Newbie Shoe Question (Read 846 times)

I am just getting into running and I have a question about shoes. I have read that you can get about 600-700 kilometers from a pair of shoes but I was curious how you tell when it is time for a new pair. Do people track their mileage or are there things you can look at on the shoes to tell when it is enough? Thanks, Terry

Call us mixed up, but we still say mileage ...

I can feel the cushioning in my shoes go. I'll develop soreness in my lower back from the additional pounding.

Tracking mileage (kilometerage) will tell you how far you've run in them but it isn't a good indicator of the condition of your shoes. The foam cushioning in the soles will break down long before you'll see much wear on the outside and it depends as much on how the shoes are made and your weight as much as mileage. Your best bet is to pay attention to how your legs feel. Look for abnormal leg pain, particularly in the knees and hips. They take the most beating when your shoes start to wear out. Your form also plays a big part in how long your shoes will last. If you scuff your feet or land on your heels, they will wear out much more quickly. Tom

I alternate between 2 pairs of shoes of different age. My shoes usually last about 500 miles, so when one pair of shoes is about 250 miles old, I start a new pair of shoes. These shoes are alternated every day. Then when the older pair is getting to the end of their useful running lifespan, I can feel the difference between the older pair and the newer pair because one day I'll run in the older pair and start feeling kinda beat up whereas I will feel better in the newer pair. I use that as a yardstick to measure how "used up" the old pair is along with keeping track of the shoe mileage in my running log. One note, it's not any more expensive to alternate 2 pairs of shoes except at the very start when you buy the 2nd pair of shoes. You still get 500 miles out of each pair and pay the same amount of money per mile. In fact, since you alternate the shoes daily, it takes twice as many days before you replace any one particular pair of shoes, so you still only buy new shoes as often as you did before. For example, if you typically have to buy new shoes every 3 months, if you switch to alternating shoes, you still only buy them every 3 months because you alternate pairs each day so each pair lasts 6 months now instead of 3 months.

I can feel it, as others said, knees/back & it's usually around 350-400 miles. I've gotten minor injuries from trying to get more mileage out of a pair of shoes.

Thanks for all the responses! The other day it was raining so I tried an old pair of shoes and only got about 100m down the road. So I know what it feels like on shoes that are long past their prime. I do like the idea of two pairs too so I can alternate and get a good guage that way along with tracking mileage. I want to be jogging when I get well up there in years so I figure take care of the knees and hips now!

But in internet speak, when qualifying advice or something, do you write YMMV (your mileage may vary) or YKMV (your kilometerage may vary)? I'm just a smartass. As for shoes, as been indicated, k/m isn't sole determining factor. Weight, terrain run on, form all play a role. General rule of thumb is 400 to 600 MILES. I'd start looking for wear/feel around 400. I weigh about 150 lbs and put my last pair on the dirty run/keep-in-trunk-along-w/ spare-clothes-just-in-case duty at about 500. The alternating is a good idea.

I'm 100lbs heavier than you and I am yet to get 200 miles out of a pair before they are worn out. They look brand new but my knees and back say differently. Doug