Soo many 4% going SLOW

Rule of thumb - always pay attention to what tri-geeks are wearing. Those people are equipment obsessed.

So, to answer that question - wear Newton's; that's what tri-geeks wear.

You guys are all wrong. I am a 3:30 guy, and the 4% helped me run faster, not slower. I also am a member of hobby jobber groups online, and all swear the 4% makes them faster, and their results back them up.

Back the f off.

Could it be psychological? Maybe? But my money spends just like yours, and I run in 4%s, and PegTurbos.

Suck it, if you don't like it.

Looks like you struck a nerve, op ?

All the gear and no idea.

I like the shoe and I'm not elite. The main problems I have are: (1) it's expensive and scarce, and (2) everybody knows it. So you toe the line at a marathon and, without saying anything, are yelling I SPENT A FORTUNE ON THESE SHOES. Others may also think they hear you saying I AM PROJECTING WEALTH AND/OR SERIOUSNESS or PLEASE ENVY AND/OR DATE ME. I wore the relatively subdued obsidian VF for a local marathon and got the snark treatment from a rival, asking if I was planning on "breaking 2." He went on to beat me for the win wearing Brooks, so joke's on me I guess? I can imagine wearing my new, incredibly loud VFFK at my next race will garner no fewer snarky comments. But still, I like the shoes.

And honestly, I buy a lot of shoes because I wear them out. Getting a few pairs of ultra-durable trainers (say, in last year's model) at a discount instead of going for brand new Peg Turbos every month will make up the difference in price between a VFFK and a Streak 6 over a few months. NBD. Still not sure why the Peg Turbo exists other than Nike correctly predicted a lot of people would buy such a shoe.

I think I'm doing OK.. 43 year old guy. I know there are a lot of M40-44 guys out there way faster than me though. I got 11th in that 5K race.. it was a high school preseason XC race they opened up to the public.. got tops for over 40 but got smoked by a bunch of fast high school kids. I went out too fast (sub-5 pace) and paid for it.

I have 2 pairs, and love them. Have worn them for one session and they are now in safekeeping until Im ready to be running fast (for me) times next spring. Anyone that wants a pair, pay attention online and you'll get them. You know now that they will sell out quick, so you might as well go with the Nike Sneakrs app and the NRC app and play the game.

Crying on the inside wrote:

All the gear and no idea.

Wanna Race?

Wowwwdude wrote:

Got to my race (marathon) after the starting gun had gone off, so I was just about the last person to start by the time I got up to the start line. Had to weave my way through the slower runners, which could be a separate thread all together (they have pace groups for 5:45 hr?!... and people were already walking at mile 2!). Anyways, I couldn't believe the number of people "running" in 4% and pegs turbos who really weren't ever going to see any kind of benefit at the pace they were going. Nike marketing must be brainwashing people if they are paying $200 to shuffle through a race.

It's all relative. Remember that. How about this: if you don't have a realistic chance of winning the race, why run it at all? If you can't break, say, 2:10 in the marathon, what business do you have even running, you pretender? If you can't compete at a world class level, why do you even buy racing flats? So you improve your 2:30 marathon time by a single-digit percentage point. Big deal. When you're a 2:10 marathon runner these days, you're just an also-ran nobody, right?

It continually amazes me that ANY of you who are constantly complaining about "hobby joggers" or ridiculing runners who are slower than you can't see how ridiculous you sound. Compared to actual world class runners, most of you are pathetic. You'll NEVER EVER run even a sub-2:10 marathon, and yet you still run. Why bother if, compared to actual world class runners, you're "shuffling" along?

In an interview you can find on YouTube, Bill Rodgers said, "We're all blood brothers, all us runners." He was right. No matter how fast or slow we run, all habitual runners do it because we love it. Stop being so full of yourself and start appreciating why people slower than you are running, and why they want to improve, too. Most, if not all, world class runners would never talk like you.

My name is........hepcat wrote:

Rule of thumb - always pay attention to what tri-geeks are wearing. Those people are equipment obsessed.

So, to answer that question - wear Newton's; that's what tri-geeks wear.

Are you serious? Yes, pay attention to what tri-geeks are wearing. And then don't wear it.

Most of them are terrible bike handlers (and their bikes are stupid), and most of them run like Gwen....horribly. They're the worst of all worlds.

anything over 5 hours isn't anywhere close to racing

Let’s clarify wrote:

So you think they’re similar to racing flats, yet wonder why people were wearing them in a race?

I have been running for a dozen years, pretty solidly mid pack for most of that. I guess I have been lucky to never encounter judgemental people like those on this thread. Just wow.

In the past 2 years I have lost over 50 lbs and have seen my times drop. I am truly amazed how fast I am getting. During my last marathon I ran in a pair of VF4 and dropped 20 minutes off my previous time (6 months before ) to 3:32. I did well enough to make me think I can qualify for Boston. Two weeks ago I ran a half in 1:34. I am running Indy in a few weeks, wearing VF4 and hope to do 3:22 or so. Next year is all about the BQ.

I have no doubt that these shoes lower my times. I run faster and don't feel nearly as fatigued. They work for me. They are twice the cost of my normal Brooks trainers, so it is well worth it. I am truly amazed by some of these comments. I am so glad I don't know some of you personally.

I think you are interpreting my original post differently than my intention. I started running at the very end of the marathon to start with...5:45+ runners up till 3:30 runners. What I consider fast vs slow is my perception, but i definitely think over 5hrs to be slow. Many 5hr marathoners would most likely agree with that.

I'm not saying they are worthless and shouldn't run. A goal is a goal... go after it. But I am saying that I was shocked to see soo many 4% shoes at the FAR back of the pack. If that observation is judgemental, then yup, i guess it is. My thought process when i kept seeing them pop up in the 5hr pacers was, "Nike marketing is really good" bc these people think that wearing these shoes will benefit them more than taking other more advantageous steps like removing fuel belts, phone and arm bands, wind breakers, etc.

Really didn't expect a simple observation to offend so many. I don't care really, just thought it was interesting. I'm not mad or jealous or back door bragging bc i have nothing to brag about. Some really overly dramatic people.

I activate the plate in my warm up. Now piss off.

Ha! So I was running through my local inner city park one lunch time recently and a guy that looked a lot like the fat dude on the cover of Fatboy Slim's (1998) album was wearing a pair of Zoom Flys or Vaporflys. Now that was ridiculous.

this and this wrote:

If it bothers you that they do this, run races in old T shirts, cut off cotton sweat pants, and thread bare 20 year old adidas shoes. Dust those people. Then jog back out on the course so they can see what beat them,

+1

If you were a fast runner Nike would pay you to wear their shoes. You shouldn’t judge others’ shoe choices.

A 3 hour marathon runner drop his time by about 7 minutes.

A six hour marathon runner saves 14 minutes.

The six hour guy saves more time than the three hour guy. The six hour guy is getting more for his money.

Wowwwdude wrote:

Nailed it brother wrote:

Right on.

My race was not impacted negatively by arriving later then I wanted to. After helping my wife with my 4 kids in the morning, I was pushing it closer then I had planned. But, anyone who has kids knows that things don't go as planned like they used to.

I was still surprised to see so many 4% at the back of the race. Maybe they were late and catching up like me. Don't know.

Anyone can wear what they want, just seems like over kill having a Ferrari body with a VW Beetle engine.

You have four children? No wonder you have no money.