But how would you differentiate between real benefits and a placebo effect. That said, I believe they do work but I don't use them.

On a recommendation by a friend I bought a pair of Skins travel and recovery tights (mostly for the long haul travel where my legs swell but with intentions to do IM WA 09 I thought they may help recover between sessions). I haven't been doing lots of tri-specific training but have been playing more Ultimate frisbee and squash - both sports normally leave me with muscle soreness for 2-3 days after regardless of stretching/nutrition. So I thought I'd give the compression pants a go. When i first put them on after a crazy running night of Ultimate frisbee I thought maybe I'd been ripped off, they felt just like normal lycra pants but 3x the price. Wore them to bed (no issues with overheating - again a good thing as I'm a warm sleeper). Next morning woke up...wow. My legs felt amazing. No soreness, not even very much residual fatigue. Thinking maybe it was a once off, I have tried them since after a tough run, squash game or Ultimate and every time have felt pretty friggin' good the day after. One time I had a mild "squash butt" pain but nothing compared to what I've had in the past....so, yeah, I'm now a believer! I was going to buy the socks but when i realised I could get free shipping with the recovery tights I just decided to go the full length...$110 but well worth it....

They seem like a new fad to me. Sort of like evangellical healers -- promise a lot on very little basis to no basis. Until I see top 10k runners on the track or marathoners adopt them for racing/training, and see a corresponding drop in world record times, I'm going to assume that the old method of icing after the hard work is still the most practical. I ran 80-100 miles/week through college and never had a problem with my legs. You'll get stronger and recover more quickly not because of a new invention, but by putting in the work.

True, but not back when she was fast:

I bet she wears them (at least in part) because she is told to wear them (ie, sponsored). I see Nike logos all over her. When I see people who are not paid to wear them, then maybe I'll tolerate the public scorn or running in those socks.

I've heard that many runners wear them for recovery or traveling only. So you're not going to see them ... unless you sneak into their house. Not recommended .

I'm thinking about getting a pair for that very reason, and here's my thinking. with a job and a kid I've got time to train. but I don't always have time to recover as I would like (sleep, feet up, etc). So if I can help with that I might reap the benefits of my training a bit more. Not expecting anything phenomenal but perhaps an incremental benefit.

But I'm still not sold and love seeing what everyone else thinks!

My Aunt Louise used to wear these after she turned ,oh, 80.
There very useful for older folks to prevent pooling of blood in the lower legs if they are bed ridden or spending long hours sitting.
If you're moving the Skeletal Muscle Pump does just fine to move blood and other fluids around and has since before we were walking up right...
Way to geeky for me...

I wear them after some races, especially if I'll be traveling or sitting at a desk all day.

Listening to the fireplace and ocean waves with the computer before Mike steals it to check how IMWI is going and to look at all your Canada pics :)