When you find a good pair of running shoes, you know it. That’s how I felt with my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18. Before that, I wore the New Balance 860v7. I liked them, but I didn’t love them. I would run with them and feel good, but I felt like I was constantly having minor injuries in my ankle and foot.
I bought the Brooks Adrenalines in October of 2018. I knew these were the right shoes for me. There was something different about the way they felt. I still run in them almost every day. At the time they were the newest shoe in the Brooks Andrenaline series, so I paid full price (~$120) for them. I definitely got every penny out of them. I put over 1000 miles on these shoes. I know most recommend replacing after 300-500 miles, but I couldn’t find the pair I liked.
I started looking for new shoes in the summer (July 2019), when they had around 500 miles on them, but no other shoe cut it for me. I tried the Brooks GTS Andrenaline 19, but I didn’t love them. They were also going for $120, and I didn’t want to spend that again. I tried some other shoes (Asics, Saucony, New Balance) but didn’t love any of them. I am really picky about my shoes because I have had a bunch of lower leg injuries from football. I then thought about buying another pair of 18’s but I couldn’t find them anywhere. Most of the new models come out at the beginning of the year, so by July the 19’s were everywhere and there were no 18’s left.
The running shoe industry is cyclical, they produce a new shoe every year, slap a new number on it and some, mostly useless features and then charge $100-200 for it. Yes, some of the upgrades tend to be real improvements but most of the time it isn’t much.
The Nike Vaporfly 4% is a counterexample, they changed the market. It was a new shoe with new features. I can see someone going out to buy them, but most of the time the new features aren’t anything special. Brooks has now released the Andrenaline GTS 20, and it seems pretty similar to the 19. 
They both have a 12mm drop and they have the same support rails. They were able to shave off a measly 11.3g from the shoe. They market this as an “improved upper to reduce weight”. I am not here to rip on Brooks because I really like their shoes. I am just using them as an example for the whole shoe industry. The new models tend to be nothing special.
Buy the Previous Year Model
My new way to go about buying running shoes is when the new model comes out, I just buy the model from the previous year. It always goes on sale. I just ordered my Brooks Andrenaline GTS 19 for $69 with free two-day shipping (yeah I know two-day shipping is the norm now).
Doing so still allows me to get new shoes with “new” technology, I am just a year behind. This doesn’t worry me too much because I don’t expect my shoes to make a huge difference in my performance. Along with that, I don’t expect the technology to change much from year to year. Of course, some shoes will have improvements but most of the time the improvements aren’t groundbreaking.
The other perk of always being a year behind on the shoe models is that you get to hear what other people have to say. At the end of the day you have to like the shoe, but getting feedback on the shoe is great. Other runners can still tell you about the durability of the shoe and things of that nature
Focus on Running
At the end of the day, the shoe isn’t going to make a huge difference. As long as it fits well and feels good it will work. That’s why I think it is more important to find the shoe model that works and sticking with it. Occasionally you will see these shoe models change over time and no longer work for the runner or the runner will change and no longer like the model.
When Brooks came out with the Adrenaline 19’s, they removed the stability post and added support rails. I know some runners who loved the previous models of the Andrenalines but don’t like the rail, so they don’t wear them anymore. In that case, its time to find a new model to stick with.
I think many runners, and athletes in all sports get too hung up on how they look and what they are wearing. That doesn’t mean you have to wear old ratty clothes when you are running but focus more on training, nutrition, and recovery, and less on the gear. Find what works for you and stick with it. There’s always new stuff on the market that seems interesting to try, but it’s probably not going to help performance.
I’m not saying you have to buy cheap stuff. Just find what works and stick with it. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. For example, when it comes to shorts, I wear the Lulu Lemon 4″ Surge Shorts. They are expensive, but they work for me, and I have no desire to try other shorts out.
Runners need stuff that is comfortable and functional. Once you have that you are set. Then maybe spend that money that was going to new gear on a coach, or a training book. At the end of the day, the gear is going to eventually break down and need to be replaced. I find it more beneficial to invest in yourself rather than spending on gear.