New Shoe Day

Which was yesterday.

I ended up getting a gait analysis and having my feet measured. There are a bunch of numbers, but the main thing is the I have a medium arch, and moderately wide feet. I also bought two new pairs of shoes; some New Balance 860s in version 12, and a pair of Topo Ultrafly 3s. The Ultraflys have a drop of only 5mm, compared with the 10 of all the many pairs of 860s I've been running in. I've already added screws to the 860s (and brought one of my previously worn pairs back into service as daily walking shoes), and I intend to keep doing most of my distance running for now in the 860s, including running 10% of the distance with a forefoot strike. But the Topos will get used for long walks around the neighborhood and short runs. Running in them really does drive me to strike with my forefoot with no noticeable effort. Once I get used to them, I'll look into the possibility of trying a zero drop shoe.

Yesterday also saw a second day with 80 weighted reps during my strength training. That's pleasing. Also pleasing: I've been under 85kg for three days now, and for five of the last six days. It's unlikely that I'll lose another 5kg as quickly as I lost the first 5, but at least now I'm not at a BMI that designates me as overweight (even neglecting my athletic background). I'm around 15 or 16 percent body fat, which outs me squarely into healthy territory.

I finally bit the bullet and bought the materials to sew a running backpack, as well as the tools (a good ruler, cutting mat, and rotary cutter). I also got a hydroblu water filter with charcoal chemical filter attachment. I'm getting closer and closer to having all the right gear to go on fastpacking trips (or any ultralight backpacking trips); I'm going to have to spend a few nights sleeping on the back deck to test things out.