Well, it's Saturday! To
rfx45
and many others, IT'S PERFORMANCE REVIEW TIME! I'll provide a quick one-sentence consensus for those who don't want to read and an in-depth one for those who want details.
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One-sentence consensus (like Rotten Tomatoes): Loaded with a super-responsive Zoom Air [or Zoom Max] cushioning system and a true-to-size minimalistic upper approach inspired by a track spike, the shoe is definitely worthy of a consideration if you're looking to run while focusing on speed, especially on the tracks.
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In-depth part of those willing to read!
Okay, let's get the pricing questioning out the way. Is it worth its price tag? That's totally up to you and what you believe. As mentioned once before about the Nike Tech Knit Windrunner I reviewed, it's not worth it if you spend time hesitating on buying it.
My workout this morning consisted of a 2-lap warmup on the upper skirt of the stadium, and then 2 x 800m (2 laps each), 4 x 400m (1 lap each), 8 x 200m (1/2 a lap each) and 1 x 100m sprint just for the **** of it. You might wonder why this matters and you'll see why later on.
The shoe does indeed run true to size and in comparison to the LunarEpic Flyknit where I had to go 1/2 size up to accommodate the 6mm insole. Plenty of room for comfort in these.
If there's one thing that's definitely great about the shoe, it's obviously the cushioning. The 3/4-length Zoom Air bag is really damn responsive for what I was looking for, but when you initially start running in them [or even start walking in them for that matter], the one thing you'll notice immediately is the lack of outer-foot stability. You're gonna get all kinds of good cushioning, but it's not your common running shoe, meaning there's no outer support around the foot as if there was a Phylon or Cushlon midsole supported with a crash rail. There IS a crash rail, but between your foot and crash rail is just a bag of air inbetween, no extra Zoom Air tensile fibers [or fiber tensile, whichever it is] between that. So when I did my warm up, I was a bit skeptical thinking, "oh God, I'm gonna roll my ankle" or some ****. However, it just takes a bit of time to get used to, but this is part 1 of why I brought up my workout. It's a shoe that is inspired by track performance, which probably answers the question to why this shoe hasn't been heavily marketed compared to the all-around LunarEpic Flyknit. I'm not saying it's 100% made for track performance only, but if you were to wonder why it feels like that compared to common running shoes like the Nike Zoom Pegasus, Zoom Vomero, Asics Gel-Kayano, Asics Gel-Nimbus, Adidas Ultra Boost and many others, that's why. Anyway, long-story short, cushioning feels odd, but you get used to it. It's very similar to the Nike KD 6 Elite [basketball shoe] if anyone has owned and worn a pair before.
Did a few warmup routines prior to the beginning of the run, and the first thing I noticed when doing A-skips and B-skips [warm-up similar to high knees where you're on your toes] is the gap between the Zoom Air bag and the Cushlon [not Phylon] midsole. It's not quite comfortable unfortunately, but I realized my shoes were not tied up tight enough to lock the foot in, so it was likely my feet sliding around. That's a note to take down: TIE SHOES REAL TIGHT BEFORE RUNNING IN IT, haha. After that, it was fine, and the transitions were good and acceptable!
Throughout the intervals, the responsiveness from the Zoom Air kicks in REALLY well, especially in the heels. If you're a midfoot or heel striker like I am, you'll like it A LOT. The turns I was making felt completely fine, and I say that since I brought up about the lack of outer stability earlier. Again, you just gotta get used to it after you do a warm-up run or something and it'll disappear off your mind. Despite clear soles having its reputation of fading faster than rubber outsoles, these work really well on the track. In comparison to the LunarEpic Flyknits, the outsoles pattern is similar to most common runners and because of that, multi-directional patterns are NOT welcomed. These are made to go forward and back; that's it.
The Flyknit upper is great! Breathable, and with Flywire support, the shoes' upper keeps you distraction-free and this includes the very questionable ankle collar that I'm sure a lot of people have had issues with. For those with the Achilles' issue from the LunarEpics, I cannot really say much since I never had that Achilles-rubbing/blistering experience that others have had, but for me, the collar on this one worked fine. It helps that the collar is lower than the LunarEpics, too. Flexibility wasn't an issue for me, but maybe that's based on how I run. Regardless, I felt totally fine with it and it didn't feel so restrictive enough to the point where I couldn't handle it. It is obviously tougher than most other running shoes, but there's a reason they made the bag 3/4-length and not all the way. The room for the Cushlon midsole helps for flexibility and soft cushioning for the toes and forefoot. If you're not familiar with the Cushlon midsole, this midsole is ONLY on the Zoom Pegasus, so give those a try [especially the Pegasus 31s] and you'll see how good those feel in comparison to the commonly-used Phylon midsole on Roshes, Flyknit Racers, etc. At the end of the run, I've had no feet fatigue. That's a big plus! I could've walked my way home after the track session, but my house was 3 miles away, so screw that.
Jesus Christ, this s a long review. Let me try to finish this up.
OH, the heel counter! Shout-out to Nightwing2303 from WearTesters for bringing this up in his video. The heel counter has a LOT LESS support to the point where you can push that heel counter down! That's probably why the heel/Achilles area does not get bothered at all, which is a VERY GOOD thing. It is a very good adjustment to making the shoe have that "sock-like" and track-spike feel for running.
Few additional questions I'd like to clear up with some answers, and hopefully these will help.
#1)
Did I go faster in this shoe? I did, yes! Was it because of the shoes? I can't really answer that. I usually do these track runs in the Nike Zoom Vomero 11s (Zoom in heel and forefoot supported with a Lunarlon outsole, geared for distance) and I was able to improve session after session, so maybe it's a combo, but let's face it: it's just pure consistency and mental strength. After all, running IS about mental strength as well as it is physical, of course.
#2)
Zoom All Out vs. the Adidas Ultra Boost? let me just tell you guys this. Look at both shoes in the categorical perspective, AND NOT WHO INFLUENCED THE SHOE'S POPULARITY. The Adidas Ultra Boost has some good *** cushioning, and it is SOFT and responsive. The Zoom All Out Flyknits has some good *** cushioning, and it is comparably FIRM and responsive. Whichever you like is up to you. Just to throw it in there, the LunarEpic Flyknits is just soft and not really as responsive at all compared to those two monsters. Remember, this is just personal preference and how my body reacts to these shoes.
#3)
Why just the track for this shoe? I had an opportunity to run in these on Wednesday with my local NRC session and as much as I was tempted to, I passed on it. The feel and fit of the shoe, for some reason to me, completely gave me a gut feeling that these were made for the track. Plus, the track is completely flat and it's consistent compared to some [but not all] road surfaces. Think back about my stability/support thoughts and look back at what I'm mentioning about surfaces now. It wasn't 'til the next day after when I saw NikeRunning's IG post that it was inspired by track spikes. That, and if there were ever shoes made with a ******* 3/4-length of a Zoom Air bag, we know for damn sure it's not meant to run for the distance although since I did mention that I had no foot fatigue, I may be wrong about this!
#4)
Would I consider anything else other than the track for these? Treadmill is a no. I just don't like treadmills; you don't get the full running experience out of it. Plus, the bouncing feeling on the treadmill + all that Zoom Air = extra unnecessary work and effort. It will just not work out well. Trails? HELL NO. Road? Again, only if some of those surfaces are even enough.
Yes, I'll definitely keep these in the rotation as they have impressed me well. Plus, they look nice, too!
OKAY, that's my review! Sorry it was so long, but feel free to PM me or just quote me with some questions/comments/thoughts. Just remember that this is all from my personal experience and preference, and everything I mentioned here may not be the same as to how your body reacts when running.
us3less you a runner? what was / is your event?
