Gel Nimbus 28 vs Novablast 4

The Gel Nimbus 28 is ASICS at its plushest: a max-cushion neutral daily training shoe built to soak up the miles and protect your legs, not to chase pace. This is the shoe you reach for on easy days, recovery jogs and long steady runs when comfort matters more than speed. At 278g it is on the heavier side, and with a tall 39.5mm heel and a moderate 5.2mm drop the ride is soft, planted and forgiving rather than quick. If you loved the Gel Nimbus 27, the 28 keeps the same brief and refines the feel. We rate it as one of the most dependable premium daily trainers for higher-mileage runners who want a cushioned running shoe that simply gets out of the way. It is not a do-everything shoe and it is not cheap, but for what it sets out to do it is very good.

The Asics Novablast 4 is a bouncy, high-stack daily training shoe built to make easy and steady miles feel fun. It sits in the cushioned-but-springy corner of the running shoe market, the sort of trainer you reach for when you want soft landings without a dead, sink-in feel. At 257g it is not the lightest max-cushion shoe out there, but the energetic midsole hides the weight well once you are moving. The 8mm drop keeps you in a slightly lower, more natural position than a traditional 10mm trainer, so midfoot and forefoot strikers tend to get on with it quickly. This is a do-most-things daily trainer rather than a specialist. It will happily soak up recovery jogs, cover a long run, and still has enough pop to enjoy the odd faster stretch. If you want one cushioned shoe for the bulk of your week, the Novablast 4 is an easy shoe to live with. The newer Novablast 5 refines the same recipe.