How To Break In Running Shoes | Painless Running for Road or Trail

Last updated on April 13th, 2021 at 10:51 pm

Elite level marathoners and novice runners all have one thing in common: Breaking in shoes. Whether an experienced runner or not, new running shoes often require a break-in period before taking them out for a full long-distance run.

Breaking in running shoes often starts with wearing them around the house, gradually increasing the mileage in them and not being afraid to wear them in any condition. After a week or two your running shoes can be worn regularly without pain.

Do Running Shoes Need to Be Broken In?

The answer to this question varies by runner and also the type of shoe being purchased / worn.

Unless you have been purchasing the same model of shoe for a number of years (and know how it will feel), you will want to break your shoes in before running on the road or trail.

With the above being said, I have found a couple of shoes to be super comfortable right out of the box. The La Sportiva Ultra Raptors for trail running, and the Saucony Endorphin Pro for road running. Either of these fit great the first time I wore them.

If it is my first time buying a shoe though, I ALWAYS spend some time breaking them in before a long run. Below I go through the four steps I always follow to avoid blisters when starting to wear a new pair of shoes.

1. Wear Them Around The House

Wearing your shoes around the house is the most common-sense way to break them in. It is also the best way to wear the shoes extensively without the risk of not being able to return them.

When you wake up one morning, slide your shoes on and try to wear them for a few hours while doing simple chores. It doesn’t matter if you’re vacuuming, doing computer work, or doing laundry, just get used to their feel.

Here are some cool reasons to break your shoes in by wearing them around the house:

You can still return them (usually)
You can get used to the feel of them while going up and down stairs
You’ll get a feel for what type of socks feel best while wearing them
You can slowly increase how long you wear them each day

Once you get a good basic feel for your new pair of running shoes, you can prepare yourself to take them outside.

2. Take Them on Easier Runs First

So, you’ve worn your new pair of shoes around the house a bit… maybe even MORE than a bit. Now you are ready for the real deal. But just because you have gotten a good feel for the shoes doesn’t mean you have to take them on a huge difficult run to start.

At first, go on an easy and slow pace run. Not only that, consider taking this first run in your new shoes around the neighborhood. After all, you don’t want to develop a blister in the middle of nowhere.

After you have gotten a mile or two out of the way, consider keeping the pace slow but increasing the mileage. This will be the first test as to whether your shoes are getting broken in well.

3. Start Wearing Them Consistently

After you start wearing your shoes on a number of longer distance slow runs, you can likely start wearing them more consistently.

Don’t be afraid to put your broken in shoes on for tempo and threshold runs once you feel your at a point where blisters aren’t a potential issue.

Wearing the shoes for a wider variety of runs will only continue to strengthen the bond you feel with your shoes.

It won’t be long until you start to form a real bond with the shoes that you’ll wear for hundreds of miles.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Get Them Wet

My final mantra when breaking in shoes is to wear them just like I plan to run in them. This means I can’t be afraid to get them wet or muddy. It seems counter-intuitive since the shoes are relatively new, but I want to be able to run in them… not look at them.

An added benefit of wearing the shoes through the worst conditions is that it will put them through a workout of their own. As a result they will likely get broken in a bit faster than if you kept them in pristine condition.

How Long Does The Break-in Process Take

You should spend as much time as YOU need to break your shoes in.

Because everyone has different feet, and buys different shoes, there is no standard duration for how long it takes to break in shoes. It usually takes me about a week and a half to get the shoes to a point where I am ready to take them outside for a couple of miles.

Whether you break your shoes in for a day or a month, make sure you take the appropriate time for your feet. Otherwise, you risk developing blisters which could have a larger impact on your running.

Picking The Right Pair of Running Shoes

Picking the right pair of running shoes can go a long way in reducing the risk of blisters. I have also found that certain shoes work very well for my specific feet. Like I said earlier, there are a couple of shoes that I don’t even really need to break in.

If you haven’t found a pair of running shoes that fit comfortably out of the box you can read our post on the best trail running shoes for men and for women to browse some of the top shoes in the sport. We are also working on a few posts on our favorite road running shoes as well.

Regardless of what shoes you’re breaking in, hopefully you do so efficiently so more time is spent wearing your shoes on the road than around your house.

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