Nikes to the Rescue: Gen's Gear We Love for Summer 2022

As a runner who hits the roads five days a week, I’ve done my fair share of research on running shoes, hopelessly desperate to find the perfect slipper to slide my feet into while logging my daily miles. This has been especially true over the past few years due to persistent flare ups of plantar fasciitis in my heel. So with the desire of running pain free in mind, this spring I  Cinderella’d my way across endless shelves of sneakers in search of just the right slipper for my aching feet. 

Although I considered spending hundreds of dollars on the perfect shoe, I was truly hoping to snag a major deal on a pair of kicks, so each time I hit my local Nordstrom Rack I scanned the aisles looking for a lonely pair of  HOKA, Brooks, or On Running sneaker desperate for a home. (The Rack has an enormous selection of sneakers—sometimes from past seasons—and if you have a favorite road shoe, you might find it there for a fraction of the retail price.) Having spent years in Nikes, I was particularly interested in branching out to a new brand and specifically thought that runners from On Runners or HOKAs would be the shoe that cured my foot problems. Unfortunately, after trying on the newest trends, my narrow feet kept getting lost in the cavernous toe boxes of the most popular brands; even Brooks weren’t fitting me well. So I eventually found my way back to Nike,  where I decided to give the Zoom Fly 3 Vaporweave a go. 

When I sat down to try on the Zoom Fly 3, I didn’t want to like it, mostly because I’ve never met a gusseted tongue that I didn’t find cumbersome and annoying. But somehow, despite the attached tongue, the foot hole was wide enough to let my heel slide in, yet still stretched securely around my foot, itself. And then I stood up. The firm yet light foam innersole quickly convinced me that I had to have this shoe. It’s just so comfortable!

Here’s why—the sole itself is about an inch and a half thick from the midfoot to back of the sole which contributes to the soft landing zone for the foot (as long as you don’t land on your toes). That’s not all on the comfort front either. There is a foam heel pad which hugs the achilles and secures the foot downwards. And while I did have to break in the heel collar (it sits higher than my other running shoes so it rubbed on my ankle), I did this in the first three to four runs. 

Speaking of running, these shoes run well. That’s because there’s a carbon fiber plate sandwiched between the foam which allows the shoe to be light yet strong. This design propels your foot, almost pitching it forward, urging your feet to run. That’s something I’ve done a lot of, logging over 100 miles in the Fly 3, all with my feet feeling great. 

My one initial concern with Zoom Fly 3 (one that hadn’t borne out btw) is that the outer sole feels and looks like it won’t have enough rubber to last as long as some of my past runners. Fearing that I may have found the perfect running shoe with no replacement in sight, I realized that I wanted a second pair to have on hand. So I started bargain hunting again. 

I quickly came across the ZoomX Vaporfly Next%2 and immediately knew it was coming home with me. It felt like the lighter, faster version of the Zoom Fly 3 and it had a tongue, a real tongue. This tongue had a notch in it so it sat perfectly on the foot. Sold. The Vaporfly’s heel pad is lighter and even more secure than the Fly 3 and the shoe’s woven laces are designed to stay tied. This shoe required no break in. 

The first time I wore the Vaporfly, I ran five miles and my feet couldn’t have been happier. The shoe’s upper material is super lightweight, so I’ll be pulling it out on speed and race days and for shorter distance runs. And while the Vaporfly’s transparent weave makes it a terrible idea for rain or snow days (something New England runners encounter frequently), it is so comfortable that you might end up seeing me rocking them with thick socks in January, in the rain and snow and mud. Unless, of course, I turn up a pair of Goretex Nikes on my next pass through the bargain bins. 

By Genevieve Martland