Asics Novablast 5
The Novablast was in my mind one of the original super trainers. A shoe designed with enough cushion to keep you comfortable for all your miles but versatile enough to do you speed work in and light enough to race in. Over the years the Novablast has seen a number of changes, but in general I think they have all been for the better, and the changes this year are no exception!
Men: 9.0 oz
Women: 7.9 oz
Drop: 8 mm
MSRP: $150
The Outsole
This shoe is made to go the distance and has a pretty thick amount of rubber at key touch points on the shoe. We do see a fair amount of exposed midsole material, but that exposed material saves weight by reducing the amount of rubber on the shoe without sacrificing durability. On the whole I don’t have any traction issues with this outsole. It grips the road really nicely at a variety of paces and I feel very confident in my footstrike.
The Midsole
This midsole introduces a fairly new foam for Asics, Blast Max. We saw a strip of it in the Glideride which gave the Glideride a sense of being a performance version of the Nimbus to me. I was very excited to see a full midsole of this foam. On initial step in it does feel a little less plush than the Blast+ midsole in version 4, but on the whole I think this midsole is more durable and has a bit more bounce than previous versions. It also feels a bit more consistent through the run for me. I don’t notice any change in how the shoe feels in a long run and the responsiveness feels the same regardless of the pace i’m running.
The Upper
This is a pretty substantial upper. In this way the Novablast has shifted a bit further into the daily trainer category because it does feel like there is more here than in previous years. It is huge the foot nicely while maintaining volume and has plenty of cushion around the heel so you can log some long miles in comfort. It does feel nicely breathable and in most conditions will keep the foot cool and dry.
The Experience
This shoe is, to me, the original super trainer; designed to do a little of everything from daily training to racing. As this shoe has evolved I think there is an argument that it has lost a little off the top end, but I think that “sacrifice” has made this a much better shoe for the masses. It is much more stable underfoot which feels like it suits a much wider range of runners at every speed and with a much wider variety of foot strikes.
I really enjoy using this shoe for daily runs up through my uptempo sessions. At this point I’ve gotten so used to having a plated shoe for my interval sessions that I generally go for one of those when I’m heading to the track, but I think that you could hit some solid paces and intervals in this.
The Blast Max midsole has plenty of pop and bounce and under the mileage I’ve put on so far, (70 miles at time of review) it still feels like a brand new pair of shoes.
While the outsole provides plenty of durability, I definitely recommend sticking to roads or cinders with the Novablast. It has plenty of grip on the roads, although there is one section of my regular route that stays forever wet and slimy and the traction isn’t amazing there. I generally wouldn’t recommend this as an option for off road or cross country, if you’re confident in your stride and foot placement and have young ligaments, go for it.
While Houston isn’t particularly hilly, if you do live in a hillier area, I can see this being a solid option for maintaining your stride on the downhills.
The final point to make is that you get this amazing shoe for an incredibly low price point.
The Gym
I don’t have anything against this shoe in the gym if you’re running on the tread or using the elliptical combined with body weights, dumb bells or machines. If you’re strapping into other cardio machines I think you might run into an issue getting a good fit due to the thickness of this midsole. For general strength and mobility work you will do fine without taking a second pair of shoes or using a dedicated lifting shoe, but if you’re pulling heavy weight from the floor, this shoe isn’t the one to use.
Daily Life
The cushion in this shoe makes it seem like a no brainer, but for me there is something in the design that keeps me from reaching for this shoe for daily wear consistently. I think for me the feel of this shoe is very forward and doesn’t lend itself for standing still. This may not be the experience for everyone, but I would say in general if you’re in a pretty consistent stream of motion, you shouldn’t have an issue here, but if you hold a static position for longer periods maybe consider a Cumulus or Nimbus.