Superblast 3 vs Neo Vista 1

The ASICS Superblast 3 is the most versatile running shoe ASICS makes: a towering, plateless super trainer that does the job of three or four shoes in your rotation. With a 45.8mm heel and 37.7mm forefoot it sits right at the World Athletics stack limit, yet at 235g it stays light enough to pick up the pace when you ask. There is no carbon plate here, and that is the whole point. This is soft, bouncy foam doing the work, so you get a springy daily training shoe that will still hang on through a tempo session or a half marathon. We rate it as one of the best do-it-all trainers on the road right now. It is not a dedicated marathon shoe and it is not cheap at £190, but if you want a single pair that covers easy miles, long runs and race-pace efforts without switching, the Superblast 3 is about as good as it gets. Bigger runner, one shoe, most of the week: this is the one.

The Mizuno Neo Vista is a plated super trainer, a big-cushion running shoe with a plate inside that wants to do a bit of everything. It is Mizuno's answer to the do-it-all trainer that can handle easy miles on Monday and a tempo session on Thursday without you swapping shoes. At 265g it is not the lightest in the class, and the 8mm drop keeps it grounded and stable rather than tippy. What you get is a smooth, rolling ride with plenty of foam underfoot and just enough pop from the plate to make faster running feel worthwhile. It is not a carbon marathon racer and it does not pretend to be. Think of it as one shoe for a busy training week: comfortable enough for long runs, lively enough for strides and progression efforts. At an RRP of 180 pounds it sits at the premium end, so we rate it best for runners who want a single versatile trainer rather than a quiver. In our view it is one of Mizuno's most likeable road shoes in years.