Mileage for running shoes?

If you only run 15 miles per week, you might not ever need to replace them. That kind of mileage just isn’t significant if you are an active person who spends a reasonable amount of time on your feet.

I used to only get about 250 miles for a pair of adidas Bostons (a cushioned shoe for my high arches) which amounted to a pair of shoes per month. Then I read something STer Ashburn said about running all his miles in a pair of 5 oz. racing flats until the sole was worn off. So I stopped buying new shoes and took six months to rebuild my mileage after a marathon. The result is that I no longer buy new shoes at all. I’m still working through all my old racing flats, spikes and one pair of air-cushioned trainers. I went 18 months without buying any shoes before I recently found a cool pair of trail racers that I wanted, but I didn’t really need them. And that is averaging 6 hours/45-50 miles a week over that period. I don’t spend a lot of that time on pavement though, and that helps.

So, if you are not having issues, I would not buy a new pair until the soles fall off. Be very aware of how your feet feel. I pushed a little too hard during one point of my adaptation period (basically about 5 1/2 hours in three days using old flats) and woke up with really sore feet and lower legs. I quit for three days, bought a pair of lightweight cushioned trainers and then continued at a more reasonable adaptation rate.

Chad