How often are is everyone replacing their running shoes? I’m not even close to being sponsored, so mine come right out of the family budget, the sales staff freaked out at me when I said I usually only get a new pair every 6months. Currently I run an avg of about 18-20 miles per week.
thanks!
How often are is everyone replacing their running shoes? I’m not even close to being sponsored, so mine come right out of the family budget, the sales staff freaked out at me when I said I usually only get a new pair every 6months. Currently I run an avg of about 18-20 miles per week.
thanks!
Depends on a ton of factors, including what surface you run on, the type of shoes (built, minimal, etc), your weight, your running style, etc, etc.
I weigh in the mid 160’s, run in minimalist Saucony kinvary 2’s, and I get about 400 miles (10-12 weeks) before my legs let me know it’s time for new shoes.
ETA: 6 months at ~ 20 mpw is easily doable.
John
depends on the shoe. i can get about 225 miles on my Kinvaras before needing to replace them. I used to wear the Brooks Adrenaline and then the Ghost, and I was able to get about 300 on those.
beefier shoes tend to last longer, but time and mileage take their toll.
If you run 20 mpw, then I’d be replacing them every 4 months or so. So stretching it to 6 is no big deal if you’re not feeling any pain from wearing “flat” shoes.
A few questions:
- Why did the sales staff freak? Do they think you are replacing too often or not often enough?
- When you get new shoes, can you feel a significant difference or not?
- When you throw away the old shoes, is there a significant amount of outsole wear?
I am not even close to being sponsored either but I can easily get 1000 miles out of a pair of shoes, as long as I protect the outsoles from wear with a coating of Shoe Goo, re-applied every 100 miles or so. Before I did that, I would never get more than 500 miles.
I get about 350-400 in my Newtons and than I buy a new pair that I’ll use for any runs longer than 6 miles and use the old ones for shorter runs. They still have some life but I do feel it in my knees more if I use them on long runs.
400-500 miles or so; 300ish before I start noticing degradation in comfort.
- Why did the sales staff freak? Do they think you are replacing too often or not often enough?
Seriously, why would you think they “freaked”? SALES staff.
Anyway, as others have said in this and other threads, it’s dependent on an abundance of factors, from the type of shoe, to your own running style, preferred running surface, weight, etc… Your body is a good indicator of when to change if you’re not good at keeping track of mileage in a given pair of shoes…mysterious aches and pains have a way of letting you know that something needs to be changed, and often that is your shoes.
That said, for me, I rotate between several pairs of shoes and typically replace anywhere from 300-500 miles.
- Why did the sales staff freak? Do they think you are replacing too often or not often enough?
Seriously, why would you think they “freaked”? SALES staff.
Because the original post said “the sales staff freaked out at me”
I get about 250 out of Kswiss Blade Lights
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**Because the original post said **“the sales staff freaked out at me”
I got that part; the rest of that sentence went “because I usually only get a new pair every 6 months…”
So again, the SALES staff freaked out at a guy saying that he only bought a pair of shoes every six months.
My guess (to paraphrase Nicholson in “A Few Good Men”) and I’m just spit-balling here, is that their freakage was not about buying shoes too frequently.
As is mine.
Okay, so now I get it…you were thinking I was questioning whether the staff freaked out, period…not the “why” part of it.
My bad.
Still, any chance I get to drop a one-liner from that movie is a good day, so we’ll leave it at that.
I’ve gotten over 400 miles (650km) out of Vibram Bikila’s, shoe goo’ed them and got another 100 miles.
Depends on your stride and what you’re running on. I’m mixed trail and asphalt with a short stride and cadence of 92-96 spm.
450 miles and counting on my Altra Instincts, and no end in sight.
At 350 on my Kinvara’s, I was already past the point where I thought they were done.
As others have said, depends on the shoe, your running form, weight, surfaces, etc. My Skora shoes are at 600 miles and not even close to being done. I know people who get 1500+ miles out of their Newtons. I’ve gotten 1400 miles out of a pair of Vibrams. Wear them until your toes start sticking out of the top!
they ‘freaked’ at me because they thought I was going to hurt myself because my shoes were so trashed. I can notice a new pair at the six month mark, but so far I haven’t had any leg problems the last few weeks with a pair of shoes.
thanks to everyone for chiming in!
You define your shoes as trashed. My question, at least to the sales staff you saw, was did they tell you why they were trashed?
Here’s the issue: the wear indicator on the shoe isn’t whether the upper has torn (insert trademark symbol for Asics shoes and the hole in the toebox), or if they outsole is now bald. Instead, it’s the midsole that is the primary issue: the ethylene vinyl acetate that is the cushioning property for 99% of vendors these days. Each brand has their own blend of it (see Mssr. Rapp’s article in Lava from about a while back on shoes), but it effectively is the same material.
EVA lasts for anywhere from 300-500 miles *in most circumstances. *I put that in italics because as always, there are extremes to this situation; as an example, I got almost 800 miles out of my Saucony Mirages.
Some of the many factors that can impact a shoe’s lifespan include, but are not limited to:
Weight of the runnerStride and impact of the runner: are you a stomper? Heavy heel striker? Midfoot? Also ties in with weight.Temperature: shoes tend to be more supple when it’s warmer out, and tend to last longer when it’s colder.Surfaces run on: dirt road? Asphalt? Concrete? Treadmill? Treadmills tend to be toughest on shoes overall, in my experience.Precipitation: the midsole can dry out a bit if it is constantly soaked through and then dried again. (Hence: don’t wash your shoes.)Frequency of running: this is where the adage of having two pairs going at once comes into play. Shoes can take some time to recover from a run, much like you do. Running on consecutive days in the same pair doesn’t allow the shoe to rebound much. In my example above, I used the Mirages pretty exclusively for the first 200 miles of their life, but then was able to find two other pairs of shoes to mix into my arsenal, giving the Mirages time off.Also note that very, very generally: neutral shoes you typically can safely extend a little bit longer than stability models. The dual density midsole on, say, a Brooks Adrenaline will last far longer than the cushioning EVA, which is where we suddenly see people who’ve kept shoes for too long walking completely on the outsides of their feet. Whereas with neutral models, the only thing you’re beating down on is cushioning, so if you feel they’re still good and not experiencing issues…well, they’re good!
As always, your body is the most phenomenal feedback machine in the world. Listen to it. If you’ve gotten to the 6 month mark, and you feel, “Hey, these don’t feel as good anymore…” then, well, it’s probably time. I might suggest, with this purchase, to go with one pair to the four month mark, then adopt a second pair of the same model, and start alternating days with them. See if you get extra mileage out of them.
If you haven’t had any problems, I would try pushing the next pair a little longer. Maybe a month. If no problems still, push the next pair a little longer still. Find what the actual limit is. Yes there is always a chance of running injuries but it is seriously overblown. Nobody is going to end their running career by putting one month too many on a pair a of shoes Try the Shoe Goo thing if you get significant outsole wear. The thing about running too frequently in them is a complete myth in my experience but rotating to slightly different types of shoes is not a bad idea just for sake of variety if nothing else.
I wouldn’t call the chance of running injuries seriously overblown. I also wouldn’t say that nobody is going to end their running career based on pushing a shoe too long; it might be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.
I would, however, say that a sales staff’s job is to, you know, push sales. And yes, perhaps I’m biased a bit by working in specialty running retail. But I’d agree with you that generally, people could push their shoes out a touch more.
In re: Shoe Goo–I find the outsole provides nothing when you’re running roads, so there’s no point there, IMO. The Mirage basically comes bare as is, plus it’s basically the midsole extending down into the outsole…so it ain’t going to help.
Shoe rotation tends to become more important when it’s warmer out. As an example, if I run consecutive days when it’s above 60 in my K-Swiss Kwicky Blade Lights, the shoe bottoms out a little bit on that second run. Now, if it’s a recovery run, maybe I want that marshmellowness. But I’m also knowing that it’s not great for the life of the shoe.
And whether it’s two pairs of the same thing, or two pairs of the same level of support but different makes: whatever floats your boat. I’ve got four pairs going right now. All different models and manufacturers, but the same basic level of support. (For those wondering: Saucony Fastwitch, NB 1190, Asics Neo 33, & K-Swiss Kwicky Blade Light). Whatever works and gets you out the door is the key. If you can get 1000 miles, wonderful. If you get 350? Awesome.
Again, I’d also like to know what the OP’s shoe is before we really delve into what an acceptably safe limit is.
I never count miles. I just looked at my log and I have about 750-800 miles on my ds-trainers and I am feeling another 200. Everyone is different though. Personally, if your gate is turning over quick & your stride is efficient, the ‘experts’ say you can run barefoot. Worn out shoes could ONLY be providing more support then bare feet. I just buy new shoes when my old ones make me look homeless.