Do you really replace shoes every 2-3 months?

I wish I was built like some of you. I slightly overpronate and the foam starts to collapse or compact more on the inside. I start to notice a difference (i.e. knee pain) at around 250 miles and rotate the shoes out by 300 miles.

All things considered, running only becomes a really expensive sport when you get injured.

I used to run at least a year with my shoes.......maybe I think the quality of shoes were better in my prime days?

Don’t listen to the shoe store rep. Their job is to sell shoes.

Yeah 1.9 stars out of five is great!

Some 25+ years ago, I worked up to a 9mile, somewhat hilly, circuit in the concrete jungle. I would go out and blast it several times a week, trying to meet or improve upon my average time to complete it in 63 minutes. (I was just a run-of-the-mill runner getting his runner's high and stress release with little knowledge on training.) Back then, I had a stride in which I was pulling my leg through the gait cycle, more akin to a heel-strike than fore-foot strike. I eventually ran myself into a massive groin injury (to where it hurt just to walk); I think it was probably tendonitis. I ended up having to shut it down, and didn't run thereafter for several years. At the time, it was a huge loss in my life.

My point in sharing this story is to clarify that the life of a shoe is going to greatly depend upon the surfaces one is running on.

I'm currently using the Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger which is a trail shoe, average about 50-60 mpw. Generally they last for 800-1000 miles. I know when they are done as I will start getting twinges of pain in my knee.

I have a similar experience. I start feeling niggles cushioned shoes at around 400km, I'll try to push on but that's not always wise.

Minimalist shoes last forever though, I've managed 1000 miles on a pair of Vibrams.

I always use two or three pair of shoes and rotate the use. No shoe is worn two days in a row and usually there are two days or more before it is used again (factoring in a cycling day or two and perhaps a XC ski day). I stagger bringing them on line so even if every shoe was retired at exactly 500 miles, they wouldn't all be retired at the same time.

Some old shoes become daily wear shoes (e.g. dog walking, driving to the store). Some become yard work shoes. Some get tossed. Depends on how well they have held up and how comfortable they are.

I average 75 miles a week and retire my regular trainers (Pegasus Turbo 2, now looking for a replacement) at about 300 miles, so every 4 weeks. I don't worry about cost, staying injury-free is worth it.

Lotso Shoes wrote:

I average 75 miles a week and retire my regular trainers (Pegasus Turbo 2, now looking for a replacement) at about 300 miles, so every 4 weeks. I don't worry about cost, staying injury-free is worth it.

The more I am running, the more I worry about cost because the cost is greater. I try to find the cheapest shoes that I can, which commonly means buying a new pair on Amazon before I really need to. My average price paid per pair of shoes over that past 2 years is $60 including some high-priced shoes like Endorphin Speeds. I've found many pairs in the $35-$45 range including Kinvara 11's, Zante Pursuits, NB 1500's, etc. I have a rotation of 5-6 pairs at any moment, but the average rate is about one pair per three months. Each pair only lasts a certain number of miles and I'll have a given pair for 4-12 months (pretty much depending on how much I like them/frequency of use). I retire a pair about every three months and bring in a new pair.

I have been thinking alot about this question lately. My four last shoes have been thrown out:

- I had 3 pairs of some Mizuno waves which went a bit flat in the cushioning after about 600 miles so I threw them.

- Then I had 2 Asics gel. I realized one of them was for pronation so I threw them away after 400 miles (they gave me niggles - probably due to pronation shoes). The other Asics I threw away after 550 miles because they went a bit flat. Also, the upper was thin in the forefoot and it began to come holes here and there.

- Now I have some Asics which is close to 600 miles, however they feel fine and I don't have any issues with the cushioning, it feels.

I think I will retire my current shoes out of the rotation when I feel from now on. I don't want to set a certain number. Before, I held the "600 miles formula" for truth, probably because the storekeeper told me so when I bought my some Gel Nimbuses some 10 years ago, which was my first shoes for "running-only". In my school days, I would wear running shoes at school and everyday life and use them also for running in the afternoons.

My reasoning for throwing when it feels right is that, as mentioned, I run quite a lot and it is expensive with good running shoes. Yes, I expect to get 500-600 miles at least from most shoes, but if they feel flat after 400, I will stop running in them and the same - if I feel they last til 1500 miles, the same rule applies.

Is it safe? Well, I am very cautious regarding injuries. And yes, I am stubborn, no doubt. And I am at the same time cautious to spend money, and not. I think I will be able to be subjective around how it feels even if I come to like some shoes dearly. Let's hope so, anyways!

Anecdotally, I remember when I bought the mentioned Nimbuses. Back then I was even more stubborn than now and I had some other Asics Gel (don't remember the model), and I would probably not have gotten the new ones if my mother hadn't been to persistent and bought me my new Nimbuses for my birthday. Of course I felt a big difference in the cushioning. I didn't keep track of mileage on shoes back then - only knew I have had the old shoes for a year - so my guestimate is that they had a bit more then 700 miles taken all use considered (including running). The outsole was almost completely gone, but they looked fine on the upper albeit somewhat dirty (but hey, they were white so what would you expect!). I continued to run perhaps every other run in each shoes (back then I ran somewhat consistently 6-7 miles every other day and long runs (10-15 miles) on sundays.

That was just some thoughts that came to mind :-)