Trying out new running shoes and vest: this time for real

I am aware that this blog is turning a bit run-tastic. But these Thursday runs are just too good to not blog about, and I had two serious races coming up which required preparation (like reces and training). And new kit!

On Friday, both my new vest and my new shoes arrived! That meant I could immediately try them out on Saturday. Especially for the vest that was useful; I wanted to use that the very day after for a race. I should try it out before I commit!

The day before the race I didn't want to run too far, and because I had new road shoes it had to be on a hard surface. I decided to do my old standard run up Nant Ffrancon. It's on a good path, but still beautiful.

I decided to put into my new running vest everything I intended to bring on the race the next day. That was a lot more than I would need on this very modest run, but I wanted to know how the vest would perform. So I put about a litre of water in it, and an extra shirt, and jelly babies, and my phone, and tape. And I fixed a running jacket to the outside.

Snazzy new shoes

Ready to roll

When the shoes arrived I saw that indeed they were quite wide. Exactly what I needed. They look a bit funny, in a cute way! And when I tried them on they felt good. So I was ready to go.

I wasn't really feeling it initially, but after a few kilometres, as I expected, I started getting into the swing of things. And on my fancy shoes and in my fancy vest I was happily trundling along! And on the way back I even made some serious speed in some places.

It was a glorious day 

Happy in my vest

Good views, always

When I got home I was happy with both. The shoes were comfortable. I intend to wear them on more demanding runs like roadraces. But I still want to keep using my old Asicses. Running shoes are bad for the environment, and this pair should help me deal physically with races. My body matters too! But when I'm only doing a bog-standard training run, I can still do this on lower-quality second-hand running shoes which may not be as comfortable, but which have rather thick soles, which makes them relatively durable.

The vest was comfortable too, in spite of everything I was carrying in it. No rub anywhere! So I thought I was ready for the fell race the next day, vest-wise, and ready for the road race the week after, shoe-wise. Success!