I usually run every other day, so my body and shoes have plenty of time to recover. (This enables me to run and climb a fair amount too.)
However, I enjoyed a week in Huntington Beach with my amazing wife and wonderful family the other week. Since I wasn’t able to climb while we were there, I ran a lot!
This created the perfect opportunity to try another pair of Nike running shoes. (Something I was worried about after how bad my experience was with the Vomero 17s.) Surprisingly though, the Nike Invincible 3s are leaps and bounds better than what I expected; pain, frustration, exhaustion, etc.
These are Stylin
You can always count on Nike to create a solid looking pair of shoes. The Invincible 3s have this perfect blend of color, striking lines, and simplicity. Even better, you can get a fantastic deal on some colorways already; up to 50% off. This isn’t uncommon in the shoe world, it’s just that most shoes that get discounted look absolutely atrocious.
Surprisingly though, Nike has this cool red midsole pair on sale right now. And my goodness are these things bright! I can’t believe how eye catching they are. I swear more than a few people clearly looked down at the shoes and went wide eyed.
Either way, these are one of the coolest looking running shoes I’ve had for a while.
Freaking Bouncy
“Looks aren’t everything. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
This cliché saying is true for people, and running shoes! And this is usually where Nike starts to fall apart for me. (Aka, Nikes look great but run like rubbish.)
When first running in these, there’s an annoying bounce on the heel every step. It never hurts, nor does it ever feel good. You get used to it, unless you switch between different running shoes like me.
Nike’s ZoomX foam is supposed to be “softer and more responsive than any Nike foam, designed to maximize speed by delivering greater energy return.” Sorry, but they need to decrease the responsiveness or increase the softness. It’s almost like my heel fights against the sole every time they make contact.
And occasionally my right knee gets sore from this. Thankfully, I can remedy this by paying more attention to my form and make sure I don’t over stride. But that’s not ideal.
You get used to this instant springiness, but it’s never something that enhances your run.
The Best Parts
The Invincible 3s have a surprisingly wide mid and out sole. This is great!
Despite the amount of chunk the sole has, each step feels grounded. I never worry about twisting my ankle in these.
Plus, the Flyknit upper really helps with the shoe’s flexibility and breathability. It’s not nearly as soft and sock-like as the Nike Free line of shoes, but it’s still exceptionally nice to run in. The only downside is if you run along the beach on a windy day. This happened a few times on the trip to California, and each time I got quite the amount of sand in each shoe.
On slower, more casual runs, my ankles seem to get pretty sore. They never hurt afterwards, but it gets really uncomfortable by the end of a 5-6 mile run. And I still haven’t been able to find a remedy for this besides walking.
The Recap
This was my second time running on the side of the ocean. (My first being in Kauai, Hawaii last year.) Over the course of 5 days, I ran 42 miles on Huntington Beach in the Invincible 3s.
With the relatively flat terrain of Huntington Beach, these were more than up for the task. Making these the best pair of Nike running shoes I’ve tried yet.
BUT I would not recommend these to a runner if they can’t find them on sale. It’s not that they’re bad, they’re just not great either. And at a $180 price tag for a pair of running shoes, at a minimum they need to be great.