Introducing- The Mino!

By: Erin Ernest

Social Media Coordinator

     When Aaron Burke,  CEO of Paraware, LLC was writing his graduate school thesis, he had big ideas in mind.  He was brushing his teeth one morning and it came to him that toothbrushes had a strip on them to let users know when they were worn out and when it was time to replace them.   Burke had just taken up running again and thought to himself how wonderful it would be if there was a way for his running shoes to make that same determination for him; and thus keep him from running on worn out shoes that would make him more prone to injury.   That day, the idea for the mino was born. 

     Most running specialty stores tell customers that it's best to replace your shoes every 300-500 miles in order to avoid injuries.   This wide range of mile leaves a big chance for error as every runner is unique.  Two runners could get a different lifespan out of the same pair of shoes depending on a wide range of factors such as stride and weight.    The mino resolves the problem, by sliding right under the sock liner of any pair of running shoes that is measured in compression life and measuring each compression the runner makes rather than simply measuring the mileage.  The mino comes equipped with 6 LED lights that gradually light up by pressing down on them to let the runner know where exactly in a lifespan their shoe is.   All a runner needs to do is lift up their sock liner every 3-4 weeks to chart progress.   When the last light is lit, it indicates to the runner that it's time to get a new pair of running shoes or risk the chances of injury. 

     Many customers question the comfort level of the mino as it slides under the sock liner of your shoe.  The mino is very thin at roughly 2.5 mm thick, and we also include a "spacer" for the other shoe, should you feel off balance.  Many of our customers indicate to us that they only feel the mino in their shoe for the first couple of minutes it's in the shoe, then they don't even know it's there. 

     Paraware LLC, the maker of the mino is a Boston based start up with a small, but spirited team of dedicated folks focused on customer service.  It is our belief that you should be able to "run worry free" and enjoy the scenery and head clearing opportunity that running affords you - not be worried about running the risk of injury due to running in shoes that are past their prime!   Stay tuned to our blog for a wide range of interesting topics submitted by both our staff and our readers.   If you ever have a topic of interest for us or want to share your thoughts with us, we'd be happy to post them here on our blog for you.   Send your ideas to us at runner@parawarellc.com. 

Happy (and injury free) running!