Forums >Gears and Wears>Shoes and Mileage
Whats the most mileage you will put on a pair of shoes? for me I'm a converted Asics guy from Nike's I wore Nike's for a while but found they seem to fall apart quickly, the asics have been holding up well but now I'm getting close to 500 miles on them with the Nike's I'd never get close to that on a pair before I noticed them starting to fade
I don't have a rule but generally shoes seem to go between 500 and 700 miles for me. I find more variation between models than between makes.
Runners run
You can typically expect to get 300-500 miles out of a pair of shoes. It's a big range but you can narrow it down based on your weight. A smaller woman can get 500 miles, while a bigger guy will get more like 300. If you're wearing shoes to the point that they're falling apart, you're wearing them too long! If you've got any doubt, bring your shoes into a specialty running store and ask them if they're shot or not.
Feeling the growl again
I wear mine to 700, have worn pairs over 1000, and they've never fallen apart. I would agree that if they are falling apart you are wearing them too long but you really have to have bad form to rip apart a pair of modern running shoes in 700 miles or less.
Running stores sell shoes. Unless it was someone I really had a reason to trust, I would not be asking a person selling new shoes if my old ones were worn out.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I'm not sure what running store you go to, but if the sales people are on commission and/or push you to buy things you don't need, find another one. I work at a very well respected running store and our number one goal is to fit our customers in the correct shoes and help them to prevent injury. If a customer brings old shoes in, we honestly tell them whether or not it's time for a new pair. That's how you keep customers and stay well trusted and respected.
by falling apart I really meant the shoe has lost most of its cushioning/spring that it would have had, I agree that if my shoes are falling apart then form must be horribly wrong, I really dont like running in wet conditions because of one experience I had with a pair of newer shoes less than 200 miles on them once I wore them out for a run in light rain, the shoes ended up getting soaked same make and model I had worn before but after they got soaked and I dried them I would always get shin splint only in that pair. because of that I'm more alert to my shoes and how they feel
Beware, batbear...
I think the issue here is commerce, not your particular running store. I'm reminded of "The Big Lebowski" and the phrase "It's our most reasonably priced receptacle."
I wouldn't want funeral directors making our foreign policy (although I secretly think they're the ones behind the military industrial complex).
And, curiosity has me wondering, what are the standards that you use to decide that a pair of shoes is worn out?
Not trying to come off as an a$$hole here, but if the shoe fits...
2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.
when i picked up running back in 08 i went and bought a pair of NB 406 for my first half marathon. last year i ran my first full mary in them and dont plan on replacing them until summer. honestly, i could never tell a difference in how springy a shoe was, old or new.
The Irreverent Reverend
The 300-500 mile rule is a good general rule. I'm a 215 pound guy (now, but was close to 240 when I started running last spring) and find myself at the 300 mile end of that spectrum. How did I know my shoes were worn out? Knee and shin pain. Got new shoes, pain gone.
Husband. Father of three. Lutheran pastor. National Guardsman. Runner. Political junkie. Baseball fan.
My shoes last me forever (well, 800 - 1200 miles). I mostly toss them because I want new ones. I'm not sure I've ever thrown out a pair because they were 'worn out'.
...smile :)
Pretty much the same here. I usually end up tossing a pair away because I want a pair of new ones. Silly, I know.
Just went over 500 on the LunarGlides tonight and they look and feel fantastic. Plenty of tread. I ran in the wet snow and slush recently which basically cleaned them. The DS Trainers I got at the same time with about 430 miles look beat up, have little tread, and need to be retired yesterday. Both shoes served the same purpose in the rotation. It's as if the LunarGlides don't age. I'm wondering when to pull the plug. I'll probably get another pair.
I get 500 out of Brooks Adrenalines. Except every now and then I get a pair that doesn't last that long.
I get 500 out of Brooks Trance. Except the last pair which I got off the "returned after light use" rack. I've a feeling something was wrong with them.
I'm trying out Brooks Ravenna, and based on how it is going, I bet I get about 500 out of them.
I get 299 out of Mizuno Alchemy. That's a bit specific, but my point is that these seem fine in the upper 200s, but if I push them past 300, my knees and feet start hurting.
Now... besides the whole knee pain thing, sometimes I know shoes are done because I wear out the tread or even make a hole in the bottom.
Shoes I designate for treadmill use last a lot longer.
Trail shoes last between 300-500 depending more on the gnarliness of the trails and the number of times they've been submerged, mudded up, etc. Except for the Mountain Masochists which I finally tossed after they dorked up my feet once too often. They had 350ish on them... looked like they were going to last a lot longer too. I just hated them.
I have a hard time telling when it's time to replace shoes. Generally I replace them around 400 miles, but I can't really be sure they are shot then, generally. Sometimes I can really tell the difference when I replace them; others, I might be imagining it. You try to correlate minor injuries, comfort level, etc., but those things vary on a day-to-day basis anyway, and it really seems like a big guessing game to me.
I have well over a 1000 miles on a pair of Nike Free 5.0 that I use indoors on the TM, and nearly 1000 on another that I use outdoors. The outdoor pairing has some wearing, but is still intact and working well. My footstrike has been different in these shoes as compared to the stiff cushioned trainers I used to use, and they just don't wear down as fast as the others. I don't believe there is a need to throw out a shoe just for a little wearing at a set mileage like 300-400 miles as I've seen recommended. Big wearing, yes. As far as the cushioning goes--the less the better anyway--so if there is less than when I started---good.
--Jimmy