Dude, I know it sounds silly, but I swear I run faster with them on hard surfaces. They're really springy and thick socks keep them from sliding around on my feet so they're actually not as clumsy as you'd think (or at least they don't feel that way). I wouldn't intentionally go running in them because I bet regularly running in them destroys your joints or something.

Though now I'm tempted to do an experiment to see if they actually make me run faster or if it just feels that way.

Also, I promise I'm not a complete fashion disaster; I only wear socks with them if I already have socks on.