Choosing the right running shoes for you is extremely important for obtaining the best results. Becoming an elite runner is as much about the reps you crank out in the gym as the miles you rack up on the track. The On Cloud X is designed to push you through a strength workout, but is a great standalone good running shoe in its own right. Billed as the lightest fully-cushioned running shoe in the world (229g for size 8.5), it is much firmer under foot than your average cross trainer, so you may not want to rely on it every day. However, it has the latest CloudTech midsole, accompanied by Zero-Gravity foam, to provide support for those quick changes of direction. The heel is engineered for comfort and support, while the upper is engineered from a highly breathable lightweight mesh. As always with On running shoes, the design and construction is flawless.
I’ve been training in ASICS Speedstars for over five years and can get away with running my longest workouts in them – even up to 22 miles. If you have always worn a more structured shoe then I wouldn’t jump into the Speedstars for 100% of your mileage. Be smart and make the transition gradually since they have neutral pronation control. In other words, there’s no pronation control. Weighing in at 8.9 ounces, the Speedstar is light but not as light as more traditional minimalist shoes like the the Merrell Trail Glove, which weighs only 6.2 ounces. This extra weight comes from a combination of a more supportive upper – more on that later – and a cushioned sole.
Aside from the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, of which more later, this is the best road racing shoe you can buy. The Reebok Floatride Run Fast is exceptionally light considering the decent chunk of cushioning on the bottom, which ensures your legs stay fresh through each race, and allows you to kick hard for the finish line. The cushioning on the Run Fast is made from the same Pebax material as is used for Nike’s ZoomX foam – found on the Pegasus Turbo and Vaporfly shoes. It provides a huge amount of bounce despite being very lightweight, which makes it perfect for holding your race pace over 10K and half marathon distances in particular. Some runners will also find that the Run Fast is a great marathon shoe, but others will prefer something offering a little more support for the full 42.2km.
The On Cloud X handily picked up our Editors’ Choice award this year, unseating the exceptional Brooks PureFlow 6 from last year. These are part of On’s Performance running shoe lineup, geared toward high intensity running while the Clouds remain in On’s Active lineup, geared toward cross training. They offer a high degree of comfort through targeted padding along the collar, heel cup, and tongue while generously lining the upper with a smooth, felt-like sock liner. The upper has the right mix of malleability to naturally fit your foot and upper buttressing and structure to dial it in and stabilize your foot for a sprint. Their uniquely designed CloudTec midsole brings them excellent comfort, responsiveness, and stability. They incorporate a hard plastic speedboard that serves as the backstop for the hollow EVA pods, Cloud Elements, which individually flex, support, and spring to bring you a stable ride with pop.
This veteran speed training shoe got a major redesign for its 24th iteration, and it comes with a number of key changes. Most notable is the knit upper—the first on any Asics shoe—which enhances breathability and reduces weight. A redesigned heel counter keeps your feet in place when you pick up the pace, and the FlyteFoam Lyte midsole offers good energy return and ground feel for shorter, faster runs. Read extra info on https://info4runners.com/new-balance-993/.