Worn running shoes Vs. barefoot/minimal running shoes

[metalmancpa]

I think worn out shoes are dangerous. They've lost the angles and support as designed, so I would think the foot strike and legs muscles are strained more since you are not striking the ground with the best angles and form.

As far as a minimalist shoe is concerned, I never ran in my Vibrams but have worked out in them. I never had issues walking around in them as I feel I was getting somewhat of a calf workout since I needed more muscle for every step ( a cushioned shoe also gives stride bounce). But, I have changed my tune on even working out on them. I completely severed my Achilles last April jump roping with my Vibrams on. I'm not so sure that would of happened if I was wearing cross training sneakers.

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by wutitiz

The shoe companies say to toss shoes after about 400 miles. I have put thousands of miles on a pair of shoes, probably at least 3500 mi. I only run on treadmill or on dirt/grass (except for the few blocks to get to the park).

When I buy new shoes I buy at least 2 pairs. I only buy Mizuno because their sizing is very consistent, and I'm confident I won't get stuck with several pairs of shoes, none of which fit.

Then every few months I set the new pair and old pair side by side on a glass table to make sure that there is no canting or other uneven wear. If I find uneven wear I would toss them, but I never have. I wear them until the upper starts coming apart, and then of course I have to toss them. Along with good fit, I have found Mizunos to be durable.

I've never tried the Wave Universe (weighs like 3.5 oz or something crazy like that). I want to see how many miles I can put on that one. I think normal life expectancy is something like 200 miles. I'll shoot for at least 1000. I suspect the upper won't hold up though.

3500 miles? You must be the size of a hummingbird or something is awry. I'm 185 lbs and run in saucony, mizunos and asics and all three brands start showing wear in 100-200 miles and by 500 I'm through the tread on the outer edges of both heels. In my current pair of saucony I've run 3 halfs and a full yesterday and they are showing some wear with a little bit of training

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

3500 miles? You must be the size of a hummingbird or something is awry. I'm 185 lbs and run in saucony, mizunos and asics and all three brands start showing wear in 100-200 miles and by 500 I'm through the tread on the outer edges of both heels. In my current pair of saucony I've run 3 halfs and a full yesterday and they are showing some wear with a little bit of training

I'm about 130 lbs. The typical hummingbird is about one-tenth of one ounce, so I am 20,000 times heavier if my math is right, LOL.

I put a lot of miles on the treadmill, so that's probably a big factor. Soft treadmill belt=less abrasion and less wear. I also run 6-10 miles barefoot per week and forgot to figure that into my calculation. The number is just a guess, but an educated one. And as I say, only a very small fraction of my mileage is on pavement--probably around 1 or 2 percent on pavement.