Last month, I hit a huge milestone for a pair of shoes. It’s the first time that I’ve ever hit this milestone so I was really excited. The milestone was running 1000 miles in one pair of shoes. The Skora Base to be exact. I started running in the Skora Base’s in early December so it took me about 6 months or so to achieve this mark. Normally shoes get “retired” between 300-500 miles so this was one pair of shoes that truly stands the test of time…and miles.
My initial review of the Base’s can be found within the first few posts on my blog and it was extremely positive on the shoe. As it’s mentioned multiple times, I love these shoes and think they are the most comfortable shoes that I have ever worn. I can’t believe that I ever worn anything other than them. After putting 1000 miles on these shoes, I can safely say that my thoughts have not changed one bit.
My overall impression of the shoe to date is the following:
-The Shoes are extremely durable. Obviously putting that many miles on them and still being able to comfortably run in them today shows this. But it’s not just that. Because I got them in December and was training for the Boston Marathon, a lot of my runs were done in all different kinds of weather. I ran in snow, slush, rain, mud, sunny conditions. I ran on road, trail, concrete, and even mixed a little bit of treadmill running in there. No matter what conditions or ground I run on, the shoes are comfortable everywhere.
-The shoes are fast. This is something that I mentioned to Kyle from Skora when I first started using the shoe. For some reason, my stride turnover increased significantly when I was wearing the Base’s. I had no reason as to why and no control over it in some ways. In my second run in the shoes, I had my second fastest time of the year for a 10k run. It was supposed to be an easy day in the shoes, but my stride turnover was so quick that the run felt so easy and my pace kept getting faster. My guess is it has to do with the sole and material being able to “spring” my feet off the ground instead of more cushioned shoes absorbing the contact and slowing me down. Either way, I’ll take getting faster any day.
-The shoes are extremely comfortable, with the insole or without and with socks or without. I started running with the secondary insole in the shoe because it felt like there were little massage beads on my feet. After a few months, I took the insole out and ran like that for a while because I wanted to feel the impact of the ground a little more. Both ways are extremely comfortable. I have switched back to wearing the shoes with the insoles in as my preference. I have also worn the shoes both with socks and without. Training for Boston, I always wore socks. That’s my normal inclination when I run. Now that I have switched disciplines and am concentrating on triathlon season, a lot of my training is done without socks. I am even racing without socks. I have never had this ability before. These shoes are so versatile and comfortable either way. You can’t go wrong.
-They are still really bright and garner a lot of attention. The first thing that attracted me to the shoes was the bright yellow and no shoelaces. After 1000 miles and countless runs, the shoes still have somewhat of a shine to them. They aren’t as bright as they were brand new, but no shoe ever is. But they aren’t as faded or dirty and they could be and as other shoes get after even a quarter to the mileage on them. So even after 1000 miles, I’m still having runners look down at my feet and get interested in what shoes I have on.
Now that I am over 1000 miles in the shoe, it’s getting down to that time of wondering how much longer I have in them. It’s a bittersweet thought. Kind of like the end of summer feeling. You want to look back on how great your summer was, but you also want to enjoy the last few days of it. That’s how I feel with the shoes. The soles of the shoes still look great and I still have the bounce in my step when I wear them, so I know that I have at least another 200-300miles left in them, but I just don’t want to let them go. I want to enjoy every last mile I have with them. Soon I’ll turn into John Travolta and start singing “Summer Lovin” from Grease. That’s how much I have loved these shoes.
Below are the stats that I have downloaded about my training in the Skora Base’s. Not bad for a few months work. Can’t wait to start a new relationship with my next pair of Base’s.
Miles: 1376
Average pace: 6:43/mile
3 races: Boston Marathon, Red Bank Triathlon, Stamford KIC Triathlon
Fastest mile 4:54
Average run distance: 9.4 miles
Number of times thinking how awesome the shoe is: countless
Baby Births: 1 (January 1st, 2013)
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| Skora Base after 1000 miles and a lot of sweat |
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