ASICS - NOVABLAST 2

My pair of NB5 is fine (less than 150 km), and my longest run so far is 3.5 hours at around 6:30 min/km pace. I weigh only about 55 kg and wear men's size 8, maybe because of my light weight. In addition, my two pairs of NB2 are still going strong after 800 km, though I can only use them for runs under 80 minutes or so.

Speed 2 is the only one without any single word to be not positive. My Nova blast 2 shuts down immediately after 300 miles and it is too wide for me.

I only do 4-8 miles a week and only do 8 mile weeks for maybe two months a year. Because of that I went from the novablast 2 to the 5 and man they are so much better. Glad to hear it’s the same with superblast

Asics Novablast if you can find the prior model on sale. I always buy last year’s model for around $100.

I have been trying to use the Evo SL for all runs, but alas, I have given up. The shoe is great and fun and light like everyone says, but it feels just too unstable at slow paces. At race paces or threshold pace they are fine. I ran a 14k in them a couple weeks ago and got a pb in my 5k and 10k splits during the race. I usually run in ASICS Novablast (2,3,4) but the 5 didn’t work for me. That’s when I got the Evo SL. That’s the only shoe that gave me ankle pain. Then I started working on strengthening my ankles. Recently I bought a pair of Salomon Aero Glide 3’s to do my base and recovery runs in. Don’t know if I like them yet because they arrive tomorrow. But you may want to add them to your list.

MB are definitely stiffer than the NB. Not in an uncomfortable way but definitely not cloudlike. They just want to go fast. For the workouts you described the MB would be an awesome shoe. The only downside is the upper, which sucks for the first 30-60miles. The toe box is just a little small and the synthetic material of the upper is just weird (but very thin which is nice if you’re in an area for the summer). I got a pinky toe blister and sore big toe the first few runs but now they’ve settled in and I’m glad I gave them a break in period. If you can afford it, get the MB for workouts. Get the NB for easy runs. That gives the foam of both shoes some time to breathe and will stretch their lifespan out (in theory)

I am in a similar position. I love the novablast and own and love the vomero plus - but I do definitely notice the weight beyond 25km. I am deciding between SB3 and Megablast for my April marathon (target 3:30) - I originally planned to run in the Vomero Plus which is more than capable of the pace (have ran plenty of tempo @ 4:30 per km in them), but I raced a hilly half recently (1hr 40) and the weight of the shoe really was really noticeable imo. I prefer a softer shoe so leaning towards SB3, but considering the Megablast. I am a lighter runner and my long runs tend to be slightly quicker than yours, so not sure if that changes anything. Vomero Plus is a great shoe for a lot of use cases, but I don’t think I’ll tackle a marathon in it.

I'm a fan of the Superblast and I too use it as a training and race shoe. But for up to half marathon distance and at that pace, I personally think the Novablast can do a similarly good job at a cheaper price point. I used to run exclusively on Novablast until I moved up to a full marathon this year, and I plan to go back down to a Novablast once my Superblast wears out. For full context, I ran a 1:45 HM weighing 72kg wearing a Novablast. You're a lot lighter, so I'm sure it'll be fine.

+1 I use my novas as daily’s faster paces

Asics are a bit wider than usual. But check out Topos. Nice wide forefoot like Altras but aren't zero drop. Alteas cause me calf issues but Topos are awesome. I use Asics Novablast on the road and Topo Ultraventures for trail runs.