Asics NOVABLAST VS New Balance FUELCELL TC REVIEW - Hill Workout Special - The FOD Runner

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of Asics NOVABLAST VS New Balance FUELCELL TC REVIEW - Hill Workout Special from The FOD Runner. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

The runner uses a base‑phase hill repeat to test shoe performance. This powerful workout structure is a key component of Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them, and in this case, it involved a 1‑minute uphill effort followed by an easy jog back down.
Two shoes are compared: the Asics Novablast (more versatile, cushioned) vs. the New Balance FuelCell TC (carbon‑plated, designed for speed).
Despite expecting the FuelCell TC to be faster because of the carbon plate, the Novablast delivered significantly quicker hill paces on a steady gradient.
The test shows you don’t need an expensive carbon shoe for short, sharp hill work. In fact, building this kind of explosive power is a core strategy for Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time, and a well‑cushioned trainer can be just as fast and more comfortable for it.

Workout Example

Warm‑up: 3 miles easy (≈10‑12 min/mile) on flat terrain

Hill Repeat Set (repeat 6‑8 times):
  • 1 minute hard uphill (focus on quick, strong turnover)
  • Jog or walk back down for recovery (≈2‑3 minutes)

Cool‑down: 1‑2 miles easy

Run the repeats in the shoe you’re testing. Keep the hill gradient consistent for each shoe to make a fair comparison. The focus on turnover is a technique that pays dividends in longer races, as we cover in our guide to Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.

Closing Note

Give this hill repeat workout a try in both the Novablast and the FuelCell TC (or whatever shoes you have) and see which feels faster and more comfortable for you. You can easily adjust the paces and repeat count in the Pacing app to match your current fitness. Happy hill training – and remember, the best shoe is the one that helps you run better, not the most expensive one