Retiring Running Shoes, Lots of Questions...

I am not sure what you'd classify as "seasoned" but this is my third season of running, now steadily at 20-25mpw, training for a half so maxing out at 30mpw. I also run in Sauconys, though I wear the Omni 10s and Ride 5s.

1) That is personal. I think shoes last different amounts of time for different people. If you think 325 miles is a good amount of mileage and you like the shoes and they don't cause you any problems, I'd stick with them.

2) I have not noticed a significant break in time on my Sauconys, either the Omnis or the Rides, but I would not wear a new pair to a race or on a very long run for the first time, just in case.

3) I just started doing this over the last month or so, because the Omnis are a full support shoe and the Rides are a little lighter and more flexible so I wear them Omnis for longer stuff and the Rides for shorter stuff. It seems to help my feet and legs recover better and running in the Rides feels SUPER fast (full disclosure: I am not super fast)


All in all, if you don't think your shoes will last another 80 miles, I'd get new ones soon and start wearing them, maybe alternating with your old shoes for a few runs if you are concerned about the breaking-in period. That's usually what I do and it has seemed to work well. I'm sure you'll get all kinds of different advice about what has worked for other people; this is the time to get all the advice you can and sort out what works best for you!

PS runningwarehouse.com usually has pretty cheap shoes and if you use to code runblog10 you can almost always get 10% off, plus free two-day shipping!

Good luck!

Any exercise shoes should be changed after about 400 miles. I changed my aerobic boots after that, my training shoes, runners and now my walkers. All get binned at about 400 miles.

OK, some of them are so very nice still that I wear them as ordinary shoes. But not for training. I know the manufacturers set the mileage low so they can sell you new ones but you have to think... how much support are they really giving you now, or is it just that they feel so comfy?

Try on a new pair, you'll be surprised / horrified. I think you'll be fine with 80 miles of wear in, about 25% of the shoes expected life. You are right the old ones probably won't last a race, well they might but you may not!

And even if your wallet hates you your joints will love you!

Before running my marathon in July, I read the ideal mileage on a pair of shoes for race day is 35-40 miles...I can't remember if that was specifically for a full marathon or any race. Anyway, my experience has been that my shoes start needing to be replaced at about 350, sometimes 400 miles. For me personally Nike Pegasus are the shoe of choice...I ran a half marathon in a pair that was almost brand new and they felt great. My friend had the same issue with her Saucony's and the mesh...it breathes well, I know, but doesn't last as long. If I were you I would keep using the shoes you're in as long as they feel good, but I would definitely get a new pair and alternate so you can wear the newer ones for your race. And if the Saucony feel good on your feet, stick with them! 300 miles is actually quite a bit on one pair of shoes, especially if they're working for you.

If you found a shoe that works for you stick with it. I'm on my 6th and 7th pair of addidas supernova glides. I'm not good at tracking mileage on my shoes, so I don't know how many miles I get out of them. Typically I replace when I start to get shin splints (so a little later than I should). I have 2 pairs in rotation at a time. My new model is generally released in January so I generally search for discounts in november or december and buy 3 pairs for under $200 total. I generally use 3 pairs a year. So for me that's over 400 miles but under 500 per pair, and I do wear them until they are worn out.

I do think you should work on entering a new pair into your workouts. Remember if you do rotate 2 pairs of shoes regularly (every other run) that will allow them to dry out completely between runs extending the life of the shoe by a little bit.

To break in my new shoes, I wear them around town for a day, do 1 or two short workouts, then try for a long run. Generrally I'll wear a pair for 3 long runs before using for a half marathon.

A guy I worked with would buy two pairs of the same shoe and alternate them each run. Stretches their life out a little.