Hello all.
I'm curious how frequently people get new running shoes? I walk/run 4-5 times a week for 3.5-5.5 miles. I mentioned to my Hubby that I was thinking about getting new shoes, and he seemed shocked because I got the ones I have less that a year ago (about 9 months ago to be exact). I mentioned it because I noticed they aren't as firm as they were and my feet seem to be kind of... leaning sideways (does this make sense?) - like I'm about to fall off the sole of my shoe. Is every 9 months ridiculous in terms of new sneakers?
Thanks!
GENERALLY they need to be replaced approx every 400 miles, though this varies based on the actually type of shoe. My style has less padding and cushioning, so i am unable to get that much mileage on them...usually about 300 miles. There are shoes out there specifically marketed as "high mileage" shoes as well, which obviously you can get more than 400 miles out of
Replacing running shoes is usually based on mileage. Generally 300 - 500 miles.
If you are noticing the wear on one side of the shoe vs even, then you are pronating and could use some shoes that have a harder sole on that side in order to help correct your pronation.
Personally, I'm not good at tracking the mileage I have on my shoes, as I don't just wear them for running. For me, I watch the wear on the soles as well as listen to my body. When my shoes are worn I'll wear the grips off the soles, and I'll start to notice my lower back aches and I'll have more leg aches after a run. When that starts - its time for new shoes for me.
I tend to go thru 3 to 4 pairs a year. At over $100 a pop for the ones I like - ebay is my friend. Unfortunately my favs have been discontinued, and have gotten harder and harder to find, so I'm going to have to break down and find a new shoe. I love my local running store for their fitting and their return policy until you get a pair that works. But their prices are high. Once I find a shoe that works for me, I stock up on ebay wherever I can.
I used to have to replace at 300, this past year I seem to be able to get more. (my body has adjusted, not the shoes) I have a plethora of shoes in the 350-450 range that I am eeking along, meanwhile I have newer ones that I wear for my longer efforts and rotate in.
Bottom line is regardless what shoe manufacturers and salesmen say, it has more to do with your biomechanics than anything else. I know several very efficient, very light, high mileage runners that easily get 1000 miles out of a pair of shoes. The longer I run, the more miles I get.
Mileage varies. I originally found the 300 limit because that is when I could FEEL it. When my runs were shorter I got few warning signs until one day I realized I had shin splints or my hips hurt. Now I tend to know on a long run that a shoe is "done for the long run" and then I downgrade them to shorter efforts, but I dont get serious pain.
Some shoes die slowly, some die rather suddenly. My last marathon shoes felt great at the HM a few weeks before, but were so toast during my marathon. They had over 500 though, but I hadnt found a good replacement.
chnkymonkey - Have you tried rotating 2 pairs of slightly different styles/brands? One of the things that got me more mileage was alternating different brands on different days. The slight variation in support and fit made me stronger and less injury prone and also shoe padding recovers a bit better if they have a day off. Plus then when one gets discontinued you have more options.
marbear - also...shoes just get old. But no, at the mileage you do, your shoes are probably toast. That is well over 500 miles. Replace. Injuries arent worth it. If he balks you can say there is a crazy lady on 3FC who goes through a pair every 6-8 weeks.
One other questions... Eliptical usage? I Was running onthem when I first got them, but when December hit they became my ellitpical shows until May. Same wear and tear? Or do elliptical miles not count?
Okay maybe it is just me but I get new shoes whenever my feet start to hurt and feel like the shoe fluff is gone! Because once that happens I start to get problems with my hip and leg. I don't care if it has been 3 months or 6 months! Better safe than sorry when it comes to injury - just not worth it!
ennay - When I finally learned to buy good shoes, I started rotating between two pairs of same shoes. That was also during my training for the 60 mile susan G koman walk. I'd do back to back 15+ mile and was putting over 50 miles a week on them.
Right now, I have several pairs, I have my Brooks for running (Adrenaline GTS 6, discontinued but I love them!) and my Saucony for walking which I tend to keep in my car or at work for lunch walks. I also have some worn Brooks for yardword or daily use.
I have two insoles I really like, one for running (lynco), and the other for daily use.
What I tend to do is when I get a new pair for running, I alternate in order to break them in, then I'll switch over to those primarily for running and phase out the older for daily use and put my memory foam insole in, which will give me some more comfort on a worn sole.
I just started training with some friends who are training for a tri. My current runners are showing wear - but I've had them for about 6 months and put only 15 - 20 miles a week on them. (if that, I was pretty lazy this past winter/spring and rotated between them and the saucony for walking). I need to buy new ones and start to break them in and work towards retiring these to my daily stock. They aren't dead yet, but getting there.
I can't walk on the elliptical in my running shoes, they just don't feel right.
I looked back at my log, I actually only got about 400 miles on my last pair of shoes. I got two this time and keep meaning to rotate them but haven't yet.
If you are feeling slippage it is time for a change. Because most of the Xtraining I do is low impact, I will wear my running shoes to the gym for a while after I quit running in them, but your shoes are beyond help!
There are 2 ways running shoes break down. One is uneven wear which it sounds like you have since you feel slippage. This kills shoes faster and you can't really use them for other activities without putting strain on your joints (well, except gardening...I always downgrade the worn out ones for yardwork). For some people this is a constant thing, for others as they get lighter and stronger then they wont wear the shoes out the same way.
The second mode of wear is the cushioning breaks down but the sole has minimal distinct wear pattern (i.e. its worn pretty evenly), in which case continuing to use them for non-impact activities like elliptical or biking is probably ok for a few extra months.
If you can stomach the initial investment I would get a new pair and after about 250-300 miles downgrade that pair to elliptical and other non-impact activities and start a fresh pair for walk/running and keep them separate. Then when they show the first signs of wear, downgrade them to XT and start fresh again.
chnky - I was amazed at how much better things got when I went from alternating within the same brand to alternating with 2 different brands (it's a pain if you need special insoles though). I get more miles out of both pairs because each shoe strains my foot slightly differently. Currently I wear brooks for distance and easy and mizunos for hills/speed/racing but I am also trying out a pair of Nike's that I will blend in slowly. I also have a pair of pearl izumis that I wear on days that I feel beat up. Those things are HEAVY but super cushioned.
I struggled with blisters horribly when I first started longer distance stuff (3+ yrs ago) and worked with my local running store to finally find shoes I could do distance in. Call me an old dog - once I found what worked, I don't want to change. But this year I did rotate in something for walking. Mainly cuz I was walking at lunch at work and would forget my sneakers, so I picked up a good pair to keep at my desk.
I over pronate and will wind up with hip and lower back pain if I'm not in a good shoe and run longer than 5 miles. That seems to be my threshold.
Good luck with the Nike's. I'm not a fan. My hubby and I have had endless troubles with their soles. The glues they use are horrible and we tend to lose the soles. That's on both their high end line of runners, court shoes, trail shoes as well as department store variety. I had some great trail shoes for hiking that the sole literally fell off on a 2 day hike (thank god for my merrills!) and hubby just showed me his tennis shoes that the soles are doing the same thing. Its a shame, but we've had this happen on several pairs so we no longer trust them.
How frequently do you get new running shoes?
Unfortunately my favs have been discontinued, and have gotten harder and harder to find, so I'm going to have to break down and find a new shoe. I love my local running store for their fitting and their return policy until you get a pair that works. But their prices are high. Once I find a shoe that works for me, I stock up on ebay wherever I can.
