ASICS - NOVABLAST 5

ASICS novablast 5 have been my best purchase.

I'm a fellow fan of the firmness of the 4s and I did find the 5s to be a lot softer. Mine also bottomed out after only like 200 miles. I'm 175 and a lot of people my weight and higher have reported the same thing. Personally I just bought 2 more pairs of 4s to hold me over until something else I like crops up. If you don't want to do that, Superblasts are probably the move though.

Literally any modern shoe you buy is probably going to feel like a Cadillac on your feet compared to Nike Frees. If you like that lower stack kinda ground feel I’d look at something like the Pegasus or the brooks hyperion. If you want something with a little bit more underfoot without being bulky I’d look at the asics Novablast 5, Vomero Plus, Saucony ride or Saucony Triumph.

I'm 6'1, 140 lbs and a forefoot striker and while our weights are different, I feel the road and have similar expectations and experiences to you. Personally, I rotate between the Novablast 5 for my high effort runs and use the Nimbus 27 for everything else, I find it works really well for me as a two shoe rotation.

True. Recovery runs with tempo over 5min/km. With their low energy return they would make you tired a lot faster than lighter more snappy shoes like for example Novablast 5 (which are also softer than Nimbus 27)

Noosa Tri, Sonicblast or Magic Speed I bought the Megablast for the subt workouts but I don't really like it at those paces. I know I'm in the minority, but it feels a little clunky at faster paces. Last winter I used the Novablast 5 for a lot of the subt workouts & it worked well if you can deal with a softer shoe. NB5 is an absolute gem. It's much smoother than the Megablast & you can use it for long runs. Really baffles me how Megablast is $85 more than NB5.

475 miles I retired them from running (in May) & have used them as work shoes since. They're still soft with a bouncy heel.

Novablast 5. They were perfect for me for long runs. Fun, energetic, protective, with a massive stack of foam. I used Nimbus 26 (not 27) also, but they were firm & stiff. Very protective though, just not fun & exciting like the NB5.

Both shoes are fun and great. Evo is nimble and fast but with a terrible upper. NB5 is soft, bouncy, and protective. Both are energetic. Both were durable for me. I got 500 miles out of NB5 and 570 miles out of Evo.

Ride 17/18 Novablast 4/5 The older models will save you a bit if you can find your size. The asics are more exciting shoes while the sauconys are reliable and durable.

ASICS Novablast 5. 100% the best shoe for me.

I love my ASICS Novablast 5s. Soft, Cushy ride. Easy on the joints. Light, fast shoe. Larger toe box. Excellent shoe.

ASICS Novablast 5. 100%

Had multiple pairs of Novablast 5. They're just perfect.

I ran my October half in the Novablast 5s. Finished in 1hr 40 - I’m around 55kg, mid-30s - and had a similar weekly volume at the time. They are my favourite all round trainer though and I find them comfy for anything up to 25km.

Whatever is comfortable. I have flat feet, I run in neutral shoes. If you adequately strength train and don’t experience pain, pick anything that’s comfy, you’ll learn what does and doesn’t work but that’ll be based more of running mechanics, body weight, foot size/width etc than having flat feet. I currently run in Novablast 5 (Daily + Track), Vomero Plus (Easy + Long) and have yet to find my ideal racing or tempo shoes.

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.