After experiencing some leg pain over the past few runs I decided it was probably time to start looking at a new pair of shoes. I love my current shoes. But I've had them for over six months, close to 300 miles, and....they're trail running shoes. In my over-eager ignorance when shopping for my first pair of shoes last March I managed to buy a pair of trail running shoes without thinking much of it. I figured I would probably do some trail running (wrong!) and that they would be just as well suited for hard surface running (wrong!). 
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So this weekend I picked up a pair of Reebok Zigfly SE running shoes and I LOVE them. Just got back from my first run and I knocked a solid 7-8 minutes off of my four mile run. That's a two minute per mile difference!

Since my heel hits first when I run, the unique shape of the sole of this shoe adds spring to my step. At times I almost felt like a kangaroo, bouncing along. It definitely added a some extra zip into my run!

I'm still not used to spending so much for running shoes, since we are tight on our budget in almost every other area but I'm learning that you have to spend money on some things in order to do it right. Make sure that you get good equipment to take care of the only thing that really matters in running: your body. Poor equipment and maintenance will tear down the one thing you need more than anything. Take the time and money to do it right. Pay attention to your body and listen to the signs it's giving you. For me, that meant new shoes. What's your body telling you?