I am currently rotating between a pair of Montrail Mountain Masochists and Saucony Xodus 3s, and both are nearing 400 miles. They look like they are still in good condition, almost no noticeable wear on the soles and the uppers are fine. I have never run enough in a pair of shoes before to have worn them out so I don't know what it feels like, or if I'll even really be able to feel it.
So, how many miles do you put on your trail shoes? And how do I know when to replace them?
If it matters, I these shoes are used 95% on single track, ranging from hard clay, to rock fields, to soft pine straw covered dirt and pretty much everything in between, with the remaining 5% on gravel roads.
EDIT: in case time matters more than miles since I am pretty slow, I have 88 hours in the Xodus and 94 hours in the Masochists.
Pinhoti 100: Finished :D
I was wondering about this also, the only reasons I can think of are the tread being worn down or holes in the uppers.
The trails I run on are pretty soft so, in my experience, trails cause a lot less wear on shoes. I have 850 miles on my crosslites, the tread is still fine, they feel great and the uppers are showing only minimal wear. I'll probably keep wearing them until my feet bust through.
Le professeur de trail
I am also wondering the same. I have a better idea at when to replace road shoes but not sure about purely trail shoes. I have 500 miles on my Salomon Crossmax. They look tore up (uppers tearing in multiple places) but it's really the sole that is the key. I am looking for another pair to get soon to rotate with them. I feel like they still have life but not sure how much life.
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
Tim
I will usually feel less cushion or support from the shoes or may notice some post-run soreness. I write the date on my shoes and rotate several pairs at a time. I'll check the date, and if I been using them for several months, I'll take them out of the rotation by crossing out the date.
This is from Road Runner Sports
A good rule to use with your running shoes is 350 - 500 miles. Beyond this mileage and you risk pain and possibly a long lasting debilitating injury. The mile variance is big because of the size and form of individual runners. If you're a larger runner whose form could use some improvement (i.e. you're a heavy striker), it's likely your shoes will wear out sooner. If you're lighter and have good form, your shoes will last longer. Before any backlash, I am aware that there are runners who claim they get 1000 miles or more out of a pair of shoes. Just like anything there are always extremes and that's okay. If you don't track the mileage on your shoes, here's a guide that should help you:
Guidelines to determine if your shoes are worn out:1. If you're consistent with your running and suddenly start feeling sore.2. If you can't remember when or where you bought those shoes.3. Look at the midsole and check for compression wrinkles. If they're there, your shoes are worn out
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
I use #1 and #2 of RRS quidelines-- soreness and appearance, as well as a general timeframe based on my mileage (6-9 months if I'm rotating between several shoes).
Faster Than Your Couch!
Run for fun.
running under the BigSky
500 miles, it's nothing scientific to be sure, but I keep track of the miles via the training log (makes it easy even w/ multiple pairs of shoes)- occasionally I'll go over (have one pair that is studded that is now at 675 miles), but generally at or close to 500 miles they become lawn mowing/change the oil shoes.
I'm thinking about going to Brooks Truegrits and they say less life w/ these, so I may have to bump down the retirement mileage on them
2023 goal 2023 miles √
2022 goal- 2022 miles √
2021 goal- 2021 miles √
Refurbished Hip
Road shoes? I've learned that I need to swap them out after about 300-400 miles or bad things (injury) happen.
Trail shoes? I haven't stopped running in a pair yet. It helps that I have, ummm, more than a few pairs to rotate between. My oldest pair of Mountain Masochists still look great. Honestly, I don't know when it's time to retire a trail shoe. Does cushioning matter as much as a pair of road shoes? Probably not. I imagine I will continue to wear a trail shoe until it is falling apart or feels different than a new pair. That said, I do save my newer pairs for ultras and long runs.
Running is dumb.
Uh oh... now what?
Okay, I went to the closet and looked. The closest I can come to a date is the PureGrits,
maybe a year and a half old? They are still my "feel good, relaxed, easy running" shoe--so
comfortable--max of three hour runs.
I have no idea about the Cascadia 5, but they are worn the most often. They are good for
as long as I can stay afoot. There are some 5s, 6s, and a pair of 7s in boxes.
I have some Brooks road shoes, couple of years old? The longest (time) I ever wear them
has been about 3.5 hours.
I don't keep a log or diary.
Saucony Peregrine ... a year or two old, good 2-3 hour trail shoes, too light and very little
(maybe none?) pointy-side-up rock protection.
First time in years there are no Montrails in there.
I just go by feel... or close-out sales, tend to wear Brooks because they work and there is
a Brooks factory store a short drive away on the mainland... check there and REI's clearance
or close-out rack. I get one good (current model) pair of shoes a year... maybe.
Longevity record: Put on some new Montrail Vitesse on Aug 15th, walked 625ish miles in
them, got to the end on Oct 4th, wore them as daily shoes for another eight weeks of
wandering, wore them on trails around here for a year or so. That shoe (the Vitesse) was
the best trail shoe ever made (totally objective editorial comment). Columbia ruined them
when they took over Montrail.
rgot
And then there was blog
I have a pair of NB 101's that have 1200 miles on them and the sole actually did fall off
When I only wore one model of shoe, I numbered them and kept track of mileage. I usually had 3 worked into my rotation - one really new (generally for races), one just right, one getting toward the oldish side. If I can tell a significant difference between the old shoe and newer ones, then the old shoe gets relegated to hiking, trail work, yard work, etc. (Looks like my 5 pairs of Trespasses got 300-500mi while 2 pairs of original Cascadia got over 500mi. The Cascadias were definitely dead when they were retired.)
In the more complex world since I've had trouble finding a replacement model, I have several model shoes in rotation. The less-desirable ones taking some of the short mileage while the ones that work better, the longer mileage. Eventually, I get enough "better" shoes in the rotation, that the less-desirable ones just get ignored.
I'm behind in my main log (RA log didn't really start till late fall 2012), but shoes that work for me generally get about 500 or so miles. A few only made a couple hundred, but that's more because the shoe probably wasn't right. I can't think of any shoes I've retired in the last few years (memory fails after that) because they wore out - always just got ignored because I got better shoes.
My Xodus 3 have about 200mi on them, and I'm expecting 500+ out of them. Just bought a 2nd pair last week to work into rotation.
A word of caution: if you have a model that works for you, get a few pairs in your rotation - or at least in your closet. They will either be modified to something that no longer works for you or outright discontinued. Guaranteed as much as death and taxes. Sometimes you might grab them on closeout, but sometimes your size isn't left and sometimes the price never gets reduced.
It's all in the feel. There is no set amount of miles. It's not how they look or the sole usually, it's how the midsole is responding. Not something you can see but you will feel it. A heavy runner with poor biomechanics is going to wear out shoe a whole lot faster than an efficient lightweight runner.
I date my shoes with a sharpie under the insole when they go into service but that is only for a general reference point. And yes some shoes just don't last as long as others. I've retired some shoes early and they still looked pretty nice, however the ride just wasn't working anymore.
I would say for me it can be from 400-700 miles on average.
I know it's time to replace my shoes when something new comes out and catches my eye, LOL!
I'm Holden McGruyen. Would you like to join me?
Wow. Lots of awesome responses. I think I am going to go ahead a get a new pair ... partly so that I have shoes with different mileages on them. Maybe then I'll have a better idea when the older shoes are too old. And, well, any excuse is a good excuse to get a new pair of trail shoes . Now I just need to decide on what to get.