Has there been any research done to see if cold weather affects(and at what temperature) the cushioning/rebound effect of the new super foams? Did my long run today with 13.1@MP. Temperature was 32 (yes that is cold in Mississippi) and started wondering if that affects the foam. My feet always feel like they take more of a pounding when it’s cold, but they could just be because my feet are cold.
I forget where I read it but I believe what I’ve seen is that cold still affects the foam in these new super shoes but less than it affected say shoes with EVA midsoles.
To test, I would put one shoe in the freezer and compare. I would say cold temp does make a difference.
Not sure about super foams but in my many years of running in the frozen north of Minnesota I found that below 10 degrees f after approximately 45 minutes EVA shoes turned to bricks. That’s one of the reasons I ran in Nikes with air to try and keep a little cushioning during my long winter runs.
These days with the invention of treadmills and with retirement I can head south, I don’t need to worry about that any longer. I would say at the balmy 30 degrees there should be minimal effect on the foams….it really has to be allot cooler to have an impact.
RunRepeat reviews typically include a measure of foam ‘softness’ at room temp and at freezer temp. Some are way stiffer in the cold and others not so much.
Has there been any research done to see if cold weather affects(and at what temperature) the cushioning/rebound effect of the new super foams? Did my long run today with 13.1@MP. Temperature was 32 (yes that is cold in Mississippi) and started wondering if that affects the foam. My feet always feel like they take more of a pounding when it’s cold, but they could just be because my feet are cold.
Slightly related, my “used” Alphaflys were still wet from a previous rainy day and I needed to go run in 30 minutes so I put them in the oven at 175F with the door slightly cracked.
The foam felt brand spanking new when I put them back on.
Maybe on a cold race morning throwing a couple hand warmers in each shoe before you start the swim is a good idea. Just have to remember to remove them!
I think I read somewhere it does, and also it is best to wait 24 hours after a run for the foam to bounce back too. I guess from compression?? I got an older pair of Alpha flys and now get all the hoop la surrounding these shoes. It is a super sized feeling from when I put on my first pair of HOKA Bondi’s, cushy and a feeling of rebounding. And apparently it is mostly the foam differences, so temps probably do have an effect. The carbon plate would be the same no matter what…