Changing running trainers after 6 months. Really?!

[losenotloose]

I've heard people say you should change your trainers every 6 months. I can't help but feel uneasy about this. For one it seems like marketing to me and is obviously bad environmentally. But also there's no way I could afford to do it! We're told to get the right trainers which are expensive then chuck them after 6-12 months. I've had my running trainers for 8 years and am just accepting they need replacing! I also never get injuries. What are other people's opinions on this?

I heard it was after a certain number of miles, so how long that takes depends on whether you’re a marathon runner or more of a half hour run a couple of times a week. I don’t bin mine, rather they get relegated to everyday use as they’re still always much comfier than any of my other footwear!

Depends on how many miles you're doing. Dp does about 50 miles a week minimum and definitely needs to replace every 6 months.

I also certainly agree it’s bad for the environment ... however I’d say you’re lucky not to have been injured running in the same shoes for so long, people with more difficult feet/knees or more pronounced gait issues wear through parts of their shoes much quicker. My brother wears down the outer edge of the heels of all his shoes within 6m or so. I can’t remember if it’s over or under pronation

I thought it was distance too.
A quick google suggests 300-500 miles which for me is about 18 months. Which I'd about right for the treads starting to go, tbf.

Well to be honest I've been an intermittent runner over the years and don't run that much, about 5k three times a week. But still even if I ran more I just couldn't possibly afford to change them often! And like I said it would make me feel terribly guilty.

I used to run similar distances and changed my trainers every 12 months.

I've just bought a new pair. 7 months since the last pair, but I've run 600km since then and they are properly knackered. I can feel it in my shins that they aren't supportive enough.

I don’t run, but I do a lot of walking and stuff like Zumba, that’s heavy on trainers. I’ve had mine most comfortable ones about eighteen months, but I’m going to get new ones this week.

I can feel it in my ankles when my running shoes need to be replaced.

I'm lazy enough to only need to change mine every couple of years.

As others say, depends how much you run. At the moment I'm running 20+ miles a week (training for a half marathon) and I had my last pair about 18 months but they certainly needed replacing at about a year or so.

OTOH if you just do Parkrun every week (nothing wrong with that) then you'll get longer out of them. Eight years is pushing it tho unless you run only rarely.

I also have a trainer hierarchy, pair I no longer run in is for general bodding about.

500-600 miles unless it’s hikes in which case it’s closer to 300 miles. All depends on frequency and length of runs and run surface. A runner doing parkrun and maybe a couple of short training runs on soft surfaces will need to replace less than someone who runs multiple marathons a week on tarmac. Also dependant on your joints and how week they deal with impact.

For what it’s worth I do over 100 miles a week with weak knees and ankles and I have to buy trainers 3/4 pairs at a time and replace them every 6 months minimum. As soon as the pain starts they get donated to a local homeless charity

I'm not sure on milage, but mine last about a year or so before niggles set in, which is around the time that my toes start poking out, treads wear off or backs of heels rub away. Depending on how they look they either get used as everyday trainers or inevitable soakings.

I do two or three half marathons a year and run 2-4 times a week.

At least it's a hobby that requires little transport. Most of my runs are from home and races tend to be local, half of which I go to on foot. The rest of my gear lasts a long time before it wears out. Can I claim some environmental mitigation for being the smallest adult shoe size, thus requiring less materials than most people