Runners’ Mailbag: Most Exciting 2026 Shoe?

Send your questions on all-things running to [email protected] and I’ll answer them right here in the weekly Runners’ Mailbag.

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Gun to your head, you must choose one option for the rest of your life:

At first glance, this reads like a real Sophie’s Choice. But once you dig a little deeper, you realize it’s a rather easy decision.

There’s nothing I love more on god’s green earth than trying new running shoes. Even the day my kid is born won’t hold a candle to new shoe release day. The toxic but irresistible new shoe smell. The sensation when you first slip your foot into a new pair. The unrealistically high expectations about how the shoe will totally change your life. The maiden voyage.

Even enduring identical sights, sounds, smells, and an elevation profile every run, I’d still choose the same route and distance over having to suffer with the same model of shoes. That’d be like making whoopee strictly in missionary position.

Because you don’t need different routes when each pair of shoes offers its own new experience. Sure, I’ll likely suffer a devastating repetitive overuse injury from literally retracing my steps every run, but I’ll take my chances. And I can always reverse the route! How’s that for a loophole?!

Sadly, there are “runners” who willingly do choice A or B without a deadly threat present. In case it’s not clear, runners is in quotation marks because I don’t consider these freaks actual runners.

There are brand-loyal cucks who only run in one model of shoes. They blindly purchase each new updated model annually, foolishly thinking there are major improvements each year.

And there are anxiety-riddled saps afraid to venture beyond their own beaten path to run anywhere else for fear of getting lost or something. God forbid they experience something new in life.

How do I know this? Because I used to be both types of these people simultaneously. Same shoe and same route. Turns out, I’m the most pathetic of all.

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Music, podcasts, or silence while running?

I go to great lengths to avoid the deafening silence at all times. Hell, I need a white noise machine to fall asleep. I’m very delicate.

Confession: I would’ve never picked up running without the advent of headphones. Are they still called headphones? The day I lose my hearing is the day I quit the sport. Judging by my high Airpods volume (not sponsored) and the high frequency I ask my wife to repeat what she just said, I’m on target to go deaf sometime during Q3 of 2029. I can’t even do a concert anymore without my ears getting stuck in the “Upside Down” for days after.

I’ll never understand running in silence. “Oh, but it’s not silent!” you say. “I make my own music with the sound of my footsteps and breathing, and I have the accompanying soundtrack of mother nature.”

Right, because I don’t get enough of the sweet sounds of dogs barking, cars honking, and shitty country music on full blast. You’d definitely be a blast at parties, if you were ever invited to one.

No thanks, I’m all set. More than half the reason I run (71.639%) is to escape my overactive mind that’s always worrying about something. Anxiety is a hell of a drug.

The only time I don’t use music or podcasts is when running with someone. And it doesn’t take long for me to regret not running by myself. “Hey bud, sure is a beautiful day for a run, eh?”

Every mile I run without a pair of earbuds (earbuds!) feels longer, less fun, and more difficult. Even with AirPods (still not sponsored) plugging my ears, I can hear you say, “Running without distractions is safer!” Relax, Sheriff Labrador. I can still hear awful drivers approaching, aggressive bicyclists calling out they’re on my left, right, and center, and every other annoying obstacle in my way. Damnit, the roads are for running only! And get off my lawn!

Do you realize how mundane running is? There’s absolutely no variation in the activity. I can only do the same thing so often before I regret stepping foot outside. Especially when you run six days of high-volume mileage a week as part of marathon training. (Yeah, I run.) That’s why a distraction—any distraction—is dearly needed.

My method is simple: podcasts for slower runs and music for faster runs. It’s science: not only can running with music make you faster but it can increase stamina and improve mood. It also increases serotonin. Why would I deprive myself of the feel-good hormone?

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Assuming it’s the weekend with no responsibilities or plans, what’s the best time of day to run?

This question only emphasizes how lame runners are. Our greatest fantasy is a weekend filled with running. We’d rather be left alone to run than do anything with anyone.

The answer depends. I know, I know: that’s a cop-out. In my defense, this question makes no mention of the most important component to properly answer: it depends wildly on the season (and geographic location).

Let’s be real: summer running blows. If it’s summer here in Virginia, you better believe I’m waking up at the ass crack of dawn to pound the pavement and try and beat the suffocating humidity. (Spoiler: I lose every time.) That is, after I spread my ass crack open for a wicked bout with the regrettable Chana Masala takeout I devoured last night.

There’s nothing I hate more than running first thing in the morning. It reeks of desperation! Running may be the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last before I fall asleep, but no one has to know that! Being the first person running outside is a surefire way to let everyone know you take the sport way too seriously.

Besides, the human body isn’t designed to move like that, that early in the morning. You’re half asleep and you give a half-hearted performance on the run. Then again, you are half asleep, so you won’t fully realize what you’re doing to your body. But while you might have more energy in the tank in the morning, there’s a good chance your bowels won’t be completely empty, either. Proceed with caution.

In winter, I’ve found starting my run an hour within noon is optimal. 11 am or noon are late enough where it’s warmed up a bit. While 1pm is early enough that the temperature won’t drop back down, and the sun won’t set in just a couple hours. Thanks, daylight savings! What would we do without you?!

All of this means, in Virginia, winter marathon training > summer marathon training.

Oh, and the worst time to run? At night.

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Which shoe are you most excited about in 2026?

Oh, this is easy! The all-new Brooks Diode looks amazing! Boasting a PEBA midsole, a stellar weight of 7.4 ounces (210 grams), and a cozy knit upper, I guarantee this will be one of the best shoes of the year.

Just kidding, that’s not a real shoe.

You realize this is a useless exercise, right? We go through this shit every year after new shoes are showcased at the creatively named “The Running Event.” Shoes are updated so quickly now, by the time the 2026 shoe is here, we’ll already be ogling leaks of the new and improved 2027 update. All running shoes are on a never-ending hamster wheel. Mark my words: it’s only a matter of time before brands start releasing two updates a year. You’ve been warned.

Shoe updates, by definition, are designed to make you desire more. You’ll never be satisfied with any running shoe because you’ll always wonder how the update will improve upon the current model.

It doesn’t help that shoe reviewers overhype the latest releases like they’re the second coming of Christ. You see shoes heavily lauded in YouTube reviews, greatly buzzed about by r/RunningShoeGeeks on Reddit, and all dolled up on Instagram reels with 24 filters. And this is all before the shoe is even released to the public!

Please understand, regardless of how good a pair is, just like in life, no shoe—or anything—will ever meet your expectations. It’s impossible. Even if you’re happy with the shoe, you’ll always find something wrong with it: the laces are too short, the upper isn’t breathable enough, the colorway looked better online, the outsole is slippery in wet conditions. If the shoe was truly great, they wouldn’t update it every year with improvements.

Although the grass is always greener, the new running shoe is not always sweeter. Just because it’s release day for your favorite brand’s daily trainer, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Especially when it’s just a measly 1 millimeter addition to the midsole. Or a minor change to the outsole — the outsole is irrelevant.

Buyer beware: The new model may look a bit more attractive, but the ride has not changed one bit. Plus, last year’s model is on sale, and priced where it should have been when it originally went on the market.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go buy it!

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