I’ve used my break time to start repairing the decades of neglect I’ve heaped on my body by being the stereotypical 90 lb weakling. Being an introvert, that means runs and DVD workouts. And, after many false starts and almost-but-not-enough’s, I finally completed a full cycle of P90X3.

My reward for that was going to be buying and going through P90X2, but after my weight dropped to a level not seen since college — on a scrawny person like me, that’s not exactly a good thing¹ — I decided I should probably stick to a simpler workout that might build a little muscle on my skin and bones. So instead, I decided to reward myself with new workout clothing and shoes:

Don’t die without a few scars
San Francisco, California

Sony DSC-RX1
1/80 sec @ f/4, iso 1600, 35mm

I took this photo right before Kenpo X, a workout notorious for being too easy.

For those of you that are curious, pictured from right to left are:

• Rhone Apparel Durden 2.0 short-sleeve shirt #WHENINRHONE
• Apple iPhone 6 (I’ve managed to break the P90X app every cycle, the current one is no exception)
• Manduka mat towel (I think it may be an eQua, but it is five years old, so I’m not sure)
• Garmin Fenix 2. (The new hotness is the Fenix 3, by the way.)
• Ironware Fitness knuckle irons and shoe irons (I didn’t dared to use these for the P90X3 MMX workout). BTW, the “club” models have an extra layer that will break down over time, so I don’t think it’s worth the extra money.
• Kor Nava water bottle. My version of bottled water. 🙂
• New Balance Minimus MX00HP shoes (with my cadence sensor attached) #HPNB00
• BTW, the mat is Rubber Flooring Tatami tiles. I have nightmares from being on the first floor so many years, and I don’t want to inflict them on our neighbors.

Verdict:

The new shoes did very well for an indoor workout. I actually prefer zero drop as long as I’m not doing too much running. There is some irony in strapping 1.5 lb weight onto a sub 8oz shoe, though. One oddity is after a single workout, the shoe insole text now reads “The process is the go l.” Not sure what a “go l” is, but next week, it’ll say “The pro is go” so it’ll be fine. I wish New Balance used the gen 1 ink. I can still barely read “lss is mor” three years later. It’s a way better tagline also. I’m not sure these are worth extra money over a pair of Chuck Taylors or Feiyue’s but I couldn’t resist the camo look.

The new shirt did fine also. It’s a little form-fitted, but the side vents did well and I didn’t sweat too much into it, which is unusual. I’ll still stick to my Icebreakers for my runs because they’re looser, have more venting in the rear, and have a nice key pocket and Scotchlite accents.

…

Not sure how I feel about this. pic.twitter.com/9BVKUM60yh

— terry chay (@tychay) February 12, 2015