Running Shoes

My boys go through shoes at an almost unnerving rate. It doesn't matter the brand, the type, or the quality. Without fail, within 3 months, their shoese are falling to pieces. Holes at the toes, soles coming off, stitching unraveling, falling to pieces.

So, this weekend, right on schedule, I was shoe shopping with my boys.

Monkey insists on velcro, because stopping to tie shoe laces apparently slows him down and cramps his style.

We finally found a pair of sturdy looking, gym appropriate, acceptable style and color, velcro securing shoes.

As Monkey tried them on, his face lit up.

"These are perfect!"

He quickly slipped the second shoe on and started running laps around the display shelves.

"I'm so much faster, Mom!  Look how fast I can run in these! I'm even walking faster! I can't wait to go home and run on the treadmill and see how fast I can go now!"

I remember being a kid and having that same feeling, being so sure that my new shoes made me able to run faster, jump high, and be all around amazing.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure I'm over that feeling.

When I replaced my running shoes, I had that same feeling. These shoes were awesome, the cushions and fit were amazing. How could I not run faster in these shoes? 

I got the same feeling when I bought a pair of running socks. They were padded in all the right places, didn't bunch up in my shoes at all, and were breathable, so my feet were never sweaty. Of course I would run faster with these great socks!

When I got my compression running pants, yep, I got it, the same "now I can run faster" feeling.

As it turns out, despite all that fancy running gear, I'm still slogging through the miles at the same turtle stampede pace. Not one piece of running gear that I added took any time away.

Do I feel better running? Yes. My feet don't hurt or get sweaty. My running pants actually fit and I'm not stopping to adjust things mid run. The sweating wicking material is great for so many reasons.  But am I faster?  Not at all.

But am I going to tell Monkey that his super cool, awesome, new shoes won't make him run faster?  Never!