Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite 2017

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Just a basic hash up of some sneakers I have been rotating :

AF - Just started running in these. Maybe 20 miles so far. I think they are still breaking in but I think I can see the beauty in them on long runs. I think they are kinda heavy but I guess that's the trade off for cushioning. The cushion was definitely noticed on around mile 8 in comparison to the Vapor Flys. I didn't have that worn down feeling after I finished my long run. I would love this tech in a casual shoe. I had the zoom road warrior but that shoe was like wearing tanks so I sold them to a family member.

VF Next% - These almost felt like a cheat code the first time I wore them. I think these are perfectly light but the more I wore them the more I started having issues with my calves. I think these are perfect for around 5-7 mile runs. After that I think the lack of cushion becomes more noticeable. With that said these are still well cushioned and I am elaborating on the nuance for the people interested. I don't know a lot about tech so this is just a theory : I think the CF plate that causes the forward motion in the sneaker is also a calve irritant for me. If you're a go at your own pace runner, this forward motion can stress some of the fast twitch muscles that are likely to be undeveloped in a slow paced runner. I say this because when I ran a sub 6:30 mile I didn't have any issues with the sneaker but when I ran in them at 8:00/mi and above they were borderline uncomfortable.

Invincible - These are my bread and butter. These were the first sneakers I decided I was going to become a committed runner in. I have gone through a pair and I am on my second. My running has improved drastically which is why I see the value and use of lighter sneakers for race day, but for day to day these are my babies. When I first started running I didn't expect my time to improve dramatically so I was looking for a slow well cushioned shoe I could find my footing in. I started out at 11:00 miles and working myself down to 6:30 miles wearing these. While these are definitely heavier, I have noticed I find my stride better in these then the others. My foot feels more 1:1 in these as well. My biggest complaint has been the quality control. I've returned a paid for the soles separating as have been shown in here.

I will probably work this trio for at least the next year
 
Just a basic hash up of some sneakers I have been rotating :

AF - Just started running in these. Maybe 20 miles so far. I think they are still breaking in but I think I can see the beauty in them on long runs. I think they are kinda heavy but I guess that's the trade off for cushioning. The cushion was definitely noticed on around mile 8 in comparison to the Vapor Flys. I didn't have that worn down feeling after I finished my long run. I would love this tech in a casual shoe. I had the zoom road warrior but that shoe was like wearing tanks so I sold them to a family member.

VF Next% - These almost felt like a cheat code the first time I wore them. I think these are perfectly light but the more I wore them the more I started having issues with my calves. I think these are perfect for around 5-7 mile runs. After that I think the lack of cushion becomes more noticeable. With that said these are still well cushioned and I am elaborating on the nuance for the people interested. I don't know a lot about tech so this is just a theory : I think the CF plate that causes the forward motion in the sneaker is also a calve irritant for me. If you're a go at your own pace runner, this forward motion can stress some of the fast twitch muscles that are likely to be undeveloped in a slow paced runner. I say this because when I ran a sub 6:30 mile I didn't have any issues with the sneaker but when I ran in them at 8:00/mi and above they were borderline uncomfortable.

Invincible - These are my bread and butter. These were the first sneakers I decided I was going to become a committed runner in. I have gone through a pair and I am on my second. My running has improved drastically which is why I see the value and use of lighter sneakers for race day, but for day to day these are my babies. When I first started running I didn't expect my time to improve dramatically so I was looking for a slow well cushioned shoe I could find my footing in. I started out at 11:00 miles and working myself down to 6:30 miles wearing these. While these are definitely heavier, I have noticed I find my stride better in these then the others. My foot feels more 1:1 in these as well. My biggest complaint has been the quality control. I've returned a paid for the soles separating as have been shown in here.

I will probably work this trio for at least the next year

Very cool! I started out doing 10–11 minute miles last year and while I’m not down to anything under 7 with consistency, the journey resonated with me!

I’ve been a bit intimidated by “elite” shoes like the Alphafly and Vaporfly, though I do have a pair of Tempos I haven’t put any miles on yet (I had a mild injury right before I was about to put them into my most recent training plan). Maybe I should look at the Invincibles as well…
 
I wore these in Boston yesterday. The combination of all the downhills and my forefoot foot strike put my toes too forward and caused some bad blisters.

I just got these from Nike last week. Would they accept them as a return under the 60 day policy? I now think the the VF Next are better for my foot strike.
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Size same as Vaporfly?
 
Very cool! I started out doing 10–11 minute miles last year and while I’m not down to anything under 7 with consistency, the journey resonated with me!

I’ve been a bit intimidated by “elite” shoes like the Alphafly and Vaporfly, though I do have a pair of Tempos I haven’t put any miles on yet (I had a mild injury right before I was about to put them into my most recent training plan). Maybe I should look at the Invincibles as well…

If you care to improve your time, running in a sauna suit helped me a lot. the minor trade off for difficulty made it well worth it for me in the time I dropped.

I highly recommend the invincibles. Especially for disco. Even for a day to day casual shoe they are legit. I like the invincibles most around mile 10 when they get to coast in all of their big boat glory aesthetics.

In my opinion for the price, the things that make the elite sneakers great are likely to only be recognized by the serious runner. If I had no working knowledge of sneakers and tried on a Pegasus and VF% I would prolly choose the Pegasus for OOTB comfort. Factor in price and it‘s a no brainer. If price isn’t a factor, I’d say try the race Day sneakers out. No reason to be intimidated by something that will help you improve.
 
Just a basic hash up of some sneakers I have been rotating :

AF - Just started running in these. Maybe 20 miles so far. I think they are still breaking in but I think I can see the beauty in them on long runs. I think they are kinda heavy but I guess that's the trade off for cushioning. The cushion was definitely noticed on around mile 8 in comparison to the Vapor Flys. I didn't have that worn down feeling after I finished my long run. I would love this tech in a casual shoe. I had the zoom road warrior but that shoe was like wearing tanks so I sold them to a family member.

VF Next% - These almost felt like a cheat code the first time I wore them. I think these are perfectly light but the more I wore them the more I started having issues with my calves. I think these are perfect for around 5-7 mile runs. After that I think the lack of cushion becomes more noticeable. With that said these are still well cushioned and I am elaborating on the nuance for the people interested. I don't know a lot about tech so this is just a theory : I think the CF plate that causes the forward motion in the sneaker is also a calve irritant for me. If you're a go at your own pace runner, this forward motion can stress some of the fast twitch muscles that are likely to be undeveloped in a slow paced runner. I say this because when I ran a sub 6:30 mile I didn't have any issues with the sneaker but when I ran in them at 8:00/mi and above they were borderline uncomfortable.

Invincible - These are my bread and butter. These were the first sneakers I decided I was going to become a committed runner in. I have gone through a pair and I am on my second. My running has improved drastically which is why I see the value and use of lighter sneakers for race day, but for day to day these are my babies. When I first started running I didn't expect my time to improve dramatically so I was looking for a slow well cushioned shoe I could find my footing in. I started out at 11:00 miles and working myself down to 6:30 miles wearing these. While these are definitely heavier, I have noticed I find my stride better in these then the others. My foot feels more 1:1 in these as well. My biggest complaint has been the quality control. I've returned a paid for the soles separating as have been shown in here.

I will probably work this trio for at least the next year

getting your pace down that much is super impressive. may i ask, what is your routine & how long did this take?

i just got into running in june, and before then my longest run ever was 6 miles. i now get an 8-11 mile run in weekly.

goal is to run Chicago next Oct. starting strength training tomorrow, will focus on that + 3-4 runs per week until spring.
 
getting your pace down that much is super impressive. may i ask, what is your routine & how long did this take?

i just got into running in june, and before then my longest run ever was 6 miles. i now get an 8-11 mile run in weekly.

goal is to run Chicago next Oct. starting strength training tomorrow, will focus on that + 3-4 runs per week until spring.

I am a fly by the seat type of person. A lot of times I will do something with out looking into it just so I have an unmolested personal experience. When I started training for a marathon I approached it the same way. It was not until a few days ago that I asked for help because of a set back. I am glad I did cause I wouldhave been extremely unprepared for my marathon learning what I have over these past few days.

My initial plan was to run at least 4 a week for what ever my body could handle. I started out with 3 mile runs and worked my way up. i think I grabbed my invincibles in March and by July I was running a 6:30 mile. By April I was running 10+ mile runs. There was no complicated training schedule I followed. Just for 4 days a week I am Going to run more then I ran the week prior. Some things I think helped ;

- My Sauna Suit! No cap I wore this up until recently for all of my runs. It wasn‘t until one of my long runs recently where I lost a lot of fluids that I realized the potential harm I was causing. Like I said in my prior posts I didn’t realize the gains I was making while wearing it, but once I ran with out it I felt like A Hell Cat. Seriously if you can put 3-4 miles in it weather permitting it will help a lot.
- Consistency. Unless my body said no, I was up and at it. Even some times when my body said no. Pulling from my dark side helped. I have an addictive personality. I would often remind myself that whatever passion I had for destroying myself through drugs I could apply to building myself up through running. It’s helped. Your daily practice is your best practice.
- Run much Longer then what ever you’re timed objective is. For example if you’re timing a 5k, practice by running a 20k. My goal was Never to improve my time but running long distances made my shorter runs naturally improve.
- I don’t drink or smoke and haven’t for the past 2 years
- Vegan diet
- drinking a gallon of water a day
- Stretchingggggggggggggggggg. I just found about this recently. lol lol. I was stretching as more of a suggestion then a necessity when I first started. After stretching recently I can’t help but laugh at the damage I was causing.

‘Hope that helps.
 
First run in these in ~18 months for a progression run.

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I started running again after that +18 month hiatus training for my first official in person race next month.

I can attest that strength training has made a significant difference in my running, body and overall, health today too.

Before the pandemic, I ONLY ran (no weights/strength training). My average pace was about high 6’40s” to 50s” /mile then. For that 18 month hiatus, I just focused on strength training, specifically targeted core and upper body through the NTC app.

To this day (since April 2020), I’ve never had a day off from strength training. Of course, there are other factors that have contributed my overall better health and running; i.e. diet.
 
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getting your pace down that much is super impressive. may i ask, what is your routine & how long did this take?

i just got into running in june, and before then my longest run ever was 6 miles. i now get an 8-11 mile run in weekly.

goal is to run Chicago next Oct. starting strength training tomorrow, will focus on that + 3-4 runs per week until spring.



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Pulled up the numbers just to see the difference. First pic is from my first run in the invincibles at blazing pace of 11:36/mi
 
C.Magneto C.Magneto illustrayt illustrayt If you don't mind me asking, what's your avg HR on your current paces? I'm trying to get my HR low for my easy run. I read I need to run slow for a while until my HR is "trained".
 
I've been in the 150-160 BPM range at my current average pace.

Right before the pandemic, that's actually what I was working on. I usually run in the night, so I would get home super late after those runs. My pace would be in the 10min/mi range. After about one week I got frustrated because I just didn't have the patience LOL

I also noticed in my running journey that as I got "faster", I became more impatient LOL.
 
s3p4tu s3p4tu I have never paid attention to my HR. I just get out there and run. Probably not the smartest choice I’ve made lol. I’m open to the wisdom of having it if you don’t mind sharing.

spiderjericho spiderjericho I did. I lost about 20 lbs. I was relatively lean as was, and now I’m just ripped. 5’9 142LBS.

Something I didn’t consider with the Sauna suit was I started out running with it in Ohio during the winter/spring. I think because I started out in cold weather as I transitioned to warmer climates it was easier. I live in a tropical climate and I am starting to think the fluids I am losing during my runs are causing more damage then is worth it. As of now I have been wearing it 2x a week but as I am getting closer to my marathon date I think I will drop it altogether until I complete race day
 
Hey NikeTalkers

Just purchased a pair of AF on discount. Feel like a poser here as i am a 11:30 marathoner, but reading here, all of you have convinced me to do it. so i did lol.

Wondering what am i going to expect with these. Love cushion, but have a few questions.

1) Do these change your running style in any way. I assume with all the stack i may have to change something/anything about my running style.
2) Coming from ESpeeds/ Peg turbo/ Peg - characteristic differences of course?
3) As a self proclaimed turtle - will these even help?
4) Break in period? trying to make it to NYC

Honestly im looking for reasons to justify my purchase lol. Any tips/tricks etc. are appreciated.
 
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