19 replies to this topic

[lactatehead]

Now that I have increased my mileage I am getting through a pair of running shoes every couple of months. I have always been told that you should replace them after about 800ks but I wonder if that is true. I have seen other runners wearing shoes that they have owned for years and they do not seem to be suffering from terrible injuries. Is it all a big marketing scam?

[Rock & Run]

several podiatrist friends have suggested between 400 - 600km's.

Also, another way of extending the life of your runners is keep them for running only, don't use them as everyday walking shoes as your foot strike is different.

[vat]

I'd agree with Rock & Run - I'm running three pairs of shoes in rotation, some 2070s, 2080s and Series 9 Kayanos. The 2070's have got about 450km compared to about 80-90km on the 2080s, and you can really tell a lot of the absorbancy's gone out of them, especially when you make the mistake of running two days in a row in them. I won't run more than 10-12km in them now.

[run4it]

When I was a fairly casual runner - only running a few times a week and rarely more than 7 kilometers at a stretch, I could make running shoes last forever. Once I got into running more seriously (40-70 kilometers a week depending on what kind of race I'm training for), I found I was putting a lot more stress on my body and I had to think a lot more about taking care of myself to avoid injuries. Most running injuries are at least in some way tied to shoes - a former elite runner told me that the first thing she did when she got injured was throw her running shoes away. I've also heard that to avoid injuries, get new shoes when they start to lose their tread/structure or at 800 kms, whichever comes first.

[yeti]

The (usable) lifetime of running shoes depends on a wide range of factors, including the shoe (trainer vs. racer ...), the type of use (road,trail...) and of course the runner itself, i.e. somebody who weighs 60kg may use the same shoe a lot longer than somebody with 85kg.
The variations in lifetime seem to be so large that it is impossible to give a reasonable "expected" value. I have seen anything between 300km (Asics DS Racer) and nearly 2500km (Adidas Shimanto) in my running shoes.
The best advice is probably do as vat_man says, rotate multiple pair of different age/mileage and you will feel when a pair needs replacement.

Yeti

[wazza]

I use the electronic training log on the US CR website and this posts a warning to replace running shoes at 800klm.

I find this coincides with the onset of niggling back and leg pain that disappears as soon as I take notice of the warning and update my shoes.

For comparison, I usually run between 70/80klm per week - mainly on bitumen with some dirt trails on the weekends

[lebusqp]

funny thing was back in 1980 i ran all of my 6000k in the same shoes. i won't suggest anyone tries it but it didn't cause me any problems at the time. the previous year i'd trained mostly in tennis shoes and work boots. we didn't know as much back then. :o

[tim]

run until the shoe feels dead. then buy a new pair. You will know.


tim

[Jumper]

Why do car tyres last 80,000 kms ?

Why do running shoes only last 600 kms ?

Barefoot running is more natural, the only reason we need shoes is to protect our feet from objects that could cut, scratch or pierce.

We don't really need high tech shoes made by US60 cents per hour workers. The shoe prices indicate these workers could be getting more like $10 per hour - someone is getting mega rich.

Overweight runners may need more cushioning for jarring.

Davey Crocket used to run in moccasins, only thing is that there are not enough bears left to make them.

The longer the race, the more likely shoes will cause blisters as our feet swell up.

The Colac 6-day race is a minefield of blisters
and foot problems for those who don't rotate their shoes and change sox every 4 hours.

Different shoes rub in different places, no shoes is perfect. Shoes are not designed for individual feet.

Our feet have become very soft and easy to damage from wearing shoes all the time.

Individual toe muscles are not being exercised properly as they are forced to sit still in the shoe. This is very unnatural.

Although the warning may be "change shoes at 800 kms", the reality is that the shoe starts to lose its cushioning properties from 100 kms.

It's possible to select rubber that will last 20,000 kms, but there is no profit for the makers who rely on repeat sales.

[tim]

I agree with you Jumper barefoot is natural so why aren't shoes made simply to protect your feet from sharp objects? Why all this cushioning especially in the heal?

lebusqp maybe we knew more back then and we have simply lost our way.


tim

[lactatehead]

Thanks for all of the interesting comments. When I was a kid and I observed my dad training for marathons, he wore shoes with just a few mm of rubber for cushioning (no high tech stuff then) and he never seemed to get injured. I guess that if I am going to wear shoes then I should carry on replacing them to avoid injuries. I like the idea of not wearing shoes at all but it is not that practical in the middle of Melbourne. I do some of my interval sessions on a grass track in bare feet and it hasn`t caused me any problems. It feels very natural and you tend to run faster.

[yeti]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by tim turner:
I agree with you Jumper barefoot is natural so why aren't shoes made simply to protect your feet from sharp objects?
tim

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[/indent]Maybe because we don't run around barefoot all the time when we grow up and thus our feet aren't prepared for barefoot running ?

Yeti

[lebusqp]

Jack Foster [2.11 mar. @ 40yo] did all his training in l/w race shoes [on natural surfaces] believing that you learnt to land properly and didn't rely on your shoes to absorb the impact and support your feet.

[Jogger]

barefoot may be natural, but walking around & running around on concrete are not. Shoes do more than protect from sharp objects - I think on grass and dirt (more natural) your feet keeps it arch, but on concrete this flattens the foot, so you need some kind of arch support.

well that one difference anyway. to be more natural you need to consider whats on your feet AND where you walk/run.

[Phantom Strider, retired]

Read ultrarunner George Audley's , aka The Flying Fossil, innovative solution to make your runners last longer.

[tim]

Concrete may be an unnatural surface but there are many surfaces in nature that are just as hard. The arch flattens out as part of the natural shock absorption system but amazingly is springs back into shape. Maybe you only need arch support after a lifetime of not using it?

tim

[Parso]

Alternating 2 pairs of ASICS 1060/70/80's etc can get 12 months or 2000k per pair at around 80ks per week. Most runs on hard surfaces but weigh in at 63klgs, so maybe this helps. Lately the heel box and upper have started to split/shred towards the end - but the sole is generally OK.

[roodrunner]

If you take your running shoe by the heel in one hand and grab the front of the shoe in the other hand ,then bend the shoe its natural way.If the shoe bends where the most support is i.e just in front of the heel in the arch of the foot,then your shoe is surely destined for the trash,however if it bends towards the front of the arch in the thinner section keep them as you still have support where you need it. ;) :)

[BOOF]

Hi Fella's,
I tend to run my trainers into the ground once there dead they usually start falling apart and they are telling yah they need to be put out to pasture.
However at that point take a good hard look at the bottom of your shoe. A dead pair of trainers will tell you alot about your style of running and wear you need/require cushioning the most.
For me its quiet clear I land on the ball of my foot just behind the toe area.
This started to beg question to me at least why bother carrying a wedge of rubber under your heel if your not landing on it?
Most of the so-called big name's shoe brands Reebok,Nike,Addias etc are all filled with the latest widgets & gels etc, but if your not landing on it why carry it around with you?
That said I prefer only to race in flats, cause you like to have a extra spring in your step on race day, just like a race horse wears metal work shoes during track work and then on race day you see the farriers working madly to fit those extra light aluminium race shoes...
Now I'll wait for the heel strikers to jump on me...
Regards
Boof

[barefoot tim]

[indent]quote:

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Originally posted by tim turner:
I agree with you Jumper barefoot is natural so why aren't shoes made simply to protect your feet from sharp objects? Why all this cushioning especially in the heal?

lebusqp maybe we knew more back then and we have simply lost our way.


tim

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[/indent]there is one kind of shoe like this. Check out:

www.vivobarefoot.com