Shoes & Mileage!

[kensteve51]

I had read on the forum about life of shoes. Never in the world would I have thought about mileage on shoes.

If you look closely at the photo you will see what 8 months and about 850 miles did to my wonderful Altra Olympia 5 trail runners.

Look closely at the center of my new shoe on the left and the old shoe on the right.

Following others advice here on the forum, wearing Fox River sock liners, Darn Tough moreno wool socks, and the wide toe box of the Altras, no blisters during my eight months of training! Hope my luck holds on the Camio. Also on advice from the forum, started wearing my new shoes today to break then in before my pilgrimage in a few weeks.

Only 32 more days until I start my journey to St.Jean PP. Hope to take my first step on September 20th. My goal is to make my way from St.Jean to Fenstera, enjoying the walk, in 48 days...never getting in a hurry.

I hope to meet some of you along the way

 

[trecile]

Also on advice from the forum, started wearing my new shoes today to break then in before my pilgrimage in a few weeks.

Your new shoes shouldn't require "breaking in," but you should wear them a few times (not for a few weeks) to make sure that there are no manufacturing defects in them.

 

[C clearly]

It's great that you've found a shoe (and socks) that suits your feet. I agree with @trecile that a few outings should be enough to make sure the new pair will work as well.

In addition to the visible damage done to shoes over many miles, the cushioning can be reduced. My delicate feet feel that long before the tread wears out.

 

[dougfitz]

In addition to the visible damage done to shoes over many miles, the cushioning can be reduced. My delicate feet feel that long before the tread wears out.

Indeed. Over the years, this has been the reason for moving shoes with highly compressible mid-soles from being my active sports shoe to more casual use. It is also one of the reasons that I no longer buy Hoka shoes. I did try these a few years ago, but their mid-sole life was so short that they weren't a good value-for-money proposition.

Another issue that I have had recently was the mid-soles not collapsing evenly, with one side of the shoe reducing in thickness more quickly than the other. If you already have an issue with pronation, this won't help. This was a relatively cheap pair of hiking boots, that did not make the trip home.

Looking at the image provided by @kensteve51, it is easy to see where the relatively thin outer layer of the sole has completely worn through in several places, exposing what seems to be the sponge like mid-sole layer underneath. While the lugs in the central sole area appear quite deep on the new shoe, the actual outer layer seems quite thin. In contrast, the black 'rubber' tread areas look like they are solid, not a foam layer with a thin outer layer.

 

[Rich Stroot]

500 miles to a pair of shoes!

 

[LTfit]

My experience with Salomon (various trail runners) and most recently Saucony is that my soles break down after about 500 km. I've gone as much as 700 km but they are then ready for the garbage.

After walking the Olvidado this past June/July I ditched my Saucony trail runners (after about 600 km) for a pair of Merrill Agility Peak 4. They have a Vibram sole so I'm crossing my fingers that they will hold up for longer. I was in any case happy with them on the Invierno.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I have used 4 different pairs of good quality boots on the Camino but on all of them heel tread of the Vibram soles was all gone by 6 - 700 km. Was able to reheal the Lowas twice. Buen Camino

 

[lt56ny]

I have no idea how long a pair of trail runners is going to last. There is no hard and fast rule. I am sure alot of it has to do with the trail runner itself, how much a person weighs and how they walk. I always read from many that a trail runner lasts 700 or 800k or 500 miles or some other number. I have used Brooks Cascadias for all my caminos. In 2015 I walked from Le Puy to Santiago and my Brooks felt just fine. Not a blister to be found anywhere or any foot problems. But that is just me and no one else.
Also I totally agree with @C clearly and @trecile. Wear them a few times. I have my new Brooks in my closet ready to go. I wore them for a few days just to make sure there was nothing stabbing me or there was not manufacturing problem with my Brooks. Probably wore them for about 4 or 5 hours total. They are fine and the next time I wear them will be when I leave my daughter's house to go to the airport for my next camino.

 

[Walton]

I have Merrell Moab adventure 3 lace low hikers with Vibram soles.
So far, we are currently 330kms into the Podiensis.
The shoes have been blister free and very good to walk in but the soles have become noticeably softer.
To counter this, I have put a woolen insert in the shoe between the Merrell insert and the shoe floor.
Thus far I’m happy.
I’ve done two previous caminos in ASICS gels without an issue but alas ASIC no longer make the particular gel shoe that worked so well.
Cheers

 

[Bothydave]

Everyone wears their shoes in a different manner that lead in turn to differing sole wear patterns. Mine always have the first noticeable lack of tread on the outside of the heels.
an important comment above was insoles and ensuring that they are still in good condition. A word of warning though is that the internal padding on the heels is altered by the foot through wear and a differing depth of insole will subject your heel to potential new rub points.

 

[Bogong]

I had read on the forum about life of shoes. Never in the world would I have thought about mileage on shoes.

If you look closely at the photo you will see what 8 months and about 850 miles did to my wonderful Altra Olympia 5 trail runners.

Look closely at the center of my new shoe on the left and the old shoe on the right.

Following others advice here on the forum, wearing Fox River sock liners, Darn Tough moreno wool socks, and the wide toe box of the Altras, no blisters during my eight months of training! Hope my luck holds on the Camio. Also on advice from the forum, started wearing my new shoes today to break then in before my pilgrimage in a few weeks.

Only 32 more days until I start my journey to St.Jean PP. Hope to take my first step on September 20th. My goal is to make my way from St.Jean to Fenstera, enjoying the walk, in 48 days...never getting in a hurry.

I hope to meet some of you along the way

I’ve been a regular runner/ jogger/ huffer and puffer for over 55 yesrs but more a walker now.

Any running shoe/ trainer etc should handle the 800k-odd Frances with ease and still have a bit left. Expect wear on the heels and maybe soles starting to part from the uppers, but certainly not the type of damage shown in your photo. The mix of colours possibly materials in those soles makes me think they were designed for their pose/sale value rather than durability.I’d give this brand a miss. Boy, am I turning into a crotchety old so-and-so. Trouble is that whenever you have a bad experience perhaps backed up by others someone will say they’ve done a million miles in the things. If you can get close to some serious marathon runners, I mean competitive ones that travel, not the fun run variety, ask their advice on a good one for the average bloke. Sometimes the answer will surprise you - a little while back here it was, even in an overall sense, for one about a quarter to a sixth the price of the up-market “ favourites
“ touted by the stores and the armchair experts.

De Colores.

Bogong

 

[LibbyM]

I had read on the forum about life of shoes. Never in the world would I have thought about mileage on shoes.

If you look closely at the photo you will see what 8 months and about 850 miles did to my wonderful Altra Olympia 5 trail runners.

Look closely at the center of my new shoe on the left and the old shoe on the right.

Following others advice here on the forum, wearing Fox River sock liners, Darn Tough moreno wool socks, and the wide toe box of the Altras, no blisters during my eight months of training! Hope my luck holds on the Camio. Also on advice from the forum, started wearing my new shoes today to break then in before my pilgrimage in a few weeks.

Only 32 more days until I start my journey to St.Jean PP. Hope to take my first step on September 20th. My goal is to make my way from St.Jean to Fenstera, enjoying the walk, in 48 days...never getting in a hurry.

I hope to meet some of you along the way

Buen Camino.

 

[C clearly]

Any running shoe/ trainer etc should handle the 800k-odd Frances with ease and still have a bit left.

For sure, my shoes should be able to handle it and I'm confident they could. The problem is that my feet also "should" be able to handle it, but they can't, without a lot of specialized help from shoes. Those particular shoes are not designed to provide what I need for 800km.

 

[Pilgrim9]

I have used 4 different pairs of good quality boots on the Camino but on all of them heel tread of the Vibram soles was all gone by 6 - 700 km. Was able to reheal the Lowas twice. Buen Camino

I also experience the premature wearing-out of the "heel strike" area of the Vibram soles of my hiking boots. The rest of the soles and uppers stay serviceable for much much longer than the heel strike areas.

I have a favourite model of leather hiking boot which is a perfect fit to my feet, with good arch support, but they were costly, and I refused to discard them merely because the heel strike areas were wearing out.

I found and purchased on Ebay a supply of replacement crescent-shaped cobblers' "heel strikes" made of a very tough and durable black polymer. The polymer is much more abrasion resistant than normal tread rubber. Also, the crescent shape of the replacement heel strikes exactly matches the shape of the wear pattern of the heels of my boots.

To ensure a secure installation, I roughen the upper surfaces of the replacement heel strikes and the worn heel strike areas of my boots and then coat both with Lepage's [TM] classic neoprene-dissolved-in-toluene type contact cement. After the prescribed drying time I press the heel strikes into position and then place the inverted boots over a cobbler's anvil that I made up from pipe fittings, and then I hammer the replacement heel strikes against the heels to secure the cement bond. Then I reinforce the securement with ringed cobblers' nails, which I also purchased on Ebay. Ringed cobblers' nails hold far better than plain finishing nails. One must select nails sufficiently long to hold the heel strike but not so long that the nails penetrate through the footbed for obvious reasons.

I have performed this retrofit to three pairs of boots with great success. After about two years the replacement heel strikes themselves wear out but the solution is easy: remove the worn-out heel strike and replace. The rest of the boots carry on year after year with little sign of wear.

 

[Bothydave]

I also experience the premature wearing-out of the "heel strike" area of the Vibram soles of my hiking boots. The rest of the soles and uppers stay serviceable for much much longer than the heel strike areas.

I have a favourite model of leather hiking boot which is a perfect fit to my feet, with good arch support, but they were costly, and I refused to discard them merely because the heel strike areas were wearing out.

I found and purchased on Ebay a supply of replacement crescent-shaped cobblers' "heel strikes" made of a very tough and durable black polymer. The polymer is much more abrasion resistant than normal tread rubber. Also, the crescent shape of the replacement heel strikes exactly matches the shape of the wear pattern of the heels of my boots.

To ensure a secure installation, I roughen the upper surfaces of the replacement heel strikes and the worn heel strike areas of my boots and then coat both with Lepage's [TM] classic neoprene-dissolved-in-toluene type contact cement. After the prescribed drying time I press the heel strikes into position and then place the inverted boots over a cobbler's anvil that I made up from pipe fittings, and then I hammer the replacement heel strikes against the heels to secure the cement bond. Then I reinforce the securement with ringed cobblers' nails, which I also purchased on Ebay. Ringed cobblers' nails hold far better than plain finishing nails. One must select nails sufficiently long to hold the heel strike but not so long that the nails penetrate through the footbed for obvious reasons.

I have performed this retrofit to three pairs of boots with great success. After about two years the replacement heel strikes themselves wear out but the solution is easy: remove the worn-out heel strike and replace. The rest of the boots carry on year after year with little sign of wear.

I have simply had the entire heel replaced professionally and this allows the rest of the shoe to wear out naturally. After 2 heels it is time for the poor things to be laid to rest by which time the ball tread has gone flat and the stitching has rotted through. It is sad to retire trusty boots and mountain shoes but needs must

 

[Old Kiwi]

I am one of those odd people who keep a record of the mileage I get from my walking shoes. I bought some New Balance trail runners for my 2019 Camino. I did 200 kilometres in them before going to Spain. I walked from SJPDP to Finistere via Muxia. Since coming home I wore them to walk 50 to 60 kilometres a week for eighteen months. I got to 3750 kilometres before I threw them out. I must admit that the heel strike contact area was almost down to the inner sole and there was no tread anywhere on the shoes. It just goes to show how far you can go in a pair of shoes if you are a miserable old skinflint like me.

 

[Pilgrim9]

I have simply had the entire heel replaced professionally ...

It is great to find a competent tradesman who can be trusted to do a good job, and if you have found a good cobbler, then I am happy for you.

For many years I used the services of an excellent cobbler to maintain my dress shoes - in fact he was a professional shoemaker who built specialized orthopaedic shoes from scratch and frequently rebuilt leather dress shoes. He replaced the leather soles and heels of several pairs of my dress shoes and did and excellent job. Repairing a heel strike was less than child's play for him. He knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and did it reliably and promptly, almost certainly without needing to think about it. His hands just did the work automatically while he was chatting with his customers. And he was a good conversationalist too.

Alas, he retired before I walked my first pilgrimage. That was a sad day for his clients.

I have not found a competent cobbler since then. I did have the misfortune of finding an incompetent cobbler who damaged one of my pairs of leather hiking boots. Bearing in mind that the particular model of leather hiking boot that my feet like is no longer made, and I only have a few pairs, and that I am retired with time on my hands, and am an engineering technologist with a ton of tools, I decided to learn how to do the work myself. My customer is demanding and fussy. That knowledge motivates me to do a good job.

It seems that nowadays most folks don't buy footwear of a quality that justifies repairs and rebuilds. As a result, there is less demand for professionally-trained cobblers and the younger generation does not see it as a viable career choice. The remaining good ones are retiring and dying off.

 

[Bothydave]

It is great to find a competent tradesman who can be trusted to do a good job, and if you have found a good cobbler, then I am happy for you.

For many years I used the services of an excellent cobbler to maintain my dress shoes - in fact he was a professional shoemaker who built specialized orthopaedic shoes from scratch and frequently rebuilt leather dress shoes. He replaced the leather soles and heels of several pairs of my dress shoes and did and excellent job Repairing a heel strike was less than child's play for him. He knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and did it reliably and promptly, almost certainly without needing to think about it. His hands just did the work automatically while he was chatting with his customers. And he was a good conversationalist too.

Alas, he retired before I walked my first pilgrimage. That was a sad day for his clients.

I have not found a competent cobbler since then. I did have the misfortune of finding an incompetent cobbler who damaged one of my pairs of leather hiking boots. Bearing in mind that the particular model of leather hiking boot that my feet like is no longer made, and I only have a few pairs, and that I am retired with time on my hands, and am an engineering technologist with a ton of tools, I decided to learn how to do the work myself. My customer is demanding and fussy. That knowledge motivates me to do a good job.

It seems that nowadays most folks don't buy footwear of a quality that justifies repairs and rebuilds. As a result, there is less demand for professionally-trained cobblers and the younger generation does not see it as a viable career choice. The remaining good ones are retiring and dying off.

I too lost the excellent cobbler that was a skier and climber himself and fully understood what was required to protect your feet. His shop is now a fast food outlet

 

[JabbaPapa]

My pair of army boots lasted the whole 5,000K of my last Camino, but they were dead after that. I did not use them for anything else.

My current pair is the one I used on my 2014, and they've been resoled -- probably not OK for a Camino (they're no longer waterproof), though they're fine for going about town, local hike training, and so on. Don't know how many 1,000s of K they have in them, though it was probably about 4,000 when they were resoled.

 

[Pilgrim9]

I too lost the excellent cobbler that was a skier and climber himself and fully understood what was required to protect your feet. His shop is now a fast food outlet

I offer my sincere condolences.