Per Aspera Ad Astra

Good luck tomorrow on the half. Should be a fast run.

As far as the Kinvaras go, I retire mine about 300-350 just to be safe. I start to feel little pains here and there (could be completely mental) with any shoe when I hit 300 miles.

Thanks! And yeah, that's smart. Mine go faster than most peoples' because of my stupid hip imbalances (I get more wear on the outside of my right shoe than anywhere else). I'll pick up a new pair pretty soon I guess.

kinvaras wear out faster for me than any other shoe i've worn. i rip through the sides (in the toebox area) after ~300 miles. it's happened to six pairs (versions 2, 3, 4). i thought i was the only one that was wearing them out, because they seem to last forever for others.

i also hear people say the skechers don't last more than 200 miles, but i have yet to retire a pair (one is going on 800 miles). so, who knows.

Allie - You don't ever have unique aches and pains when you run a shoe 500+ miles?

with most shoes, yes. i start feeling the need to switch them out after 300-500 miles. i haven't felt that with the skechers. i 'retired' a pair after running two marathons in them and thinking they were shot, but they weren't really feeling worn so i decided to keep using them and they are still going strong.

While it's smart to replace more frequently, I find that good shoes should definitely last more than 300-500 miles for those of us on a grad studnet budget. 300-500 miles should be the amount of miles you get out of a super light / minimal racer. The Kinvara has managed to be less durable, for me, than the A6 racer, which is considerably lighter and more minimally made, so I think the Kinvara is just a rather poorly designed shoe, durability wise. In fact, my current pair started sprouting a hole after roughly 100 miles, which is super lame. I've gotten 1000+ miles out of the old Fastwitch models (haven't had the recent 2 models), and recently finally donated a pair of the original New Balance Minimus with a Vibram sole to the DI that had well over 2000 miles on them and had no holes, etc. I hadn't used them in over a year, but they were still in pretty good shape. Allie, which Skechers would you recommend to me? The GoMeb Speed 2 looks good, but I don't want to spend $110.

But yeah, Allie, that's the exact problem my Kinvaras have. The toe box starts getting a hole fast, and after a few hundred miles, my foot is hanging out the side. So lame...

Josh's toe busted out of the toe box on the Kinvaras as well. I think they have improved the upper on the 5s. My last pair of Kinvaras was width 2E and I didn't get a single hole.

i would recommend the go run 2. they recently came out with the go run 3, so you can get a pretty good deal on the 2s if you hunt around.

i recently bought the goMeb shoes and they are different -- more like a racing flat. i can't comment on durability because i have only worn them once.

On more cushioned shoes like the Ride/Mirage, I can tell the difference when they get close to 400-500 miles... the foam starts to lose it's bounce. The Kinvara is basically indestructible for me (same w/ the original Peregrines). I still have pairs of both from 2011.

I just found out that the shop I have the 25% off coupon for a pair of shoes doesn't sell the Kinvaras so I guess I won't be getting a pair tonight. They sell mostly trail shoes and only select road shoes. I will have to go in to see what they offer.

My Kinvaras rip too, but they will take a beating. I have a pair of 3s that have been ripping for several hundred miles and they are just under 600 (foam is getting flat). My Newtons (sorry Jake) will go as much as 800+ and I basically retire them on principle. But I hear you (grad student budget). I won't run in a shoe that lasts fewer than 500 miles. You have to go with what works/lasts for you I think.

http://tinyurl.com/mhdg4es

Jake, I'm thinking that you have better form than most of the rest of us (hence, the lack of serious injuries), so maybe that's why your Kinvaras aren't tearing. I'm trying to decide between another pair of Kinvaras, a pair of Virratas, and the Go Run 2 from Skechers... Ugh... choices...