GARY ARWIN : MY 100K JOURNEY WITH THE VAPORMAX
Gary Arwin, 31 years old have been running since I was 15 years old. Represented my state in Track & Field for 5000 metres race and has always been running long distances. Already recorded 3,630 KM on Nike+ since 2011.
My first impression:
This shoe came in hard and fast as a lifestyle shoe, sneaker heads were going all out to get a pair and it was almost impossible to land a pair back in March. That turned off some of the runners that at times I was confused if it was a legit pair of running shoes. Hence I was very curious and wanted to try running in a pair of VaporMax.
My first k:
I laced up and was ready for my usual 8K – 10K run on a Sunday. As soon as I started running, I felt the immediate bounce after each step. It gave me the boost to run further. However soon after around 1.3KM, I had muscle soreness on my midfoot and had to stop to readjust my shoe. I realized I tied it very tight and had to loosen up a little to give some breathing space to my feet. As soon as I did that, I felt the immediate relieve and continued my run without any problem.
My First 10 k:
I clocked in my first 10K during my second run, and I can feel the shoe has been broken in by now. The upper was very flexible and I had no problem running in it up to 10k. I love how comfortable the air bag is but it’s a bit too high to my liking. I’ve always ran in Pegasus and that has given me the habit of running in a low profiled running shoe. So it took me a while to get used to a high profiled running shoe, definitely good for LSD runs but not for my fast runs.
My mid-way (50k):
At this point, I have confirmed the suitability of this shoe which is for my LSDs. I have completed my 6th run by now which is an average of 10k per run, definitely a great long distance running shoe but I never matched the pace I desired. I have a goal of running an average of 5.30” pace per KM but it was quite difficult to achieve that in this shoe. Nevertheless, I never felt any pain or soreness after each runs, I could get back up the next day and do another 10k run, which can be quite difficult with any other shoe as I had a history on ankle injury.
After I completed my 100k:
It took me 13 runs to finish my 10K, but it was all done within a month. I was worried as to achieve this mileage within a month for myself, I would suffer a little soreness and fatigue. Surprisingly, I never had that problem. Reminded me of the days I used LunarEpic Low 2, it gave me the same after effect feeling. At this point of time, the shoe wasn’t as dirty as I expected as it was in green khaki colourway, all I got to do was to wipe it up after each runs and it will look as clean as new. Nevertheless, I’m not discounting how good this running shoe is that got me up to 100k with little to no problem. And the cool part is, I double this up to not just for running, I wear it out for lifestyle purposes as well!
My thoughts:
For runners who are looking for a super cushioned running shoe that has a very flexible upper, this should be your choice. Also to those who has a history of knee & ankle injury, this can be something you want to explore too. Great running/lifestyle shoe, for those who are looking for a cool looking shoe to run in. For those who are looking for fast runs and fast paced mileage, I would still recommend you to stick to Zoom Pegasus or Zoom Elite shoe and leave the VaporMax for long distance runs.













