I don't have a picture to use with today's post. I'm not sure you would want to see one of me broken down and doubled over with pain, although the pain is already starting to get better.

My back started hurting late last week, mostly fatigue from the fact that I have been doing so much more this month than I have ever done before. Even during my marathon diet-and-exercise sessions in 1985 and 1989, I rarely exercised more than once a day. This month I have been working out two, three, four times a day and it was really starting to get to me.

On Saturday for the first time, I couldn't finish a hike.

Then on Monday, when we hiked the San Antonio missions and finished up at the Alamo, I only managed two of the four legs of the 12-mile hike. Even then, I was clobbered. I was told in no uncertain terms to take two or three days completely off, to give my body a chance to regain some strength.

That didn't mean curling up with Ben &amp; Jerry's or heading out for barbecued ribs. I'm still on the same diet, but for the last couple of days I have been sleeping more, laying around a lot more and regaining control of my muscles, such as they are.

Tomorrow I'll ease back into things and then plan on going full tilt again on Friday. I'm still down 24 pounds in 23 days, so I'm on target for my goal of 50 pounds in two months. I looked in the mirror this afternoon and I don't look too horrible, considering I still weigh nearly 250 pounds.

The one thing that <em>did</em> surprise me was my hair.

I've been seeing gray around the sides for a few years now, but the last month or so, I'm seeing it all across the front and the top. I won't be surprised if I'm completely gray by the end of the summer.

No problem.

I'll gladly trade what's left of my brown hair for a pain-free back.