I would recommend bringing them to a reputable dealer & ask them. I always here you should get upwards of 300 miles out of a pair of shoes but I have yet to get that distance. I usually end up getting a new pair at about 200-225 miles. One thing to do is flip the shoes over & look at the bottoms (the heel). Is one side excessively worn? I wear my left shoe quicker then my right. I've learned to identify, based on the wear of my left shoe, when I need a new pair.

Seriously, do yourself a favor & find a good shoe store & bring the shoes in. You can cause plenty of injury by running in poor shoes!

I get 700km (440 miles) out of a pair of shoes. They still look brand new but if I run further than that I start gettting knee pain. I keep a log since at any time I an using 3 different pairs (cushioning, light trail, and light running).

I found a good way to determine how long shoes last me is to track mileage and see when I start getting minor pains in the legs. I did this twice and found in both cases it was between 700 and 800 km.

I also usually get 200-225 miles on a pair of shoes. They still look great, but experience has taught me that 250 miles will mean some injury. I use an excel spreadsheet for my training log. I keep track out my shoe milage there. One of my running buddies does the same thing with 2 pairs that he wears on alternating days. He is able to get more mileage out of each pair than me. Chances are that if you think they are over-done, then they are.

I have a closet full of running shoes that look great, but I won't run in them any more

Most good shoes will give you 400-500 miles before you'll need to change them. If you're only getting 200 miles you are either a big guy or you are training in very lightweight shoes.

Outsole wear and tear is a poor indicator of shoe life. I can take a brand new pair of shoes onto the Dipsea trail and completely shred the outsole but the midsole which provides the support and shock absorbtion will still be intact. Its the midsole...the EVA foam...that gives a shoe its life; once its done so is the shoe. Outsole materials vary in weight and durability and are only there to provide traction.

The best way to tell if a shoe is nearing the end of its useful running life is to rotate in a new pair (I always keep 2-3 pairs of NB 331s in stock) and see if the midsole is compacted compared to the new shoe.

Some runners get over 1000 miles on a pair of shoes and others train year round in lightweight flats. Each to their own.

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"A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy."
John Sawhill

My body has built-in worn out shoe sensors. They're called my knees. When they start hurting it's time to go get some new shoes.

I have always wondered why I haven't gotten the mileage out of my shoes that I should(I still don't know why I don't)? As far as myself, I am 5'9", 155-160 & right now I am in Mizuno Waves I wish I could get another another 150-200 miles out of a pair! I would love to have my gait analyzed but places that do this are hard to come by.

I would not recommend using the number of miles run in a pair shoes as the only indicator as to whether they need to be replaced or not. First, that number would vary greatly among individual users in the same models because of runner's weight, training surface, impact forces, etc.. Weather also will affect the materials of the outsole and midsole. Extreme conditions will shorten the life of the shoe. For me, I know I need to switch shoes when I start to get minor aches and pains in my lower legs or feet. Not injuries, just general achiness. This usually occurs at about 350-375 miles into a pair of 2090s.

-Shawn, ASICS America

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

One of the problems with figuring out the answer to this question is that running shoe soles last much longer than the insides, which means that it's hard to tell if you need new shoes by looking at them. Another problem is that the answer is fairly individual.

When I was just starting to run a lot, I could only get about 225 miles out of a pair of shoes before my knees, shins etc started to hurt. Now, I buy new ones around 300 miles. I have heard of people running 400 or 500 miles in the same models (2090s) that I wear, but I would be crippled if I tried that. For me, I think that the increased mileage is partly reduced weight and partly my legs getting used to running more. If your legs are hurting, buy a new pair. Keep track of your mileage per pair of shoes and you will get a good idea fairly quickly of how far you can wear in particular pairs of shoes.

Man, this is way more complicated that I hoped. I get pains in all sorts of places, some of which I didn't know I had, all the time. That doesn't work. I don't keep training logs, much less logs on running shoes. Man, you guys are hard core. Do you think that fact might have something to do with why so many of you kick my butt come race day?

I guess I have to buy a few pair, and trash them whenever I start to wonder. Sounds expensive, but I guess it is a lot cheaper than injuries.

[reply]I have always wondered why I haven't gotten the mileage out of my shoes that I should(I still don't know why I don't)? As far as myself, I am 5'9", 155-160 & right now I am in Mizuno Waves I wish I could get another another 150-200 miles out of a pair! I would love to have my gait analyzed but places that do this are hard to come by.[/reply]

DO NOT attempt to get more miles out of your Mizuno Waves. I am 5'11" 155lb and I would definitely not recommend anything more than about 250 miles on a pair, maybe less. I ended up hurting my right hip pretty significantly by running too long on wornout shoes.

Regarding the original post, the best way I found to tell is to wear your shoes to a store that carries them, get a pair in your size...run 20 or 30 yards in your pair and put on the new pair and do the same. When your shoes are worn you will be able to tell an immediate difference. Any reputable running store will let you run a short distance in them to make sure they feel right, most will watch you and tell you if they see you running strangely.

AJ, I find that a training log is my most valuable partner. I keep split times on all my runs, so I can see if I am dropping off near the end of a run or keeping it up. I have Excel automatically give me a "run pace" and "run pace with water stops" for my water fountain breaks. I have a column on the far right of the page for notes, where I note when I buy a new pair of shoes, how my legs felt, any unusual circumstances (dog repeats, etc) and any pain or tightness. I can then look back over years of training and see trends and problems. Once I made the log, I can't imagine training without it...an indispensible reference for me.

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I'm far from hardcore; definitely MOP. It's actually fairly easy to keep track of shoe mileage with a spreadsheet (there are lots available like the one here: http://www.davidhays.net/...g/runlog/runlog.html) or an online log (there is a free one at www.trainingpeaks.com). I think that keeping a log really helps me limit the risk of injury and also figure out what training works for me. Makes training and racing a lot more fun regardless of results.

Art,

It's not really complicated. Take a weekly average of your mileage and multiply by the number of weeks you've worn them. An easy trick, when you get new shoes write the date on the midsole. So, if you're running 30 miles per week, you'll probably get 2 1/2 - 3 months out of them. Again, this certainly can vary from person to person due to things I mentioned in the earlier post.

-Shawn, ASICS America

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

One thing is for sure, if you go to the shoe store and ask them if your shoes look worn out, you will get sold a new pair of shoes.

I would think shoe manufacturers could come up with some sort of durability rating, or at least an wear indicator. Heck, toothbrush manufacturers figured that one out. There was a shoe several years ago, I think it was Adidas, that had a replaceable rear midsole...sort of a cool idea that never caught on. Buying shoes for my wife and myself is probably our biggest triathlon/running related expense.

same size and weight as you ... in my experience the mizunos are a fantastic shoe that fall off the table between 250 and 300 miles ... my aisics nimbus, however, go at least 500 before things get cooked ... on neither shoe does it look like i have any mileage at all on 'em.