I am typing this awkwardly, because I have been trapped under a cat for the past hour and I can't wait any longer to write today's post. The cant is still on my lap and I am twisted sideways to get at my keyboard. This will probably be very brief. So, today's workout: I had to cover the treadmill controls in saran wrap to keep my sweat from shorting out a button again, as I once again focused on varying speed instead of incline. When I first tried that two days ago, the longest I could manage a 5mph sprint was about 90 seconds. Today I did a 3-2-1 pattern (3 minute run, 3 minute walk, 2 minute run, two minute walk, 1 minute run, 1 minute walk). I completed the entire sequence three times during my workout, with a five minute walk before each sequence, plus a cool down at the end. The first sequence I ran the entire collective six minutes. The second sequence I managed about four minutes of running, and the third was about three minutes. Overall that was a dramatic improvement over my first attempt on Saturday, while also leaving me plenty of room for growth. It felt amazing. I also had a great weigh-in, and my moving average is indeed moving in the right direction. I should have moved over to this whole running thing ages ago. I am totally stoked. I also finished the first story of Sapphire & Steel, which I will talk about below the fold.

Sapphire & Steel: Escape Through a Crack in Time, Episodes 5 & 6

What a great payoff to a great story. While Sapphire, Steel, and Lead continue to search for the entities behind the time incursion, the boy is tricked by one of the invaders posing as his father. That leads to the boy being transported back in time, similarly to what happened to Sapphire earlier on. Specifically, he is taken back to the late 18th century and the construction of the house. This leads to a final showdown, with Sapphire sensing the boy's presence in the house's cellar. Ultimately they are able to identify the real key to the incursion, the literal cornerstone that the home builder placed at the start of construction. Steel has the little girl act as a lure, with her reciting The House that Jack Built and leading all of the entities down to that specific stone, where Steel does his Absolute Zero trick to freeze the stone. Then the giant Lead crushes the stone in his nightly grip, and all is set right. The house goes back to where it was in the beginning, with the parents upstairs reading nursery rhymes to the little girl. A happy ending!

There is so much more to the story than what I describe here, because it is all about atmosphere and not so much about action. It does not surprise me that this series is strong influence on the writing of my friend Rik Hoskin, as I would definitely describe it as Hoskin-esque. All of the performances are spectacular, and I sincerely hope that Lead will be a recurring character. His jovial demeanor is the perfect foil to Steel's, um, steely disposition.

I can't write any more coherently contorted at this angle, so I will leave it until tomorrow. It's a new story, and it's an eight-parter, so it should take me through the end of the week. I am pumped and ready to go.

STATS:

Episode(s): Sapphire & Steel: Escape Through a Crack in Time, Episodes 5 & 6
Steps Walked: 7,166 today, 5,052,515 total
Distance Walked: 3.18 miles today, 2,604.96 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 12,458 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 7,865 total
Weight: 275.74 lbs (five day moving average), net change -31.56 lbs