Your best running shoe purchases in 2020

Endorphin Speed. Easily my favorite shoe for any session or long run. I'll end up buying a lot of these.

The Next% is still the king for racers though

runderun wrote:

Endorphin Speed. Easily my favorite shoe for any session or long run. I'll end up buying a lot of these.

The Next% is still the king for racers though

Yep. These are my two for 2020 and my thoughts exactly!

Best:

Saucony Endorphin Speed - Just a flat out amazing, do anything trainer. I hope they stay runnable for at least 3-400 miles.

Nike Infinity React - Terrific junk mile shoe for easy days. And the first Nike in ages that I can get 600+ miles out of.

Atreyu v1 - Impressive no frills trainer. Durability is an issue, even at $55, but it's awesome to find a shoe that basically feels like a Hoka-lite underfoot and only weighs 6 oz. Excited to see what these guys can do with more revisions and shoe types.

Worst:

Nike Zoom Fly 3 - Clunky and firm underfoot, with an upper that would cause some numbness on longer runs.

Reebok Forever Floatride Energy 2 - Bought into the hype and got a $110 lemon. Fits like a rubber boots (not for narrow feet) and feels like wet cardboard underfoot. Not particularly comfortable, nor very responsive. Any time I tried to run fast in these it felt like sprinting in moccasins.

As always, YMMV.

Best Shoe Purchases

1. Saucony Freedoms. I like some underfoot feel. Feels very nice as compared to the Pegasus. Best training shoe IMO.

2. Streaktumbo. Very nice. Feel fast, is fast and can put down speed very easily on the track.

Worst

1. Nike ZFFK. Chunky, heavy and weird. Too much underfoot. I can't put down speed quite easily.

2. Asics Roadhawk. The shoe keep cutting into my foot even though it is of good sizing.

Benchmarking Shoes (Meh shoes IMO)

1. Nike Pegasus 36

2. Nike Streak 6

Best:

Reebook Run Fast Pro. Best racer I've ever worn.

Worst:

Hoka Torrent 1. High stack, stiff, kinda narrow trail shoe?? I sprained my ankle the first time running in them.

I picked up a pair of the Zoom Fly 3 for under $100 which was a great price.

My best purchase of the year was the Tempo Next %. These have been great for me. I know this may not be the common opinion on these but they just work with my foot strike.

NB Beacon. It's lightweight, snappy, versatile, comes in a wide, and I got my pair for $77.

Brooks Launch

I only bought one pair of shoes in 2020, so the adidas Terrex Two wins by default. I only have 216 miles in them - barely know them yet.

If you stretch the timeframe to late 2019, my pick is the adidas Terrex Agravic Flow, which is still my main shoe 11 months and 1,719 miles in (which is less than half the miles I have run in the past year). I plan to take it to 2,000+ miles.

Nike React Infinity Runs. Amazing daily trainer.

Got Pegasus turbo 2s for speed work. They’re ok.

Still love my new balance xc 7s too

I bought GlideRides and was luke warm on them. Now I like them for easy/basic runs . Because of Lebron, I'm moving away from Nike Turbo's . Lebron and his phony"I'm just like you " crap . I hate Lebron and glad Kap was banned from the NFL. Stand up for the anthem .

Best value Adidas SL20. Great for longer tempo runs, threshold work and ok for shorter interval sessions. Responsive but decent protection and great grip so ok on decent trails.

Best Long run shoe - ASICS glide ride. Save your legs. Were great for Marathon training as good if you want to pick the pace up on a long run. Take a little while to get used to.

Daily trainer New Balance 1080 v10. Right balance between soft and responsive for me. Ok to run faster in if you feel like it.

Nike Infinity React

A barefoot bathing shoe from Wish with a firm inlay sole and a barefoot shoe looking like vibram but with a closed toe box, also from wish. Gets real contact with the ground, still protects the foot. I do 70km pr week on gravel and tarmac and I get the best feedback on what is my best running gait. Whenever I pick a conventional cushioned shoe, I loose that nice feedback. Or I pick a shoe with drop, it ruins my gait and tires my thighs. I have found the important thing is to protect the foot from stones or edges, and the calves get used to it and the above the calves, ...the thing is rather to have a good running gait with landing below the centre of the body on the fore/midfoot.

I may be odd in shoes, but very little of the conventional shoes are an option for me.

Again, my conclusion is that the foot itself needs protection to not get injured, but all the leg from the calves and above can adapt to minimal cusion. It is even scientifically proven that the muscles, ligaments and tendons adapt very fast to the firmness of the ground. If it is soft, the leg firms up, if it is hard, it softens. In that sense cushioning has no effect rather than removing important feedback about a good landing or not

Asics Novablast best shoe for me this year.

Also liked the Peg 37, 36 didn't work for me at all.

Worst was an Asics Gel Fiujitrabuco . Wanted a trail shoe but just find this so hard, slapping the ground with the plastic soul..

Endorphin Speed ....amzing durable workout,race and LR shoe

Several pairs of Turbo 2's (when found for less than 130.00)

1. Vaporfly Next % Pink with a 20% discount

2. Vaporfly Next % Red no discount

3. Pegasus Turbo 'Be True' for freaking $50

At first I liked Endorphin Pro but having raced a marathon in it and another one just 2 weeks later in Next% I can say Saucony's no match for Nike. With Endorphin I was suffering after 39-40K. The pack of four competing for 3rd place dropped me al with just a mile left to go. I only finished 5th and won age group award because the other guy got cramps right in front of finish line. Using Vaporfly I got same time on a hillier course, was fresh for a strong finish and wasn't sore like at all the next day. Although I wasn't a contender for winning anything at that race at all.

Newton Distance S 9, Distance 9, & Motion 9

Newton Distance S 9, Distance 9, & Motion 9