I've been wondering about my current shoes and if they're ready for retirement or just middle aged. According to my records, they just have 151 miles on them. HOWEVER... I purchased them back in July '08 and as far as time, I've probably logged twice as much time in these shoes as other runners with 150 miles.
I bought a new pair last Wednesday and just broke them in for the first time tonight for a little 1.6 mile recovery run/walk after yesterday's 10K. And it was unbelievable how much better these feel than the old shoes. So, although I reluctant to retire a pair of shoes with only 151 miles on them, I think I'm going to do just that.
I've heard it said that a shoe should last 300-500 miles. Well, I've come to the conclusion that while that may be a GENERAL guideline, there are a lot of factors that go into how long a shoe should be used before it's retired. For one, I think my weight puts exponentially more stress on a shoe. Being at 300+ pounds, I'm seriously "pounding" my knees, legs, ankles, and even my shoes a lot more than your average runner. Secondly, it just makes sense that if you just look at my pace, I'm spending a lot more time per mile in my shoe than your basic 8-10 minute miler. So, I might run a loop around Memorial Park in 45 or 50 minutes where it takes others half that time.
So, it's really not a big deal. I just think about stupid stuff like this while I'm running or sitting around the house, or playing taxi driver to 3 kids (this makes up the bulk of my life). I guess I've got a new pair of yard shoes.
2 comments:
Retire 'em!
My two new pairs were sitting in their boxes in the closet waiting until the current pairs hit 350 miles each.
The mileage was reached when I was doing a 1/2 marathon on Sunday and another on Saturday, so I decided to stay with the tried & true pairs.
That was a $605 mistake! My shins were screaming & I couldn't put weight on the left one. Thought it was a stress fracture, bone scan said shin splints.
And I always stress the importance of shoes to new runners - do as I say, not as I do.....
I find that at about 150 miles, I start to have more aches and pains, so I end up biting the bullet and getting a new pair. I'll wear the older pair for the shorter runs and the new pair for the long runs. Seems to be working for me right now!
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