Why do runners gripe about shoes lasting "only" 400 miles?

Shoe Swapper wrote:

I'm admitting up front that this is nothing more than a pet peeve, but why do runners gripe about shoes that last "only" 350 or 400 miles?

Every time I read an online shoe review, someone invariably writes something like "It was a great shoe for 400 miles but then it wore out". Gee, no kidding. They have EVA midsoles and blown rubber outsoles. What the hell did they expect?

I've been running for 30 years and I don't think I've EVER worn a shoe for more than 300 miles before I start to mix in a new pair. And by 350 miles they are grass cutting shoes. If someone is getting 500-600 miles out of a shoe, then they must weigh 100 pounds and have perfect biomechanics.

If you're running 70-100 mpw, a pair of those shoes would only last 4-6 weeks. That would be about 10 pairs of trainers a year.

which is about a $1000 which if you are a college student, well thats about your income (if you're lucky)

I took advice I got on letsrun a while back.

Someone told me to run exclusively on grass/trails. Ever since then my shoes get atleast 1000 miles on them before the uppers start ripping. The bottoms are perfectly fine. I could wear them even longer, but I get free shoes from the school.

Advice: Only run on grass.

Jimmie Johnson wrote: If you're running 70-100 mpw, a pair of those shoes would only last 4-6 weeks. That would be about 10 pairs of trainers a year.

The expense is certainly something that would get most people down, and I understand that, but I still think people have unrealistic expectations. I'm obviously in the minority in my practices....How many miles do most people expect to get out of a shoe? 800 - 1000?

Shoot, I get about 2,500 miles out of my shoes... if not more.

I do as well. I wear my shoes until I get various aches and pains, that's when I know to buy another pair.

flaneur wrote:

I do as well. I wear my shoes until I get various aches and pains, that's when I know to buy another pair.

I guess that's my problem. I start getting those aches and pains around 300 miles.

How are your biomechanics, and are you prone to injury? I'm pretty lucky, having a pretty neutral footstrike and don't tend to get injured unless I reach way too far in training.

flaneur wrote:

I do as well. I wear my shoes until I get various aches and pains, that's when I know to buy another pair.

That's exactly what I do too. I can usually get 800-1,000 miles on a pair of shoes...and I do about 95% of my running on asphalt or concrete.

The shoe companies certainly could make a shoe last a lot longer, but why would they? They want to sell shoes, and if they last for 1000 miles, they don't sell as many. To quote Chris Rock: "you mean to tell me that we can put a MoFo on the moon, but we can't get a Cadilac to run for 100k miles?"

I would like to change that to:

"you mean to tell me that we can put a MoFo on the moon, but we cant make a running shoe last more than 400 miles?"

My shoes are lasting longer the more running I do. The legs seem to get used to it the more you run.

Iron City Miles wrote:

Shoot, I get about 2,500 miles out of my shoes... if not more.

I get 2000-2500. I replace them when the uppers start to rip away from the soles and I can't keep them on my feet any more. I run in flats so there is little or no EVA to wear out. I could probably get more if I ran on the roads but I do a lot of my running on trails and I think my foot slides around a bit more and causes the uppers to wear a bit faster.

Shoebacca wrote:

My shoes are lasting longer the more running I do. The legs seem to get used to it the more you run.

+1

I've noticed this too recently. Of course that means I'm ending up with 500 miles on them in 7-8 weeks, instead of 400 miles om them in 7-8 weeks. I guess I'm still replacing them almost as often time-wise.

This is true, i only got about 400 in highschool but when i went to college and ran more i got a minimum of 750 with no pains. I went to a camp when i was in highschool hosted by a former US olympic runner, he said he got about 2000 on his shoes, i don't know the terrain he was running though.It seems that the more you run for various reasons the shoes last longer

Shoebacca wrote:

My shoes are lasting longer the more running I do. The legs seem to get used to it the more you run.

Not so much a secret actually. More running generally means less body weight, less ground contact time, lighter more efficient impact.

In my case there has been basically 0 weight change (literally, for about 25 years) so it has to be the second two reasons.

I usually toss mine overboard around 1000 miles. Mainly because I like getting new shoes. I'm not sure I've ever actually 'worn out' a pair of running shoes.

Shoe Swapper wrote:

Jimmie Johnson wrote: If you're running 70-100 mpw, a pair of those shoes would only last 4-6 weeks. That would be about 10 pairs of trainers a year.

The expense is certainly something that would get most people down, and I understand that, but I still think people have unrealistic expectations. I'm obviously in the minority in my practices....How many miles do most people expect to get out of a shoe? 800 - 1000?

I expect that. And once I started using Shoe Goo to protect the outsoles, I started getting it too. The amount that most midsoles really compress is negligible in my experience. Put me in a brand new pair of the flats I use for training (no airsole or spring or anything like that) or a pair that I've got 1000 miles on and I would be hard pressed to tell the difference as long as I've kept the outsoles from wearing down with Shoe Goo.

I've never had a pair of running shoes last less than 1000 miles. I get rid of them when the uppers wear out - usually when a toe pokes through. The tread has never worn through on any pair. I like getting new shoes too but it'd be frivolous to throw out perfectly good shoes just to indulge my shopping whims. I and do mean "perfectly good" - my trainers with 800 miles are indistinguishable in fit and feel and performance from those with 80.

I usually start getting achilles problems around 500 to 600, and I run mostly on trails and grass, though a pair of nike lunar trainers got me at least 1200 a couple years ago. My present 20 dollar no name shoes have gotten me at least six hundred.