High hopes wrote:
The Labrat guy did a RE test comparing the Streakfly, Alphafly, and Invincible. He found the Streakfly were WORSE than the Invincible. You might like them, find them comfortable, etc, but they are a lot worse than the Alphafly even for 5k
Less efficient at 6:15 pace, which is probably HM+ for him. What happens at 5k pace? Who knows, because he can't test it.
I wore them for a 5k and decided to go back to vaporfly. Im just to old (35) or dont have a nice midfoot strike. I was beat up after the 5k and it just felt harder on the body than when I wear my other super shoes.
So from now on using them for mile repeats and short races like <5k. For 5k and 10k I think vaporfly is still king.
RE Study wrote:
I’m not trying to bash that guys study, because I love the content. However, that is a sample of 1 person and he’s a pretty big responder to the alphafly compared to the vaporfly. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s not a big responder to the stripped down streakfly. Also his control was the ASICS hyper speed, not the infinity.
But isn't that the point? The construction of the Streakfly (compliant foam, no plate) means that any response is going to be hugely variable whereas the VF and AF almost guarantee some positive response. From what I've seen, he gains ~3% improvement in RE from the AF which is below average.
You're right, it's a sample of 1, can't extrapolate from it but it's the only data I've seen - and probably for a a good reason. If this shoe tested better than the VF, Nike would be shouting about it.
The real test will be when the road racing season gets under way, how many top pros will wear this thing
Can you wear supershoes Iike the next % on the track in the US in collegiate races? To If so why are the rules different?
Do Streakflys break IAAF rules on the track?
Gosh, it certainly would seem that the Streakfly is much more suitable for everything shorter than a 10k than the vaporflies would be. Right? I mean they’re lower to the ground so especially turns on a track should be easier right?
Flat Stanley wrote:
Can you wear supershoes Iike the next % on the track in the US in collegiate races? To If so why are the rules different?
Do Streakflys break IAAF rules on the track?
They aren't legal for the track.
As been stated, good as a training option but not for racing. Main strengths in training as I see:
a) Nearly half the price so can afford to put mile on them.
b) Less likely to get injuries associated with super shoe energy return such as knee and achilles problems.
c) Still work your calf muscles a bit more so you gain the advantage of stronger muscles on race day (and then the added benefit of less fatigue on calf muscles due vaporfly i.e. super compensation effect).
d) Vaporflys are rubbish at slow speeds so not good if you have to jog to a loop to do reps on.
I’ve actually found another good use for my Streakflys. They are a surprisingly good recovery day shoe for me. They basically force you to run with good, fore/midfoot form. It’s easy for me to get pretty sloppy when I’m puttering along in my Invincibles, so I’ve started running on of my shorter recovery days in the Streakfly. It seems like my calves and Achilles get loosened up and feel better the day after doing a slow jog in the Streakfly.
I have been switching between the 'Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2' and the 'Nike ZoomX Streakfly' on my Tuesday Tempo runs (on road). I have found the following:
> The Streakfly mid-sole is much thinner and as a result I often find I have an ache in my mid-foot the following day from the carbon plate smashing into the underside of my foot. The foam isn't cushioning me as well as in the vaporfly
> I have been able to reach higher speeds more easily in the Vaporfly BUT...have found the lightness of the Streakfly has helped me maintain a higher tempo/'clip' more easily on the longer reps. As a Half Marathon/Marathon specialist, I do notice the weight difference the longer the run goes on.
> I find the more rigid upper of the Streakfly better for my foot. In the past, the lack of rigidness in the Vaporfly upper, especailly over the course of a long run has caused my foot to rock side ot side too much and lead to achiles aches.
Overall I have to say for the 10k and up, the Vaporfly is still the better shoe.
I bought 2 pairs for $80 each since they were on sale for 40% off and I had an additional 20% off. I tried them for a long tempo (4 miles) and they were worse than a trainer, but they were amazing in threshold 1k repeats and were also good in ~mile-ish 300s. They have cushioning but also force you up onto your toes to promote good form. I'd prefer the Vaporfly for a 5k and up race, but the Streakfly (and recently the Sinister) is a good road mile shoe.
For reference, my threshold is around 3:10 and my 300s were around 46. I felt completely in control going around the bends of the track pretty quickly.