I am about to run my first marathon on September 24. The problem (and it really isn't a problem so much as it is an annoyance) is that the rubber sole is separated from the foam part of the sole on part of my right shoe. It's been that way for a while and it hasn't gotten worse, but I was wondering if anyone has tried to use glue of any kind to get the sole to re-adhere.

I don't want to just trash the shoes, first of all because I'm cheap, and second of all because I've trained in these shoes and breaking in new shoes right now is not a good idea. But if there is a good glue that can hold the sole together I can probably get quite a few more months out of the shoes.

Thanks for any help.

P.S. I have tried one brand of super glue (can't remember what it's called), but it didn't hold. It wasn't a major name brand, though.

I've used urethane adhesive from Home Depot for this kind of thing; works good, at least for a while.

Shoe Goo!

I've heard from my old college running club that running shoes should be replaced ever 300 miles.

I don't remeber the reasons to why nor can I back that information up. But I would replace if I were you...

Walk around in them for a week to break in.

Thanks for the replies.

Contact cement or spray adhesive (home depot/ auto stores) https://www.uline.com/BL_8050/3M-Aerosols would work..... I really like the spray adhesives...just fixed a strap on by bike shoes with some 3M stuff.


but has a clyde with knee problems I would be really carefull about wearing out shoes........unless there is a structural problem it sounds like there is chance these shoes are at end of life for good running support.

Get new shoes now! If you are having seperation it is one of two things. Defualt in the shoe, or you have way too many miles on them. Mid soles break down in compression. I normally switch mine out about every 400 to 500 miles (about 5 months). I am amazed at how much better the new pair feel each time. Better cushion, more bounce. First marathon! Get new shoes and get them broken in before your big day. Stick with the same shoe you are in now. Breaking in will not take long. A few runs. Don't take a chance on trying to reglue the sole back for such a big race. Spring for a new pair. You deserve it!

Well, the separation happened pretty early in the shoe's lifetime (probably less than 3 months in) and I've just been dealing with the annoyance. I just used some Shoe Goo (thanks, Lester) and fixed that part of it. I have to say that my feet have not felt any discomfort, so I'm not feeling compelled to buy new shoes just yet.

Maybe someone can point me to some unbiased studies, but I tend to think the idea that shoes need to be replaced after a certain number of miles is a myth perpetuated by the shoe companies (and repeated by endorsed athletes and coaches) in order to boost sales. That's not to say that shoes don't indeed wear out and need to be replaced, but that depends on a great deal more factors than "miles" put on them. How heavy your footfall is, where you run, the quality of the shoe in the first place, etc. I will replace my shoes for sure, but my feet will tell me when that time comes.

Don't use superglue. It'll just crack and break. Rubber cement, of whatever variety.

My husband has run several ultras in shoes with well over 600 miles on them. I wear shoes with no cushion in the first place, so I'm obviously one to agree with you.

Have a great race this weekend!

I've always just replaced by shoes at the beginning of heavy seasons. I agree whole-heartedly with you on this. Running in college you see a lot of different opinions on this sort of thing. I think the majority of people changing shoes with under 500 miles on them were paranoid about injuries. We mostly ran on country roads (gravel, grass, dirt...etc) so the miles we put on the shoes didn't really weaken the support as much as concrete or asphalt would.

I never had any issues with injuries and would run in my shoes for 600-750 miles or upwards. I actually ran in a pair for nearly a year (well over 1k) and just kept buying quality insoles because I couldn't find shoes that fit the same anymore.

My cross country coach (back when I used to run) always was one for the 500 mile thing, but he was a hardcore marathoner who once a year would buy 4-6 pairs of the same shoe (new balance something or other) and alternate those every day so they wore evenly and then replaced at the end of a year or when he felt they were all worn out.

Yea, just do a search on "how long running shoes last". There is a ton of information from reputable sources that center in around 400 miles. I buy two pairs at a time and mark them with the date. I normally rotate daily. Longer if a pair get wet from rain.

Not that anyone's asking, but I thought I'd give a quick update on how my marathon went. The course comprised of two loops: the first loop was 6.2 miles long (so all of the 10K racers stopped there) and a second loop that was 6.9 miles long (making the total length 13.1 miles). Half-marathoners did the two loops once, full marathoners did it twice. You can see the course map here.

The weather was lovely and so was the scenery. I was having an absolute blast most of the time feeling lots of adrenaline and whatnot. I started nearing the wall at around mile 19 or so and officially hit the wall at mile 21. Part of the problem (and I emphasize that this was only PART of the problem) was that there was almost a 2.5 mile stretch without an aid station and I ran out of water pretty soon into it. It was stupid of me not to have filled up completely at the aid station at the beginning, but it was also kind of bad support. Bottom line was when I finally got to the aid station I was completely beaten and could not jog any more of the uphill sections. Of course, the route had about 3500 feet total of climbing, so that meant that for a good chunk of the final 5 miles (probably 2.5 miles) I was walking (though I did force myself to jog the downhill sections).

I ended up finishing 38th out of 45 and my time was 5:59:20. Considering that my goal was to finish, I have nothing to complain about. I can't help but feel that on a course at low elevation (this race was probably close to 8000 ft elevation) that is relatively flat I would have gone much faster (and potentially been able to jog the whole time), but I accomplished everything I hoped to.

Recovery took about 3 hours, but by 6:00 or so I was fine with just a little bit of soreness.

Final thoughts: I was pretty sure at the end of the race and for a few hours afterwards that I would never want to run a marathon again, but in the 24 hours since then I've decided that I do want to do it again next year and see how much I can improve.

Congratulations! That is a huge accomplishment! Sounded like a tough course. No doubt you will run it again next year smarter and at a big improvement in time.