New Kicks!

Christy and I have started working out together, which I've really loved.  I've soooooo missed running!  We've been at it since the beginning of December and, despite a couple setbacks and getting my butt kicked by the trainer on several occasions, I'm happy to report that we're both still trucking!

Partially as motivation and partially because we honestly needed to replace them, we both went to get new running shoes.

Now, for those who may not know, I was (and sort of still am) a shoe geek.  Besides all my trips to Runners Supply, I was lucky enough to work at Bob Roncker's Running Spot, one of the best running shoe stores in the country as well as coming back to Runners Supply to work during one of my summers in Canton.  During any free moment, I would run back to the stock room to try on all the shoes to get myself familiar with them (I mean, you can't sell what you don't know, right?).  I kept a catalog in my mind of model names, features, weights, fits, etc. and loved it!  

Aaaaaaaanyway...back to the present.

My old shoes (when I bought them) were the latest and greatest of Nike's Structure Triax line.  I picked them up while Christy and I were on honeymoon at the now defunct Honolulu Niketown.  They were light, responsive, cushy, and decently supportive.  Good shoes, overall.  I've been running in various models from the Structure Triax line since I was a freshman in high school, and it's nice to see that Nike kept making them as a quality mid-range shoe.



Out with the old...and in with the new: the Asics GT-2160.  Like the Structure Triax, I'd run in one of the shoes from this line in high school as well.  In fact, the GT-2040 had been the first regular running shoe that I'd run sockless in (by Senior year, I was racing regularly in spikes and flats without socks).  These are pretty quality shoes as well.  I like them because they're a little more stiff than the cushy and light Nikes.  While this sounds counter-intuitive, keep in mind that I'm just over 200lbs.  Light and cushy shoes get pounded to death at that weight, but I find that more solid shoes are actually more comfortable and supportive without feeling like bricks.

And now, the two shoes side by side:



Soooooo...a lot of rambling about new shoes--especially because I've only run in them about three times for a total of 5-6 miles.  Truth is, much like running, being a shoe geek is a hobby I forgot that I enjoyed!

If I Had My Druthers...

My father is in the middle of the restoration of his 1930 Model A Cabriolet.  Despite urgings from his fellow car buddies (who all wanted him to go the custom/restomod route), Dad is restoring the car to factory brilliance, which is something I can definitely get behind.  To encourage him and possibly give some ammo to the "factory restoration" argument, I recently snapped pictures of a 1930 Tudor whose owner had it restored a couple decades ago:


(After seeing it up close, I can't help but laugh, thinking that "Tudor" was a joking amalgamation of "Two Door", but that's beside the point!)

While I applaud Dad for sticking to his guns and doing the factory restoration, if I had my own car, I'm thinking it'd look something like this:

(via Just a Car Guy)

This is some pretty impressive work, no?

A long overdue update, Pt. 2 - Audio

Following the CR@TG trip, I finally tackled the task of getting the old MBQ Component system removed and serviced and the new speaker setup. It consists of Kenwood KFC1662S 3-ways and Rockford Fosgate Prime R1T-S tweeters. These were wired into the stock speaker wiring. The 3-ways were installed on top of a set of custom 6-1/2" to 8" speaker adapters for the Miata and 8" XTC baffles.

The setup is meant to work on the stock head unit and, while not the most awesome setup, works well. I was also finally able to reinstall factory kick panels and my dead pedal!


New Speakers 001 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

New Speakers 002 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

New Speakers 004 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

New Speakers 006 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

New Speakers 007 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

Compare the "panel-off" pic to the old setup:


Sound Fix 009 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

A long overdue update, Pt. 1

Not too much has happened with the car, aside from some audio upgrades I'll be covering in the next post.

Here are some shots of the car along with some folks you might recognize at CR@TG '10.

First off, it snowed on the way in!


CR@TG 2010 001 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

CR@TG 2010 004 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

I didn't take many pictures, but here's one Taylor got of Christy and I. It's one of our favorites!


DSC_7271 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

Shots taken on the way out from the Motorcycle Resort:


CR@TG 2010 005 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

CR@TG 2010 006 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

CR@TG 2010 010 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr

Oy! Who are these, then?  

(For those who don't know, the car on the right famous Blue Potato owned by Peter Brusa and the Sweet Potato owned by his wife Ginger, both friends of Christy and I).


CR@TG 2010 012 by bryanewyatt, on Flickr