Blame Your Tools

A couple of weeks ago I roused myself from my inveterate tightwadhood, went out to the sports store and sprung for a new pair of swimming trunks and some nice running shoes, making for a purchase of about 130.00 bucks (150.00 if you count the fancy insoles that I was easily talked into buying). Always stings me to spend money on frivolous things like sporting goods--even if it is part of my vocation.

But the next day, I felt I was able to run faster and harder than normal, and the Achilles tendon pain that had been plaguing me for weeks was gone. The day after that, in my new, biker-short style trunks, my swimming was measurably faster. It took me fewer strokes to get across the pool, and unlike my old trunks, the new ones didn't stretch down to my ankles every time I did a kick turn off the wall.

The lesson's an easy one, though not always a cheap one: sometimes, you gotta blame your tools. My old shoes were months past their prime, and my trunks had clearly seen better days as well. If your physical activities are causing you pain, it might very well be a problem with your equipment.

So go ahead--blame your tools. Even if it doesn't make you instantaneously faster or stronger, your fancy new gear just might get you out to the gym, the playing field, or onto your bike a little longer or a little more often. And that's a good thing.