I'm not a fast runner and started running last year after a long break. The first run out of the box in these shoes was 5K and ran a full 3 minutes faster. Shoes really encourage you to run faster. I don't know exactly how. It's well padded and comfortable from the start. I also managed to get it at a decent price and look forward to buying another pair soon. It's not that bad with them. Hope it's strong enough.