My companion on my journey · Watch Lover

My companion on my journey

This is a cheap Chinese watch that I bought on Amazon.

Three years ago, I wanted to up my athletic game even further and I started training to get back into racing triathlons like I had in my younger days. After a week or two of running in high humidity and temperatures exceeding 95F/35C, attempting to track my time with the smartphone held in my sweaty hands, I decided it was time to get a watch. I went on Amazon and found the cheapest digital stopwatch I could.

This is a Skmei LYMFHCH Sport Watch, and no, I have no idea where the model name comes from, but I believe the brand name was based on a weird romanization of a Chinese name. It cost me $15, shipped. It resembles the Casio G-Shock I was proud to own in the 1990s, until I sadly lost it in the school locker room. The cosmetic layout and functions are extremely similar, although I assume the shock resistance and water resistance are not up to G-Shock standards. The Skmei is oddly excellent with its strong backlight, however, and only this year I discovered that you can choose between a variety of backlight colors, including one setting where the color modulates and changes in real time.

Within a day or two of ordering the watch, I fell ill, and I did not quickly recover. Instead, I entered a years-long recovery period, marked by extended bed rest, chronic fatigue, and numerous other symptoms. My training goals became moot, as even the most modest forms of exercise triggered week-long periods of inflamed symptoms, requiring even more bed rest and missed hours at work.

I set myself a goal (or a dream, it was unclear which, at the time) of eventually again running 5k without stopping. By my estimation, if I were able to do this, then even if I had not beaten my illness, I would have recovered to a point where I could again live a "normal" life. After about 2 years, I again took some cautious first steps to try running. And within a few months, I had limped and hobbled the full 5k in one go, slowly, but sincerely. I had finally completed my "110 week couch to 5k plan."

Unfortunately, I had some amount of relapse later that year, but I was not done. Just about 3 years after first falling ill, I began yet another training program, and this one, so far, about 6 months later, has been working. I cut 40 pounds (18 kg) of bodyweight, building strength, muscle, and running speed and endurance along the way. I have run distances as long as 7 miles (11.3 km), and being able to run 5k without stopping is a given, though I try never to take it for granted.

This watch has been my companion on every training run, walk, and calisthenic session along the way. Three and a half years in, and after me dousing it in sweat several times a week, carrying it through blazing heat and pouring rain, it's still working the same as new, on the original battery. I went for a short, brisk run this morning, immediately before writing this post, and my Skmei faithfully kept time for me, as it always has.

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