Have you switched shoes? Why did you do it? (Read 923 times)

The only other reason that comes to mind for switching is due to real changes in surface. For example, if you were changing over to trail running, you might want a specific trail shoe instead of a regular running shoe. 300 miles sounds about average for mileage on a shoe from what I've read on here.

Yes... because I thought 275 miles for a pair of shoes wasn't good enough... but I have since decided the extra bit of cost is worth it... and my feet thank me! I like the rider... but the ones I am running in now seam like they are breaking down pretty quickly... I will be suprised if they make it to 250... Personally I gave up on finding a new shoe for a bit... and ordered a couple more pairs from another outlet that still had my discontinued model (pearl izumi syncropace II )... so I have 3 more pair.. before I have to start looking again... and I will probably just take a leap of faith and get the latest model of the shoe I have been wearing...

I am in brooks and they get less miles than other shoes, but my feet are happy.

Interesting!!!! I use Brooks Beasts because they fit the best and get the best mileage for me. I guess it's all about how you run and where you run. I have used and liked Mizunos and New Balance. I really want to run in Asics, but they always hurt my feet. I recently tried changing from my motion control Beasts to stability Adrenalins(?). I thought a lighter, more flexible shoe might give a speed boost. I ran one 12 mile run and put them on the shelf. I got runners knee after that one run. I never had it before. Now I have to find a way to rid myself of that evil. Coincedence? Maybe, but I'm not taking any more chances. I guess I'm stuck with the big, old , heavy, stiff Beasts.

Running is NOT a cheap sport. You have to spend money on shoes to keep your body from becoming injured. Once you figure out what shoe works for you, then you can seek out sources to buy them cheaper, but you have to decide that if you are going to run, it's at least $100.00 for shoes, and you can't take short cuts. As far as different shoes goes, for some folks, it's a long process of finding the perfect shoe. believe me. As you form improves, sometimes your needs in shoes changes. As Ennay said, she started out in one style of shoe for higher arches, and has now moved into a different style. It's just another part of the journey.

I know how you can save money on shoes. Learn not to depend on heavily padded shoes. It's all a question of form and proper training. I used to need new shoes every 400 miles like clockwork, because I would start to get aches and pains, especially in the knees. Now I do half my running barefoot, and the other half in unpadded Vibram FiveFingers. And those aches have never come back. The barefoot miles are obviously free. The FiveFingers ($80) have lasted 800 miles so far, and are just as comfortable as when they were new. I have no idea how many miles I can put on them, but it's going to be an awful lot, because there's no cushion to lose and the sole itself is holding up very well. I have run comfortably in flip flops, trashy old sneakers, water shoes, and neoprene dive booties. Heavy shoes with elevated heels (like most running shoes) annoy me, though I can run ok in those too. People need overprotective shoes simply because they've always had overprotective shoes. Edited to add: I just checked, my cheapest per miles shoes (not count the $0 ones I was born wearing), were some water shoes from Sports Authority. $8 got me over 300 miles.

In high school, I used Saucony. Then I got to college and realized that I couldn't run 100 miles a week with such heavy shoes, so I switch to Asics 2040s. When I got out of school, I mixed the 2040 (now 2090s and newer obviously) up with DS Trainers. Then I bought some Wave Riders for variety, but I couldn't run further than 4 miles at a time without them being uncomfortable so they didn't last long and became weight lifting shoes. Then I joined a team w/a Nike sponsorship and could get my shoes for $40 or so, so I started mixing in Motos and Elites. Then I started getting free Mizuno shoes, so I started training in wave precisions. Throughout all this time, I rarely paid retail on any of those shoes, usually getting between 20-50% off (when I had to pay for them.) Just gotta know where to look for deals. I also have some Inov8, North Face and Vibram shoes that I randomly picked up along the way. The North Face I got for $30 on clearance at their outlet, but I paid retail (minus 15%) for the other two pairs. I got a free pair of New Balance 1062s this summer, but I don't like them so I don't wear them. Other than those, I rotate pretty freely between the shoes (w/the Inov8 and North Face being used for trails and the others for roads, vibrams switching back and forth.) I rarely use Asics anymore since I can't find them as cheaply and don't need them, but now that my free Mizunos have run out I might start looking for some deals on them again. Otherwise it's back to Nike w/the next team order. I like having different styles to rotate between so that my legs have less repetitive use types of stresses, although I make sure that all of the shoes fit my running style and my body appropriately in order to avoid getting injured. Hence, no more running in the New Balance (too cushiony for me.)

Running is NOT a cheap sport. You have to spend money on shoes to keep your body from becoming injured. Once you figure out what shoe works for you, then you can seek out sources to buy them cheaper, but you have to decide that if you are going to run, it's at least $100.00 for shoes, and you can't take short cuts.

How is that not cheap? An average runner probably goes through 2 or 3 pairs of shoes per year max, and a high mileage runner probably not more than 6 to 8 pairs of shoes. An average runner probably runs 6 to 10 races per year, so add a couple hundred dollars on for that. So you are looking at running costing somebody that competes between $300 and $1000 per year assuming that they pay full retail on their shoes. Golf can cost that just in greens fees, not to mention clubs and balls. Football requires a lot of equipment, renting a field, and a dozen other folk committed to playing with you. Hockey, same story. Good hockey skates are going to cost $200-$300, sharpening them is another couple hundred a year, sticks/pucks/pads add up, and if you want ice time year round you are looking at almost as much money as greens fees. Your shoes might last longer in those sports on a calendar basis, but if you want to be good at them you are going to probably be doing some running on the side anyway. Looking at my retired shoe list, I average 5 to 10 cents per mile for those shoes (assuming that we ignore the ones I've been getting for free for the past year.) That's about the same as I'm getting with my new car, which gets 45 miles per gallon, and is cheaper than I was getting with my old truck or the buick I drove last winter.

That actually makes sense. I think I'm due for another fitting/consultation so we'll see how that goes. I did a consultation when I bought my first pair of shoes at a reputable store and wasn't all that impressed with it. On my third pair of shoes I went to a different store and brought in my previous two pair of shoes and asked for some help making sure I had the right shoes and the guy was even less helpful. These are dedicated running stores and I expected more (maybe wrongly so) than 4 strides and the obligatory, "how do those feel?" I'm going to try a different store this weekend.

My last couple of trips to a very reputable running store an hour away have left me feeling this way, too. A year ago when I went the guy was very thorough...looked at my feet, watched me walk, had me run on the treadmill (even though the shoe ultimately didn't work well for me, it wasn't because the sales guy didn't do his best to get me in an appropriate shoe). The last 2 times I went in they seemed to want more to move whatever shoes they had too many of in stock, rather than put me in the right shoe (they kept bringing me medium width shoes, even though I have some seriously wide feet--the Brannock device puts me in extra wide if I am measured late in the day). With the price of gas now I think I'd done with that game. I'm having more luck doing the shoe research on my own, asking others with similar issues for recommendations, then ordering from sites with free shipping and free returns. My most recent injury solution has come mostly from my own trial-and-error and ending up with orthotic insoles in my existing shoes, instead of a new shoe. The sales people at the running store never even suggested orthotics.