 running gear of 2019 but now by your request I'm going to give you my top three onward and upward to a new day. Good morning. If you're watching this when it publishes, hope you're doing well. I must admit I had forgotten from last year what it takes to wrap up a calendar year. We're about to launch into 2020 and thus far over the past style. Gosh 10 days. We've talked about my favorite road training shoes, trail training shoes. Last night we did a live stream here in the studio talking about all running gear including recovery gear. In case you missed it, upper right hand corner. We had a good time for about 50 minutes breaking down our favorite running gear of 2019 but now by your request I'm going to give you my top three racing shoes of 2019 but first I want to make sure the conversation around this topic is spot on and amazing down in the comments. So here we go. Question of the day. What was your favorite racing shoe of 2019 and the reason I pause there for a second is because if you want to break it down by for example if you're in high school you could give your favorite cross country spike and track spike. Maybe you use the same for both. That's fine. Or if you want to break it down by road marathon and half marathon or obviously the trails. Oh my goodness. It gets very diverse very quickly depending on the distance and terrain you are covering in your trail races. So that's the question of the day. What was your favorite racing shoe of 2019? Sound good. So let's dive into it. I cannot believe it. We are going to go with number one the Reebok float ride run fast pro diving right in. So here's my only here's my only caveat before giving you the specs on the Reebok float ride run fast pro. I only wore it once because I only raced one 5k in 2019. I'm hoping just so you know to bump that number up in 2020 that is one of my goals to work on speed. So we're looking at a three millimeter drop from heel to toe 20 millimeter stack height in the heel 17 in the forefoot. We're looking at ladies and gentlemen drum roll 3.5 ounces 3.5 ounces for the weight in men size 9. I believe if my recollection is correct it's 3.1 ounces in my size. So I wore this in the cookie chase 5k. At that time I was 33 years old got the W going up against a bunch of high schoolers and college kids and so I felt good that I was able to get the win in these Reebok float ride run fast pros in 2019. Definitely a road racing shoe and I'm just going to say I think it is spot on for the 5k. I would not I don't think I would take it up to the 10k. I think your legs would be too beat up just some people have okay but you got to be really durable to wear this shoe past 5k in my opinion. It is so lightweight. Oh guys now okay the big question though how will I use this shoe in 2020 and is it worth at least brand new still $250. Oh my goodness so in 2020 I'm going to let you in on a little secret not tonight I think I'll save it for later later this week but I do have some hopes and dreams to race some 5ks in 2020 and so that is my plan for this shoe who knows I must say it is tempting to think about doing a road mile race one mile that's right I would love to hop in a one mile race just for old time's sake frankly I haven't raced a mile since college that would be amazing I guess it was a 1500 but that would be amazing and the $250 price tag I don't think so it's not okay this shoe is a little too niche to be worth $250 meaning I think you can get more mileage obviously but more use out of let's say the Nike next percent or the vaporfly 4% flying it or some other expensive racers out there on the marketplace so uh if you can find a deal somehow like a promotion code or somehow it's just like that's a lot of money for a road that is shoe that I just don't think you can use it much past the 5k distance so there you go my shoe number one is the Reebok float ride run fast pro it's an amazing shoe it's just very niche okay all right moving on now to my second shoe it's a trail shoe because I am a road and trail racer I love both um in 2020 I'm gonna lean a little bit more in the direction of roads but I'm not giving up on the trails in 2020 just making that clear I will be racing on the trails in 2020 in most likely the next iteration of the Solomon Sense 7 SG there it is unbelievable a four millimeter stack height I'm sorry four millimeter drop from heel to toe a 21 millimeter stack height in the heel 17 in the four foot you're looking at 7.2 ounces or 204 grams in men size nine oh they just completely so if you're a Solomon fan you know that they tend to run a little narrow just keep that in mind this is the SG version uh and this is a trail racing shoe just making that clear the lug depth oh gosh I actually I'm gonna go with like four to five millimeters I believe it might be five I think it's five millimeters so it's a right it's a spot on lug depth gets great grip out there so I wore this shoe um okay first of all let me mention the upper is completely different from the Sense 6 so the 2018 iteration they nailed it and I've heard I've heard the Sense 8 in 2020 is gonna be just as good of an update so get excited if you raced on the trails in 2019 and you enjoyed the Sense 7 this might be another option to look at in 2020 now I was able to get the win at the Rendezvous Mountain Hill climb in uh in July up in Wyoming in this shoe treated me great I took second place in the Pikes Peak ascent in this shoe treated me great but keep in mind it's aggressive okay it almost feels like for all the high schoolers out there it almost feels like a cross-country spike it's not quite as light but it has that feel and that weight it's a little heavier than a cross-country spike but not too much um so I love it it's a great shoe treated me very very well in 2019 and uh let's see how will I use this shoe in 2020 so I probably will get the Sense 8 just saying um and I'm gonna use it most likely I know I shouldn't even say most like I will use it in the Pikes Peak ascent once again and uh probably if I head back to the Rendezvous Mountain Hill climb as well I also managed to snag one FKT in this shoe in 2019 so it's solid it's a great racer but again it's aggressive it's like let's get up the mountain as fast as possible so there you go oh yeah and is it worth brand new it was $180 that hurts a little bit Solomon that cuts me deep um it's really I'm gonna say it's not worth okay you put me on the spot YouTube I'm gonna say it's barely worth $180 I would prefer that price to be 160 160 would be spot on maybe even 150 would be spot on uh but 180 is definitely getting up there so I realize they don't give these racing shoes away okay moving on next to my marathon racing shoe of 2019 you know you guys have heard me talk about now my half of Nike next percent so you know the deliberation that I went through between the Nike vaporfly 4% flying it Amsterdam Nike next percent uh New York City Marathon so Amsterdam Marathon New York City Marathon now they're in half don't worry I will be keeping these forever and continue to analyze with all of you but yes the next percent wins out I don't want to say barely I was actually quite impressed in New York by the next percent now I'm not completely sold on the volume of the next percent or the vapor weave upper and we'll get to the Nike alpha fly in one second uh but a few quick specs they drop the drop so this was a 10 millimeter drop in the 4% 8 millimeter drop in the next percent um I would say I like the eight I liked both drops which one I liked more it's such a it's tough I guess probably the 8 millimeter because my feet did not hurt as bad at the end of the New York City Marathon which is interesting because the elevation gain in New York was much much higher so that's interesting so we're looking at a 40 millimeter stack height in the heel 32 in the forefoot so nice and high stack height both I should mention have carbon fiber plates and we're looking at 6.6 ounces in men's size 9 for the next percent we're just going to try and stick it up there and so how will I use the Nike next percent in 2020 well I'll just say it now the Houston marathon all right I will be using the next percent in the Houston marathon not the vapor fly 4% flying it I must say I like the vapor weave upper a little better or sorry I like the flying it upper a little better than the vapor weave but I have a feeling um okay well we'll say that for one second is the Nike next percent worth $250 this one I'm gonna say probably based on reports based on studies people are racing faster in this shoe it's hard to deny it at this point so you know and we can get it I don't want to get into the whole debate of between carbon fiber plates whether or not we should be using them but it does appear based off of over gosh almost over two years of studies now and research now and evidence based on results in times that people are racing faster at the marathon distance so I'm gonna say they are worth 250 if you want to chase down a pr chase down and here's what's beautiful and I feel a little bad for let's say marathon runners from five years ago but here's what's beautiful eventually all the times are going to get faster because every single company and we're going to get into this in one second every company in the world is going to have a carbon fiber plate racing shoe I'm sorry if you don't like like it's just going to happen and uh so so far so good Nike next percent I'm excited about it now let's just dive in right now what about 2020 okay you've got the hoka carbon x update coming out all right I have not heard has does anybody have any intel actually about the carbon rocket I'll be curious to see if they update the carbon rocket this is more of let's say a 10k shoe I wasn't thrilled with the shoe a little stiff a little heavy for a racer but here's the hoka carbon rocket I haven't heard a ton of buzz about an update to the carbon rocket but let me know if I'm wrong there so thus far I am probably and probably many of you out there are most excited about the soccany endorphin pro first of all I think that name is awesome endorphin um so it's their version of the carbon fiber plate for the marathon distance so soccany is getting into the carbon fiber plate game I love it also who else is coming uh brooks I think it's brooks is coming out soon or is it I don't think it's out yet I believe brooks is coming out with their carbon fiber plate shoe in 2020 as well I the name is escaping me right now of course we've talked on the channel about the nike alpha fly I've heard rumors that it has three carbon fiber plates in there that gets me a little concerned I don't want you know in my opinion like I don't know it gets me a little concerned um and the stack height and everything so I don't want again that's just my initial gut reaction to too much technology and innovation in one pair of running shoes but anyway the nike alpha fly is coming out the new balance 5280 is another carbon fiber plate shoe but this is designed for the mile distance on the roads I only did one workout in this shoe in 2019 I enjoyed the workout even though it was cold and icy but I will be curious to see if they update this shoe in 2020 it felt good but I would love to take it out in a in a race environment on the roads mile distance who knows maybe the pearl street mile for everyone up there in boulder that might be an option and last but not least the sketchers speed elite update I'll be very curious to see how sketchers innovates in 2020 so and that question of the day part two thanks for sticking with me what shoe are you most excited about to race in in 2020 whether road or trail sound good I think we covered it I know that was a lot one more time the Reebok float ride run fast pro the Solomon sense seven sg and then the nike next percent and when you let us know your favorite racing shoe from 2019 maybe let us know how you used it what distance what surface and how did it how did it treat you obviously probably treated you well if it was your favorite racing shoe there you go all right and again I'm going to give shout outs to my favorite if you haven't seen these these vlogs yet my favorite road training shoes upper right hand corner and my favorite trail racing shoes upper right hand corner from 2019 sound good thanks for being here we're working through our favorites of 2019 looking to the future and I can't wait to have you all along for the journey as we ring in just ringing some goodness moving forward all right everyone cheers not drinking out of the stein tonight actually it is kind of a stein a little Guinness mug bear so and I'm drinking tea I am drinking tea so all right we're going to toss it back to on the right my favorite road trainers from 2019 and on the left you know what we'll toss it back to my Nike next percent and vapor fly four percent comparison on the left thank you all for being there thanks for watching as always oh you're the best see beauty work hard and love each other see you tomorrow