My Shoe Rotation
So let me introduce you to my current shoe rotation. I’m going to be honest I really like running shoes but in saying that I also like to stick to what works for me and so you will see below I am pretty much stuck to Asics only. My go to shoes have all been Metaspeed Sky for any distance of racing, and consistently at $330 a pair they aren’t the most expensive super shoes but they also don’t come cheap.
Asics Metaspeed Sky - White (729km)
Sentimentally my favourite shoe, it was this shoe that worked for me when I was getting over plantar fasciitis and so I have stuck with these for a long time regardless of my running type. My favourite memory of them is running through Englischer Garten in Munich with them in the snow and ice, not the best shoe for traction.
Because I run predominantly in carbon plated shoes these actually don’t feel stiff to me and my preference has always been a shoe where I get improved proprioception which squishy shoes don’t give me.
Now semi retired but I’ll never throw them out.
Asics Metaspeed Sky - Blue (267km)
These were my first ever fully carbon plated shoes and I’d used them sparingly up until I started to get back into triathlon post COVID. I think my first race in them was Mooloolaba Triathlon and I opted for no socks which was a poor choice, the shoes wear the blood stains to this day.
Despite this I keep the elastic laces on them in case I do another triathlon. The last race I used them for was Ironman 70.3 Port Macquarie and I had a great run despite being out of form, it was this that motivated me to focus on running given I was short on time. I love them for the same reason as the whites above.
Metaspeed Sky Paris - Red (238km)
Given I was racking up the kilometres on the other shoes I bought these to be my specific race shoe for the Munich Marathon (my first marathon). I feel like there is a subtle difference between the shape of the Paris and the original Metaspeed Sky, I’m not sure exactly what it is but I feel my foot is a bit more stable in it. Because of this these have now become my training shoe as I try and get usage out of my lineup and what the future holds, I’m not sure if they have another marathon in them but they have served me well, they currently hold my marathon PB, my half marathon PB and my Parkrun (5km) PB.
Metaspeed Sky Paris - Yellow (0km)
I bought these not knowing what my rotation would end up being and because size 13 in these shoes sells out so quickly, suffice to say they still have the tag on them and live in the box, nice looking shoe though, not sure if they will ever get used, probably too good to turn into a lawn mowing shoe. I actually think that when the Metaspeed Tokyo comes out (July 2025) I will upgrade my Red Paris to them and then the Yellow Paris will become my training/mileage shoe.
Asics Evoride Speed (238km)
I originally bought these shoes so that they could be high mileage trainers so I could keep the km’s down on my race shoes. To a degree I think this worked because I managed to rack up quite a few km’s in them but eventually once I started using the Metaspeeds for all my running then these really didn’t have a need.
I would recommend these shoes if you were starting out or very recreational and you weren’t overly fussed on times. If I was to use them for a specific purpose it would be that they are my ultimate gym shoes because they have a small sole, don’t weigh too much and of course no carbon sole. Looking at them now they have definitely seen better days but then again they have been on many a journey that’s not a run.
Asics Gel Nimbus (111km)
So after using the Evorides for a while to try and cover most of my mileage I decided to go for something a bit chunkier and soft hoping that it would be a little easier on my feet as I was tending to get tight achey feet during my longer runs, enter the Asics Gel Nimbus.
When I tried these on I felt like they were quite similar to my old Hoka Bondis which I used quite a lot for a few years there doing triathlon so I was kind of optimistic. I eased into them with a few shorter runs and everything felt alright, then I got into some longer distance.
I think my first one was about 14km around Centennial Park and at about the 10km mark I started to get tightness in my ITB and my glute. I stretched it out and ran home. The strange thing is I went out a week or two later and a similar thing happened, I say it’s strange because I’d never experienced it with either the Evoride or the Metaspeed. Anyhow I put it down to being squishy and my feet not getting a good feel for the ground and using muscles differently, so I stopped wearing them.