I ran my first, and so far only, half marathon race in November 2023. In preparation I asked husband to find me a pair of carbon plated shoes, but not Nikes, as he was convinced his carbon plated ‘race day shoes’ gave him an edge when seeking a PB. He presented me with my first pair of MetaSpeed Skys and I loved them. As hoped, I ran that race faster than I had ever before covered the distance. Yes, it was a race and the atmosphere of such an event undoubtedly helps with motivation, but the course included some significant hills so to finish in a time that was 5 minutes faster than my target was very pleasing.
The trainers became my ‘race day shoes’ and carried me across finish lines in subsequent 10 mile and 10 km races. When they began to look less pristine I would also select them for parkruns if the course was expected to be firm underfoot. I finally retired them after they had carried me for a little over 350 km by which time the outer heel had worn through to the foam cushioning and it no longer supported my foot adequately.
Knowing that this day was coming I had a replacement pair ready and these are my thoughts on them.
Fresh out of the box the shoes felt as comfortable as expected. Tightening the laces to provide a snug fit requires a little more care than with my other ASICS as these do not have the slightly stretchy eyelets provided with other models. The tongue is thinner and more liable to creasing so again, care is needed when lacing up but this is easily achieved.
The mesh of the upper feels thinner than on, say, my Novablasts but there is sufficient cushioning around the heel for comfort. I use a shoe horn to ease my foot in as this prevents the back folding over. Once on they feel light and reasonably bouncy. The stacked sole is not squishy but offers excellent roll and rebound while still cushioning the foot when running on the roads it is ideal for.
The design of the sole – the roll and rebound – encourages forward motion. As someone who does not have an ideal running style having a shoe with a design that makes pushing forward and up from the ball of the foot natural is helpful. The sole also has good grip on tarmac. It isn’t as wide at the back as some trainers but is still stable and works to ensure a more even foot strike and forward motion.
These shoes are light and, most importantly, comfortable. On the day after a race my feet feel more tired than after running the same distance in softer cushioned shoes but they offer so much better rebound for the same effort. I trialled them at an all tarmac parkrun and achieved a course PB and my best time of the year. I will now be saving them for my next race.
If my experience with my previous pair is anything to go by these won’t have the longevity of other types of trainers. They are, however, ideal for races if a runner cares about pace achieved.
I will update this post if any other thoughts occur or they do not continue to perform as expected.
