At a running event over the summer a friend of mine had the chance to try on the Asics Superblasts and while he kept raving about it and insisting I try them for the long run, I just could not do it. How could I be expected to try on a shoe and run 22 kilometers in them when I had NEVER worn them before? It was not a timed event and so the results did not matter, but I was not about to compromise my feet or my month-long training to just try them on. Then when another long event came up, even longer now being at 32 kilometers the same Asics shoes were ready for trying. After hearing him talk about it for so long and goading me on, I decided to bite the bullet and try them for the run.
At $270 it is not an inexpensive running shoe, but this is categorized as a maximal cushion, non-plated super trainer. From the previous model, the 2, it’s about 6-10g lighter and it has the FF leap foam that is from the same high-end Metaspeed racing line. The traction I could tell was good because I could hear the ground making sucking noises and this is great because I run in the winter and want a shoe that I can wear in all seasons. I am not used to wearing cushioned shoes and so that took some getting used to, but because the shoes were already broken in by others, I did not have any foot discomfort. I could hardly tell I was wearing ‘new’ shoes. What surprised me the most was that at night when I went to bed and pulled the blanket over me, I noticed my toes were not hurting at all! Usually after a long run my toes will hurt or definitely feel sore and it’s likely because I’m either wearing shoes that are slightly too small for running or aren’t fitted properly. After a 32 km run, I went to bed that night without having toe pain and I thought I have to get these shoes! I looked into it and it’s because the toe box is noticeably wider making roomier with more volume. This prevented my toes from being squished on the sides and from being pressed down from the top. The shoe also has a trampoline forefoot geometry which allows my foot to naturally roll forward during my strides, that way my foot does not have to law or flex heavily to push me forward. I have a pair of carbon-plated shoes that I bought on-sale and which are usually more than $300 and they have given me sore toes each time. They are probably too small for my feet, but even then, the way the shoe is formed places my feet at a dropped angle that my toes are almost forced to touch the front of the shoe each time. But the Asics Superblast 3 have made a huge difference with my toes, let’s just see if I can still salvage them!
As I ran more and started to spend more on running shoes I can now confidently say that investing is a good pair can save your feet, your training cycle, and ultimately, your love for the sport. Spending $270 on a non-plated trainer felt like a massive gamble, especially stepping into them for a grueling 32 kilometers with zero personal break-in time. But the relief I felt that night was proof enough.
