marathon, that 26.2 miles of endurance that has become the measure of maturity in the sport. More than 500,000 Americans finish an entire marathon each year in the U.S., and there are hundreds of sanctioned marathons held throughout the year from one end of the world – the Arctic Circle Marathon in Overkalix, Sweden in June – to the other end – the Antarctica Marathon at King George Island , Antartica in March – and on every continent in between.

With a new season upon us with the Winter Solstice December 21, 2011 (10:30 p.m. MST), there are several winter marathons to look forward to.

The marathon itself was born of something of a legend, as the basic story, dating from 490 B.C., has several variations. The common thread is that a messenger, Pheidippides, was sent from the Battle of Marathon in ancient Greece to Athens to announce that “We have won,” meaning the Spartans had defeated the Persians. Unfortunately for the messenger, he collapsed and died immediately after relaying the message – although it should be noted that perhaps his path was reportedly a lot farther than a modern marathon.

The modern marathon was essentially created for the introduction of the modern Olympic Games held in Athens in April of 1896. While the distance for the marathon wasn’t officially fixed until 1924 (42.195 kilometers, or 26.22 miles), even in 1896 it was closed to that distance and won by a Greek, Spryridon “Spryos” Louis, in 2 hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds. Women got into the Olympic marathon act at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, and today’s athletes do indeed set a blistering pace: the men’s world record, set just this last September 25 in Berlin, is held by Kenyan Patrick Makau at 2h 3:38; for the women the world record is 2h 15:25, set April 13, 2003 in London by Paula Radcliffe of the UK.

And for those of you runners who think you haven’t got the fortitude to withstand a marathon, or at the very least not in record time, consider this: in October at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon a man named Fauja Singh finished the race in a time of 8 hours, 11 minutes and 59 seconds. Mr. Singh is 100 years old.

So take note: here are a few of the marathons coming up over the winter season:

• Walt Disney World Marathon, January 8, 2012, Orlando, FL. Run through Disney World, the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.
• P.F. Chang's Phoenix Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, January 15, 2012, Phoenix, Ariz. Camelback Mountain is the backdrop, with plenty of music, refreshments and, owing to the name, great food.
• ING Miami Marathon, Jan. 29, 2012, Miami, Fla. Flat course through downtown, and along Biscayne Bay
• Austin Marathon, February 19, 2012, Austin, Texas. Texas style through beautiful Austin, with the capitol building and the University of Texas along the way.
• Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon, March 4, 2012, New Orleans, Louisiana. Music all along the way and a big concert at the end.
• SunTrust Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon & CareFirst Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon, March 17th, 2012, Washington D.C. Starts and finishes at RFK Stadium.
• Georgia Marathon, March 18, 2012, Atlanta, Georgia. From Atlanta to Decatur and all the neighborhoods in between.

There are also several marathons being held around the world this winter, and perhaps a few more in the U.S. that we might have missed, so check out MarathonGuide.com, a great source for marathon race information and reviews from runners.

You can run – but you can’t hide from winter.

Colorado has close to 300 and some days of sunshine every year, but, yes, those things over there to the west are high-altitude mountains and the great overall weather will be interrupted periodically by cold, snow and ice. This requires a great pair of winter boots for navigating the drifts, slush and the slick passages.

We’re Boulder Running Company, and we specialize in everything for the running enthusiast. But even we have to slog through our share of snow storms and cold temperatures and we want to do it with more than a sense of fashion. That’s why we also carry winter boots of all kinds, for hiking and just handling our way to work, for men, women and children.

The good news for women is that winter boot trends this year have you covered – your feet are covered, and there’s a boot to cover every occasion from hiking and casual wear, to stylish pairs that compliment any outfit.

Men’s boots are, well, boots, and while there are changes from time to time it’s nothing like what happens on the distaff side of the boot equation. Every year for women fashions change, and here’s the latest in Women’s Winter Boots for the 2011-2012 season.

For women’s winter boots this year there are booties, ankle boots and knee-high boots that will cover a trek to the store or a night out on the town.

The biggest trend this year is for fur and faux fur trims and shearling-lined boots of all kinds for a dash of warmth and a full complement of style. They even come with heels of varying heights – not a typical fashion statement for a pair of winter boots – so function doesn’t necessarily have to give way to fashion, or vice versa. The trend seems to be for chunky and wedge-heeled boots, especially heeled and tall winter dress boots.

On the dressier side, look for mid-calf lace-up boots with belt straps – Sorel and Baffin have excellent styles. For more casual boots, Sorel, Baffin and The North Face have chimed in with suede boots, with lace-up styles, full suede with no accents, and two-toned suede boots with decorative and functional strap buckles. The North Face also has a moccasin-inspired boot, The Janey, in full waterproof suede, faux fur lining, its proprietary Ice Pick rubber soles for gripping on ice, and featuring cotton laces up the back and a side zipper. Very stylish.

For the more functional and intrepid winter hiker, there are high boots and ankle boots from Sorel and Baffin, featuring laces or accent-color fashion-laces, that will trek a mountain path or help with navigation on the Pearl Street Mall.

One of the more interesting trends in women’s boots this season is for what people are calling “puffy” or “quilted” styles. We carry several styles from Tecnica that they call Moon Boots, and they look a little like high-fashion down jackets done in a rugged footwear style – all featuring lace-up fronts.

When it comes to the lace-up boot styles for women, obviously fashion is a goal, but also consider the great function of the laces: they are there also to close the boot tightly to keep the cold and snow from getting to the feet, so look for laces that do the job.

Runners run for a variety of reasons – health, fitness, training, weight loss, peer-group bonding, exhilaration – but we share a common theme: goal-setting and achieving that goal. It takes hard work and as all runners know, that “work” becomes a matter of lifestyle. Monitoring the activity with real-time data is a great tool on the road to success.

For many runners the centerpiece of the data-collecting is a heart rate monitor that not only helps in setting goals, but tracks progress as well.

Heart rate monitors today are more than mere measuring devices for beats per minute: they can help establish benchmarks for resting heart beats and maximum heart rates, monitor and time workouts in target zones for such things as building endurance, aerobic and anaerobic workouts, measure and store data for lap and split times, count calories burned, track weight, body fat, body water, dehydration and more. And some monitors even can connect people to running communities where progress reports and routines can be shared and compared, and new ideas can be discussed.

Essentially, there are two kinds of heart rate monitors: the chest strap and the finger monitor. Most all are connected wirelessly to a wrist-watch device which collects and displays data. The chest-strap types are more accurate while the finger monitors are less expensive yet slightly less accurate.

Here at Boulder Running Company we are all about supporting runners at all levels. As such, we carry a variety of heart monitors and related accessories to help runners any way we can. We even carry such devices made specifically for women with slimmer wrist bands, more decorative readouts and color choices.

Included in our array of monitors, however, are several devices that are not heart monitors, but rather help manage a range of the other types of data mentioned above, with some available to connect with heart monitors and measure the data. Beyond heart monitoring, these devices offer a vast array of data collection services, in many cases using GPS to track time and distance. Depending on the sophistication these devices maintain a memory of data provided to monitor progress over time, help establish benchmarks, and connect to computers and then manufacturer-run websites that can run even more data and provide more calculations of data points.

The American Heart association has established the following chart for Heart Rate Target Zones by age, but of course personal physical shape determines each individual’s proper levels.

Heart Rate Target Zone

50-85% Avg. Maximum Heart Rate 100%

Age      Beats/min      Beats/min

20        100–170              200

25        98–166                195

30        95–162                190

35        93–157                185

40        90–153                180

45        88–149                175

50        85–145                170

55        83–140                165

60        80–136                160

65        78–132                155

70        75–128                150

The object of the chart is to set ranges of heart beats/minute for various aerobic zones.

• For endurance, a great area for weight-loss programs, workouts are recommended in the 60% to 70% range. It’s good for burning fat and calories, and also for the cardiovascular system and developing muscular efficiency.
• For aerobic exercise, the recommended range is 70% to 80%, and is meant for cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and weight management. The body burns mostly fat and carbohydrates in this zone.
• Anaerobic workouts are in the range of 80% to 90% and are used for interval workouts or consistent speed. At this zone, breathing will be heavy and muscles tired.
• The maximum range is 90% to 100% of recommended levels, and is used by elite athletes in short intervals to aid in enhancing speed.

There are additional heart monitors and related monitoring devices, such as foot pods for measuring time and distance, and some of these devices can also be used for biking. Also, heart rate monitors and the other data collection features are good for walkers too.