Analyitics

Thursday, January 19, 2012

the "New Shoe Effect"

i'm amazed at how many shoe reviews contain statements like "i ran 30 seconds per mile faster" or "i took 10 minutes off my time for 10 miles".  these statements aren't just about running faster, but significantly faster, on the first run with a new pair of shoes.

i wonder what it is that causes this to happen?  surely it's mental...

maybe we here at rrrs should invent some token disposable "per run" add-on to shoes that will tap into that mental fuel tank and allow people to harness it more regularly?

strapping on a new pair of shoes myself for tonight's run...  will i be faster?

2 comments:

  1. I also love how shoe reviews regularly claim that a shoe "feels fast." What does that mean?

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  2. I suspect when people write that shoes "feel fast" they're referring to the springiness of the new foam soles on the new shoes as opposed to the more flattened foam of their older shoes. I always love how responsive new shoes are when I run in them for the first few times (after i've broken them in of course).

    Having said that, I bet that anyone who thinks that a shoe alone will cut down on their racing speed is either delusional or has moved from a very heavy shoe to a much lighter one.

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