Quick question regarding your experiences on how long shoes last. I have a pair that I've worn only on the treadmill and am up to almost 570 miles on them. If I keep them for treadmill use, how much differently do they break down compared to road use. I don't feel like they've taken their toll and it seems like they have plenty more miles in them. Is that OK or am I risking too much?
Interval Junkie --Nobby
i think the data is pretty inconclusive on this, so your the risk is a sliding scale vs cost.
The primary wear that concerns runners isn't the tread or the upper or things that noticeably go bad. Instead it's the "foam", the cushioning and stabilization abilities of the shoes. There are a host of factors that affect the foam. The following contribute to shortening the lifespan of your shoe:
-consistent use (without giving the shoes time to "recover")
- wearing them in the rain
- putting them in the dryer
- time (just how old they are)
- listening to Fox News
I'm not sure how much more "cushioning" a treadmill provides to impact force, and therefore how much of the work is off-loaded to the treadmill, which would lengthen their effective use lifespan.
All that being said, I had one pair of shoes for 5 years that I ran in every now and then -- probably put 600 miles on them until they started giving me shinsplints (the only time I've ever had that problem). I wasn't "a runner" then. But buying new shoes fixed the problem immediately. Those old ones were completely busted.
The only reason I rotate shoes is because $100 means less to me than the fear of injury. So I'm a slave to the suspect advice of $350 miles / shoe. 5mo lifespan max.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
I like to keep a few pairs of shoes in rotation.
I can get an easy 800 miles from most ASIC models.
Mizuno's seem to lose thier cushioning the quickest. My shoes are all various ages and miles and when the start to get some higher mileage they become shorter easier workout day shoes. That is the last step before becoming lawn mowing shoes.
ha.. I think I put on 1500 miles over about 12 months on my last pair. Almost wore a hole in the bottom. Only retired them after the PF started to flare up. I have started running more on the TM and use a shoe with less cushioning. I have noticed that I run a little differently on the TM vs. the roads.
If the number of total miles is making you nervous... I would change them out. Better safe than sorry when you are chasing the dream.
And we run because we like itThrough the broad bright land
Feeling the growl again
I keep treadmill and outdoor shoes separate, so that I don't track stuff onto the treadmill and to prolong its life (insert laugh track here). I run outdoor shoes 700 miles...established through years of experience....and treadmill shoes 1000 miles. The sole of the treadmill shoes is less worn at 1000 than the outdoor shoes at 700, not surprising given the lack of abrasive surface.
Without taking the treadmill shoes outdoors at the end I am not sure how the cushioning compares. It's the inside lining of the shoe that typically starts to go around 1000.
"If you want to be a bad a$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
Walk-Jogger
I retired a pair of Mizuno Ronin 4's this past week that were used exclusively on an indoor track, for 1216 miles over the past 26 months. I get about 400 miles or less outdoors on that same model shoe. The indoor shoes as was mentioned do not look worn, but for me the heels start rolling to the outside excessively and I start noticing more foot slap and splinty shins. I brought in a new pair of shoes (different model however) to the track and alternated between old and new for a couple of days, and the difference was very noticeable.
Retired & Loving It
nike pegasus are pretty good for me for 1500 miles, +/-. I like that shoe because it lasts the longest per $, without screwing up my stride by being too supportive, or wide, or thick, or whatever. When I touch my toe to pavement, it is time to throw them away. Other lightweight trainers and racing flats are good for somewhere in the 100 to 300-mile range, it seems. They go when they lose traction or get a hole, whichever comes first. I have never been too concerned with the cushion - if that is what you mean by risk.
Thanks for the perspectives and input. Usually what I've been doing is similar to Spaniel. I run on the home treadmill with "indoor" shoes only. Usually I would wear those on the mill when they're new and then transition them outside when it's time to retire my outside shoes. I've kept the current pair for inside use for quite a while now as I like running on the treadmill with a shoe that is less bulky. I get a better feel for foot strike and the fact that the mill provides added cushioning, I can get away with that. This is the first pair that I haven't transitioned outside and I was planning on keeping them as "indoor" shoes for a while longer.