Why do you not want to race in them? You just said your legs feel better when wearing them. Do you not think that will also help you in a race?

I race in my Hokas. Doesn't slow me down.

So you think the Hoka's are better to run in and cause you less pain and injury.......but you want to run in NB's? Perhaps the NB's are the cause for your problems. Go with what feels good and give you less issues. I went to Hoka's from NB's and noticed a big difference in how i felt during and post run. Funny enough i have switched to Altra's now because i was getting bad blisters fro the Hoka's. The Torin 2.5's seem to be perfect for me.

try the Hupana. Same lightness as the Clifton 3 but a more responsive sole with the RMAT vs the EVA in the Clifton.

Cliftons are plenty fast- I split a 1:20 in a half-iron race and ran a 2:36 marathon wearing a pair of Clifton 2's last fall. I've fallen for them hook, line, and sinker and haven't looked back since.

Interesting. I feel like the Cliftons slow me down quite a bit but that may just been 1) the squishy feeling (mind over matter perhaps) and 2) I'm still working up my run fitness.

NB definitely didn't cause the injury because I moved to those after getting hurt. I used to run exclusively in Newton Distance. I wouldn't say that they caused the injury but I'd imagine they didn't help.

I feel like the Cliftons slow me down quite a bit //


This is your problem right there, and I can fix it for you right now. Next time you go run in your Hoka's let your brain feel a rebound from the compression you get in the shoe. Imagine you are running on springs and each stride loads up all this energy smooching down, and then releases in an explosion when your foot leaves the ground. Now you should feel quite fast.

i have/had three pairs of Hoka, all different models. and really like them for most training, but they just feel clunky when running fast. At ironman pace, this only makes a difference inside my own head. Lots of people run fast in their hokas. maybe you will too.

if you don't want to get addicted/committed to one brand, could you rotate among different brands of shoes so your feet and legs are used to shoes that feel a little different?

---

run well, run happy
george

Look at them, that should be enough..barf

My thoughts are that you're on your knees begging for injury by having a speed-work only shoe that's a lot different than your training shoe. Because in my experience, about 3/4 of all injuries occur during speedwork/racing. Go all-in with the Hokas.

And I'm not a big Hoka fan.

staying healthy will make you faster than any racing shoe..

simple test - run a 5k time trial each week until enough data is available, alternating between the NB and the Hoka.
5k is a random number, otherwise any route about 20-30min that you run regularly will do. See if there is any significant difference between the times in the different shoes.

in the meantime do all other running in Hokas and enjoy the significant absence of pain..

I love my Hokas and have been running in them for about 3 years. I always had nagging injuries until I finally gave them a shot. I had similar thinking to you initially about not racing in them but started racing in Clifton 2s last year after seeing no noticeable difference in speed workout times. I tend to use Bondis for long runs and recovery runs. One thing I have noticed is that the Clifton 3 has a redesigned tongue that causes yankz to cut into the top of my foot. This doesn't happen to me with the 2s.

The other day I was talking to one of the older runners I train with, lifetime athlete. He told me that he has like 6 different brands of running shoes and rotates them during training. He even said that he has occasionally changed to different brand shoes during some of his marathons. He says every brand has its feel, strenght and weaknesses and that he changes them according to how his feet feel that day or that moment.

Another thing he mentioned was that to avoid injuries he uses different brands and models and never gets used to one brand/model, He feels that getting used to foot support and a certain way of running based on specific footwear, makes you more prone to injury. By training your feet to be versatile, they withstand stress better which results in less injuries. In his experience.

He does not research shoes, check reviews or anything. He talks to people in marathons and triathlons about their shoes while they have them on, then orders a pair in his size and rolls with it. He did say that some of the shoes did not work out for him. So I guess there is a limit to one's foot versatility,

I've been running newtons for 5 years but see him switching between hoka, asics, newton, on, saucony and others when we run offroad. I dont know how all this relates to the science of support etc but I like it when people tell me their theories and what works for them. I have recently added ON and want to add HOKA to my own mix as well and test my foot versatility as well. Hokas look pretty dope. Want.

---

-----------------------------------
Swim with swimmers, bike with cyclists, run with runners. Train with those who are hard to keep up with. Soon you will be hard to keep up with.

Except if you look at a lot of economy testing done, Hoka's, well certain models anyway, typically decrease one's running economy.

Working harder to go the same speed or even slower is the antithesis of racing fast

---

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

i'd say, if you won't want to get addicted to them, don't do so much of your running in them.
i've got a similar reaction - i like my first pair of Hoka's, and am worried that i'll get addicted to them. so i rotate them, do maybe 60% of my miles in them but not more.
i'm not going to insist that people view my addiction fears as entirely rational, btw.

I race in Hokas. Just ran a 5k in a pair of Claytons. 17:48 at 43 yrs old. The Claytons are the only model I like. I am far from a Hoka lover, but that shoe just works for me. It's an everyday trainer and racer for me. running around 35-40 miles per week these days.