I smell bacon

Yesterday I had a binge and this morning the tempting smell of other people's bacon cooking is wafting up from the kitchen.

Sounds terrible huh?

Its not so bad.

After 4 weeks of pretty much universally clean eating the bacon doesn't have too much effect on me and whilst last night I went overboard (a bowl of all bran, 2 wholewheat granary bagels and 2 bowls of granola, nuts, yoghurt and dried fruit) it wasn't anything like the chocolate and toast centred mini binges of the past. This morning's weigh in may be a bit on the high side due to 'food in transit' but by tomorrow it'll all be gone.

Weight loss wise things have slowed a little. Week one gave the huge loss of over half a stone, week two over 2lb, week three a fraction under 2lb and week four just over 1lb. I'm happy with that. I certainly look noticeably slimmer and clothes are looser. To some extent that's what its all about but I do want to lose 'weight' too - purely for the running times. I'm relaxed enough to feel I'm very much on the right track and it'll all happen in time though.

Running wise I've been sticking to the physio's limit of 5.5 miles, and no muddy trails but if anything I've been a little less frequent than her limits. I ran the day of the appointment on the 11th and 4 more times since. I'll also go out later today. The runs themselves have felt pretty good - no great advance in pace but I'm increasingly feeling comfortable with faster pace (if that makes sense?).

They don't seem to have caused any major pain either. I tend to be a bit sore afterwards but that has pretty much gone by the following day.

I've also been to the gym fairly regularly and have started to row again as a supplement to the cross trainer. I used to use the rowing machine a fair bit and actually owned a Concept 2 for a couple of years until 2005 but haven't done anything since. Again, it feels like progress - I'm doing something 'new' and pain free and its noticeably easier now than it was 10 days ago.

The physio's exercises have been mixed. There's one that I can't do - it requires a step I just don't have and there are a couple of others where I'm not certain that I'm doing them right as they feel strangely easy. I've missed 2 days where I should have done exercises but work/life got in the way - or more accurately I've allowed work or life to get in the way - but overall they have got easier and I've tried to add in elements of them to runs or walking (such as clenching glutes and core as I go) and doing some supplementary exercises I've found or have been told about on a few days. I feel like I'm a little stronger.

Its back to the physio tomorrow and I'll have a number of questions - what's the long term plan and prognosis, am I doing the exercises right, should I be feeling any pain during or post run, exactly when should I feel the correct muscles fire and does clenching them while active actually help? She's going to love treating me!

Lastly, we've also been walking in the Dales the last 3 Sundays. Nothing too arduous but enough to add a bit of variety to the exercise regime.

Last Sunday was climbing up Pen-y-ghent, which was surprisingly easy to climb (as in my legs felt no great challenge) but a bit hairy in the last bit when you literally climb on hands and feet up the last hundred metres of steep, wet, and occasionally loose stone with a significant drop behind you, all the time buffeted by quite a strong wind.