“My Hoka Gaviotas like fell apart on my run today and I only had them for 4.5 months. I need another shoe to alternate and was curious if you had any recs”.
I received this text from an athlete this weekend and the subtext here was, my Gaviotas were low quality and I need something that will last longer.
But folks, I had the intel of how much this athlete had been running and recognized that 4.5 months on the volume she was doing was actually pretty normal. Which made me realize I get a lot of athletes who don’t quite understand how long their running shoes last, when to replace them, and even if it’s at the point where they should be replaced.
Enter this week’s article. Everything on shoe durability, how to know when it’s time to replace them, and ways to keep track of your shoe mileage so that you don’t miss the time to replace them.
Let’s start with the general information on your shoes and their durability. Industry standard is that a normal pair of trainers should last you anywhere between 300 and 500 miles per pair. Notice how it’s not, how many months or years you’ve had them but the amount of use you’ve put into them.
Okay, so maybe that one felt more common sense (the more I use something the sooner I need to replace it). But what about that 300-500 mile range that you see there. That’s a pretty big range and for some people that’s a month’s difference in shoe usage and other’s that could be half a year’s difference.
So what determines if you’re on the low end of that spectrum versus the higher end? Lots of variables here, so hang on. To understand, we need to understand shoe construction and the parts of your shoe that matter the most if they get worn down.