Even though running is probably my longest running (holy fuck so sorry that really was not intentional) hobby that I've carried through on a regular basis throughout the course of my life, I'm a proper tightwad when it comes to running kit...
The humble Asics, latest iteration!
And of all the kit I own, trainers are by far the most expensive, and it's hard argue against them being the most crucial piece of kit too, but I'm still a bit of a tightwad even with my running footwear.
OK I'm not too bad, I ALWAYS go ASICS: I discovered more than 20 years ago now that these are the brand that THANKFULLY fit my feet perfectly and even after 20 years the same brand and the same size of shoe still has the same fit.
(Obviously with the appropriate pronation, which for me is neutral.)
And TBH I can't honestly say i'm scrimping by going for ASICS, they are a great running shoe, with a focus very much on running performance, I think they ONLY do performance shoes, they don't do strictly style shoes liek some other brand, although I'd have to check that.
Anyways, what I do know is that ASICS has been my go-to running shoe for the 20 years I've been running.
My strategy is always to buy the mid-range neutral pronation model that's on special offer. There is ALWAYS something on special, although typically I find the very best reduced deals don't have my size, I can nearly always find something that was £80 reduced down to £60, that's what I aim for, if there's a better offer on a higher value shoe I sometimes go for that, but I usually end up paying around £60, at current market rates, around once a year for some new shoes.
I realised the easiest way to track my mileage is on Garmin yearly figures, which for the last year, I've been back running pretty reliably in the last year, I've done 800Ks tracked, which probably means more like 1000Ks in my current set of Asics, because I've done a fair amount of walking untracked, including the warm ups and post-run walks when I end the main tracked run a few Ks away from home, it mounts up!
And they say around 1K miles is the limit of a pair of running shoes, that's the higher end I am quite light footed, and about right, I can feel them going, I don't know what it is, I just can!
The economics of it all...
So that's £80 for a year's worth of running, at my current relatively low mileage...
That's around 3 hours a week, or 150 hours over the year.
That works out at around just £0.50 an hour.
And you know for the amount of pleasure I get out of running, that is quite possibly the best money I spend every year!
And then, on top of that, being said tight wad, I use my old running shoes as spring-summer-autumn casual shoes, you can EASILY do 2K miles in a pair of trainers, it's just you want the last 1KK as walking KMs NOT running KMs.
NOICE!
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You need decent shoes for running and the cost is not so bad when you spread it out. I also look out for special offers and have been through a few pairs of Allbirds now. They may not be super performance shoes, but they are good enough for me and I like their eco credentials.
The shoe tracking in Strava is pretty good. I tend to go beyond what they recommend and also reuse them when I get a new pair.
Do you use different brands? Or stick to the same one?
I've tried a few including Mizuno, On and Asics. Most have been fine. I think for my jogging it's not too critical and I've not suffered any injuries from shoes. One issue is that they tend to change the designs every year or two. There's also so much choice with literally hundreds to choose from. Just have to find what works for you.
I run always using the same brand and type, Mizuno Wave rider, since 15 years ago...For Trail Run I use other Mizuno shoes
If the shoe fits...!