09 January 2010

Cost of Running: Shoes

the Ringmaster, who blogs at Mile by Mile, posted an interesting blog the other day. She talked about the shoes she had used during 2009 and had figured out her cost per mile for shoes. As much as I like numbers, that is one calculation I hadn't done.

So, I went back and ran the numbers for all the shoes for which I've tracked miles over the last 3+ years. Interesting. In that time I've run in and retired 6 pair of running shoes. I currently have 2 active pair. My average cost per mile was $0.134 per mile. Some other stats that caught my attention:
Most expensive: Brooks Adrenaline GTS7 (2007)
$99.75, 454 miles - $0.22/mi
Least expensive: Etonic Jepara SC 1 (2008)
$72.00, 714.4 miles - $0.10/mi
Longest lasting: Etonic Jepara SC 2 (2008)
$93.00, 817.7 miles - $0.11/mi
During 2009, I used 4 pair of running shoes. One pair, Brooks Adrenaline ASR, was a pair that I bought at the end of 2005 for cold, wet runs. When Richmond, VA had 9+ inches of snow in March 2009, I dug out these shoes for 2 or 3 runs to keep my feet as warm and dry as possible. I would not have wanted to run on dry pavement or for very far with those shoes as they were worn out -- but, they kept me drier than other shoes would have done.

I wore out a pair of Etonic Jepara SC 2's that I had started wearing at the end of Oct 2008. I used those until June 2009 and had 817.7 miles on them. Then I started using a pair of Etonic Jepara SC 1's. When the rainy season started in Kenya in October, the SC 1's became my mud-run shoes and I added in a pair of Etonic Jepara SC 2's for drier runs. The SC 1's now have 504.6 miles and the SC 2's have a measly 62 miles.

Enough stats for now.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

7 comments:

Andrew is getting fit said...

Yeah, it gets pretty pricey with shoes!

Bob A said...

Definitely the most expensive piece of gear that I get for running. Still, at US$0.13 per mile for the running life and then using them for every day wear and then grubbing, it's not too bad.

Good luck on your twenty-ten weight loss goal.

Christina said...

That's interesting. I haven't figured out my $ per mile before. I'll have to see if I have the costs to figure it. I run in my shoes until about 400 miles so my $ per mile is probably more than yours.

Anonymous said...

Bob, I have to know--how can you put so many miles on your shoes? You must have much better form than I do, though, as we noted before, we could share shoe models because I wear the Adrenaline too. But I get no more than 300 miles (and sometimes much less) before my knees start feeling the asphalt. Are you running on softer surfaces, or is that just the pleasure of not being a rookie anymore?

Still learning from you!

Bob A said...

Karina -- I have no idea how I get so many miles. I don't think my form is particularly good, but I don't know -- I just run. I go by how my left knee feels. I had meniscus surgery about 5 years ago and when that knee starts hurting, it's time to retire those shoes.

I switched away from Brooks Adrenaline 3 years ago. I liked the weight (very light) and they always felt really good for the first few weeks. But, the cushioning didn't hold up for me -- they began to feel hard. When I found the Etonics, I never looked back. The bonus was a longer lasting shoe.

Anonymous said...

You must have been reading my mind--I just had to go shopping again and declined investing in the Adrenalines again. They're just not holding up for me anymore. I should have tried the Etonics but I'm always leery of trying something new--silly, huh? Maybe I'll at least go run a little in them at my running store. Anyway, for my second pair this time around I got Mizunos--I'll let you know how I do on the mileage.

Bob A said...

Enjoy the Mizunos. I found them too soft for me but I'm on the upper end of "normal-weight" runner or the lower end (more likely at the moment) of bigger runner.

If you try the Etonics, just know that they are a little heavier than many shoes but I find the fit, cushioning, and endurance well worth the extra tiny bit of weight.