In the fall I’ll be starting up some half marathon training. Not a pro by any means nor collegiate, so I don’t have the biomechanics of them (important in the super shoes debate). I’ve used the vapes for the last year and like them, but have also heard negative things about the alphas. Ultimately, would a pair of alphas be a worthwhile investment? Or should I stick with the vapes?
Bump.
yourenotthatguypal wrote:
In the fall I’ll be starting up some half marathon training. Not a pro by any means nor collegiate, so I don’t have the biomechanics of them (important in the super shoes debate). I’ve used the vapes for the last year and like them, but have also heard negative things about the alphas. Ultimately, would a pair of alphas be a worthwhile investment? Or should I stick with the vapes?
Really depends on how heavy a runner you are and your foot size, if you are a women or a small man the vaporfly seems to be slightly more beneficial than if you are a larger man or a heavier person the alphafly is slightly more beneficial.
Otherwise they are very similar so maybe it will be a few seconds in your finishing time either way, the only other topic to consider is if the race will be a twisty circuit with lots of sharp corners, if so the vaporfly will probably just edge it due to the slightly lower stack height and its stability.
Just think, of the power to weight ratio spectrum does the slightest extra efficiency offset the extra weigh of the alphafly?
Usually foot size aka shoe weight and height/weight power per stride/pace will help you make the decision on any shoe choice.
It comes down to what works for you. You might pick up a cheap pair of alphafly on eBay to try them out. My personal preference was the 4% Flyknit. I loved those and got a pair of Next %2. These were fine, but just didn't feel as fast to me. I then bought a pair of OG alphafly for workouts and they also didn't seem like much of an upgrade so I bought another pair of Next %2 at a discount. I then wore alphafly for a 20 mile workout and boy what a difference. My HR was definitely lowest at marathon pace in these shoes. 5k/half marathon not so much. I then bought another pair of alphafly on eBay to have for the next marathon block.