This One Simple Hack Saved Me Buttloads of Cash on Running Shoes

The author is wearing an old under armour hat with velcro tabs that no longer hold and a long-sleeved wicking shirt from nike that smells like B.O. even when it’s freshly washed. Wear your gear out, folks.

Running is not an expensive hobby. You don’t need a treadmill. You don’t need a helmet or airpods or a fancy $500 watch with GPS and teleconferencing capabilities. You can do it anywhere, anytime, and you can even do it in your old department-store sweatpants.

BUT: You do get what you pay for in terms of gear. Shirts, shorts, socks, baselayers, tights, sweaters, jackets, hats, mittens — all that comfortable breathable moisture wicking water repellant wind resistant reflective stuff adds up.

And the shoes? Well, speaking strictly for myself here, I don’t want to run barefoot and I don’t want my feet to hurt when I’m mowing the lawn or walking the trash bin to the curb. I am willing to spend good money on good shoes, but like a good Minnesota mom clipping coupons for my next grocery run, I also don’t want to if I don’t have to.

For years I ran exclusively in Nike Pegasus shoes. Then they tweaked the heck out of the design and a new pair gave me something called lace bite — a painful ailment common to hockey players and dummies who tie their shoes too tight. This discomfort nagged at me for weeks before I finally caved and went to a specialty store for new shoes (Run N Fun in St. Paul kicks ass, btw.) They helped me try on and test out a bunch of models and styles, and eventually I landed on the Mizuno Wave Rider 18. I’ve been running in Wave Riders pain-free ever since.

Mizuno recently released the Wave Rider 25 at $135 per pair. It’s a fantastic shoe and worth every dollar IMO, but that price point might be out of reach for some runners. With two small kids at home and a beer fridge I like to keep stocked at all times, it’s a little outside my comfort zone, too.

Fortunately, Mizuno made room for the new model by offering last season’s Wave Rider 24 at a close-out price — just under $90 per pair. They weren’t upfront about this bangin’ deal with banner ads or anything; I had to do a little googling to find it (searching for “Mizuno Wave Rider 24 coupon codes” did the trick). But for just 90 seconds of my time, that $45 discount gave me a good old-fashioned runner’s high. Shopping like this usually means I’m running in ugly shoes with neon colorways nobody wanted, but aren’t these ones good-lookin’!?

They probably won’t look too good after a winter of salt and slush, but right now??? 😍😍😍

Anyway, if you’ve ever found a good deal on a product you love and predictably wear out every 18 weeks or so, you’ll probably understand why I ordered three pairs. Shoot, if I were to quit drinking craft beer, I could’ve ordered ten. But for a grand total of $258.75 — less than what two brand-new pairs of the current season’s model would cost — I picked up enough shoe to cover me for a full calendar year. I haven’t been to school in forever so I’m not sure if I’m supposed to show my work, but here’s the math:

20 miles each week — I’d love to run more, but ahem, two small kids! And a dog! And responsibilities! Running every other morning gives me enough exercise to feel good without wearing me down.

80 miles each month — I’ve gone higher and lower from time to time, but again, this is what’s workable for me right now.

350 miles per pair of shoes — This is 4 months of regular injury-free, disruption-free running. Some shoe models don’t last quite this long and others last past 500 miles, but 350 is right around the point where my knees start screaming and every mile just feels slower and harder and more likely to be the last I’ll ever run.

So, like I said: Four months per pair = Three pairs for a full calendar year. I like stocking up like this because it means I’ve always got a pair on hand when one craps out. As a bonus, I’m also cushioned a bit against unfavorable design changes, should that happen again (of course it will happen again). The only downside is that I just laced up my last pair of all-black Mizuno Wave Rider 23s last week, so it’ll be a few months before I start running in the 24s.

If you’ve been running long enough to have cobbled together a sturdy routine and some familiarity with your footwear needs, it’s worth filling up the closet when a good deal comes around. Maybe you can spend that extra money on airpods. Or better yet, beer for my fridge.