Shoes (Read 921 times)

Hey, I just asked the same question in the Running 101 forum. Check it out.

As a rule of thumb, a pair of shoes typically last for 300 to 500 miles.

If you are lucky. Many go through their shoes in under 300, and the lighter the shoes, the shorter their life. My Saucony shoes are usually good for right about 300.

What sort of factors do make a person go through shoes quicker, in general?

I heard a great lecture on shoes by an owner of a local running store (a respected one). He listed these factors (in no particular order, just what I can remember off the top of my head): 1) Age (obviously) 2) Exposure to environment (especiallly water: NEVER WASH YOUR SHOES!) 3) Shoe durability (generally, lighter shoes have less durable materials... not a bad trade-off though) 4) Runner's body weight 5) Runner's foot mechanics (shuffling, scraping, dragging, uneven wear) 6) Running surface (concrete is worse than grass, for your legs too) 7) How much you "pound" (some people just hit the ground harder than others!) None of these (except exposure to water) is something that you should really worry about so that you can maximize your shoe mileage... after all, a shoe is just a tool. I buy the Adidas Boston Classic every time (and hope to for a long time), even though they tend to wear out on me by 250 miles.... that get's a little expensive, but my goal isn't to save money on shoes, it's to run longer and faster (and I love how these shoes feel). Plus, captain validation says there are lots of sports with more expensive gear than this (cycling, skiing).