My first running "moment"

I didn't have enough time for a full Spinning class tonight, since I'd arranged to meet up for a warm Chicken and Bacon salad (dressing on the side) before the cinema to see yet another Hollywood movie that sounds 10 times better than it actually was.

There was a spare 25 minutes to go for a jog, though! Since time was tight, I opted for a new approach - the 8 minute set, times two.

I felt great after the first 8 minutes. Not overly out of breath, nice muscle feelings, etc. Half way through the second 8 minutes I thought I was going to die. Heavy, heavy breathing coupled with my first (very painful) stitch and a severe loss of will power meant that I was about to cop out at 6 minutes. Then something strange happened; something pleasantly strange. It was a reverse of the "calm before the storm". I'd already gone through the storm and suddenly my breathing returned to almost normal, my lungs stopped hurting and my legs felt amazing. I found a stamina rich "work zone" and I felt I could just run and run. I was actually disappointed that I had to stop, but keen to explore this zone again.

Current weight is 16 stones and 6 pounds (230 pounds / 104.5 kg)

My weight loss challenge of reaching 17 stones before the end of March was easily surpassed.

Mental note: I'd easily be under 16 stones now if I hadn't touched the booze this month, but where's the fun in that!

Jacuzzi injuries

After all the physical activities I've been taking part in over the last 5 months, including Heli-boarding, the greatest injuries have been sustained in that most dangerous of places, the Jacuzzi.

The first injury resulted from a flying plastic disc that hit me an inch above my left eye at full speed while I was quietly sitting in the Jacuzzi. If it was intentional it would have been a 9.5 out of 10 for accuracy - a little lower or slower and it would have taken my eye out. Hot on that incident's heels is a bacterial infection called Folliculitis, which I've further self diagnosed to be Hot Tub Folliculitis. Never having had a rash that's appeared so quickly did cause the traditional male "I'm going to die" response for a short time. 30 minutes in casualty, with the pay-off of an attractive female doctor laughing at my insignificant injury, was time well spent.

Current weight is 16 stones 10 pounds (234 pounds / 106.2 kg)

Noteable point: I now weight less than I did at school.

Altitude training

Of all the winter activities available in the French Alps, I never expected to be doing lengths in the outdoor swimming pool. But that's exactly what complemented a day's snowboarding at Alpe d'Huez.

During the high altitude swimming, there were two strange experiences of note. The first was the obvious breathlessness due to the reduced oxygen at 1880 metres. You become very out of breath after only a few lengths, but it seems to disappear after a while and you can return your breathing to normal. The second was the French approach to communality; standing naked in the male changing rooms watching the suited female swimmers pass by the doorless entrance while the female cleaners are milling around mopping the floors. Perhaps French ladies have just seen it all before.

I successfully managed to avoid increasing my weight during the week's holiday. Trudging for hundreds of metres through 2 feet of fresh powder snow at over 3000 metres was also pretty good for the lungs and it offset the cheese overdoses encountered on more than one occasion and the even more frequent boozing.

Current weight is 17 stones exactly (238 pounds / 108 kg)

Counter joint

Tonight's session was taken by a different instructor since Kristy is on holiday, but she'd been left with instructions to work on my legs.

I arrived early so I went on the cross trainer for 10 minutes to warm up. Then the running was lengthened to 3 * 6 minute jogs with a 3 minute walk between them and straight on to squats. 100 squats to be precise, using a variety of apparatus include the Bozu, weights and the gym ball. All this leg work had the unusual effect of opening up some 7th dimensional extra knee joint that I didn't know I had. My jellied legs took on a completely new gait as the new joint, just above my knee but with a countering motion like a badly assemble mechano man, caused me to walk around the gym and swimming pool like Bill from Bill and Ben. Come to think of it, I could just as easily have resembled Ben. For every normal attempted step forward, my lower thigh seemed to stop briefly and then move forward 10 inches horizontally the very second I lifted the opposing leg, throwing my balance off centre. I could have been deposited as an extra in a budget spaghetti western - the one who can't walk after riding for 4 days straight.

Current weight is 17 stones 3 pounds (241 pounds / 109.3 kg)

Marathon Man

The only resemblence to the title and today's jogging session would be if I had toothache.

Still, 15 minutes of running at 10 kmph in 3 by 5 minute stints was pretty spectacular for me. I've never, ever run before. Not even at school. Perhaps it was the new outfit I was wearing that spurned me on? More likely it was the £155 price tag that I didn't want to regret. But it felt good! The shoes are sloped downward towards the front, which has the effect of enticing you to go faster.

I even managed a spinning class later the same day, so double points for me.

Current weight is 17 stones and 7 pounds (245 pounds / 111.1 kg).

Noteworthy landmark: I've now lost 4 stones in total, nearly a stone per month.