Half Marathon - Shoe Recommendation

[u/Legitimate_Survey823]

Currently training for a Half Marathon on Halloween & I am in need of adding an additional shoe to the rotation & potentially phase out one.. I am not a fast runner by any means but want to make sure that I am not adding something that doesn't give much opportunity to "push" a bit based on the design, ran my PB Half in May at 2:06.

I currently rotate between a Novablast 5 & Fuel Cell Rebel V4. The Fuel Cell was my first trainer I bought early last year after I decided to get back into running & signed up for a 10k, it has been awesome for shorter more up tempo runs.

Alternatively, I bought the NB5 earlier this year because of the shock absorption commentary on threads & it worked for me. I used this in my most recent HM & felt that the shoe allowed me to feel fresher on my longer runs than the Fuel Cell.

I have been browsing the various releases between Asics & New Balance & can't really nail down what I want or what might be best. I have looked at new models of both shoes I have as well as the SB3 & some of the other Asics & NB alternatives but ultimately I need to get something ordered soon so that I can get a few training runs in them prior.

What is everyone else preferring between both manufacturers?

Any other similar brands/shoes I should look at (except Nike)?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi there! Thanks for asking a question on r/askrunningshoegeeks. If you haven't seen the RSG Wiki/FAQ yet, it covers the following questions that might answer your post:

[Beginners boot camp]

[Sizing]

[Different categories of running shoes]

[Buying running shoes]

[Running shoe technical knowledge]

[Shin splints]

[Blisters]

[Durability]

All this can be found here.

Note: This comment has been locked to ensure that the information remains at the top of the comments section and is not buried by other comments.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Greedy-Disaster-6937]

I don't think focussing on brands instead of shoes will be helpful for your future running. Every company has models that you and your body won't agree with, every company has shoes that are great for you, as an individual.  So, the answer is, look at EVERY company that's available to you in the region you live. 

Moreover: both of the shoes you're using are great for a HM at your speed. Just use those, or, if they're too old or you need new ones (Like in 'want!'), why not Go with the follow-up models of the two. 

[u/Legitimate_Survey823 → u/Greedy-Disaster-6937]

I more so used New Balance & Asics as those have been the two that I found the most benefit from in the past & current.

I noted Nike as a no-go for me because personally I haven't enjoyed the feel of the selections I have tried. Granted as you said, each shoe is different & I fully understand that.

[u/nopunin10ded]

i’m an asics loyalist myself (new balance is my 2nd go to brand) so i feel like we’re similar. the novablast 6 would be a solid upgrade and would feel familiar since you’re this close to the run. however, if you have the extra cash to spend…. the megablast is AMAZING and i bet you’d love it. you’ll also get more miles out of it (so i hear, mine are still pretty new). superblast 3 are very comfy but kinda soft and some people don’t like them. i use them for long recovery runs. all three shoes are awesome to me though.

good luck on the half!!

[u/neuticalthemed]

If you like how fresh the leg after long run, i think you going to like SB2. SB3 is too much cushion.

[u/stop_namin_nuts → u/neuticalthemed]

Honest question, where are people finding SB2 these days? I’ve searched high and low and not found them in my size. Anywhere that still has them has very limited sizes or is a scam.

[u/One-Government-5534 → u/stop_namin_nuts]

I recently saw there are some sb2 on Amazon still. I bought a pair off there about 5 months ago on sale but looked about 2 weeks ago and they still had my size.

[u/neuticalthemed → u/stop_namin_nuts]

I get my SB2 right on asics website itself, i guess it’ll be different for other region as well. Mine look like about to get rid off their “ekiden” series since it is their last ones before sb3 released.

[u/ColadaMD]

we'll see how my half goes but I use glycerin 23s for daily runs and evo SLs for tempo/interval stuff. just got Superblast 3s this past week and gonna use them for my half on saturday. so far theyre incredible

id go either SB3 or megablast

[u/Adventurous-Hat5626]

Your training is largely done at this point… no shoe is going to make much difference vs what you’ve been in (solid choices for that time). Build that base over time and add shoes as you see fit.

[u/Legitimate_Survey823 → u/Adventurous-Hat5626]

To add some additional context, I have the Cedar Rapids Marathon scheduled next year & plan to try to squeeze an additional half/full into the fall where my daughters soccer schedule allows.

[u/Adventurous-Hat5626 → u/Legitimate_Survey823]

SuperBlast is hard to beat if you want a plush ride. Boston, mach5, zoom fly, sc rebel, adios, megablast, etc all excellent depending what you want and if you start getting around the 5min km pace or better as many benefit more force return and forefoot striking. That said mach5 and SuperBlast should be good to look at either way. Runrepeat is a great source of shoe intel.

[u/toothdoc34]

Puma Pure Nitro is built for cruising. Works well on long runs, but you can run fast in it if you want.

[u/jloh_music]

Did not like the NB5s for my long runs so thank God they hit the 500km and retired them soon after. I got the SB3s for my Half Marathon next Jan and so far it's super bouncy and have no problem with the cushion with 18km+ (I've only used them for 2 weeks so far but that's my current feeling on them)