Running shoe life span

I know it will vary from shoe to shoe but I was wondering at what point you should change running shoes?

I have a pair of Asics Gel Pulse 3 which have now covered about 500 miles of road running and are about 7 months old. They are starting to show an amount of wear across various areas of the sole and heel but still feel ok when in use.

Just wondering what the general rules are?

The general rule is indeed about 500 miles... after which they reckon that support an cushioning has deteriorated... according to the manufacturers.

Personally, I've stretched it to twice that.

depends on the style of shoe really and your form/weight etc and the surace you run on, 70% of my miles are along a canal tow path which has a very fine loose surface on top of the hard ground, i tend to get a lot more miles from the sole before it wears away, 

My Merrell gloves are 1000 miles in though an still look near new.

There are so many variables that the "rule" is pretty meaningless.  A bit like max heart rate really.  If the rule tells you that the cushioning in the shoe (that it can't see) has gone, but you know from actually being there that it hasn't, and that there's a decent amount of outer sole left, and they're holding together and they're comfortable and not causing you any problems, then the rule is clearly wrong.

My Nike Zoom Elite have started showing a little too much midsole peeping through the bottom of the outer sole after 949 miles, so I will most likely replace them the next time (/if) I see a pair on special offer.  They still feel fine to run in though.

I get 300 `good` miles from Nike Equalon 4s and then am more prone to aches and niggles. I keep them going until 500 miles. However, I have got better at using old pairs for muddy park recovery runs wear impact is less and so I`m well over 500 with one pair.

That's a good point, you can always relegate older shoes to different purposes, e.g. off-road, short easy runs, or just for gym usage. I've got some seriously old trainers on the go in the gym.

i tend to use old worn shoes for muddy thrashes and things like spartan races etc where you would ruin a decent pair. or make them into screw shoes the following year for icy conditions.

I've done about 700 miles in my Newtons, and they're as good as new in terms of wear. Reckon I'm going to get 2000 out of them. It really depends on how you wear them, how you run, how heavy you are (and how heavily you run), and whether you wear them only for running, of for other stuff as well (gym, walking, zumba...). 

Thanks for the responses - Decided to go for some new shoes (Brooks GTS 13) but will continue to use the Asics for lesser activities which is great advice.

I weigh around 93kg and with every pair of running shoes I've had so for I've fealt them go at around 200+ mile mark. If I have continued much beyond 200 miles then I have started to get knee pain. Currently in Mizuno (WI8), but a similar story for previos NB and Brooks.

I think the bottom line is that it depends on your weight and running running style.

I'd always gone pretty much with the 500 miles. However, I recently became a little suspect that that I may have been forking out my cash a little earlier than necessary. I bought a new pair when I got to 500 miles, and I suppose these have become my main pair, but I still use my last pair, and am now up to about 650 miles in them. They don't quite have the same cushioning, and I probably wouldn't want to wear them as my only pair, but they are not causing me any niggles nusing them once or twice a week. I reckon they have got quite a lot of life left in them yet!

I took the '300 mile rule' as gospel, looks as though my Gel Cumulus 13's are still good to go (325 miles). Using Gel Cumulus 14's now.

Just put this on another thread.

Gel Cumulus 12's. Hundreds of miles.

I used to wear cushioned neutral running shoes and normally would be able to use them up to approx. 500 miles or so, until my ankles or knees would start to ache.  About eighteen months ago I changed my running style to forefoot running and also to a minimal shoe, Nike Free 3  and was able get about 1200 miles and the shoes lasted for more than a year.

ive got gel pulse asics and they have covered well into the 6-700 miles now. 

they are not my only shoes as got asics nimbus and some asics trails, saying that they still get used regularly and dont have a problem with them!

do look tatty though

I bought some Adizero Adios 2's to race in and was told they'll last 250km!  They are fine so far after 20miles...

My calves usually scream at me when it is time to replace the shoes, although this is often close to the 500 mile mark.  I run a lot with quite a heavy rucksack and on pavements which I think might wear the cushioning out more quickly, but I think a lot is the down to the particular brand.  I do have a pair of NB 759's that look brand new (and don't even smell) but when I run in them I get sore calfs within a few miles.  These lasted 400 miles and, as others do, are now my gym shoes.

My first pair of VivoBarefoot Neos are getting towards the end of their life now - sole wear particularly on the heels from when I've got tired and my form has suffered; also some stitching is starting to go. I bought them in November 2010 and started really switching to wearing them for more and more runs beginning in the middle of 2011. I'm guessing I've worn them for 1000 - 1,500 miles or so. Might start noting which pairs I use for which runs from now so I can log miles per shoe more closely - could be interesting.