How I build my shoe rotation, plus my top shoes for 2026! (daily, race, long, speed & recovery)

With so many different types of running shoes on the market, it can all be really confusing with where to start your research, what to buy, what to prioritize, what's important, what you need to be ignoring. Plus, with prices rising all the time, we need to ensure we're not wasting any money. So in today's video, I'm going to give my current top choices for every type of running shoe, plus how to go about building a shoe rotation so you can get the most out of yourself and, of course, your shoes in your training. Everything mentioned in this video and everything mentioned on the channel as a whole has been bought and tested 100% by myself. So thank you to everyone that likes and shares our videos and adds to the comments down below. It'd be great to know what are your top picks at the moment. Let us know down in the comments. Right, let's start out with the first shoe in any running shoe rotation, which will be the Daily Shoe, a shoe that is designed to all sorts of different types of runs fairly well. A jack of all trades type shoe suitable for all sorts of different types of runners. Many runners will get a lot of their easy mileage in each week in their daily run shoes. They should have a good amount of padding, be pretty comfortable as well. Plus, if you just want one shoe in your rotation, then these shoes should be able to do a little bit of speed work and be able to do a race or two as well. The absolute classics in this section, shoes that have been around for years and years in this category, things like the Nike Pegasus, the Brooks Ghost and the Hoka Clifton. But there are now much better options than these available for runners in 2026. The shoes I'd recommend currently in this category are the Asics Neverblast version 6, an absolutely amazing do it all, very comfortable daily shoe. Really great foam set up in this one. It has a little bit of that super foam right at the front of the shoe for when you really want to pick up the pace and have a shoe that's just a little bit more responsive. Going to suit all sorts of different types of runners as well, different running styles. So it's going to be a safe bet for a lot of people. If the Asics is a little bit more money than you'd like to spend and have a look at the amazing Puma Velocity Nitro version 5, which you can usually pick up for around about £100. Also, with the recent launch of the 5, there's going to be some cracking deals on version 4, which is still a fantastic shoe for the money. What makes the Velocity Nitro particularly good, it has that famous Puma outsole grip, really good in all sorts of different weathers, so they're going to make a good winter option. A shoe that's nice and light and pretty quick as well. It doesn't have as much cushioning in it as some of its rivals, but a really good value option for that daily trainer. Perfect for people looking to spend a little bit less. And finally, in this section, we've got the Socony Azura, another great daily shoe with a slight focus on runners that like to run a little bit longer. So really good for anyone in some half marathon or some marathon training. A really nice, stable shoe. Really good for those easy miles. Versatile as well. Comfortable, breathable, lots of padding. Only slightly let down here by the outsole grip, but that's pretty minor. So that daily shoe is going to fill that foundation of our shoe rotation, a solid base at which you can build upon. For a lot of people, the next most important shoe in a rotation is going to be a dedicated race day shoe. They're going to use their daily shoe for the bulk of their training and then put on their fastest shoe when they want to perform best on race day. And it can also be used for some of those key speed sessions in the build up to the race as well. These shoes tend to have a lot of extra assistance in them to allow you to run a little bit faster. They're going to have a plate inside, which is usually a carbon plate, which is going to add a little bit of extra spring in your stride as that plate loads up and just fires you down the road a little bit further. Plus, they're going to have the latest foams, which are going to be a little bit more responsive, have a little bit more pop to increase that stride length. Some of my best and favorite options out there at the moment, starting with the Adidas Adios Pro 4, probably the best value super shoe out there on the market at the moment. Some cracking deals on this shoe because it has been out for a couple of years. Lightweight, fast, used by so many of the world's top runners as well. The shoe has carbon rods, very similar to a plate, has a similar sort of effect. And it's a shoe that can definitely do all sorts of different types of distances as well. 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, a really good marathon race day shoe. Another great option is the ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo line. Another really good shoe, super versatile, great at all sorts of different distances. It can be a little bit confusing between the Sky and the Edge models, but we do have a dedicated explainer video for that. We'll link up here and at the end of this video. A shoe that's very lightweight, very fast, a shoe that I've used in multiple marathons before as well. Next up is the Puma Deviate Elite, which is going to be better suited to those shorter distances. 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. Very stripped back shoe. Very lightweight as well, but super snappy and fast. And you can have a great turn of speed in this one. If you did want to save a little bit of money and have something a bit more user friendly, then have a look at the Nike Zoomfly version 6, a really good budget option in this category. Also really good for the mid packer as well. Anyone around 330 plus for the marathon distance. This is going to be a really nice, comfortable, very easy to run in shoe that's really going to help elevate your performance over having a standard daily shoe. There will be some good deals on this shoe as well at the moment, as it's rumoured version 7 will be out later on this year. Also should note the Zoomfly isn't a legal shoe. The stack height is too high with this one. So be sure to check the rules of any races you are running in just to make sure that's not going to be a problem for you. I've also really enjoyed running in the Socony Elite version 3. Very soft foam and that stiff plate. Potentially going to be my next marathon shoe. But yeah, a very high price point with that one. And finally, if you'd rather not have a plate in your shoe, then the best non-plated ratio at the moment has to be the Asics Mega Blast. Ultra light. One of the absolute best mid soles in the world. Awesome laces and really very quick as well. But like the Nike, this is not a legal race shoe. So you've got your daily shoes and now you've got a cracking pair of race shoes as well. And what would be best to pair with that is an awesome pair of running socks available on at benparks.com. Feel free to use code YouTube10 to get 10% off your order and run in comfort with a big smile on your face. The order of the next three types of shoes will vary from person to person. But a lot of people for their third shoe in their rotation like to have a look at a dedicated long run shoe. Someone like myself that's prioritizing half marathons and marathons, then this is going to be the third shoe. Long run shoes tend to have a little bit more foam underneath them, a bit more stack height in these shoes to protect the legs when you're out on those longer outings. The foams also tend to be a little bit more responsive and provide a good amount of energy return. There's no exact time or distance when a long run shoe will be better than a daily, but generally around 90 minutes is when I'd probably switch over to a dedicated long run shoe. Now, you may well ask, why can't you use this as a daily shoe? Well, of course you can. There's no problem with that at all. They just tend to be a little bit more expensive and not all runners will love the high stack nature of these type of shoes all the time. Starting out with the Dynafish Xiaoning, probably my favorite shoe of the year so far. So comfortable, so lightweight as well. And a foam that just goes and goes from the first K right the way up to the final K of that long run. An absolutely cracking shoe. The only downside of this one, it can be a little bit harder to get hold of. A more readily available option here would be the Nike Vimero Plus. A really good chunk of Nike's premium Zumex foam here to soak up all that impact with a decent price point with this one too. It is a little bit on the heavier side, a little bit on the chunky side, but can still get up to pace absolutely fine. Also good for wider footed runners with some good width options available as well. A couple of other options here for you. The Asics Super Blast version 3, a shoe that I've really warmed to as time has gone on. Lots of soft, squishy cushioning on offer here. Lightweight, very comfortable, responsive, but durability not the absolute best. And then finally, Pumas MagMax version 2, which is a stable and responsive shoe. Pretty good value. Really good grip as well, because it's got that all important Puma grip on the bottom. Well, let's move on to have a chat about shoe number four, which is going to be a dedicated speed shoe. Right, so up to four different shoes in the mix now. And for me, that's going to be adding a dedicated speed shoe for those speed sessions, those fartleks, those tempos and those thresholds. But what about our dedicated race shoe? The only downside of those high end carbon super shoes is they can be pretty fragile. They don't tend to last that long. And they're also very expensive as well. So some runners like to have a pretty fast shoe that they can do their faster training sessions in without adding all the mileage onto their dedicated race day shoe and saving them for that peak performance on race day. These shoes tend to be a little bit more robust, usually still have that high end foam in them, and sometimes they still have a plate in there as well, but not the case in every example. Some really good options in this category, the Evo SL from Adidas, which sort of sits between that daily and speed category. It's so lightweight. It has the high end Light Strike Pro Super Foam from Adidas. Really good fun to run in, a great turn of speed. It doesn't have a speed plate in the shoe. It just has a little shank in the middle just to help with the stability. Because there's one downside with this shoe. It is that lack of stability. But if you do want something with a plate in the shoe, in this case, a carbon plate, then have a look at the Nike Zoom 5 version 6, which you mentioned in that race section. Very durable, can be used for those long run sessions and races as well. Many runners will be getting around about a thousand K's out of this shoe. Finally, a little bit more of a budget option is the recent Puma DV8 Pure, similar in setup to the Adidas Evo SL. There's no plate in this one, but it's a really good lightweight shoe. You can no doubt tear up some of those speed reps with ease. And then finally, we're on to shoe number five. If you are really racking up some big mileage and you might like to have a very soft, super squishy, marshmallowy shoe dedicated to those recovery jogs. Or even if you're not doing a big miles at the moment, some runners just prefer that slightly softer ride for their daily miles. We've got some good options coming up now, starting out with the new Balance More version 6. An absolute classic in this category, ultra plush and pillowy. Also a very comfortable shoe with a good amount of padding. A great shoe for anyone doing a lot of walking or spending time on their feet. Definitely one of the most comfortable shoes of all time. Or for something a little bit more extreme, that's absolutely wild. Then have a look at the Nike Vomero Premium with a whopping 55mm of stack. By far the biggest, chunkiest shoe you can buy on the market at the moment. With that comes a pretty hefty price tag of £210. So the new Balance is going to be a far more sensible option here. But for some people, their rotation doesn't even stop there. You can get more specific shoes for different conditions and different terrain. Spikes when you're out on the track, cross-country potentially as well. Gore-Tex shoes for some winter training. Trail running shoes with some more grip underneath. In terms of my current trail running shoes that I'm really enjoying, my favourites at the moment, the Salomon Ultra Glide version 4 and the Hoka Speedgoat version 7. Both these shoes similarly have great grip, really good comfort as well. The Salomon especially. I think that's going to be my most used trail shoe of 2026. The possibilities and combinations are endless. Let me know down in the comments your ultimate shoe rotations so runners can get even more ideas of the best options out there. The next video coming up will be our 2026 best shoes of the year so far video and also that ASICS Metaspeed Sky and Edge comparison. So check that video out just down there. That's it, guys. Keep on working hard. Keep on getting done. I'll see you very soon in the next one.