1/25- Better than expected after yesterday's effort. Managed a steady 8:00 pace for 4.5 miles. Could have gone farther but I know the pain will catch up with me tomorrow so I'm minimizing the damage by cutting it a bit short.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/26-As expected, the pain did hit me today. Legs weren't too bad but the rest of me is tired and worn out both physically and emotionally (waiting to hear about a new job). No running.
1/27- Easy 10 just a hair below 83 minutes. That's okay but I felt a tad off form and my biomechanics were a bit sloppy. Felt that I should have done better 3 days removed from my last hard workout. Even pace is the reason this was not a "C". May try for harder workout tomorrow. Tempo or long interval but if I'm not up for it, I'll just take it easy and go hard Thurs.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=10.5
1/28- Good workout today. 3 miles easy in 24:42, bathroom break followed by a 5K tempo in 20:51 (6:43 pace). Splits were 10:29-10:22. That's my best time of '09 and beats my '07 time. Short walk break then ran a long cool down in which I averaged an 8:30 pace for 2 miles. I was hardly exhausted after that 5K and know that I could have gone faster. Came home to find rejection letter in mailbox and am running on pure anger right now.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=8.1
1/29- 7 miles easy (pace was in the 8:20s) then followed it up with a 2:54 final half mile (no break), another best of '09 but light years away from last year.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=7.9
1/30- found out today that I might get the job after all. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted from this ordeal. No running today. I'll make up for it tomorrow.
1/31- Interesting workout. Left at 4:30 AM to meet a running group in Birmingham, arrived 10 minutes late and just missed them. Instead, I ran a VERY easy 8 miles (9:30 pace) with 2 older runners then hit the trail a few minutes later for a 5 mile "tempo". Early pace was faster than expected so I decided to go for it. Finished in 34:50 (32 seconds short of a PR) but very pleased with that sub-35 after running 8 miles just a few minutes earlier. Splits: 7:04-7:00-6:59-6:57-6:50= 34:50. 1st half: 17:32, 2nd half: 17:18. 2 mile cool down a few hours later. It was a long day.
Grade:A-/3 credits/distance=15.0
Weekly summary:
An emotional week to say the least. Overall, the running was not bad at all. This will be my last 40+ week until race day. Next week will be shorter and sharper with lower mileage but I will jack up the pace so I can be sharp on race day. Average of 48.5 MPW for January. I've never done that much before. Will it pay off on race day?
Distance = 46.0/ Weekly GPA=30.5/9 credits=3.389
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
My thoughts on ultra-running
Imagine approaching the 18 mile mark in a race with the dreaded “wall” not too far ahead and you still have a half mary to go. Ouch! That’s exactly what happens in 50 K (31 mile race). It seems that distances longer than marathon are growing in popularity. I know someone who is active in the Birmingham track club who runs several marathons per year, usually just over 4 hours. When I heard that he ran the Oak Mountain 50K, which as the name implies, has massive hills, I asked him if he would recommend it just to hear what he would say. His reply without hesitation was an immediate and enthusiastic “yes!” He claimed that it was actually easier than a marathon because “you don’t race it” and you stop several times for food and drink. The whole thing would take me at least 5 hours to run. Man, it’s hard enough for me to be out there running on Saturdays for even half that amount of time in an 18-20 mile training run. Surveys show that the vast majority of ultra-marathon participants say that the event is worth doing. One thing that I have resolved is that I will never attempt a race at a distance longer than a marathon and especially not one on an extremely hilly course. Also, I will limit my marathon races to 1-2 per year. In my view, the actual race is not even the most difficult part of the ordeal. I do long runs of 16-23 miles almost every weekend during the training cycle and cannot imagine doing that type of mileage all year round. Not only does the training beat your body up, it consumes your entire Saturday morning. In terms of recovery from races, even after an all out effort at 5K or 10K, I feel well enough to run several easy miles the next day. With my current fitness level, I could probably do the same after a half marathon. The marathon is an entirely different beast. After you’re done, you want to take a taxi cab from your bed to the bathroom and your quad muscles feel like they’ve been ground into raw hamburger meat. It hurts to walk but going down the stairs is sheer agony. Still, after limping around for a couple of days, I feel well enough to do a gentle run after 2-3 days of rest. Why do I do this? First, the sense of accomplishment cannot be beaten. Second, I have tremendous potential to improve as most endurance athletes do not peak until they are in their 30s. Qualifying for one of the most prestigious road races, the Boston marathon looks like it just might be possible after all. Third, the high mileage, even during the first third of the year will help me in shorter distances from 10K to the half marathon. Fourth, I have a cause to my running. Sure, there will always be skeptics out there but the faster I get, the more likely people will listen to what I have to say about alternative medicine.
Ultra-running is not limited to 50K. I know of several 50 mile and even 100 mile foot races. I mean no offense to anyone reading this that has done one of these but in my view, that’s just plain stupid. How about some of the triathlon distances? I did a workout back in undergrad in which I swam a quarter mile in a pool, rode my bike for 6 miles then proceeded to run a 5K. It was pretty tough and the dorm room was spinning for a few hours. Just imagine an Ironman distance. It’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride followed by a 26.2 mile run. If I punished my body even anywhere close to that amount, it is a recipe for disaster and almost surely a relapse into adrenal fatigue. I was essentially recovered from my marathon within 10 days to 2 weeks and turned in a near PR for 8K just 3 weeks later on a tough course. Those who have completed an Ironman report that it takes 2 weeks to be able to run again and upwards of 2 months for a full recovery to take place. Only a few Runner’s World forum members report that they know much about adrenal fatigue but some have expressed amazement about my comeback. However, if you go to Triathlon forums, the members know all about it and discuss what must be done to prevent and treat it. Maybe I will do one very slow 30 miler on my 30th birthday weekend but will I ever race an ultra? No. What about an Ironman with my medical history? I may be crazy but I’m not stupid.
Ultra-running is not limited to 50K. I know of several 50 mile and even 100 mile foot races. I mean no offense to anyone reading this that has done one of these but in my view, that’s just plain stupid. How about some of the triathlon distances? I did a workout back in undergrad in which I swam a quarter mile in a pool, rode my bike for 6 miles then proceeded to run a 5K. It was pretty tough and the dorm room was spinning for a few hours. Just imagine an Ironman distance. It’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride followed by a 26.2 mile run. If I punished my body even anywhere close to that amount, it is a recipe for disaster and almost surely a relapse into adrenal fatigue. I was essentially recovered from my marathon within 10 days to 2 weeks and turned in a near PR for 8K just 3 weeks later on a tough course. Those who have completed an Ironman report that it takes 2 weeks to be able to run again and upwards of 2 months for a full recovery to take place. Only a few Runner’s World forum members report that they know much about adrenal fatigue but some have expressed amazement about my comeback. However, if you go to Triathlon forums, the members know all about it and discuss what must be done to prevent and treat it. Maybe I will do one very slow 30 miler on my 30th birthday weekend but will I ever race an ultra? No. What about an Ironman with my medical history? I may be crazy but I’m not stupid.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Training Jan. 18-24
1/18- 4 mile recovery jog. Started out fine but broke down halfway through then decided to cut it short by a mile. Early pace was 8:00 but faded to 8:30 then worse. Should not be anything more serious than natural fatigue.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/19- 9 miles easy. Started too fast then gradually and deliberately slowed down. Pace was around 8:40 by the time I finished but overall, it was below 8:30. Better than yesterday but my body still feels a bit beat up from the training. Off day tomorrow then a long tempo coming up.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=9.5
1/20-planned rest day. I needed it badly. Cold and windy outside so I picked a good rest day.
1/21-Long tempo. Bounced back strongly. Covered 10K in 45:05 (fastest of '09), which is better than I ran in all of '07. Could have broken 44 in an all out time trial. 1st 5 miles were 7:15-7:22 then picked it up to 7:04. Amazingly refreshed when I ran my cooldown and almost felt like I could do it again. 41 miles in 5 days. Can I do 14 in the next 2?
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=7.0
1/22- 8 miles easy. Uneven pace that ranged from 8:15-8:40 while maintaining a pretty even effort. Overall pace was a hair below 8:30, which was right on target. Slight muscle soreness became evident 6 miles in and finished with very stiff calf muscles. 49 in 6 days.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=8.0
1/23- 6 miles easy. Again, my pace was quite uneven but the overall effort was less than yesterday despite continued stiffness in the calves. Again, the overall pace was slightly below 8:30 and this mileage is just about my upper limit at this time. Bonus point for setting a new 7 day high with 55 miles. Yes! I don't care about the pace tomorrow but I do want to finish that long run to give me back to back 50+ weeks.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.0
1/24- 16 miles in 2:07:41 (7:59 pace). This goes in the books as one of my best workouts ever and considering how sore I was coming into it, I can't believe it myself. This is sub-3:30 marathon pace and I know that I could have gone even faster if I ran less than 55 miles in the previous 7 days. I'm getting stronger and stronger and the time spent in training is absolutely worth it regardless of what happens on race day. I'm not sure which of these splits is most impressive: last 13.1 in 1:44:12, just over 90 seconds away from a PR at that distance, last 10 miles in 78:37, last 8 miles in 62:38, last mile in an amazing 6:36, final lap in 88 seconds. All but the 400 are my fastest times of 2009. I'd give myself higher than an A+ if I could.
Grade:A+/2 credits/distance=16.0
Weekly Summary: Great finish to the week. Performed very well on the quality sessions but not as well on the easy days. I want to be in the mid-upper 40s next week and am unsure of what workouts to do. I'm almost speechless about the 1/24 workout. Let's see how I feel early next week and go from there. What is certain is that it will be my last week over 40 until the Mercedes half on 2/15. Back to back 50 mile weeks and how about 71 in 8 days? Still, as I wrote earlier that I will focus on quality over quantity. I haven't run anything slower than 9:00 pace overall and most are 8:30 or below. I could go well over 60 if I slowed to 9:00+ but I don't want to see my 5K and 10K suffer as a result.
Distance=51.0/Weekly GPA= 26.7/8 credits= 3.338
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/19- 9 miles easy. Started too fast then gradually and deliberately slowed down. Pace was around 8:40 by the time I finished but overall, it was below 8:30. Better than yesterday but my body still feels a bit beat up from the training. Off day tomorrow then a long tempo coming up.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=9.5
1/20-planned rest day. I needed it badly. Cold and windy outside so I picked a good rest day.
1/21-Long tempo. Bounced back strongly. Covered 10K in 45:05 (fastest of '09), which is better than I ran in all of '07. Could have broken 44 in an all out time trial. 1st 5 miles were 7:15-7:22 then picked it up to 7:04. Amazingly refreshed when I ran my cooldown and almost felt like I could do it again. 41 miles in 5 days. Can I do 14 in the next 2?
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=7.0
1/22- 8 miles easy. Uneven pace that ranged from 8:15-8:40 while maintaining a pretty even effort. Overall pace was a hair below 8:30, which was right on target. Slight muscle soreness became evident 6 miles in and finished with very stiff calf muscles. 49 in 6 days.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=8.0
1/23- 6 miles easy. Again, my pace was quite uneven but the overall effort was less than yesterday despite continued stiffness in the calves. Again, the overall pace was slightly below 8:30 and this mileage is just about my upper limit at this time. Bonus point for setting a new 7 day high with 55 miles. Yes! I don't care about the pace tomorrow but I do want to finish that long run to give me back to back 50+ weeks.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.0
1/24- 16 miles in 2:07:41 (7:59 pace). This goes in the books as one of my best workouts ever and considering how sore I was coming into it, I can't believe it myself. This is sub-3:30 marathon pace and I know that I could have gone even faster if I ran less than 55 miles in the previous 7 days. I'm getting stronger and stronger and the time spent in training is absolutely worth it regardless of what happens on race day. I'm not sure which of these splits is most impressive: last 13.1 in 1:44:12, just over 90 seconds away from a PR at that distance, last 10 miles in 78:37, last 8 miles in 62:38, last mile in an amazing 6:36, final lap in 88 seconds. All but the 400 are my fastest times of 2009. I'd give myself higher than an A+ if I could.
Grade:A+/2 credits/distance=16.0
Weekly Summary: Great finish to the week. Performed very well on the quality sessions but not as well on the easy days. I want to be in the mid-upper 40s next week and am unsure of what workouts to do. I'm almost speechless about the 1/24 workout. Let's see how I feel early next week and go from there. What is certain is that it will be my last week over 40 until the Mercedes half on 2/15. Back to back 50 mile weeks and how about 71 in 8 days? Still, as I wrote earlier that I will focus on quality over quantity. I haven't run anything slower than 9:00 pace overall and most are 8:30 or below. I could go well over 60 if I slowed to 9:00+ but I don't want to see my 5K and 10K suffer as a result.
Distance=51.0/Weekly GPA= 26.7/8 credits= 3.338
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
training Jan.11-17
1/11-5 miles in 39:36. Good job on the day after a long run. Not too fast, not too slow. 2nd mile was a little fast but the rest were between 7:55-8:00. I would have penalized myself for going too fast. Felt some effort in the 4th and 5th miles but smooth and easy most of the way.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.0
1/12-Easy 10 in 83:14 (fastest time of '09). Overall pace of 8:19, which is fine. Splits were pretty even and felt good most of the way. Weight is still down and my strength is not where it needs to be. If I can break 75 fresh in a time trial, I can break 1:40 in the half. Long cooldown
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=11.0
1/13- 8x800 with 2 min. rest in between. 1st 7 were between 3:19-3:23, then pulled out a 2:59 on my 8th, which is my fastest time of '09. This workout pales in comparison to what I ran in high school but then again, my mileage was about half of what it is now. I would have been a good deal faster if fresh. Underestimated myself on 3rd quality workout in 4 days by starting too slow. Oh well, I feel better about this one than I would have if I went too hard and had to cut it short. Next time, I'll shoot for 3:15. 37 miles in 4 days, rest tomorrow.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.5
1/14- ran today against previous plan because the weather was not as cold/windy. Easy 4.5. Ran strictly by feel and it felt decent. Not smooth and easy but not much of a struggle.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/15-scheduled day off, temps in the 30s with a 15 mph wind.
1/16- 5 miles in sub-freezing temps. Normally, I run inside in these conditions but made an exception today because my gym was too far out of the way. Time of 40:41 isn't very good after an off day. Even effort but allowed myself to slow down in the 4th and 5th miles. Felt average if not a bit below. Legs were abnormally stiff after I got home then took some Mn and Cr and it helped almost immediately. We'll see how tomorrow's long run goes. This week so far has been a steady decline from Sun-Fri.
Grade: C+/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/17- The pills did the trick. 20 miles in 2:45:19, more than 4 minutes faster than last time. Splits were 83:24-81:55. Pace per mile was 8:16, which was the same as my best half marathon from '07 plus another 6.9 miles at the same pace. Last 13.1 was 1:47:53, last 10K-50:41, last 5K-24:56, last mile was a remarkable 7:26 with a final quarter in 1:41. Marathon pace of 3:36, or 1:00/mile short of a Boston qualifier.
Grade:A+/2 credit/distance=20.0
Weekly summary: Good week overall. One minor flare up but I knew immediately what it was and took action to solve it. I'm pumped about that 20 miler too. Now, I want good news on the job front. I will have good training partners in Birmingham. Yes, I like the mileage total as well.
Distance=50.0/Weekly GPA= 31.6/9 credits= 3.511 (highest on record for this cycle)
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.0
1/12-Easy 10 in 83:14 (fastest time of '09). Overall pace of 8:19, which is fine. Splits were pretty even and felt good most of the way. Weight is still down and my strength is not where it needs to be. If I can break 75 fresh in a time trial, I can break 1:40 in the half. Long cooldown
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=11.0
1/13- 8x800 with 2 min. rest in between. 1st 7 were between 3:19-3:23, then pulled out a 2:59 on my 8th, which is my fastest time of '09. This workout pales in comparison to what I ran in high school but then again, my mileage was about half of what it is now. I would have been a good deal faster if fresh. Underestimated myself on 3rd quality workout in 4 days by starting too slow. Oh well, I feel better about this one than I would have if I went too hard and had to cut it short. Next time, I'll shoot for 3:15. 37 miles in 4 days, rest tomorrow.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.5
1/14- ran today against previous plan because the weather was not as cold/windy. Easy 4.5. Ran strictly by feel and it felt decent. Not smooth and easy but not much of a struggle.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/15-scheduled day off, temps in the 30s with a 15 mph wind.
1/16- 5 miles in sub-freezing temps. Normally, I run inside in these conditions but made an exception today because my gym was too far out of the way. Time of 40:41 isn't very good after an off day. Even effort but allowed myself to slow down in the 4th and 5th miles. Felt average if not a bit below. Legs were abnormally stiff after I got home then took some Mn and Cr and it helped almost immediately. We'll see how tomorrow's long run goes. This week so far has been a steady decline from Sun-Fri.
Grade: C+/1 credit/distance=4.5
1/17- The pills did the trick. 20 miles in 2:45:19, more than 4 minutes faster than last time. Splits were 83:24-81:55. Pace per mile was 8:16, which was the same as my best half marathon from '07 plus another 6.9 miles at the same pace. Last 13.1 was 1:47:53, last 10K-50:41, last 5K-24:56, last mile was a remarkable 7:26 with a final quarter in 1:41. Marathon pace of 3:36, or 1:00/mile short of a Boston qualifier.
Grade:A+/2 credit/distance=20.0
Weekly summary: Good week overall. One minor flare up but I knew immediately what it was and took action to solve it. I'm pumped about that 20 miler too. Now, I want good news on the job front. I will have good training partners in Birmingham. Yes, I like the mileage total as well.
Distance=50.0/Weekly GPA= 31.6/9 credits= 3.511 (highest on record for this cycle)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Avoiding a Relapse
Those of you that read my training log know that some weeks are better than others but I avoid a major relapse into adrenal exhaustion. The most common question that I get is as follows: “How can you train at this level and manage to avoid a relapse?” I’ll do my best to answer that question in this post. First, I need to address the causes.
1.Weak adrenals from birth- I was not properly tested for adrenal disease until I was 25 years old but based on my results, my doctor feels that I was born with weak adrenals and based on my experiences, I tend to agree. Some of the symptoms, such as difficulty waking up in the morning were present from a very young age. However, the energy crash may have been avoided with a lower stress lifestyle. In any event, my capacity for stress was limited by weak adrenals. Plenty of people take on far more physical and emotional stress than I ever did yet never experience an energy crash.
2.Chronic emotional stress- From 9th grade, through 4 years of high school, 4 years of college and 2 years of graduate school, I pushed myself to excel in the classroom and sometimes took a course load that was too difficult to bear. One B per grade period was usually acceptable but I was upset with myself if I did any worse. There were periods in which I spent the bulk of my time outside of class studying in the library. Some semesters, the workload was concentrated within a few “hell weeks” then I would have it relatively easy for a while. Other times, the work was constant throughout the semester and I could never give myself time to recover. In undergrad, I usually felt decent during the semester but had a major let down after it was over, which is characteristic of fast oxidizers (hyper). In both high school and undergrad, I was a top student, graduating in the top ten percent of my class. When I got to Clemson for graduate school, the average student was as intelligent as I am and some could match my determination as well. As my health deteriorated, it became more difficult to focus and my grades slipped a bit, which never sat well with me.
3. Chronic physical stress- As I have posted before, I lack the talent to become an elite runner but do have enough to be pretty good when healthy. However, my capacity for workouts was limited by my weak adrenals. Even before the energy crash, there was no way that I could have trained at 70-80 MPW like most college athletes plus I studied so much that I didn’t have the time. My strongest events were the middle distances on the track (800-1500 meters) and I tailored my training accordingly with a steady diet of short and fast intervals. I usually topped out around 25-30 MPW on 5 training days per week but most of my runs were at tempo pace or faster. Long runs of 6-10 miles were also pushed hard. As my condition slowly worsened, I was unable to improve as much as I had hoped based on my intense training and was beaten by runners who skimped on their training. This frustrated me to no end.
4.Poor diet- I consumed a lot of sugared and caffeinated drinks while seeking more energy. What I got was a temporary hit of energy from the stimulants and ended up beating up my adrenals even more. Also, I consumed more than my share of simple carbohydrates and the garbage that is served at fast food restaurants.
5.Other environmental factors- I have read horror stories about people that have reported having “never been the same” after a certain event or taking a prescription drug. As a teenager, I was on an acne drug called Accutane that has been linked to chronic depression and adrenal disease. In some very rare cases, people have reported that the “side effects” are still present 20 years after stopping the drug. Accutane is just one of many drugs that have been linked to long-term ill-effects that are not limited to thyroid and adrenal disease. Obviously, there were other factors in play in my situation but feel that Accutane did play a role. Finally, adrenal disease can be caused by exposure to toxic metals which displace important minerals and prevent systems from doing their jobs. FYI: my toxic metals have never been shown to be a serious problem.
The solution:
1. Supplements- If you do have weak adrenals from birth, this is most important. Once I crashed, simply avoiding stress was not enough to restore health. The greatest determinant to how I feel is the pills You’ll need a hair and/or neurotransmitter test to determine what to take, what not to take and how much to take. My case was unusually complex in that one fewer or one more pill per day made all the difference in the world. Re-test every 3-6 months to track your progress. The test may reveal necessary changes that can be made before negative effects appear. I monitor my body’s reaction to the supplements very closely and take note of how my training goes. For example, if I am unsure about a formula at a particular time, I rest a day or 2 so I’ll be fresh then test myself in a time trial. On a good day, I can run 5 miles in less than 35:00 even without competition. If I’m under 35, I know that no changes are needed. If I’m closer to 36, it’s no big deal. It can be attributed to normal variability in performance. If I’m over 37 and going all out, I’m losing close to 30 seconds per mile and certainly don’t feel right. Something is clearly wrong so I try another formula and run it again. Sometimes I consult my doctor but it’s happened so often that I usually know what the problem is on my own. For example, if my legs don’t hurt but I can’t breathe, it’s almost always hyperthyroidism. If my legs do hurt but I’m not out of breath, it’s something else, often low neurotransmitters. Often, after a couple of “C” or “D” workouts, I make the needed adjustment before I get to the point in which I cannot do a workout, which is the only time that I give myself an “F.” If I do not change my formula when it is necessary to do so, every scheduled hard workout would be an “F” even if I am well rested.
2. Low stress in personal life- Find a low stress job without heavy overtime. True, the money will not be as good but you can’t put a price tag on health and happiness. Americans are now working longer hours and sleeping less than they were even 10 years ago. Half of all white collar workers log more than 50 hours per week. Many of these workers are under chronic stress during the day and feel nothing like getting any type of exercise when they finally get off work. They pick up fast food for dinner, eat late night snacks and end up overweight. Weekends are spent on maintenance of the home or watching television. If the trend of more work/less sleep continues, the problem of adrenal disease will only worsen and mainstream medicine offers little hope of recovery. If you are a university student unsure whether or not you can handle a course load, don’t take all of them or drop one early in the semester. It’s better to be slightly bored (slightly is a key word) than overwhelmed by stress. If you are in a situation in which high stress in unavoidable, you are not doomed even if you have a history of adrenal disease. However, your supplement program may have to be modified and monitored more closely than usual.
3. Smarter training- I almost never run all 7 days a week or do 2 a day workouts. Also, I do not see myself ever going over 60 MPW even if I feel that I could handle it. As of now, 50-55 is my upper limit. If I feel that I need it, I am not afraid to take a second rest day during the week. Also, my style of training is very much different than before the crash. I do a lot more LSD (long slow distance) and rarely run short, fast intervals unless I am specifically training for a 5K. Because of this training, I am unlikely to come close to my PR for the 1 Mile but my racing is at distances 5K and longer. I have already set PRs at every distance 5 miles and up and feel that a 5K PR is within reach down the road. Whether it is as a result of too much distance or too much intensity, overtraining presents a risk of a relapse and I must remain wary of it. However, proper supplementation leads to more balanced chemistry, which will increase my workout capacity and mitigate the risk of overtraining. Soreness from intense training feels different from soreness as a result of a chemical imbalances and I know that difference very well. If I am sore as result of chemical imbalances, I don't push it. If I do try in that state, I'll fade early, get slower with every step and do myself no good by staying out there. When I know that it's not my day, I cut the workout short. The payoff is that I am fresh when I get back in balance. I've run some fast times just a few days after an adjustment.
*One very important point, I was a competitive runner from ’92-‘99 and was good enough for Division II teams. Even when I was no longer competitive, I still ran off and on when my relative lack of symptoms allowed. I was still in decent running shape up until early 2005. If not for this background, there was no way that I could progress to a 2008 marathon after my second running life began as 2006 came to an end. Also, it is a big mistake to jump right back into training at the first sign of improvement. Despite my competitive background, I was a walker as recently as the Fall of 2006 then progressed to walk/jog then followed a program similar to a “Couch to 5K.” Even elite performers would do best to follow a similar program.
4. Better food and drink choices- My doctor has told me that sugars and simple carbohydrates are “poison” for someone with my body chemistry. I rarely consume soda now but when I do, I drink something caffeine free and/or something sweetened with pure cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Drinking more water has also been helpful. I have also reduced my fast food consumption and increased my servings of vegetables. Lean meats and proteins make up the bulk of my diet.
5. No prescription drugs- I have not taken any drug since I came off the anti-depressants in the Fall of 2006 and unless my life is in danger and there is no alternative, I will not take another as long as I live. That said however, I do not advocate quitting meds cold turkey and admit that they can be beneficial for some people. I continue to test for toxic metals and would take pills with a chelating effect if a test showed toxicity.
I have a friend from California who is currently recovering from adrenal fatigue. He told me that when he shares my story with others with the disease, the most common reaction to seeing my running times is disbelief. True, if you had told me back in 2005-06 that I would be running marathons, I would not have believed it. However, that reaction is more indicative of a lack of faith than anything else. Yes, my recovery was improbable and even my doctor said that my early progress was “way ahead of schedule” but nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). If you accept defeat, then that’s what you will get. See Part 2 of the Mission section of my main website (http://jzehnder208.googlepages.com/). As for the disbelief, I don’t see how anyone without a medical background could know so much about this disease and the treatment without actually going through it. My picture is posted at the finish line of my first marathon in Oregon, which proves that I really did it in less than 4 hours.
1.Weak adrenals from birth- I was not properly tested for adrenal disease until I was 25 years old but based on my results, my doctor feels that I was born with weak adrenals and based on my experiences, I tend to agree. Some of the symptoms, such as difficulty waking up in the morning were present from a very young age. However, the energy crash may have been avoided with a lower stress lifestyle. In any event, my capacity for stress was limited by weak adrenals. Plenty of people take on far more physical and emotional stress than I ever did yet never experience an energy crash.
2.Chronic emotional stress- From 9th grade, through 4 years of high school, 4 years of college and 2 years of graduate school, I pushed myself to excel in the classroom and sometimes took a course load that was too difficult to bear. One B per grade period was usually acceptable but I was upset with myself if I did any worse. There were periods in which I spent the bulk of my time outside of class studying in the library. Some semesters, the workload was concentrated within a few “hell weeks” then I would have it relatively easy for a while. Other times, the work was constant throughout the semester and I could never give myself time to recover. In undergrad, I usually felt decent during the semester but had a major let down after it was over, which is characteristic of fast oxidizers (hyper). In both high school and undergrad, I was a top student, graduating in the top ten percent of my class. When I got to Clemson for graduate school, the average student was as intelligent as I am and some could match my determination as well. As my health deteriorated, it became more difficult to focus and my grades slipped a bit, which never sat well with me.
3. Chronic physical stress- As I have posted before, I lack the talent to become an elite runner but do have enough to be pretty good when healthy. However, my capacity for workouts was limited by my weak adrenals. Even before the energy crash, there was no way that I could have trained at 70-80 MPW like most college athletes plus I studied so much that I didn’t have the time. My strongest events were the middle distances on the track (800-1500 meters) and I tailored my training accordingly with a steady diet of short and fast intervals. I usually topped out around 25-30 MPW on 5 training days per week but most of my runs were at tempo pace or faster. Long runs of 6-10 miles were also pushed hard. As my condition slowly worsened, I was unable to improve as much as I had hoped based on my intense training and was beaten by runners who skimped on their training. This frustrated me to no end.
4.Poor diet- I consumed a lot of sugared and caffeinated drinks while seeking more energy. What I got was a temporary hit of energy from the stimulants and ended up beating up my adrenals even more. Also, I consumed more than my share of simple carbohydrates and the garbage that is served at fast food restaurants.
5.Other environmental factors- I have read horror stories about people that have reported having “never been the same” after a certain event or taking a prescription drug. As a teenager, I was on an acne drug called Accutane that has been linked to chronic depression and adrenal disease. In some very rare cases, people have reported that the “side effects” are still present 20 years after stopping the drug. Accutane is just one of many drugs that have been linked to long-term ill-effects that are not limited to thyroid and adrenal disease. Obviously, there were other factors in play in my situation but feel that Accutane did play a role. Finally, adrenal disease can be caused by exposure to toxic metals which displace important minerals and prevent systems from doing their jobs. FYI: my toxic metals have never been shown to be a serious problem.
The solution:
1. Supplements- If you do have weak adrenals from birth, this is most important. Once I crashed, simply avoiding stress was not enough to restore health. The greatest determinant to how I feel is the pills You’ll need a hair and/or neurotransmitter test to determine what to take, what not to take and how much to take. My case was unusually complex in that one fewer or one more pill per day made all the difference in the world. Re-test every 3-6 months to track your progress. The test may reveal necessary changes that can be made before negative effects appear. I monitor my body’s reaction to the supplements very closely and take note of how my training goes. For example, if I am unsure about a formula at a particular time, I rest a day or 2 so I’ll be fresh then test myself in a time trial. On a good day, I can run 5 miles in less than 35:00 even without competition. If I’m under 35, I know that no changes are needed. If I’m closer to 36, it’s no big deal. It can be attributed to normal variability in performance. If I’m over 37 and going all out, I’m losing close to 30 seconds per mile and certainly don’t feel right. Something is clearly wrong so I try another formula and run it again. Sometimes I consult my doctor but it’s happened so often that I usually know what the problem is on my own. For example, if my legs don’t hurt but I can’t breathe, it’s almost always hyperthyroidism. If my legs do hurt but I’m not out of breath, it’s something else, often low neurotransmitters. Often, after a couple of “C” or “D” workouts, I make the needed adjustment before I get to the point in which I cannot do a workout, which is the only time that I give myself an “F.” If I do not change my formula when it is necessary to do so, every scheduled hard workout would be an “F” even if I am well rested.
2. Low stress in personal life- Find a low stress job without heavy overtime. True, the money will not be as good but you can’t put a price tag on health and happiness. Americans are now working longer hours and sleeping less than they were even 10 years ago. Half of all white collar workers log more than 50 hours per week. Many of these workers are under chronic stress during the day and feel nothing like getting any type of exercise when they finally get off work. They pick up fast food for dinner, eat late night snacks and end up overweight. Weekends are spent on maintenance of the home or watching television. If the trend of more work/less sleep continues, the problem of adrenal disease will only worsen and mainstream medicine offers little hope of recovery. If you are a university student unsure whether or not you can handle a course load, don’t take all of them or drop one early in the semester. It’s better to be slightly bored (slightly is a key word) than overwhelmed by stress. If you are in a situation in which high stress in unavoidable, you are not doomed even if you have a history of adrenal disease. However, your supplement program may have to be modified and monitored more closely than usual.
3. Smarter training- I almost never run all 7 days a week or do 2 a day workouts. Also, I do not see myself ever going over 60 MPW even if I feel that I could handle it. As of now, 50-55 is my upper limit. If I feel that I need it, I am not afraid to take a second rest day during the week. Also, my style of training is very much different than before the crash. I do a lot more LSD (long slow distance) and rarely run short, fast intervals unless I am specifically training for a 5K. Because of this training, I am unlikely to come close to my PR for the 1 Mile but my racing is at distances 5K and longer. I have already set PRs at every distance 5 miles and up and feel that a 5K PR is within reach down the road. Whether it is as a result of too much distance or too much intensity, overtraining presents a risk of a relapse and I must remain wary of it. However, proper supplementation leads to more balanced chemistry, which will increase my workout capacity and mitigate the risk of overtraining. Soreness from intense training feels different from soreness as a result of a chemical imbalances and I know that difference very well. If I am sore as result of chemical imbalances, I don't push it. If I do try in that state, I'll fade early, get slower with every step and do myself no good by staying out there. When I know that it's not my day, I cut the workout short. The payoff is that I am fresh when I get back in balance. I've run some fast times just a few days after an adjustment.
*One very important point, I was a competitive runner from ’92-‘99 and was good enough for Division II teams. Even when I was no longer competitive, I still ran off and on when my relative lack of symptoms allowed. I was still in decent running shape up until early 2005. If not for this background, there was no way that I could progress to a 2008 marathon after my second running life began as 2006 came to an end. Also, it is a big mistake to jump right back into training at the first sign of improvement. Despite my competitive background, I was a walker as recently as the Fall of 2006 then progressed to walk/jog then followed a program similar to a “Couch to 5K.” Even elite performers would do best to follow a similar program.
4. Better food and drink choices- My doctor has told me that sugars and simple carbohydrates are “poison” for someone with my body chemistry. I rarely consume soda now but when I do, I drink something caffeine free and/or something sweetened with pure cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Drinking more water has also been helpful. I have also reduced my fast food consumption and increased my servings of vegetables. Lean meats and proteins make up the bulk of my diet.
5. No prescription drugs- I have not taken any drug since I came off the anti-depressants in the Fall of 2006 and unless my life is in danger and there is no alternative, I will not take another as long as I live. That said however, I do not advocate quitting meds cold turkey and admit that they can be beneficial for some people. I continue to test for toxic metals and would take pills with a chelating effect if a test showed toxicity.
I have a friend from California who is currently recovering from adrenal fatigue. He told me that when he shares my story with others with the disease, the most common reaction to seeing my running times is disbelief. True, if you had told me back in 2005-06 that I would be running marathons, I would not have believed it. However, that reaction is more indicative of a lack of faith than anything else. Yes, my recovery was improbable and even my doctor said that my early progress was “way ahead of schedule” but nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). If you accept defeat, then that’s what you will get. See Part 2 of the Mission section of my main website (http://jzehnder208.googlepages.com/). As for the disbelief, I don’t see how anyone without a medical background could know so much about this disease and the treatment without actually going through it. My picture is posted at the finish line of my first marathon in Oregon, which proves that I really did it in less than 4 hours.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Rant: People who make fun of slower runners
Let me say up front to anyone reading this that whether you are a top level competitor or purely a fitness runner, you have my respect if you make any legitimate effort to get in shape. I find that most of my fellow runners have the same view but there are some elitists out there that truly believe that anyone can become an excellent runner if they train properly for several years. Unfortunately, this group is concentrated among high school and college students, where the greatest opportunity to compete exists. Without going into the specifics, let's just say that I experienced this ugly side when my health deteriorated and a recent thread on Runner's World Online brought back some of those bad memories. Some idiot posted a message stating that anyone who trained properly for several years can run a mile well under 5 minutes and if you're over 5:00, then "you suck" and "you're a pansy." Those were the words. I don't kid myself. I never would have earned a D-I scholarship even if every chemical in my body was precisely in balance but I do have the talent to be a pretty good runner when healthy. However, I'd have to be blind not to realize that not everyone has the same potential.
One member of my high school team came in mildly overweight, had bad asthma and about the worst form I had ever seen. When he started out, he was awful and most of the girls team could beat him. A lot of the guys made fun of him but he stuck it out and dropped from well over 7:00 to the 5:30s by his senior year. In cross-country, he actually was good enough to run Varsity a couple of times. He got everything he could out of his limited talent but there was no way that he was even getting close to 5:00 no matter how hard he trained. I’m almost 30 years old so why do I care about what high school kids say? I care because there are a lot of insecure teenagers out there that are not very talented athletes but would like to join a team so they give it a shot in track or cross-country. They lag behind in the early workouts then quickly give up when some of the top runners treat them like snot instead of encouraging them to stick with it. The insecure teenager misses out on potential friendships and is unlikely to realize any benefit from running at that time or later in life. Later, a coach posted a message stating that his experience lends no support to the claim that if you can’t break 5:00, then you’re a “pansy.”
First, not everyone has the basic speed. If you can’t run a quarter mile in less than 65 seconds, you will not be able to maintain a sub-75 second pace for all 4 quarters. Just make up for your lack of speed by training harder, right? Wrong. Not everybody has the same capacity for workouts. Some elite athletes can build up to 50+ miles per week in a fairly short amount of time while it takes others years to build up to 30 and experience more pain as a result of it. In my case, my connective tissues did not heal properly as my hyperthyroid/adrenal condition worsened. Sometimes, it took 2 full days of rest to recover from a tempo run. If I was foolish enough to run through the extreme soreness, I would end up limping. Later, someone posted that you cannot expect someone with some sort of disease to run under 5:00. True, but not all diseases are apparent on the surface. Analytical Research Labs stated that upwards of 60% of adults have thyroid/adrenal imbalances that are significant enough to produce at least mild symptoms. Hypo is more common than hyper. For reasons discussed in my main website (http://jzehnder208.googlepages.com/) in the Flaws of Traditional Medicine, most don’t know it because they have never had the proper medical tests. In the early stages of adrenal fatigue, a person might only lose 5-10% of their energy. Such a loss is unlikely to be even noticeable in a person leading a sedentary lifestyle especially if it comes on gradually and after the age of 30. The energy loss is simply accepted as a part of the aging process. However, for a competitive athlete, a 10% energy loss is huge. A 4:50-something miler who operates at 90% will look normal to his peers and be able to do most of the team workouts but will not be able to break 5:20 in a race. He will go from being one of the better runners to being relegated to Junior Varsity. In many cases, he will become discouraged and quit or try to stick it out and be considered lazy by his ignorant teammates. As you can tell, I am passionate about this and would like to work in the field of alternative medicine. I want to work more closely with athletes who tend to be more motivated to follow the program because they have more to gain by being healthy. What’s the point of this rant? If you are reading this and you are one of the slowest on your team or an adult who is training fairly hard just to break 30:00 for 5K, you have my full support. Don’t give up. You can improve significantly.
One member of my high school team came in mildly overweight, had bad asthma and about the worst form I had ever seen. When he started out, he was awful and most of the girls team could beat him. A lot of the guys made fun of him but he stuck it out and dropped from well over 7:00 to the 5:30s by his senior year. In cross-country, he actually was good enough to run Varsity a couple of times. He got everything he could out of his limited talent but there was no way that he was even getting close to 5:00 no matter how hard he trained. I’m almost 30 years old so why do I care about what high school kids say? I care because there are a lot of insecure teenagers out there that are not very talented athletes but would like to join a team so they give it a shot in track or cross-country. They lag behind in the early workouts then quickly give up when some of the top runners treat them like snot instead of encouraging them to stick with it. The insecure teenager misses out on potential friendships and is unlikely to realize any benefit from running at that time or later in life. Later, a coach posted a message stating that his experience lends no support to the claim that if you can’t break 5:00, then you’re a “pansy.”
First, not everyone has the basic speed. If you can’t run a quarter mile in less than 65 seconds, you will not be able to maintain a sub-75 second pace for all 4 quarters. Just make up for your lack of speed by training harder, right? Wrong. Not everybody has the same capacity for workouts. Some elite athletes can build up to 50+ miles per week in a fairly short amount of time while it takes others years to build up to 30 and experience more pain as a result of it. In my case, my connective tissues did not heal properly as my hyperthyroid/adrenal condition worsened. Sometimes, it took 2 full days of rest to recover from a tempo run. If I was foolish enough to run through the extreme soreness, I would end up limping. Later, someone posted that you cannot expect someone with some sort of disease to run under 5:00. True, but not all diseases are apparent on the surface. Analytical Research Labs stated that upwards of 60% of adults have thyroid/adrenal imbalances that are significant enough to produce at least mild symptoms. Hypo is more common than hyper. For reasons discussed in my main website (http://jzehnder208.googlepages.com/) in the Flaws of Traditional Medicine, most don’t know it because they have never had the proper medical tests. In the early stages of adrenal fatigue, a person might only lose 5-10% of their energy. Such a loss is unlikely to be even noticeable in a person leading a sedentary lifestyle especially if it comes on gradually and after the age of 30. The energy loss is simply accepted as a part of the aging process. However, for a competitive athlete, a 10% energy loss is huge. A 4:50-something miler who operates at 90% will look normal to his peers and be able to do most of the team workouts but will not be able to break 5:20 in a race. He will go from being one of the better runners to being relegated to Junior Varsity. In many cases, he will become discouraged and quit or try to stick it out and be considered lazy by his ignorant teammates. As you can tell, I am passionate about this and would like to work in the field of alternative medicine. I want to work more closely with athletes who tend to be more motivated to follow the program because they have more to gain by being healthy. What’s the point of this rant? If you are reading this and you are one of the slowest on your team or an adult who is training fairly hard just to break 30:00 for 5K, you have my full support. Don’t give up. You can improve significantly.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
training Jan. 4-10
Jan.4- 5 miles in 38:30. Probably the best that I have felt since before Christmas. This would have been an A if I did not mishandle the pace so badly. Started at 7:20 pace the first half mile then gradually slowed down. Planned on going 6 but decided to cut the last mile because my average pace was too fast. I can't afford to keep doing this if I want to average 50 MPW.
Grade: B+/1 credit/distance=5.5
Grade: B+/1 credit/distance=5.5
Jan.5- 8 miles in 65:37. Still a little fast (8:12 pace) but this was a strong performance. Well ahead of marathon pace and I had plenty left at the end. The pain began setting in shortly thereafter. Must go easy tomorrow. 5 day mileage total is 43.5 so I've got a shot at hitting my personal high of 52 in 7 days.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=8.5
Jan.6- 4 mile recovery jog probably around 33:xx. Legs were not very sore but the rest of my body felt weak. Ate a big dinner afterwards and got a decent night sleep. Hopefully, I can manage a quality workout tomorrow then I'll rest on Thursday. 48 miles in 6 days.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=4.5
Jan.7- Long intervals. 2400 in 11:00 (weak), 1600 in 7:29 (sucked), 1200 in 5:28 (weak), 800 in 3:31 (satisfactory), 400 in 82 (strong). plus 1 mile worth of warmup/cooldown. Overall pace for the interval workout was 7:12.5. Weight dipped below 150 so I knew that I would struggle a bit. Typical hyperthyroid pattern. Pretty good speed. I would have been decent in a short interval workout and was surprised that I showed some life in that last quarter but the quality suffers as the distance increases. I would have sucked if I ran any long distance race today. I'll be a little generous with the grade because today's distance was enough to set a new 7 day high in mileage with 53. Time to cut the chromium and manganese to slow thyroid/adrenals.
Grade:C-/2 credits/distance=5.0
Jan.8- planned rest day. I needed one.
Jan.9- easy 5 in the evening. Time was over 40 but that's fine. Feeling better than I did two days ago. I'll have to do my long run tomorrow morning because it will rain in the afternoon. This run will help me hit my mileage target.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=5.0
Jan.10- 13 miles at a comfortable pace, came through in just under 1:50 or slightly under 8:30 pace. If I can keep this up for the full 26.2, I'll run in the low 3:40s. But I wasn't done yet. I needed to take a bathroom break and came out ready to run a few miles at a faster pace. I ended up following the 13 miler with a 5K in 22:23, which is not far from my tempo pace. Last mile was 6:45, last 800 in 3:13, final quarter in 91. I think that I can PR in the half. A sub 1:40 will not be easy on the Mercedes course.
Grade:A/2 credits/distance=16.5
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Weekly summary: Feeling good about this week overall. It sure ended on a positive note. I did have a minor flare up but quickly recognized what was wrong and cut out the pills that I needed to with good results. I like that distance for the first full week of '09.
Distance=45.0/ Weekly GPA= 24.4/8= 3.05 (again, pleased with the 3.0+)
Jan.7- Long intervals. 2400 in 11:00 (weak), 1600 in 7:29 (sucked), 1200 in 5:28 (weak), 800 in 3:31 (satisfactory), 400 in 82 (strong). plus 1 mile worth of warmup/cooldown. Overall pace for the interval workout was 7:12.5. Weight dipped below 150 so I knew that I would struggle a bit. Typical hyperthyroid pattern. Pretty good speed. I would have been decent in a short interval workout and was surprised that I showed some life in that last quarter but the quality suffers as the distance increases. I would have sucked if I ran any long distance race today. I'll be a little generous with the grade because today's distance was enough to set a new 7 day high in mileage with 53. Time to cut the chromium and manganese to slow thyroid/adrenals.
Grade:C-/2 credits/distance=5.0
Jan.8- planned rest day. I needed one.
Jan.9- easy 5 in the evening. Time was over 40 but that's fine. Feeling better than I did two days ago. I'll have to do my long run tomorrow morning because it will rain in the afternoon. This run will help me hit my mileage target.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=5.0
Jan.10- 13 miles at a comfortable pace, came through in just under 1:50 or slightly under 8:30 pace. If I can keep this up for the full 26.2, I'll run in the low 3:40s. But I wasn't done yet. I needed to take a bathroom break and came out ready to run a few miles at a faster pace. I ended up following the 13 miler with a 5K in 22:23, which is not far from my tempo pace. Last mile was 6:45, last 800 in 3:13, final quarter in 91. I think that I can PR in the half. A sub 1:40 will not be easy on the Mercedes course.
Grade:A/2 credits/distance=16.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly summary: Feeling good about this week overall. It sure ended on a positive note. I did have a minor flare up but quickly recognized what was wrong and cut out the pills that I needed to with good results. I like that distance for the first full week of '09.
Distance=45.0/ Weekly GPA= 24.4/8= 3.05 (again, pleased with the 3.0+)
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