Every September, my inbox fills up with the same panicked question. It is never “what’s my pace target” or “how do I carb load.” It is “I need new shoes and my marathon is in five weeks — what do I buy?” And every September, I give the same answer that makes runners look at me like I just told them to skip their long run: buy last year’s colorway. Right now, in the middle of fall race season, the running shoe market is doing something quietly beautiful. The 2026 versions of the big trainers have landed at full price,…