Imagine two things:
The first is the worst pain in your thighs, lungs, and ankles imaginable, while your arms and even your teeth buzz with what can only be described as symptoms of total exhaustion. When you're genuinely afraid your sight might fail while your cold hands rest on leaves to relieve the legs soon heading downhill for the next hill interval.
The second is the feeling of legs rolling. Picture those days when you first look at your watch on a run and are surprised you've already covered five kilometers. Days when you're perfectly dressed: Maybe hiding from winter cold with a neck warmer, or feeling the summer sun tan your favorite socks.
Both feelings are what I chase with running. I've experienced both within the three months of testing the ASICS Sonicblast.
ASICS is fully established in the shoe market focusing on intensity without sacrificing comfort. They call the series BLAST. Sonicblast has the highest midsole in the series, introduces a PEBAX plate, yet keeps the price lower than other series shoes.
- Primary function: Interval training
- Weight: 256g (US9), 223g (US7.5)
- Heel drop: 8mm
- Midsole material: FF TURBO2, FF BLAST MAX
ASICS Sonicblast – Experienced and comfortable
For me to recommend a shoe, comfort must be spot on. There shouldn't be the slightest irritations around toes or Achilles tendon. Even small things can cause serious issues on long runs, which must be avoided for consistent training.
And while I can't guarantee the same for you, I'm quite comfortable saying ASICS' upper accommodates most feet. Also for Sonicblast. It's not for nothing that the Japanese brand is among the world's largest in running shoes.
You only achieve this by mastering the essentials: shoes feeling fantastic, from the first time you step in them to the run before you retire them.
Sonicblast fits snugly around my ankle and allows my toes to follow the terrain on takeoff. The upper is clearly breathable, being perforated. Not something I've truly needed during cold training, but a necessary detail for spring.
ASICS Sonicblast – Superfoam squared
A lot of what's positive about this shoe I attribute to the midsole, which is two-part. The top layer of FF TURBO2 superfoam delivers a pop not found in other super trainers I've tried this year.
Comfort is often overdone in super trainers, with speed secondary. Not here. Here you have a shoe that keeps you going during sprints and hill intervals, remarkable given the shoe's high midsole. The foam returns energy so well you need restraint on easy runs.
Beneath that layer is FF BLAST MAX, the foam found in the smaller Novablast 5. These two are the BLAST series' cheapest shoes, possibly why they're so popular: You get an absurd amount of shoe for your money.
The slightly pricier Sonicblast gives you, besides superfoam, a PEBAX plate, a milder version of the popular energy-returning carbon plates. The plate's effect, truly evident in Sonicblast, is increased stability.
Even though the lightweight upper allows ample comfortable flex in the ankle and around the foot, the platform underfoot is stable, almost regardless of ankle landing position.
This has been a detail I've noticed, especially on days when legs just rolled. Yes, a fast shoe helps, but often at a stability cost. Constantly worrying about ankle survival isn't rolling legs.
I'd even go so far as to say the plate's effect makes the shoe relevant for those seeking a mileage trainer. I'd emphasize running most of your miles in a shoe without a plate.
Novablast's use of FF BLAST MAX foam thrilled my colleague Jakob, delivering the soft feeling letting you continue mile after mile. Similarly, I find Sonicblast comfortable enough for my long runs.
ASICS Sonicblast – Conquer leaves and hills
An upgrade over Novablast 5 is the outsole, ASICSGRIP. The first feeling I described, immense pain everywhere, wasn't just a description. It was a feeling during a hill session deep in autumn.
The session was run in a Danish forest with autumn colors all around, even on the path where leaves covered the asphalt. Something that could've halted intensity for fear of twisting an ankle.
During, I'd have been glad not to gasp for air so much, but in hindsight, I'm glad I completed the session despite slippery leaves.
The outsole is sparingly distributed in strategic zones, keeping the weight, perhaps the shoe's only 'but', low. Even though the shoe is the heaviest in the BLAST series, it's still down to 223 grams for a women's US 7.5 and only 256 grams for a men's US 9.
Which runner is Sonicblast for?
It's rare I can recommend a running shoe to nearly all runners, but Sonicblast is one. Whether running easy, at steady intensity, or pushing yourself to the limit, Sonicblast just works.
The shoe suits those starting a shoe rotation and those already in one. It fills many gaps at once. Considering your first interval shoe, Sonicblast is a great choice.
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