New Orleans Trip Report

 My first overnight trip with a woman in a long time.  I prefer not to discuss relationship details on this blog.  I will say that it's going well and I will leave it at that.  If in the unlikely event that it ends badly, I will NOT trash her on this blog either.

I've been to New Orleans 3 times with some good and some bad experiences.  Aside from the parking, this was a pretty good trip.  I'd rate other cities higher, but it was the right call for this weekend.  I'm not ready for more than a weekend or a fly away so that left us with several options within a day's drive.  Nashville and Memphis were freezing cold so going south was the only option.  Even New Orleans was colder than normal.  Temps were in the low 50s on the first day with wind and didn't get out of the 40s the next day.  We took the short route going down with a quick stop in Hattiesburg then had lunch in Slidell.  We arrived about 1:30.

Day 1:

Our first stop was St. Louis cemetery.  I got a nice compliment about my teeth from the woman who sold us tickets.  Our tour guide was interesting but long winded so we put off the hotel check in and went straight to Vue Orleans, a 34 story tower with views of the skyline and the Mississippi River.  After dinner, we chilled at the hotel then went out to Bourbon Street.  Questionable call there.  It was a zoo scene.  Should have gone to a different bar and saved Bourbon for Sunday.

Day 2:

Got up for a river sunrise.  I showed the pics to a bartender that night, who thought it was Florida.  LOL.  After breakfast at the hotel, we made it to church at the cathedral.  From there, it was just a few blocks to Louis Armstrong Park.  We made a quick stop at the Voodoo museum then found to our horror that the car was booted.  The machine was broken and the payment never went through.  I'm fighting it and expect to win.  

After lunch, I went to the Jazz museum and the French Market.  Interesting even though I never heard of most of the artists.  I took Bourbon Street on the way back and found it much more enjoyable than last night.  After a good seafood dinner, I went out for a quiet drink then called it a night.

Day 3:

Took the long way back.  Got a quick taste of City Park then headed east on the interstate.  We got off at Gulfport and took a scenic 13 mile ride along the MS Coast to Biloxi.  We got some delicious fried chicken in Mobile before picking up 65 back to Birmingham.

Final thought:

Overall, a successful trip.  In the future, New Orleans is not a destination city but I do expect to be back someday.  If I go to Houston or Grand Isle, it's a good overnight stop to break up the trip home

Calcium Intolerance

 This really pisses me off because Malic Acid was supposed to stop this from happening.  

The problem started over Christmas with sugar intolerance.  Though I did not use energy drinks, I did indulge in Coke several times and got a strong negative reaction.  Was it the caffeine or the sugar?  A bad reaction to caffeine free Ginger Ale confirmed that it was the latter.  Probiotics did help for a while but it wasn't enough.  Sugars certainly are not good for me but I should not react THAT badly to it.  

On a hunch, I tried Calcium in order to correct a suspected low Cal/Mag ratio.  I developed an insatiable need (6 pills) that lasted about a week. Also, I had no more issues with sugar.  YES!  On January 9th, when swimming in Panama City, I accidentally missed my dose and didn't feel that bad.  I figured that I could reduce the dose.  WRONG.  I flipped from an insatiable need to complete intolerance.  Nothing new for me!

I tried giving it rest for a few days and going back to it at a lower dose.  I didn't have an immediate reaction but it got ugly within the hour.  Tried to run and had to quit after a half mile in 5:37.  Today was incrementally better with a 10:24 Mile.  Most probably, I have to stop it until further notice.  There is a chance that another form of Cal will be tolerated and I am willing to try it.

Update: I am now intolerant to sugar and Calcium doesn't help.  Paramin may be beneficial but my best hope is complete abstinence from sugar.

WILL THIS EVER END?

Rave: Sprinters Who Try Long Distance

 Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas can routinely break 22 seconds in the 200 meters and her 400 meter PR is 49.x.  Every January, she does a 1 Mile time trial.  I would have guessed that she would be able to run it in close to 5:00 if not slightly under.  Nope, her best time is only a 5:43.  This is not a knock on Thomas and I applaud her for trying.  My point is that there are specific physical attributes necessary to be successful in long distance running and most sprinters don't have it.  If she actually trained specifically for the distance, yes she would improve but would never even sniff world class.  

Though I've done many 200 intervals in training, only once did I race the distance in competition.  I clocked a 28.6 as a high school Sophomore on a dirt track with tired legs.  Figure that as a Senior, I was good for a 27-flat, maybe a high 26 at best.  I would be a full 5 seconds behind Gabby Thomas and in a 200, that might as well be light years away.  However, if we raced a Mile, my 9th grade self could take her.  An 800 meter race in my prime would probably be a coin flip.

At the age of 17, I entered a local youth Invitational meet in the off-season.  There was no gender separation so I got to run in the same heat as a top female sprinter in the 800 because our predicted times were similar.  Her 400 PR was about 5 seconds faster than mine but was untested over 2 laps.  I trailed most of the way but she faded down the stretch.  I unleashed a monster kick and nipped her at the line by about a tenth of a second.  My Dad said it looked like I ran the last 100 in 12 seconds.  He was exaggerating but yes, it was fast.  I didn't exchange words with her because we were both doubled over in pain but gained mutual respect.  A couple guys teased me about never allowing myself to be beaten by a girl.  LOL.  Losing to a champion would be no disgrace.  

I knew several 400/800 runners who ran cross-country to stay in shape for track season.  Most were not very good.  There was one guy at a rival school who placed at States with a low-48 in the 400.  He was competitive from the 100 all the way up the Mile, with a 4:54 PR in the latter.  However, only once did he even break 22 minutes in the 5K and didn't even make Varsity for his team.  He told me that he did make a legitimate effort in cross-country but not the same passion as Track.  It was pretty cool to beat him in a race even when he was out of his element.  

A distance runner can never be a world class sprinter either but I wager that they'd be a lot more competitive in the 100 than a sprinter in a Marathon.  Even with superior endurance, some degree of slow down is inevitable with longer distance.  You've got to have pretty decent sprint speed to run a sub-5 pace for 26 miles.  My guess is that world class marathoners can run the 100 in less than 11.5 seconds (about 83 percent of world record).  Some of those sprint finishes in the 5,000 are awfully fast.  I'm talking 52 seconds for 400 after nearly 3 miles.  By comparison, 83 percent of a world record Marathon would be a sub-2:30.  Even an 800/Miler would be hard pressed to do that.  Quenton Cassidy is fictional.  

Advice for sprinters who want to extend their distance:

Do it gradually.  Don't make the jump from the 400 all the way up to 10K.  Don't go by the book in terms of training paces either.  It's okay to be a little faster than prescribed for your Mile time in interval sessions if your 400 PR is much stronger than your Mile.  Also, it's okay to run your long runs a little slower than suggested if your 5K is weaker.  It's all about the effort.  Eventually, long runs will get faster when your times begin to even up.  That said, once again, although there is room for improvement, your ceiling is likely lower at the longer distances.

Winter Trip Plan

 I considered Puerto Rico, Mexico and Hawaii for February.  Given the current political situation, it's probably best to steer clear of Latin America at the present time.  It's going to be Maui, Hawaii!  It will be my 3rd visit to this state and my 3rd different island.  Only Kauai to go after this.  

I'm off for President's Day on February 16th but probably won't leave until that day.  I want to be home for Valentine's Day and the flights are much better during the week versus Friday and Saturday.  Logistically, it will be a challenge.  I will take a connecting flight from Birmingham instead of a direct flight from Atlanta.  I can connect in either Dallas or Denver.  I'd lean towards the former because there's less risk of a snow delay.  Either way, I'll land about 4:45 local time and get settled in by sunset.  The 2nd leg will be about 8 hours flight time.  Ouch, but it's worth it.  

I don't expect to be up for doing anything that evening.  It will be an early night followed by an early rise.  Perfect setup for the Road to Hana.  I'll stop at a couple of waterfalls and see a Black Sand and Red Sand Beach.  If I get back before sunset, I'll take a dip at Baldwin Beach.  

The next 3 days will be primarily beach sampling.  Baldwin and Fleming are the 2 best spots for boogie boarding but there are several others that look beautiful as well.  There will be mountain views in the distance.  There is also the summit of a volcano, which rises to 10,000 feet elevation.

Getting back is always painful.  It's impossible to avoid a red eye and severe jet lag if you want to get back the next day.  Last time, I broke up the trip with a 24 hour stop in San Francisco.  This time, I'm stopping in Las Vegas.  I can work it out so that I get in around 7 PM.  Jet lag will be a little rough but not severe.  I'll go out for a drink and that's probably it.

  I should feel better the next day.  I won't be spending much time in Las Vegas itself.  Instead, I will be seeing Mt. Charleston and Valley of Fire.  Both are about 45 minutes from the city but in opposite directions.  Figure that's a full day.  I won't leave until the next day.  I may have a little dead time before the flight but I'm sure that I can find something to do even if it's just a walk down the strip.  Barring a delay, I should get back at a decent hour.  

Rant or Rave: Strike on Venezuela

 There are 5 countries that I would strongly consider visiting if and ONLY IF they got a new regime that respects basic human rights.  They are China, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.  I have nothing against the people of these countries.  My only beef is with their government.

One of the reasons that I support Trump is his America First and non-interventionist foreign policy.  As I've posted before, I do sympathize with people living under oppressive regimes but America cannot be the world's police force and topple leaders that we don't like.  History has proven that US intervention often makes things worse in the long run.  For this reason, I was initially skeptical about this operation.  However after seeing the reactions from Venezuelans, including 3 that I follow on social media, I lean towards the supportive position with reservations. Reactions range from a cautious optimism and relief to sheer ecstasy.  The Republican nominee in 2028 ought to do pretty well among Latinos, especially if it is Vance or Rubio.  

Did Trump do it out of the goodness of his heart to liberate the Venezuelan people?  Probably not. That said, I am pleased to see them finally get a taste of freedom after a quarter century of Communism that caused a third of its people to flee.  Was access to the oil a factor in his decision?  Possibly. However, I believe the primary reason was that Maduro is the leader of a major drug cartel that is largely responsible for the scourge of Fentanyl in the US.  Therefore, you could say that Maduro was a threat to America even if his military was not.  He was not a duly elected leader.  He lost his last election by more than 50 points but would not give up his power AND though I don't know the specifics, there was a warrant for his arrest.  Therefore, I do not consider this an act of unprovoked regime change 

This must NOT turn into another Iraq or Afghanistan.  If it does, Trump could lose my support.  I don't see that happening.  Other countries fear that they could be next.  If their leader was lawfully elected and is not wanted by law enforcement, it's not going to happen.  I am rooting for the people of Cuba and Iran.  In the latter, Trump has warned that there will be consequences if the regime turns violent against the protesters.  I have a good feeling that Iran's regime will collapse on its own.  

The reaction among the Left was predictable.  Suppose you said that though you don't deny Maduro is a bad guy, this action was not appropriate.  Fair enough.  That's a reasonable viewpoint.  Marching in support of a narco dictator is another matter.  Several protesters said that they would rather live under Maduro than Trump.  No words can express how I feel about that level of stupidity.  Obama took out Gaddafi in Libya and it was crickets.  Something tells me that if Obama had done the same thing, Democrats would be cheering while Republicans would be worried about another Iraq.  I'm not such a blind partisan that I automatically oppose everything that Democrats do while supporting Trump without question.  When the Obama administration took out Osama bin Laden, you bet I praised him.  

Training 1/1-1/11

 1/1- Little change on New Year's Day.  1 Mile on South Lakeshore in 10:40.  Did manage a slight negative split (5:22-5:18).  Collapsed later in the day and was out cold for almost 2 hours.  Would have been worse if I attempted an afternoon run.

Distance-1.0

1/2- Repeated yesterday's workout.  Same distance and same location this time in light rain.  Improved to 9:04 with splits of 4:36-4:28.  No cause for celebration but this is a big improvement.  Sneaked a Coke in the morning and don't think it hurt me.  Again, I should be able to get away with that on occasion.  Energy drinks are another matter.  I must never touch that stuff again!

Distance-1.0

1/3- Aimed for 2 miles but quit after just a half mile with a time over 6.  I believe that I overshot with the Zinc.  Just yesterday, I needed it and now I can't tolerate it.  Do I need to reduce it or eliminate it?  I am disgusted with that and disgusted with myself after another caffeine binge.  Did feel better after ADHS, which confirms that Zinc is the culprit.

PM- 2x half lap at Montreat plus a cool.  Opened with a 1:52 (11:12 pace).  Popped a 2nd ADHS pill and improved to 1:38 (9:48 pace).  MINUS 84.  That's a game changer!  Here's hoping that I find a consistent formula with low dose Zinc and ADHS.

Distance-1.0

1/4- 3x1 lap at Montreat.  Opened with a pathetic 3:54 (11:42 pace).  Popped 2 ADHS and improved to 3:18 (9:54 pace).  MINUS 1:48.  Game changer as expected but the effects were actually not as strong as yesterday.  The moment of truth came after 2 Zinc pills.  Could I hold it or at least not fall off too badly?  Yes.  Lap 3 was 3:23 (10:09 pace).  PLUS 15 or roughly 2.5 percent.  Not enough to be considered significant.  The new formula will be 3 ADHS and 1 Zinc with hopes that it will hold.

Distance-1.0

1/5- Very poor.  1.5 miles in 16:15 (10:50 pace).  Hit the midpoint at 8:06.  Popped an ADHS pill and it made no difference today.  Back half was marginally slower at 8:09.  Not sure what to make of this.  On little more than a hunch, I took some Calcium and now have an insatiable need for it.

Distance-1.5

1/6- Opened the year with Zinc as the must take pill then it was ADHS and now Calcium.  Opened with a 1:46 at Montreat (10:36 pace).  Took Magnesium and it was a non-factor.  Next half lap was 1:48.  Took a Cal and was all the way down to 1:30 (9:00 pace).  I have a feeling that this one won't last long.

Distance-0.5

1/7- AM.  VERY POOR.  1 Mile in 11:24.  First half in 6:02 but did improve to 5:22 on the back half because I took a Cal 

PM- Took 4 more Cal during the day and showed improvement.  2 miles in 20:36 (10:18 pace) with pretty even splits 10:15-10:21.

Distance-3.0

1/8- 2 miles in 20:10 (10:05 pace) after an opener in 1:39 at Montreat.  I am improving but it looks like I need to keep my dosage high.

Distance-2.5

1/9- Planned rest day.  Swim in Panama City in January!

1/10- Elective rest day.  Didn't take Cal and don't feel too bad.  Maybe I am trending down.

1/11- Opener in 3:05 (9:15 pace) without pills.  1 Mile in 10:33 with splits of 5:10-5:23.  Cal must be cut.  I'll go down to 1 pill.

Distance-1.5

13 miles 

2025 Review

 Best way to put it: Challenging year.  

Let's start with the travel stats:

20 points, which is a bit lower than usual but I did make the strict standard in 16.  I would have picked up 5 more if I had driven from Alabama to Pennsylvania but that didn't happen this year.  I completed Round 2 of Visit All 50 States and made my first foray into South America.  Also added 5 new MLB parks, which takes me up to 23.

Lenient standard:

Jalisco- Bus ride from Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita

Utah- Photo op at Lake Powell

Maryland- Metro stop

Vermont- crossed the border from Massachusetts.

Strict standard:

Alabama-Lived

Colombia- Cartagena

Nayarit- Sayulita

Florida- Destin, Miami, Flagler, Amelia Island.

Arizona- Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon 

Illinois- Chicago 

Alaska- Anchorage, Seward, Denali SP

California- San Francisco, Orange County, San Diego, Anaheim.

Washington DC- Mall, Smithsonian, game.

Virginia- Arlington 

Pennsylvania- Pittsburgh 

Connecticut- Hartford 

Massachusetts- Springfield, Pittsfield, Mohawk Trail 

New York- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens

Georgia- Okefenokee Swamp Park 

Mississippi- Bonita Lake in Meridian 

Work:

 New building, new software and a new boss.  There will be an adjustment period but I'm not going into great detail here.

Family:

The big blow was the loss of my father in November.  I still have days in which I am fighting back tears.  The first Christmas without him was ROUGH!

Health- Still a MESS.  I began the year with a scare.  I had a lump in my groin area that sometimes oozed.  I feared Lymphoma but in all likelihood, it was a strong immune reaction.  That's gone now.  The Candida rash has diminished but it's still there.  In the middle of a parasite cleanse, a large cyst on my back that had been there for nearly a decade finally broke and has not come back.  

Malic Acid may have reduced my autoimmune reactions but the process was painful.  As of now, Zinc is my must take pill but it is not tolerated without Malic Acid.  Unless you count the 5K walk in San Diego, no races for the 3rd straight year.  I have not had a good race since 2017 or a decent race since 2019.  Will I ever come back?

Relationship:

After many Internet psychos, I finally have a good female companion in real life.  It remains to be seen if she will be a best friend or something more.  My fear is that she will be frightened when she finds out how sick I really am.  It's possible that she knows about the suspected Autism but she has no idea of the full extent of the autoimmune issues.  I do think that an older woman is more likely to be accepting.  This was the biggest bright spot of '25.

Training 12/22-12/31

 12/22- Slept in but still managed 1.5 on Lakeshore in 13:09 (8:46 pace).  Sore muscles but more energy than recent days.  I think the adrenal support should remain a no at least for the time being.

Distance-1.5

Just write the rest of the year off as a loss.  I became completely intolerant to sugar, even without caffeine.  Culprit was lack of Probiotics.  

Took Probiotics and immediately improved.  Tried a Rockstar and had a bad reaction.  High dose caffeine is still bad but I can handle an occasional Coke.

Did do a couple of junk runs over the holiday but nothing worth reporting.

Zinc and Autism

 More than a decade ago, I studied hair test patterns (Tissue Mineral Analysis) of autistic patients.  This was before I suspected that I was on the spectrum.  One common pattern that I observed was that almost everyone on the spectrum had a BADLY unbalanced Zinc/Copper ratio.  Usually, it was the Zinc that was low.  The Copper may have read high, but it was often bio unavailable.  

As for me, that pattern didn't show up until later, after I made a real effort to detox.  The Hulda Clark Liver cleanse that I did several times dumped toxic Copper out of my organs and into the tissues. Thus, my ratio fell way below normal.  I know that Malic Acid detoxifies Aluminum, which definitely played a role in my autoimmune reactions.  I wonder if it has any effect on Copper.  Does toxic Copper have any effect on autoimmune disease?  I suspect that the answer is yes.  I'll update this after more research.  

I tried to supplement with Zinc in the past, with unhappy results.  Usually, it triggered a need for another pill such as Chromium or Vitamin C.  I could not take one or the other.  It had to be both or neither and I chose the latter.  More recently, I was completely intolerant to Zinc UNLESS I had enough Malic Acid.

This really pisses me off!  It's a stretch to say that the solution was right in front of me but I couldn't tolerate it because of autoimmune reactions.  However, it is certain that a big piece of the puzzle was withheld from me until very recently.  At the age of 45, even if I ultimately do get healed, it's too late!  I'll never know how good I could have been if I had been fully healthy in my prime.  

As of now, I still have an insatiable need for Zinc.  Caffeine interferes with its absorption so the need may diminish if I ever can quit that stuff for good.  I have limited tolerance for adrenal support.  Taurine is not a game changer but I did see significant gains from it.  Stay tuned for updates.

Training 12/15-12/21

 12/15- Good news.  Getting better and better without the Zinc.  Opener today is down to 83 seconds (8:18 pace).  Popped just 1 Zinc and was all the way down to 68 (6:48 pace).  That's still WAY too much of a gap but at least that appears to be shrinking as well (18 vs 15).  I will try to gradually reduce the Zinc this week and re-introduce the adrenal support.  That's it for today.  Very cold weather outside.

Distance-0.5

12/16- Very poor.  1.5 miles in 17:42 (11:48 pace).  Back to the drawing board?

Distance-1.5

12/17- Interesting.  Opened with a poor 1:42 without Zinc but improved to 1:28 on 1 pill.  I expected continued improvement on a higher dose but actually went backwards (1:34) and got worse as the day progressed.  Initially, I thought I overshot with the Zinc.  Nope.  I have gone too many days without Malic Acid.  I can't tolerate the necessary pill without it 

PM- Immediately better after taking Malic Acid.  Workout wasn't good by any stretch but it was an improvement over yesterday.  1.5 miles in 15:28 (10:18 pace) with bad splits (7:27-8:01).

Distance-2.0

12/18-4x400 intervals

2 Zinc- 2:46

4 Zinc- 2:25

Not concerned with the pace.  Pleased to see improvement with more pills.  This is due to the Malic Acid

ADHS- 2:25- non-factor.  I would have gone backwards if I had taken more.

Taurine-2:17- Significant gain.  What to make of that?

Another interval session and again, I got a significant boost from Taurine

Distance-2.0

12/19- Junk 2 miles.  Don't even remember the time.

Distance-2.0

12/20- Planned rest day 

12/21- 2.5 miles in 24:16 (9:42 pace). Added a warm and cool.  Marginally better than last week 

Distance-3.0

11 miles