Days 3 and 4

It's end of Day 4, Thursday, and I just got back from enjoying a pizza and a pint in a bustling micro brewery in Carlsbad Village. The significant fact is that I walked quite a distance to get there - and successfully got across the railway track as the California Coaster came speeding towards me! The effort was worth it - great atmosphere, good beer and really tasty pizza. The walk back was a little harder. I blame the pizza. I downsized to what they call "small", but in future may need to order "super small"!

The more significant fact is that I walked here with my brand new gait. In my right leg: turn off the quad (it was overly used, too tight and inhibiting my movement); fire the glute from the moment the heel strikes; try to keep a little bend in the right knee; keep the glute engaged through to push off with the right foot; narrow the width of the stride). That's the product of three hours today with Steve, one of the PW gait specialists, and an intense focus on isolating, firing, strengthening and stabilising the glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings and using them in the right sequence. There was a clear difference in my gait at the end of the session compared to the beginning. Turning that into sustained improvement will be a matter of hard strength work and repetition, repetition and repetition - and, as the repetition turns into regular, automatic movement, relax and stop thinking about it. As Steve said, we all think hard when trying stuff for the first time, and this is all new to me, effectively. But as he also said, I've learned to do this stuff once before, so know I can do it again!

Yesterday was my rest day. Even on rest days I need a good stretch and have to keep things moving, so I had an hour or so in the hotel gym, followed by a rest by the pool with my iPod, getting to know albums I'd never had the chance to listen to before (The Macabees and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - really enjoyed both). My other music here is the ocean - it provided a magnificent background sound to my walk and stretches this morning (an iPod seems out of place there).

I move to the house tomorrow afternoon, where I'll be for the next four weeks.

No more videos yet - but maybe after tomorrow morning's session.