When I received the opportunity to test the Mino Shoe Life Tracker, I was excited and skeptical at the same time. As a self-proclaimed avid runner, one of my first concerns is reducing injury, and along with that is knowing when it is time to replace my running shoes. Usually, I guesstimate by looking at my shoes and if the soles look worn, or my feet feel like they are not comfortable any more, then it’s time to replace.
Mino Shoe Life Trackers are designed to take the guesswork out of it. Awesome, right?! However, I still wanted to break down the mechanics of the Mino Shoe Life Tracker. So I decided to do some research before actually putting them to the test. The runmino.com website offers reliable information on this.
My first concern was, how thick are they? Second, will I feel them while running?
The Mino Shoe Life Tracker is about 2.5 mm thick, and weighs less than one half ounce. But with running shoes every millimeter is a concern. So following the easy instructions, I installed them in my running shoes. They install easily under the shoe insoles (light bulb moment). This lessens the ability to feel them. There are 4 blue lights, a yellow, and a red. The red light is calibrated at the 400 mile mark, and the yellow light is calibrated at 350 miles. There is nothing to activate, the Mino Shoe Life Trackers are ready to go once you place them in your shoes.
My running shoes are the Altra Intuition II with zero drop, and I currently have the Altra Women‘s Stability Wedges in them because of heel problems. So adding anything to just the heel portion was a valid concern. Any change can make a huge difference in the way a person runs, thus increasing the potential for injury. So I love that it comes with a spacer for the other shoe. That keeps both shoes at the same level. But you‘re not required to have the spacer installed in the other shoe as the Mino Shoe Life Tracker will still track both shoes. The Mino can go in either the right or left shoe, and are good for any runner/walker shoes. Mino has hit every mark so far.
What I experienced with the Mino Shoe Life Tracker was great. I run primarily on pavement, incline and decline, and never felt the Mino in my shoes. I tested the tracking of the Mino along the way. The lights lit up just like they were calibrated to. Definitely takes the guesswork out of the equation, and it’s pretty amazing to know how many miles you have run on your shoes.
One pair of the Mino Shoe Life Tracker costs $15.00 on their website – runmino.com. In my opinion that‘s a pretty decent price for a 400 mile shoe life tracker that can keep you from running in worn out shoes, and possibly save you from wishing you had purchased the Mino Shoe Life Tracker after an injury.
– Rena