Wear out my running shoes pretty rapidly because I prefer thin-soled, lightweight shoes and because of my weird feet and bunions, I wear out the insides of them first. I made the decision to try using Shoe Goo to try to prolong the life of my almost-dead New Balance shoes in order to save some shoe money. I know a trail runner who applies it to every shoe, almost like a preventive measure. I had no idea how to use it to save a pair of shoes.
Shoe Goo is available online and in hardware stores. I got screamed at after inadvertently wandering onto a movie set while walking to the True Value on Oak Street. Hollywood South, y’all! *sigh* The Goo is around $5.
Try #1: Using a plastic knife, I applied a thin coating of Goo to the worn regions. Before I realized it was a good idea to take the shoes outside, I began to have hallucinations about purple ducks. This stuff smells bad! The goo starts to set instantly, so you have to spread it quickly. I let my shoes dry for two days (just in case), and then I went for a nine-mile run in them.
End results? Bad. Everything I put on was flaking or wearing off!
Try #2. It dawned on me that the Goo I’d applied was insufficient to compensate for the heavy wear on my shoes. I removed any leftover bits of muck and gave it another shot. This time, I ran out of sandpaper and was too afraid to go back to Oak Street, so I started by roughing up the surface with a serrated knife. Next, I liberally applied Goo to the area, spreading it out as I proceeded. I squeezed in indentations where the treads used to be after the surface hardened, as the Goo sets in a matter of minutes.
Before using the shoes for multiple runs, I gave it a day to ensure the Goo was entirely dry. Following roughly 40 miles, they appear as follows:
It’s clear that the Goo is under some strain, but for the time being, it holds. The borders are somewhat elevated. In terms of feel, I didn’t really notice that the sole was any different. Although they didn’t feel like new, the shoes aren’t getting any better either.I should note that when I walk on my wood flooring, the dried Goo creates incredibly noisy soles, making me sound like a one-man high school basketball game. Additionally, I believe one tube of Goo can treat two pairs of shoes, meaning each pair costs $2.50. or $1.25 for each shoe…
So what’s my advice? You should be able to extend the life of your shoes by many months if you apply it sooner rather than later. It’s worth $5, but don’t expect miracles out of it. I’ll apply it to my own shoes, but I’ll also switch out my Goo’d shoes with fresher ones.
Are you familiar with Shoe Goo? Would you give it a shot, or are you afraid to tamper with your running treads?
