In my mid 30's and just started getting into running this past August where I ran my >10 miles (13 miles) on a pair of Altra Escalantes. Since then, I ran one half at 1:34 and a full at 3:15 and realize I have allot of room for improvement (shooting for sub 3:05 full and 1:28 half.
Not knowing crap about running, I got started on Altra's cause they fit well, seemed good at the running store and seemed great at the time and I got adjusted to zero drop over the months. However, I have found that as I pick up the pace and start to push tempo runs I cannot get the turnover I need. I also tend to get blisters with them at paces faster than 6:50
Fast forward to a week ago where I tried out some vaporfly 4%'s (10mm stack) and ended up going 1:30 for a half on a casual training jog that turned into a full half once I realized how fast I was going. Since then, it seems I am much faster on higher stack shoes and tend to run faster with less muscle fatigue after. My avg times for runs 5-10 miles are in the 6:40's and I feel pretty fresh afterwards (not sure really how hard to push).
Question - should I keep the zero drop Altras in the rotation for easier days to help with a different set of muscles given the history on them or am I kidding myself and should just stick to the higher stack shoes (zoom fly FK, vaporflys, NB beacons, etc...?)? I tend to be a heal striker ish, but the altras have shifted my stride a bit more midfoot. The blisters alone are enough to convince me but am I just seeing a temporary boost cause of the higher stack and longer runs?
Thoughts?