Free RN Distance -> Free RN Distance 2 -> Free RN 2018
And at the time of writing that’s:
- Free RN Distance - 691.4km
- Free RN Distance 2 - 622.7km
- Free RN 2018 - 29.3 km
New shoes time! Just got some Nike Free RN 2018 to replace the Nike Free RN Distance 2 which replaced the Nike Free RN. I meant to have a bit more overlap with the Free RN Distance 2, but it just didn’t work out that way. Sadly it doesn’t seem they are coming out with a Nike Free RN Distance 3 model and finding either the 2 or original at a sensible price is impossible so I went for the nearest thing I could; It turns out I really like soft and flexible shoes. I suppose I could have got the Free RN 2017 for cheaper, but reading around it seems like the 2018 are softer / more cushioned so that swayed me.
I think the Free RN Distance are still my favourites. In fact they are still ok for running in and I’m definitely going to get them to 700km at least. The heels are pretty worn, but only because I started wearing them for walking in (so easy to slip on/off) when I thought I’d retired them in favour of the Free RN distance 2. They really are amazingly soft/cushioned and flexible.
The Free RN Distance 2 have been ok too. Definitely a bit firmer and less flexible, but much better at not getting stones stuck in them though (until more recently when the foam has degraded a bit).
The Free RN 2018 are nice, but, well I’ve only had three runs in them so I suppose it’s too early to say much. But I did go straight out and do a 12km run in them - there is no way they need to be limited to 5km. The only issue I had was getting a stone stuck in them - they are going to be worse for that than the Free RN Distance for sure. Can’t see it so much on the photo, but when I first looked at them the soles seemed really wide (snow shoe-esque) and I wonder if that extra surface area helps compensate for the lesser padding on the forefoot? I could just be imagining all that though.
I did notice the 8mm offset vs the 4mm of the Distance’s, but only when stood still. Can’t say I notice it whilst running which is interesting and also good as I was a bit worried about that. I wouldn’t say they are any more flexible than the Free RN Distance either - I expected more. I’d probably say Free RN Distance, Free RN 2018 and then Free RN Distance 2 in order of most to least flexible. The Free RN 2018 feel a lot more snug and warm than the either of the Distance models, but that could be because they are new.
Need to run further in them, I guess, (I’ve done a 5km and then another 12km since the first run) and see how far I can get them to - I suspect, like with cycling, the only real limitation will be the engine and not the shoe!