What shoes you wearing now and what next?

BeepBeep67 · 26-04-2022 9:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118974416#Comment_118974416

Great shoe, designed to and perform to their intention. They do have a very narrow sole, almost track spike-like and I do feel like my feet collapse inward a little when just standing in them, but haven't experienced any issues running in them.

They are marginally lighter than the Vaporfly, but look like they should be even lighter, the jury is still out for me on rods versus plates, I did send a pair of Adios Pro 2 back because I think I snapped a rod and I have a similar feeling from the Pro 1 also.

If push came to shove for a target 5k I think I'm still reaching for the Vaporfly, will be interesting to see what a Takumi 9 brings.

The new Sky+ and Edge+ look interesting based on the Malaga 5k TT's, releasing in June!

Swashbuckler · 26-04-2022 9:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977533#Comment_118977533

Would you pick the Alphafly over the Vaporfly for 5k? Can't remember if I asked you this before but how do you rate the alphafly?

BeepBeep67 · 26-04-2022 9:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977731#Comment_118977731

Undecided, have only had 2 sessions in the Alpha's, I am a fan of racing light for 5k and under and the Alpha is a lot of shoe for me for a 5k.

Sandwell · 26-04-2022 12:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977533#Comment_118977533

Great to hear. I've a club 10k coming up later this week so intend to give them a good road test at that. I don't have any basis of comparison with the plated Nikes as I've been racing in either Endorphin Pros or Magic Speeds over the past few months. I suspect the Sens should be a little bit faster than either of those.

Slideways · 29-04-2022 7:50am

My next% 2 came. Brought them out for 1km reps. Didn’t feel the woohooo with them and got a blister on my Achilles. In their defence I am in fairly poor shape at the minute.

Went with herself to register for a big tri race here and ended up buying a pair of the magic speed for $200. The vapour flys were $270, that was $40 less than what I paid for them a few days ago 🙈

Swashbuckler · 29-04-2022 8:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118991486#Comment_118991486

All sounds expensive. You're based in the states I presume?

Slideways · 29-04-2022 8:44am

Australia. We get hit with a pretty severe price hike on most things

$270 would be €182 at todays rate

sterz · 29-04-2022 3:33pm

Not sure if this is the right thread for this but I'm looking to pick up a pair of running shoes for the threadmill for some days when I'm not playing football. I don't plan on actually using the threadmill all that often (once a week maybe) so not looking to get too serious about running. I had a look at various forums and Brooks Adrenaline seem to come highly recommened but come in at a steep enough price (€150). I had a look at Sports Direct and they have some Asics on sale for €50-€60. Better to start out with something like these initially? E.g. Gel Kumo Lyte, Gel Contend, Gel Quantum Lyte, Gel Excite

Slideways · 01-05-2022 11:22am

Brought the magic speeds out for their maiden voyage.

21km at a smidge over 5:00/km. Nice shoe, not much give under foot but think a faster pace would suit them better. Hopefully with a bit more discipline I can get back to a pace more suited to them

01-05-2022 12:10pm

Anyone use Kinvaras? Looking for something for racing again. Heard fastwitch are good but don't last long. Big Saucony fan

Slideways · 01-05-2022 12:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001037#Comment_119001037

Yeah. I did my 10k PB in a pair of fastwitch a few years ago

kinvaras are a fun shoe but last time I checked they are a 4mm drop and that can load up calves if you’re not used to that low drop

davegilly · 01-05-2022 12:41pm

Don't know much about the Asics but there wont be much support or bounce in a €50 pair of shoes.

I'm sure they will be fine as the treadmill has some "give" in the surface as well so you wouldn't need as much support as on the road but I'd recommend something like the NB Vongo here for €88 instead - https://ie.sportsdirect.com/new-balance-balance-fresh-foam-vongo-v5-running-shoes-mens-212358#colcode=21235818 - which would be a much better all rounder I would say and also be a much better if you ever decide to run outside as well!!

01-05-2022 7:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001134#Comment_119001134

Yeah, I pulled my achilles getting back into it which might have had something to do with the drop. Although I wasn't running for over 2 years and after 3 weeks was doing 8.30 miles for 4 or 5.

Went back to couch 2 5k and have 300ks in them with no issue. Think I'm gonna get the Endorphin speeds. They look massive with the 8mm

Sunny Dayz · 03-05-2022 2:48pm

Went shoe shopping at the weekend. My last two pairs have been Brooks and I've enjoyed them - felt very comfortable in them. But when did runners get to be so expensive?? Newest of my shoes coming in at €180! Previous versions not in stock. I'm sure when I bought my first pair of these less than 2 years ago I didn't pay too much over €100 for them. I enjoy running, but I'm not a fast or serious runner and can't justify spending near €200 on one pair of shoes. I'm a size 5 in runners - there's not even much material there!

dave_o_brien · 03-05-2022 9:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118993867#Comment_118993867

As someone else said above, those shoes are probably very basic, which would be fine for a treadmill but not great elsewhere. As a starter type shoe, I'd recommend the Nike Winflo's. Can generally be had for less than their RRP which is €100 and actually function really well. I've seen Adidas Supernova's on sale in lots of places for about €75 recently too, which would be a good buy.

MisterJinx · 04-05-2022 11:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118993867#Comment_118993867

Rebock floatride engery 3 and 4 seem to get very good reviews as a daily trainer and seem to offer very good bang for your buck at under €100

MisterJinx · 04-05-2022 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119000829#Comment_119000829

Very same. I got a pair last week and took them out for their first run last night. Easy with some intervals/strides thrown in to see what they would do.

First impressions are that the are very light, probably more like a racing shoe in feel but I have no experience of racing flats or super carbon plated shoes. The bumper takes a bit of getting used to but I had no obvious rubbing issues or issues with the toe box which can be an issue in Asics for me.

They are certainly a firmer ride than the Endorphin Speeds and you get more ground feel but they feel nippy and responsive. I would certainly be looking at them for a 5 or 10 k but I wouldn't like to take them any further than that as I feel the ride would eventually cause issues. The Speeds are certainly more suited to longer runs or threshold work while these are more suited to intervals or shorter distances which is actually what I was looking for when I bought them. Interested now to see how them perform on workout track session or interval day over the coming weeks.

AuroraLee · 04-05-2022 11:50am

La Sportiva Ultra Raptor GTX

ariana` · 04-05-2022 3:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119010081#Comment_119010081

If you are sure of your size, you might get a better deal buying online from the likes of 365rider.com / alltricks.com. Lifestyle tends to have good deals online as well. I keep an eye out all year around and buy when i get a good offer rather than waiting until i need them. I bought 3 pairs (different pairs) last December so I have enough for now but i still throw an eye at those websites every so often, I can't help myself 😆

MiketheMechanic · 08-05-2022 1:50pm

Hi all, I normally wear Brooks Adrenaline GTS as I need a little support for mild overpronation.

I have long, narrow and relatively flat feet.

Last year I tried Saucony Speeds for faster running sessions and loved them.

I've raced 2 marathons, a half and 2 x 10-mile races in the past year in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2.

My feet really like all these shoes and I never have any issues with sore spots, blisters etc.

Many running friends suggested I try the Nike Carbon supershoes.

So, when I saw on this thread that the Air Zoom Alphafly Next% were on special offer in my size at 179.99, I jumped at the chance.

Delivery was very fast from Nike.com

When I tried them on and laced them up, something does not feel right.

The shoes seem exceptionally narrow at the arches, and the flyknit fabric seems to poke me in the arch when simply standing around.

I had a red spot on the arches of both feet after just walking around the house for an hour, that I'm sure would have turned into a blister.

I'm not sure I could tolerate 5k in these shoes, let alone a half or full marathon.

1. Has this happened to anyone else?

2. Do you get used to it - I'm skeptical - will probably return the shoes :-(

3. Is there a supershoe that's faster than the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 - that's easier to live with than these Alphaflys?

I doubt that the Brooks Hyperion Elite or NB Fuelcell Elite ~~rebel~~ RC is faster than the Endorphin Pro 2.

How about Adidas? or Puma?

MtM

Swashbuckler · 08-05-2022 2:28pm

The Next% are quite different to the Alphafly. Might be qorth a shot.

In terms of whether there's a supershoe faster than the Endorphin Pro I think that's relative and I'd ask the question - why force it? The Endorphin Pro and Speeds are excellent shoes. Stick with them if they work well for you.

To answer your question directly I don't feel like I get much out of the Adios Pro. The Endorphins feel faster to me. The Fuelcell RC Elite is another popular shoe but probably not at the same level as the Nikes. The Fuelcell Rebel aren't on a par with any of the above. Don't know the Pumas. Brooks definitely not.

MiketheMechanic · 08-05-2022 2:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119031992#Comment_119031992

Thanks Swashbuckler.

I'm mostly clueless when it comes to the Nike supershoes and find the names and abbreviations confusing. Maybe I'm the only one?

When you say to maybe try the Next%, do you mean Vaporflys? The shoes I have in the box here in front of me are Air Zoom Alphafly Next%. They're going back to Nike tomorrow :-(

Why force it?

Short answer - Runners are never happy - LOL. Always looking for the next small improvement etc.

Longer answer: The Endorphon Pro 2 is a great shoe that seems to work well for me. The only thing about it is that it doesn't feel quite as "nice" or plush as the Speed over shorter distances to me. Also I don't feel a pop or any kind of boost that people report from the Nike shoes. Perhaps it's more subtle for the Endorphon Pros. Maybe its main advantage is less fatigue over the final 6 miles of a marathon - which I'm grateful for.

I picked up a pair of the original NB Fuelcell Elite TC training shoes from on sale from Lifestyle at the start of the year. Mainly wanted to see if the wet grip is as good as people reported - it is - miles better than Brooks/Saucony.

I get on ok with them, the spongy sole rubber is nice, though I find the heel a little vague on landing, and the toebox could do with being slightly bigger for me. It's fine up to 10 miles. I might be tempted to try the Fuelcell Elite RC v2 - but maybe I should just get another pair of Endorphon Pro 2s.

Thanks for the info on the Adidas Adios Pro. I've never worn Adidas.

MtM

Swashbuckler · 08-05-2022 6:57pm

Yeah the Nike terminology is confusing especially the loose use of the term Next% across multiple shoes. Yeah I meant the Vaporfly Next% or Next%2.

To he honest I don't think the Endorphins Pro give the same supershoe feel as the Nikes. The Speeds have a bit of pop off them I find. Fuelcells in general are spongy. I wouldn't pick them over the Nikes, certainly not for shorter stuff.

Don't get me wrong though. The Nikes aren't magic. I can't say they felt all that magical in mile 26 when running Limerick last week 🤣.

wersal gummage · 09-05-2022 11:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119031780#Comment_119031780

I picked up the Vaporfly next % a few weeks ago also due to reduced price, have never tried them or Alphafly before....

Anyway, I also sent them back, my first time returning a pair of shoes, they didn't fit me at all in my usual size, including a size that I have a few pairs of Nike in....

I have tried and get on well with the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT % (which apparently is not a super shoe, also don't really understand all the lingo)..

Ross Runner · 24-05-2022 3:45pm

https://youtu.be/j3QEj_AS368

My latest favourite regular shoe, no plate no superfoam just a regular old style lightweight comfortable running shoe that you don't feel like a circus clown in....

Duanington · 24-05-2022 4:23pm

Haven't stopped by here in a while

I'm really warming to the Adidas Takumi Sen 8 at the moment, I've used them sparingly up until maybe 2 weeks back, preferring some non super shoes for sessions....but they're quick, light, with a sensation of ground contact that I don't get from the others. Maybe most importantly, the wider toe box is a big deal for my ugly feet in terms of comfort...so they feel good (the middle part of the shoe is a tad narrow though)

I would guess that this shoe wouldn't be great beyond 10k, compared to the other models available

Oh - and the continental sole is a plus

*disclaimer - I'm a total newbie to the world of super shoes

cmac2009 · 24-05-2022 4:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119107813#Comment_119107813

Is there much of a differnce between these and Guide 15? Always be a guide fan, not overly so of the 14 version but the 15 looks a lot better and they've served me well over the years, but read some good reviews of the new ride as well.

25-05-2022 11:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119107813#Comment_119107813

Yeah but they are more expensive than the speed 2.

Sandwell · 25-05-2022 4:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119108003#Comment_119108003

I was asking about the Sen upthread and I've since worn them in a couple of 5ks and I'm mightily impressed. I took almost 20 seconds off a long-standing PB at the Bob Heffernan in them last week. The grip they offered on greasy roads that night was really noticeable, even that small patch of Continental rubber in the forefoot obviously makes a difference. The foam and rods make them feel quite springy but you definitely still get some of the road feel that you want in a shorter race. They look pretty slick as well...

I've only used them in those couple of short races so far but I've a feeling they'd be ok up to half-marathon distance. I'll probably use them for some longer sessions over the summer and see how they feel.

average_runner · 26-05-2022 9:29am

So thinking of buying one of the nike carbons, would you go for Vaporfly or Alpha?

What shoes you wearing now and what next?

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