ASICS - Magic Speed 2

I loved Novablast 3, liked Novablast 4, never tried Novablast 5. I like/loved Superblast 1, absolutely love Superblast 2. Superblast 2 I think only gets responsive feel at a certain speed/effort and above, but is really good at locking in at a pace and feels exactly the same 20+ miles later. For me, it's just reliable on any type of run I do. But, for the type of workouts you wrote, I've used Magic Speed 2 and Magic Speed 3. Wanted to try Magic Speed 4, but ended up not getting them. 4 was supposedly a departure from 1, 2, & 3, as they added more stack, but with the introduction of Megablast, I saw they brought the new Magic Speed 5 back to where Magic Speed used to be. I saw good reviews online. I really wanted to get them as soon as they came out, but i have too many retired from duty race shoes that I need to use till their death for those workouts.

I too have a wide mid-foot. My thoughts on brands/models: * As a brand, Hoka would probably be my last choice. They are known for being narrow in general and even in a wide width, all the ones I've tried just don't feel right to me. * I have no personal experience with Brooks, though I know they're popular. Most of their shoes are very high drop, which I don't like, so I've always just avoided the brand. * Puma is another brand I've never even tried. To my knowledge, they don't make anything in a wide width. * Nike is another brand that I've mostly avoided becasue they didn't really offer wide width shoes for the most part. Plus they weren't exactly known for being on the wider side in the "normal" width shoes. That said, the Vomero Plus is really intriguing and is offered in Extra Wide. I'm definitely thinking about trying a pair, though the 10mm drop is a concern. * Both Asics and Saucony have been hit or miss for me. For example, I always loved the Saucony Kinvaras, but some of the other models didn't feel right. Same with Asics. I liked the Magic Speed and Magic Speed 2, but the Novablasts that everyone else seems to love were not for me. * New Balance, as a brand always gets props from me. They are the only brand I'm aware of that actually makes their racing shoe in a wide width (the SC Elite). That said, I feel like even their wide-widths are not always wide enough for me in the mid-foot area so they can be hit or miss. * I don't have a ton of experience with Mizuno, but I did have the Wave Sky 8 (I think that was it), and it was a great easy run shoe. Way too heavy for a race shoe, though and Mizuno does not make any of their faster shoes in a wide width. * Probably my favorite brand right now has got to be Adidas. IMO, they are just killing it in term of design and tech. My current racing shoes are Adizero Adios Pro 3s in a normal width. ( I do need to retire those and will probably give the Pro 4s a try.) As a brand, they tend to run wide, so I can successfully wear these even though that are not technically a wide width. I also **love, Love, LOVE** the Adizero EVO SL, even though it's also a normal width shoe. If you told me I had to stick to one shoe for the rest of my life, that would be it. Good luck!

I too have a wide mid-foot. My thoughts on brands/models: * As a brand, Hoka would probably be my last choice. They are known for being narrow in general and even in a wide width, all the ones I've tried just don't feel right to me. * I have no personal experience with Brooks, though I know they're popular. Most of their shoes are very high drop, which I don't like, so I've always just avoided the brand. * Puma is another brand I've never even tried. To my knowledge, they don't make anything in a wide width. * Nike is another brand that I've mostly avoided becasue they didn't really offer wide width shoes for the most part. Plus they weren't exactly known for being on the wider side in the "normal" width shoes. That said, the Vomero Plus is really intriguing and is offered in Extra Wide. I'm definitely thinking about trying a pair, though the 10mm drop is a concern. * Both Asics and Saucony have been hit or miss for me. For example, I always loved the Saucony Kinvaras, but some of the other models didn't feel right. Same with Asics. I liked the Magic Speed and Magic Speed 2, but the Novablasts that everyone else seems to love were not for me. * New Balance, as a brand always gets props from me. They are the only brand I'm aware of that actually makes their racing shoe in a wide width (the SC Elite). That said, I feel like even their wide-widths are not always wide enough for me in the mid-foot area so they can be hit or miss. * I don't have a ton of experience with Mizuno, but I did have the Wave Sky 8 (I think that was it), and it was a great easy run shoe. Way too heavy for a race shoe, though and Mizuno does not make any of their faster shoes in a wide width. * Probably my favorite brand right now has got to be Adidas. IMO, they are just killing it in term of design and tech. My current racing shoes are Adizero Adios Pro 3s in a normal width. ( I do need to retire those and will probably give the Pro 4s a try.) As a brand, they tend to run wide, so I can successfully wear these even though that are not technically a wide width. I also **love, Love, LOVE** the Adizero EVO SL, even though it's also a normal width shoe. If you told me I had to stick to one shoe for the rest of my life, that would be it. Good luck!

Same thing with magic speed. Carbon plate and narrow heel. Those shoes are designed for people who run fast and thus their heel never touches the ground. Most slower paced runners heel strike. It’s just how gravity works. If you heel strike at all, any carbon plated race shoe outside of maybe Saucony Endorphin Pro is not a good choice. Not to say the ASIC race line aren’t great shoes, they are, but you have to be a fast, experienced runner to reap the benefits. I’m not sure if you golf, but pro golfers use a type of irons called “blades”, they’re thinner, lighter, harder, and have a much smaller sweet spot in the face of the club, but if you know you can hit the ball dead center every time, they will give you the best performance and control over the spin and flight of the ball. However, if you put those clubs in the hands of a newbie, they’re going to rarely hit a good shot. That’s why beginner/intermediate golfers use heavier, more forgiving irons with a larger sweet spot. Yes they won’t get the same distance, but their odds of accuracy and consistency are much higher. Sonicblast is absolutely fine but your feet may hurt after a mile or two from the pebax. And they’re still inferior for a beginner to Megablast and EVO SL for a 5k/10k.

What’s your pace like? Some of them are only really comfortable at higher paces. I really like the ASICS Novablasts or Superblasts as they can be used as daily trainers at any pace but perform really well at higher speeds in races. The ASICS Magic Speeds are also great if you want a carbon plate, they perform fantastically for 5km up to half marathons but I find that they fall apart beyond that so no good for marathons. There’s also some great deals on Adidas Adios Pro 4 atm from various places and they’re a great super shoe, that’ll do anything from 5k to marathon distance. They are a bit more suited to paces around and under 4min/km though I find and do run small, but they’re not uncomfortable at slower paces and definitely perform better for me as a heavier/slower runner than Vaporflys and similar super shoes. I’m sure the Kipruns are good but I’ve been able to find all the above at a similar price and I guess just trust those brands a bit more.

I wonder bakit walang nag-suggest ng Asics Magic speed. That shoe is for speed session.

I love my Nordas, but would probably find some road shoes for the type of race you have. Just picked up a pair of Asics Magicspeed (or something). They're a plated trainer with a ton of high stack but provide great turnover. If you don't have anything technical, they could be a great option.

Easy day or long run (anything up to MP) - Superblast 2 Speed work (under MP) - magic speed. Race: metaspeed. This is my shoe rotation

A couple of things- First, I think it's important to have a few pairs of shoes in your rotation. If anything it prolongs the life of the shoes. Running in the same shoes every day really mashes down the foam, and doesn't give it time to fully recover. Second, shoes are so specialized now. It's hard to find a pair that does everything well. If you are varying your paces and intensities you likely need at least 3 pair in the rotation. A pair for easy runs, a pair for tempo, and a pair for faster workouts/races. If you like Asics I would stick with that brand. They have several great options. Novablast for easy/recovery, magic speed for faster workouts/shorter races, another blast shoe for tempo/longer races.

Asics Magic Speed and Adidas EVO SL are my favourites

Since Endorphin Speeds have worked for you in the past, have you tried the ES5? For ASICS the Magic Speed would better fit your purpose than the SonicBlast.

Reviews tend to say the SonicBlast is really more of a long run shoe that’s been mis-marketed whereas Magic Speed is better for shorter faster runs

The latest versions of both the ES and the Magic Speed have received generally positive reviews as being a return to form from past better versions