A Question For you 100+ Mileage People About Shoes

I get about 2 new pairs a year now, though I don't really run as much in the winter anymore since I moved to a place that has a real winter 4 years ago and I started xc skiing. I used to run about 100 mpw year round with 2 new pairs a year though. My highest mileage in one pair of shoes is about 4500-5000 miles... they were a pair of inexpensive Converses ($40 retail) with the thin but long wearing "Goodyear Indy 500" carbon black rubber outsole. After my shoes are shot, they go in the garbage. Where else would they go?... they are crap with major holes in the uppers by then.

When I ran higher mileage, and was much faster. I was involved in a wear test program, and always requested to get the trainers back after the company was finished doing their thing with them. I also got some fairly decent discounts from a local retailer. When I am running really well and winning a lot of local and regional races, I am sometimes offered free merchandise, including trainers. The only drawback there is that I can't just pick what I want. I am only able to get about 500 miles out of a pair of trainers.

The life of a pair of shoes will depend on a few factors

1. Your body weight. Heavy people kill shoes faster than gaunt people...

2. Your footstrike and biomechanic's

3. The quality of the shoe. Generally the more cushioning the longer the life..

The reason your shoes will die is not because you have "big holes in the upper" or "the fantastic outsole has worn through" but rather because your midsole is shot and has lost it's ability to cushion your impact (approx 3 x your body weight) and return to its proper shape.

With a few variables involved, to coin a ball park approximate life span you will be looking at around 1,000km out of a pair of shoes. This life can be increased by revolving two (or more) pairs of current training shoes, there-by allowing the midsoles a greater ability to recover (return closer to their original form) between outings.

Another thing to realize is that a shoe is dead when you say it's dead. Some people will feel fine running in a given shoe long after others would say that the same shoe is too "dead" to use any more. When I was in college, I'd occasionally take shoes from a friend of mine who wore the same size when they were too "dead" for him to use, and then I'd use them for another month or so.

[quote]CRM wrote:

The life of a pair of shoes will depend on a few factors

1. Your body weight. Heavy people kill shoes faster than gaunt people...

2. Your footstrike and biomechanic's

3. The quality of the shoe. Generally the more cushioning the longer the life..

I am a heavy (175#) midfoot runner and am neutral so can run in just about anything. The tendency of the forefoot midsole to become concave and loose it's cushioning ability is the limiting factor on how long a shoe will last for me.

New Balance (830, 991) last me for 300-500 miles.

Adidas (Boston II) last me for 700-800 miles.

Nike (Pegasus) verdict not in yet.

Obviously, at 100+ mpw, I love the Boston IIs but those bastards stopped making them this year. I will try the Supernovas or the Boston Classics. I still race marathons in the NB831 because they are so light.

Isn't the Rotterdam (sp?) the same shoe as the Boston II?

I monitor shoe mileage and generally do not run in a shoe once it has gone beyond 500 miles. I am a relatively lightweight and efficient runner, who could probably get more miles out a shoe than I do. Years ago however I decided that avoiding the potential risk of injury outweighed the out of pocket cost of new shoes. Since my wife is also a runner, we end up spending a lot of money on shoes, but for us, running is a high priority, so we are willing to do so.

I use 3 pairs of shoes: lightweight trainer for fast days, recovery day trainer for shorter and easier workouts, and a primary trainer for long runs and the bulk of my mileage. Currently, these are the Rotterdam, Boston Classic, and Supernova Cushion, respectively.

When the shoes wear out for running, they generally still look good and have useful life. I save my favorite styles for walking around in, keep some for mowing the lawn in, and give a lot of them to Goodwill.

I've usually got 3-4 pairs of trainers I run in at all times.

DougE, I've never heard that...thanks for the tip. I'll try them on!

I replace every 300 miles...it might be expensive but I stay healthy.

I go 700 miles in each pair (I keep a good log). I usually try to get a new pair when the old one has 550-600 on them, then rotate both using the older shoes only on shorter runs. By the time they reach 700 they're pretty compacted and the new ones are well worn in with about 100 on them.

from what i remember, the rotterdam is a lighter-weight version of the second boston. ill check this today and my store and confirm this.

however, going back to shoe mileage...im 5'10, around 135 lbs, and my asics 2080s lasted my 147 miles last time before my shins acted up. looks about the same for this second pair. have a pair of mizuno mavericks that will be gone around 100 miles. thank god for being able to get these shoes at cost...

I've found that it helps to rotate my shoes each day, so whenever I buy shoes, I buy two pairs. So I'm wearing each pair every other day, which seems to extend their life a bit. Still, I don't get much more than 300 miles out of a pair before I notice significant loss of performance (NB 855).

I do the same - rotate every run and replace after 300 miles. This works for me.

ok, just checked up on the rotterdam/boston situation here. the rotterdam does in fact have the exact same midsole as the second generation boston, however, they seemed to lighten up the upper a little bit. they outersole has also changed a touch, but it isnt anything drastic. id say give them a shot if the second boston worked well.

Hey Bo Bo, try something with a polyurethane midsole like some New Balances or Etonics (only certain models). They tend to last nearly 1000 miles for me, because it's holes or worn outsoles that wear down first, not the midsole.

quote]xcandrew wrote:

I used to run about 100 mpw year round with 2 new pairs a year though. My highest mileage in one pair of shoes is about 4500-5000 miles... they were a pair of inexpensive Converses ($40 retail) with the thin but long wearing "Goodyear Indy 500" carbon black rubber outsole. After my shoes are shot, they go in the garbage. Where else would they go?... they are crap with major holes in the uppers by then.[/quote]

I could not imagine running 5000 miles in a pair of old converse's. INJURY - INJURY - INJURY

By the way, I get a new pair about ever 350miles. Usually New Balance 800 or 900 series.[

Doug E.

Te Boston II and Rotterdam share the same midsole. The Rotterdam has a different open mesh upper, and a quickstrike (TPU) outsole.

Mike

another miler:

Great! As long as the shoe stays on my foot, I could care less about the upper. I'll give them a shot.