by Lionel Brahim Brodie III
.....or the Phillies Charities 5K. Or Love Run. Or the Hot Chocolate 15K/10K/5K. We could sit here and name drop Spring races for the rest of the night.....
Back to our new Are You Running Broad Street series and neutral footwear. The sibling rivalry with stability footwear notwithstanding, I like to mix it up with my support options occasionally. After we chat neutral today, next up are speed shoes (tempo first, then race), then apparel, then.....Race Day!
There are plenty of great neutral options, carried by Philadelphia Runner, for women and men. Here are just a few of my favorites, along with that brand's comparable options. I prefer more–to–max cushioned shoes, but as we move into tempo and I move into TRYING to get faster, I've played with some responsive alternatives. So we'll mix it up today.
Note: the list below is in alphabetical order, not order of preference.
ASICS GEL–NIMBUS 26
We can't even begin without talking about this colorway. Officially from ASICS as Feather Grey/Black, the running industry is trending towards neutral (no pun intended) colorways that can easily transition between everyday athletic wear and everyday casual wear. I've been calling all of these tan, light brown colorways "Oat Milk" and I almost love these earth toned shoes just as much as I love my twice–a–day coffee, light oat, 2 Splenda. Almost.....
The NIMBUS 26 is the neutral trainer that makes me wish I didn't need stability shoes to fend off the plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and hip pains I once had before making the jump. You can (almost) describe every shoe as lightweight and cushioned. What you can't say about every shoe is that the cushioning is soft, plush, and bouncy (yes all 3) without batting an eye. As a neutral runner, I'd be wearing this shoe for almost every run: short, long, and races that I was "running, not racing". As the stability runner that I am, I like the NIMBUS for shorter distances. And I love this colorway for EVERYTHING casual.
Responsive complement – ASICS GEL–CUMULUS 26
Diadora Equipe Nucleo
Another Oak Milk shoe in the current rotation, the Nucleo is #2 on my list of pleasant surprises of the year behind only the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 (we'll talk more in depth about that next week). I recommend sizing up in Diadora .5 size (I normally wear 11.5 and all of my Diadora running shoes are size 12) as their models have a cozier fit. I had the Nucleo on for a run last weekend and I was flat out BLOWN AWAY by the fit, weight and comfort level of the cushioning.
The shoe is lightweight, roomy once you add the extra 1/2 size, and the Anima technology is primo. Anima is the Diadora technology designed to increase midsole responsiveness by 30%, while reducing its weight by 20%. I can't even decide if this is a max cushion shoe or responsive. Is 'both' acceptable as an answer? I'm trying to not be a technical here, but the Special Duratech 5000 wear–resistant compound across the entire foot area (Diadora's outsole) holds up. I wore these puppies in the rain with no traction issues. As a neutral runner, I'd be wearing this shoe for shorter runs and speed work if I wasn't feeling a Tempo Shoe that day. As the stability runner that I am, ditto. And like the aforementioned NIMBUS, I love this colorway for EVERYTHING casual.
Responsive (or Max Cushion) complement – Diadora Atomo V7000 and Diadora Atomo V7000–2
New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v14
You already know that New Balance is my surprise brand of the year. I was lucky to have the new 880 in November '23, a few months before their release. Humble brag? No. Just means I was able to clock some serious mileage in these before talking about them publicly. Also, the "limelight" colored midsole is elite!
The New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v13 is an amazing runner. If you're shopping NB and you're only going to buy one(1) shoe for all of your running needs, I'd recommend the 1080. It's responsive counterpart, the 880, is almost everything the 1080 is.....with more snap in each step. So allow me to rephrase: If you're shopping NB and you're only going to buy one(1) cushioned shoe for all of your running needs, I'd recommend the 1080. If you're shopping NB and you're only going to buy one(1) responsive shoe, I'd recommend the 880. As a neutral runner, I'd be wearing the 880 for shorter runs and speed work if I wasn't feeling a Tempo Shoe. As the stability runner that I am, ditto.
Max Cushion complement – New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v13
Nike Vomero 17
I raced the Rothman 8K in the Vomero 17, basically right out of the box. Ok, I wore them for about 2 hours the day beforehand.....but most of that time I was in my car. I kept looking down at them (at red lights) and pretending that all of Philadelphia knew I was styling. And cozy. And ready. Nah, not really.....I was ill prepared for that race. But that's for another day. And it wasn’t because of the shoes.
As a stability runner, the Nike Vomero 17 is the neutral runner that I'd feel the most comfortable "running the gauntlet" in: shorter distances, long runs, races that I was "running, not racing", and races that I was racing. As a neutral runner, the same applies. Great overall combination of cushioning and responsiveness. The 17 is now a fixture in my rotation, and this USA colorway is the best on the market.
Responsive complement – Nike Pegasus 40
On Cloudeclipse
This might be my favorite shoe to talk about because of the lineage of On's Clouds (I'm talking about the visible midsole here, not the actual Cloud shoe). Maybe it's just me, but ever since the Cloudstratus the midsoles just keep getting thicker and more intentional. Cloudstratus (the original and current version). Cloudmonster 1 (men's and women's). Cloudsurfer. Cloudeclipse. Cloudmonster 2. I annoyingly keep mentioning how much I love cushioned shoes, so I'm here for the clouds getting bigger and bigger.
On is also known for its Speedboard®, and any shoe containing it will be responsive in my opinion. It's the size of the CloudTec® technology (the Clouds I referred to above) that aids in labelling 'max cushion' or 'responsive'. I ask again, is 'both' acceptable as an answer? As a neutral runner, I'd be wearing this shoe for shorter runs and speed work if I wasn't wanting a Tempo Shoe that day. As the stability runner that I also annoyingly keep mentioning, ditto. Orange is my favorite color, so I love this colorway for EVERYTHING casual.
Responsive (or Max Cushion) complement – On Cloudmonster 2
There are of course several brands not mentioned here with terrific neutral options. I could take up more of your weekend, or you could enjoy this beautiful weather we're having and get out for a run. See you next week.....or even sooner if you stop in to one of our stores to say hello!
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