As someone who has both ap3 and ap4, the ap4 did not agree with me.
It's too squishy and does not work with my running style.
I liked the ap3, I wouldn't say I love it. It's firm and has a good responsiveness to it. I prefer the nb sc elite v4.
I do:
\- 1 pair race shoes - for races and time trials (maybe one long run if marathon training and haven't gone more than 21km in them)
\- 1-2 pair workout shoes - for any run with marathon pace or faster, race shoes turn into workout shoes after around 200km
\- 2 pair daily trainers - for easy runs
Specifically right now:
race shoe: asics metaspeed edge tokyo
workout shoes: asics metaspeed sky paris, New Balance SuperComp Elite V4
easy shoes: nike pegasus 41, hoka mach 6
I mostly retire shoes once they hit 800-1000km or feel terrible to run in. I get my easy run shoes as on sale as possible, usually grabbing last year pegasus, novablast, nimbus, mach, or w/e on sale.
If I were you I'd start by just buying 2 different pairs of shoes for easy running, and tracking mileage on them. If you feel so inclined or find a good price then you can buy some fancy racing shoes, and use them for big speed days too if you want.
I actually love the NB line up. Im 5'11 190lbs. My BIGGEST issue with their damn shoes is they heel rub like no other shoes. I ran a new 5k pb yesterday at sub 6 pacing in the elite v4s and came out with a blister like I finished running a marathon. So they definitely could perform but the heel rub sucks. Ive had same experience with rebel v4s where I loved the shoe but heel rubbed. I have the trainers now too so im hoping that issue doesnt carry to them as well. But I feel the response in the NB shoes are really great.
For a beginner, even balanced trainers like Cumulus, Brooks Ghost can do it all.
If you take your weight into consideration and wanting more comfort and cushion, you could get Nimbus (easy for heel striking). They are clunky, but comfy. They will be fine until you want to get below 8:00/mi. Then you can add tempo shoes to the rotation or get Superblast as a do it all.
Personally I got the New Balance SC Elite V4 (also mentioned in the comments) and raced with a goal time of 3:30 in them. I had no regrets other than the fact that it costed more money. I had a blast in them and will definitely be racing in them again. Broke my goal time with a 3:28:07. Super proud of myself and happy the shoes didn't get in the way. IDK if they made me faster since I had done similar paced runs in my NB rebels but also had tib post pain from them so I opted out of racing in them which worked out for the best.
123jamesng
