The Shoe Mileage Debate (Read 1424 times)

I actually have a suspicion here that I can't confirm. My suspicion is that it's pretty convenient that shoe companies swear you need new shoes every 300 miles - and then all the running mags echo that, while simultaneously getting all their ad revenue from the shoe companies. And then new-ish runners like me rush out and buy over-priced new shoes, not because there's necessarily anything wrong with the old ones, but because we hit some magical number that everyone says is set in stone. It all seems awfully .... profitable. Brilliant, too. Because what runner is going to test their shoes to the max? Who is going to run a couple thousand miles on one pair - and take a risk of injury? Nobody, of course. The whole thing reminds me of the "change your oil at 3,000 miles" thing. Get a good mechanic drunk sometime and ask about that one.

But it's a lot cheaper to buy new shoes every 200-300 miles than to get a hip & knee replacement (though maybe they'd give you a discount if you get them both as a package?). hehe. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit... you got me.. I just like to buy shoes. And I like that 'new shoe' bounce. I have to agree with "Commie-Jeff"... if the shoe companies spent a little more on fair-wage labor and materials and a little less on basketball-player endorsements (someone has to pay their legal bills, I guess) then maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation. Anyways... I've got to go... I've got some drinking to do with my mechanic. (I'm gonna get to the bottom of this conspiracy...)

I just like to buy shoes. And I like that 'new shoe' bounce.

That's what I think about it... Just because I'm already looking forward to February (I think I will have run far enough than to be 'entitled' to buy a new pair of running shoes), I 'hope' there definitely is a - not to high - mileage where my shoes will actually break down. Yes, my weigh only 110 lbs, but since I have very short legs, my strides are very short... so the lower weight doesn't count .

I have to agree with "Commie-Jeff"... if the shoe companies spent a little more on fair-wage labor and materials and a little less on basketball-player endorsements (someone has to pay their legal bills, I guess) then maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation.

On a Belgian running forum, someone pointed to Cooperativa unidos por el calzado, a former Adidas factory in Argentina, that now is run by the workers themselves. I have an article in Dutch about it, but I think you folks are probably better at Spanish, so here's an article from the Argentina Indymedia

Well, since nobody has pointed to any actual research (although Jeff's link was interesting), and I can't find what I'm looking for myself, I'm now more convinced than ever that the 300-500 mile shoe thing is more marketing ploy than science. Only one thing left to do: be my own guinea pig. I'll put 1000 miles on each of my current pairs and see what happens. I'll report on the results in a few months. But somehow I think I'll avoid hip replacement surgery ... Of course, I am hedging my bets and and rotating in a few new pairs. But mostly 'cuz I want shiny new shoes, not because I think they're needed. In fact, that right there is the source of my current shoe hypothesis. Rather than a shoe company conspiracy, I'm now theorizing that the whole thing was started by goofy runners, who wanted an excuse they could use with their non-running spouses as to why they were always buying new shoes ... Which is, of course, a good thing. God forbid the general public finds out about the scam. And by the "general public," I mean the little woman. Running shoes are the only toys I can at least pretend I need for "health" reasons. I wonder if I could get new golf clubs if I claimed my old ones were hurting my elbows ....

I'm on my first pair of Mizunos myself. According to my log I'm just over 273 miles. The New Balance shoes they replaced I'd had for about two years. I didn't really start keeping a running log until the summer so, God only knows what the mileage was. I think the whole shoe mileage debate is pretty subjective. Different runners at different weights wearing different brands are going to have different results. 300-500 miles is just a useful benchmark. If you're starting to get aches & pains & your shoes are up there in miles it might be time for a change. That's why I'm glad this site let's you keep track of a shoe's mileage. My daughter's podiatrist actually told me that the age of a shoe can be a factor. The materials shoes are made out of,especially the foam in the soles & inserts, have a shelf life. A pair of shoes that were sitting on a store's shelves for a year aren't going to last as long as an identical pair fresh from the manufacturer. He thinks running shoes should come with a "born on" date.

I'm pretty convinced its mostly psychosomatic. No offense. I think if you put a pair of 500 mile shoes on most people and TOLD them they were brand new, the results would be ... well, interesting.

Hmmm... Interesting idea! That's a Pepsi challenge I'd like to take! (Just don't tell my wife if I can't tell the difference... )

I never used to keep track of miles on my shoes, I'd just go buy a new pair when my legs didn't feel as good as I felt they should -- based on the time between purchases, I figured I was getting about 250 miles per pair. Now that I'm logging my miles, runningahead has been keeping track of how many I've done in my current shoes. Two weeks ago I came home from a run and said that I needed to replace my shoes. When I checked the mileage, it was about 260. I don't know if it is because I'm short or because I like a newer shoe, but I just don't get very many miles out of a pair.

My personal rule, when I start to feel any kind of soreness or pain in my knee's, calf or feet. Then its time for new shoes. I don't track my miles with my shoes but it would be between 250-300 miles. What I found funny was this is the same when my wt. was 208 and I'm now 183 (on a good morning)

What I found funny was this is the same when my wt. was 208 and I'm now 183 (on a good morning) I never thought about weight affecting shoes -- but as a petite woman, I only get about the same # of miles as you -- so it seems negligable. I wonder if anyone has lost a lot of weight and found that they did get more miles out of their shoes.