Personal Experience - VP 4% FK @ CHI

I ran Chicago yesterday, in the VP FKs, too.

Same thing happen to me around mile 20-21, I felt a little slippage under my right heel. Thought it was a blister and having been used to them from ultras they rarely hurt me during running. Found out the finish line it was the insert slipping... Luckily for my feet;)

It definitely was the rain “dis-solving” the glue... I will just super glue it when they dry out. Still love them, they fit like a glove, definitely better than the original VPs.

I just got a pair the Flyknit Vaporfly 4%. I am considering using it for NYC Marathon but given this problem that both of you had I may just use the original Vaporfly 4% if there is going to be significant rain in New York on marathon race day. I ran with the original Vaporfly 4% through the crazy weather at Boston this year and they worked out fine for me so perhaps they are more water resistant?

Just take out the insoles and superglue them down. Not like you're going to use the shoe more than a handful of times anyway.

That is an interesting idea. KawauchiFTW, have you tried supergluing the insoles in your shoes.. how did it work out?

Bruin1996 wrote:

I just got a pair the Flyknit Vaporfly 4%. I am considering using it for NYC Marathon but given this problem that both of you had I may just use the original Vaporfly 4% if there is going to be significant rain in New York on marathon race day. I ran with the original Vaporfly 4% through the crazy weather at Boston this year and they worked out fine for me so perhaps they are more water resistant?

I had this problem during Chicago also with a brand new, no break-in pair. Best guess is that it was a combo of the rainy conditions + the glue not being strong enough. The first gen 4% insoles were glued so tight they felt like they were sewn in. The flyknit version seems to have gone in the other direction.

I took a picture right after the race:

Side note: I did notice that the insole was starting to slip, but don't think it had an appreciable affect on my run. Compared to other shoes, the VF 4% insoles are pretty thin. YMMV.

That's exactly what happened to mine, only it came undone "the rest of the way" up to closer to the toe!

Nike definitely used less glue in the Bright Crimson VF compared to my navy blue version. This actually made me happy since I remove the Nike insole and replace them with Curex-sole insoles. On the Navy VF's I needed to use a razor blade to cut them out; however, on the new flyknit version they just popped out.

Do think there is breaking in period to using these shoes?

Or do you think you need to do anything extra to run in these shoes. I was reading a review on a website run by a couple of drs they said that the shoe inhibits certain movement but that can be partially overcome via strengthening/stretching.

Thanks for the PSA, everyone. I will absolutely be gluing my insoles in.

Boo Boo Jefferies wrote:

Do think there is breaking in period to using these shoes?

Or do you think you need to do anything extra to run in these shoes. I was reading a review on a website run by a couple of drs they said that the shoe inhibits certain movement but that can be partially overcome via strengthening/stretching.

I don't know about any specific strengthening/stretching exercises, but your stride is different enough in the VF that it's worth practicing in the ZF, which is what most people I know do. (The ZF being cheaper and widely available.) The ZF is very similar. Same shape, similar rigidity from a plate. The main difference is that the ZF foam isn't nearly as squishy, but if you practice running at MP in the ZF, the VF will feel pretty natural. I'd caution you from going ZF/VF all the time, as some people find that it puts a lot of strain on the achilles.

There's definitely no breaking in period to them. (Or to any modern shoe, for that matter.)

This is absolutely ridiculous from Nike!

This Achilles thing is real. I wish that I had known this before buying. I developed tendonitis almost immediately after I began running in the ZF. I really liked running in the shoes. They became me new favorite daily trainer despite the onset of Achilles pain. As a masters runner, I can't afford this type of injury. Luckily, after a couple of weeks, I figured it was the very stiff shoes. I'm doing all of my miles now in Flynit Racer and the tendonitis gets better every day. But now, I have to wonder how long I can do 70mpw in those before something else breaks.

cannot believe how many people here bought new shoes at the expo to wear at the race. so dumb

for the record my original vaporflys performed fine in the rain at Boston

Less glue makes for a lighter shoe. Nike pulled out all of the stops for these, but probably shouldn't be used in non-Rupp certified conditions.

I have a pair of the flyknit VF that I'm going to race with next weekend. I've done plenty of running in the flyknit zoom fly, so I'm not worried about adjusting to them. The glue makes me nervous. I've done one track workout in them and the insoles seem plenty solid. I wonder about taking them out and replacing with the insoles from the zoom fly. The uppers look identical, but then again if I tear out the insoles, I'm committed. Maybe it was just the rain or a bad batch.

I ran Chicago in a pair of Brooks and my sole detached as well and was actually over the sides of my feet by the finish. VF runners weren't the only victims that day.

Is it a normal thing to wear shoes for the very first time in a race- and not just any race, but a marathon?

I wouldn't wear a new pair of shoes in a race- not even a new pair of the same model that I had trained in already.

I thought that was standard advice to any marathoner- don't try anything new in the race that you haven't used in practice (nutrition, shoes, shorts, singlet, warmup, etc.).

Why are you hobby joggers wasting your money on Vaporflys? The slowest people that should wear Vaporflys are guys and gals on the cusp of an OTQ.

troll under a bridge wrote:

Why are you hobby joggers wasting your money on Vaporflys? The slowest people that should wear Vaporflys are guys and gals on the cusp of an OTQ.

I know you live under a bridge, but doesn't the math say that the slower you are, the more benefit you'd get from the shoes?

4:00 x 4% = 9.6 minutes

2:30 x 4% = 6 minutes

salted jock wrote:

troll under a bridge wrote:

Why are you hobby joggers wasting your money on Vaporflys? The slowest people that should wear Vaporflys are guys and gals on the cusp of an OTQ.

I know you live under a bridge, but doesn't the math say that the slower you are, the more benefit you'd get from the shoes?

4:00 x 4% = 9.6 minutes

2:30 x 4% = 6 minutes

If you're drinking the Nike kool aid, then yes, technically this is true