9/20- 2.5 easy on the mill. Hoping that a run would take my mind off the brutal dental pain. It did not. My pace fell off significantly after 2 miles.
Grade: Pass/0 credit/ distance= 2.5
9/21- knocked out by Lortab, disabled.
9/22-tooth extraction today, disabled.
9/23- recovering at home, off the pain meds and hoping to get clearance soon.
9/24- got clearance to run and start gradually when I feel up to it. Just did a few untimed strides. Did not feel good at all and taking chromium made things worse. This is essentially a rest day and this whole week is essentially a break, which means I likely won't take much time off between Huntsville and Mercedes.
Grade:Non-Pass/0 credit/distance=0.5
9/25- 2 miles at moderate effort at Veteran's Park. Time was 15:31 (7:45 pace). Pace was even despite feeling very weak. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to run today but this was essentially just a warm up and should not hurt too much. I am halfway through the antibiotics.
Grade: Pass/0 credit/distance=2.0
9/26- Miserable 1.2 run in Hoover in brutally humid conditions. Felt awful and quit because I had to squat. The rain came in the afternoon so I ran a comfortable 3.8 on the 'mill @7:50 pace with a fast finish. The difference? You guessed it. 1 chromium pill.
Grade: Pass/ 0 credit/distance=5.0
Weekly summary: This would have been my worst week on record but I have an excuse this time. Hopefully, the rehab is finished and I can go long tomorrow. Distance was 10 miles.
9/27- 7.5@ 7:55 pace. Faded a bit in the 2nd half. Planned to go 10 but just didn't quite feel up to it. Not a good run by any stretch but still my best since the toothache. Finished 75% of the workout at easy pace with tempo effort. I get a 75 on the day.
Grade:C/2 credits/distance=7.5
9/28- Veterans Park 2 in 16:10. Baaaaaauhhd! I was done after the warm up. The only reason this is not an F is that I am still on antibiotics. I should have been prescribed this dosage for a few days then been allowed to taper down. Good news is that today was my last full day. I have 2 pills left then I can pitch the empty bottle. I've already gotten some probiotics. I feel weak and stiff all over just like adrenal fatigue.
Grade:D-/1 credit/distance=2.5
9/29- Johnny's workout. 400 strides, 5x800, 400 strides with a 400 jog in between. My average was a 2:46 with a range of 2:38-2:49. Up and down day for me. Felt awful when I woke up and got worse after taking the last of the antibiotics then after lunch, I loaded on SBF (anti-adrenal fatigue formula) and soon felt better. Antibiotics can cause adrenal fatigue and I was probably headed back in that direction. If I ever have to go on antibiotics again, I will remember the SBF! This was not one of my best workouts but still the best I've done since this ordeal Average performance on the workout but below average on the day.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=4.5
9/30- Good ending to a ROTTEN month overall. Trak Shak 5 @ 7:00. This was a course PR but still short of my all time best by :17/mile so a good tempo effort. Good start but faded badly in 4th mile but had enough left to finish 1 second under 35. Still a bit tight in the groin area and my form was sloppy AND my bowels are still loose. I nearly lost it on the cool down with Adam and had to duck into a restaurant. Despite all that, I can be pleased with my performance.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=6.5
10/1- After back to back quality days, I normally rest or do a recovery run. Today, I opted for the recovery run. Hoover 3 @7:48. Had to run an obstacle course around the band and football practice and in the end, I had to cut the workout short. Bad mid-afternoon low in which I felt sleepy and wired at the same time so part of me was pleased that I was able to run at all. Fairly even pace but I was struggling through it. No, it didn't feel like natural fatigue. I was sore and short of breath. That's a double whammy. Overall, for an planned easy day, it was not a debacle but still mediocre.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=3.0
10/2- Lakeshore 5 in 38:47 (7:46 pace). Felt stiff warming up then took some chromium and it helped. Not as sore as yesterday. Not effortless but still an improvement over yesterday. A good long run would complete a halfway decent week.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=5.0
10/3- 16 miles @ 8:28 pace on a hilly route. Uneven pace but don't blame me. I just ran with the group. Still stiff groin muscles that got worse during the run. Faded pretty badly after 13 but that's okay since I'm not racing a marathon for several months. This was my longest run in a long time so I'm okay with the slow overall pace. I just wanted to be under 8:30. I could barely walk after I finished but I took a 2nd chromium and it helped a lot. A few strides in the afternoon. I should be ready to go tomorrow.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=16.5
Weekly summary:
Highest mileage since marathon training. Still not very good overall but it was my 2nd highest GPA in the last 6 weeks. The next time I hit the wall in a marathon, I will take chromium during the race. Ran all 7 days and had only 1 day that was less than a C. Hopefully, this is the start of a positive trend.
Distance=45.5/GPA= 2.55
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
dental pain
I remember a Seinfeld episode a while back in which Jerry is accused of being an "anti-dentite" Don't put me in that category yet but man I've got a reason to be upset. I get a lot of compliments about my smile so it might be surprising that I have problems with my teeth. Well, at the time of my diagnosis, I had a tissue calcium level below 50% of ideal. I have since boosted it to about 70-75% but the residual effects remain. It is not a surprise that my teeth decay easily.
About 2.5 years ago, I had fractured the the bottom left molar. I wanted it pulled right then because it was on the very end and nobody could tell that it was missing. The dentist in Monty had other ideas. He said that "we should do everything we can to save that tooth" so I got the crown and endured a flare up later on, which required the actual root canal. I could barely open my mouth for a couple of days and it took weeks for the soreness to fully go away. Oh yeah, I was prescribed pain medication and had a reaction. I was having a pleasant conversation with my boss when all of a sudden, I started feeling really dizzy and went down. I laugh about this now. My sister told me that her husband once had a bad reaction to novacaine. I replied: "not nearly as bad as mine, I'll guarantee that." In a monotone voice, she replied: "No. He didn't pass out at work in front of his boss." These events took place several days before my half marathon debut (1:59:37) in Seaside, Florida.
Fast forward to last Friday night. As luck would have it, I started feeling a little bit of pain the night before the race. I couldn't see a dentist until Monday so I just took some Motrin and felt fine when I woke up. I had no dental issues during the race but it began to feel a little sore by the afternoon. By Sunday, the pain was excruciating. It was so bad that my ear was throbbing in addition to my tooth. I don't think I got an ounce of sleep that night. I had to go to Monty in 2 weeks for audit training and I trusted my old dentist (he was the one that did the crown) so I went ahead and made the trip while laboring in pain. Bad call. I wasn't too worried about falling asleep because I was in too much pain. The trip was relatively smooth and I arrived first thing in the morning and stated that I had an extreme emergency. My dentist was able to fit me in and he could not tell whether or not it was an infection or that the crown had altered my bite. He smoothed a little off my upper tooth and prescribed antibiotics and pain medication (Lortab). When I left the office, I felt about 20% better. Maybe, all I needed was an adjustment to my bite. My dentist wanted to see me in 2 weeks when I would be back in Monty for training. In the past, antibiotics had an immediate impact and I was hopeful that if it was an infection, it would make a difference immediately. It did not. Finally, after 2 pit stops, I made it back to Hoover and took the pain medication. It really didn't too much for the pain but at least it made me drowsy as advertised. I was able to get a few hours of sleep. Despite taking all of the recommended pills, I was not getting significant relief from the pain and my face was becoming swollen and even had a low grade fever (99.6). I made an appointment with a dentist in B'ham for a second opinion. Good call there. This guy had no doubt that it was an infection and my best option would be to pull it. IF ONLY I HAD SEEN HIM 2.5 YEARS AGO!! He referred me to somebody else in Hoover and after a wait, the dentist was able to see me. He said that it was so swollen that he had reservations about the procedure and told me to go elsewhere. I ended up at the UAB oral surgery center in Hoover with a 2 PM appointment. I would need sedation so I called my boss, who arranged for a coworker to drive me home. He not only did that but took me to the pharmacy and even picked up some soft food for me at the grocery store. Thank you Wayne. You are an angel. As far as I know, the extraction went smoothly and I got a little something to eat and went to my bed and slept. The worst is over now but I can't predict when I'll be back to normal. As far as racing, I am skipping the Race for the Cure 5K and will focus on high mileage in October. I may have a very active achedule from late October-December.
Possible races:
late October- Maple Leaf 5K in Trussville
Novermber- Vulcan 10K, Huntsville half marathon, Turkey Burner 5K
December- Baton Rouge Beach half marathon.
I probably will not do all of these. We'll see how things go. I want to focus on the Mercedes Marathon in February.
Probably no running for me this week.
Edit: pretty much bedridden yesterday although I have been able to stop taking the pain medication. I did go out in the afternoon for a haircut, which I badly needed. I am feeling a little loopy and have some diarrheal issues from the antibiotics. It is known that antibiotics can throw the adrenal glands out of balance so I can't predict the long term impact on my fall racing season. I have a right to be angry since this tooth should have been pulled more than 2 years ago and none of this would ever happened. I had my follow up appointment and was told that the procedure was done "just in the nick of time." I got clearance to return to work and to running "whenever I feel up to it." That won't be until the weekend at the earliest and the first 2 days will be easy with "pass/fail" grading.
About 2.5 years ago, I had fractured the the bottom left molar. I wanted it pulled right then because it was on the very end and nobody could tell that it was missing. The dentist in Monty had other ideas. He said that "we should do everything we can to save that tooth" so I got the crown and endured a flare up later on, which required the actual root canal. I could barely open my mouth for a couple of days and it took weeks for the soreness to fully go away. Oh yeah, I was prescribed pain medication and had a reaction. I was having a pleasant conversation with my boss when all of a sudden, I started feeling really dizzy and went down. I laugh about this now. My sister told me that her husband once had a bad reaction to novacaine. I replied: "not nearly as bad as mine, I'll guarantee that." In a monotone voice, she replied: "No. He didn't pass out at work in front of his boss." These events took place several days before my half marathon debut (1:59:37) in Seaside, Florida.
Fast forward to last Friday night. As luck would have it, I started feeling a little bit of pain the night before the race. I couldn't see a dentist until Monday so I just took some Motrin and felt fine when I woke up. I had no dental issues during the race but it began to feel a little sore by the afternoon. By Sunday, the pain was excruciating. It was so bad that my ear was throbbing in addition to my tooth. I don't think I got an ounce of sleep that night. I had to go to Monty in 2 weeks for audit training and I trusted my old dentist (he was the one that did the crown) so I went ahead and made the trip while laboring in pain. Bad call. I wasn't too worried about falling asleep because I was in too much pain. The trip was relatively smooth and I arrived first thing in the morning and stated that I had an extreme emergency. My dentist was able to fit me in and he could not tell whether or not it was an infection or that the crown had altered my bite. He smoothed a little off my upper tooth and prescribed antibiotics and pain medication (Lortab). When I left the office, I felt about 20% better. Maybe, all I needed was an adjustment to my bite. My dentist wanted to see me in 2 weeks when I would be back in Monty for training. In the past, antibiotics had an immediate impact and I was hopeful that if it was an infection, it would make a difference immediately. It did not. Finally, after 2 pit stops, I made it back to Hoover and took the pain medication. It really didn't too much for the pain but at least it made me drowsy as advertised. I was able to get a few hours of sleep. Despite taking all of the recommended pills, I was not getting significant relief from the pain and my face was becoming swollen and even had a low grade fever (99.6). I made an appointment with a dentist in B'ham for a second opinion. Good call there. This guy had no doubt that it was an infection and my best option would be to pull it. IF ONLY I HAD SEEN HIM 2.5 YEARS AGO!! He referred me to somebody else in Hoover and after a wait, the dentist was able to see me. He said that it was so swollen that he had reservations about the procedure and told me to go elsewhere. I ended up at the UAB oral surgery center in Hoover with a 2 PM appointment. I would need sedation so I called my boss, who arranged for a coworker to drive me home. He not only did that but took me to the pharmacy and even picked up some soft food for me at the grocery store. Thank you Wayne. You are an angel. As far as I know, the extraction went smoothly and I got a little something to eat and went to my bed and slept. The worst is over now but I can't predict when I'll be back to normal. As far as racing, I am skipping the Race for the Cure 5K and will focus on high mileage in October. I may have a very active achedule from late October-December.
Possible races:
late October- Maple Leaf 5K in Trussville
Novermber- Vulcan 10K, Huntsville half marathon, Turkey Burner 5K
December- Baton Rouge Beach half marathon.
I probably will not do all of these. We'll see how things go. I want to focus on the Mercedes Marathon in February.
Probably no running for me this week.
Edit: pretty much bedridden yesterday although I have been able to stop taking the pain medication. I did go out in the afternoon for a haircut, which I badly needed. I am feeling a little loopy and have some diarrheal issues from the antibiotics. It is known that antibiotics can throw the adrenal glands out of balance so I can't predict the long term impact on my fall racing season. I have a right to be angry since this tooth should have been pulled more than 2 years ago and none of this would ever happened. I had my follow up appointment and was told that the procedure was done "just in the nick of time." I got clearance to return to work and to running "whenever I feel up to it." That won't be until the weekend at the earliest and the first 2 days will be easy with "pass/fail" grading.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Big Brothers/Big Sisters 10K RR
Training:
Those of you who read my training log know that it's been a rough last 4 weeks. I only topped 30 miles one time and that was last week. That low mileage just won't do and the longer the distance, the uglier it gets. Simply put, the body would not allow for more because less than half my days were symptom free. 3 weeks ago, I had a nasty reaction if I took even one chromium pill. Now, I need 2 or else I will be extremely sore and mildly depressed as well. This massive shift in my chemistry still baffles my doctor and I. It's taken a toll emotionally as well. I thought I had a clear path to freedom from chemical imbalances if I could quit the chromium. Not so and this is a real let down. I had to skip my Labor Day weekend race in Tupelo and really wanted to race this Saturday. I woke up symptom free and it was a go. My choices were an 8K in B'ham or the BBBS 10K in Monty. If I ran the 8K, I was hoping that Preston and I could push each other to good times but I already had a strong PR at that distance. My 10K PR was almost a year old and it was the only major distance that I had not PR'd in 2009. The weather showed an 80% chance of rain in B'ham vs. only 10% in Monty. I opted for Monty and it was the right decision (sorry Johnny, I'll run your race next year, Lord willing). I left in plenty of time and the rain stopped when I got past Prattville. Warming up, I felt loose but a little jittery. Still, I predicted a good time and a possible PR of 42:43 or better.
Course: Well organized event despite the fact that it was the inaugeral year. The start and finish were in a shopping center while the remainder was largely residential. It was not pancake flat like I had hoped. Nothing was terribly steep but some were quite long. Overall, probably about a 4 out of 10 in terms of difficulty.
Race:
Good clean start. I was out with the lead pack and feeling smooth and relaxed. My early pace was in the low 6s, a little faster than I wanted but it felt easy enough. I knew that I would slow down naturally so my effort was pretty even. I managed to pass a few runners who had started too fast and I believe that I got as high as fifth place overall. For the rest of the way, I think, I passed one or two but two or three passed me. I'll edit this when the overall results are posted. The first mile was slightly fast but my average pace over the next 2 miles would be right on target despite slowing. I came through 3 miles in almost exactly 20 minutes so I estimate that I hit the halfway point around 20:45. That's about a 30 second cushion on PR pace and it looked like I had a shot at a sub-42 If I had run the 5K course instead, I think I would have won.
All I had to do was maintain a 7 minute pace for the 2nd half and I would PR with time to spare. However, from that point on, it was a struggle. The combination of the hills and the fact that I was in "no mans land" hurt me quite a bit. Nobody was coming up from behind and the guy that I was chasing was barely within my sight. Finally, I took a downhill hard near the end of Mile 4 and estimated that the man I was chasing was 20 seconds ahead. For a short time, I managed to increase my pace in hopes of catching him but gained little-no ground until it was too late. As it turned out, he would be the eventual winner of the 30-39 age division. With a mile to go, I knew that I needed to finish in 7:15 for a PR and thought I could do it. Just before 5.5, we hit a long steady incline and I looked at my Garmin to see a current pace of 7:35. Oh no! At this new pace, I would fall short. Fortunately, there was a downhill that followed. By the 6 Mile mark, I knew that a PR was mine barring a long course. My Garmin measured it almost perfectly. I really didn't care too much about breaking 42:30 but still produced a solid finish and hit it on the nose.
Splits:
6:33
6:39 (13:12)
6:49 (20:01)
6:59 (27:00)
7:05 (34:05)
7:08 (41:13)
1:17 (42:30)- 6:04 pace for last .21
A PR by 13 seconds. Yes! I have now set either post-HS PRs or all time PRs at every distance from 400 m up to the marathon in 2009.
Aftermath:
My legs were not too sore but my body simply felt "beat up." I got dragged into a 3.77 Mile warm down but enjoyed hanging with one of my favorite running bloggers, LA runner. She ran a fantastic race and won it outright (yes, she beat the male winner). Way to Go Rebecca! Oh yeah, I was 1st in the male 20-29 division and got a nice gold medal.
Any time I run a PR, I am going to be pleased and today was no exception. I graded myself at an A minus today. That said, I think in my current condition, I would have been around 42 flat with a flat course such as Mobile and close competition in the second half. To have a ghost of a chance to qualify for Boston, my 10K needs to be around 40, probably under. I am more than willing to put in the mileage required but will my body cooperate?
Final results: Finished 6th overall (out of 106) with an official time of 42:30 PR. The 5K had 131 participants and a winning time of 20:23 so I certainly would have won if I had raced the 5K. If the 5K guys had raced the 10K, I would have been 6th out of 237 (97th percentile). I can be proud of that even in a weak field.
Those of you who read my training log know that it's been a rough last 4 weeks. I only topped 30 miles one time and that was last week. That low mileage just won't do and the longer the distance, the uglier it gets. Simply put, the body would not allow for more because less than half my days were symptom free. 3 weeks ago, I had a nasty reaction if I took even one chromium pill. Now, I need 2 or else I will be extremely sore and mildly depressed as well. This massive shift in my chemistry still baffles my doctor and I. It's taken a toll emotionally as well. I thought I had a clear path to freedom from chemical imbalances if I could quit the chromium. Not so and this is a real let down. I had to skip my Labor Day weekend race in Tupelo and really wanted to race this Saturday. I woke up symptom free and it was a go. My choices were an 8K in B'ham or the BBBS 10K in Monty. If I ran the 8K, I was hoping that Preston and I could push each other to good times but I already had a strong PR at that distance. My 10K PR was almost a year old and it was the only major distance that I had not PR'd in 2009. The weather showed an 80% chance of rain in B'ham vs. only 10% in Monty. I opted for Monty and it was the right decision (sorry Johnny, I'll run your race next year, Lord willing). I left in plenty of time and the rain stopped when I got past Prattville. Warming up, I felt loose but a little jittery. Still, I predicted a good time and a possible PR of 42:43 or better.
Course: Well organized event despite the fact that it was the inaugeral year. The start and finish were in a shopping center while the remainder was largely residential. It was not pancake flat like I had hoped. Nothing was terribly steep but some were quite long. Overall, probably about a 4 out of 10 in terms of difficulty.
Race:
Good clean start. I was out with the lead pack and feeling smooth and relaxed. My early pace was in the low 6s, a little faster than I wanted but it felt easy enough. I knew that I would slow down naturally so my effort was pretty even. I managed to pass a few runners who had started too fast and I believe that I got as high as fifth place overall. For the rest of the way, I think, I passed one or two but two or three passed me. I'll edit this when the overall results are posted. The first mile was slightly fast but my average pace over the next 2 miles would be right on target despite slowing. I came through 3 miles in almost exactly 20 minutes so I estimate that I hit the halfway point around 20:45. That's about a 30 second cushion on PR pace and it looked like I had a shot at a sub-42 If I had run the 5K course instead, I think I would have won.
All I had to do was maintain a 7 minute pace for the 2nd half and I would PR with time to spare. However, from that point on, it was a struggle. The combination of the hills and the fact that I was in "no mans land" hurt me quite a bit. Nobody was coming up from behind and the guy that I was chasing was barely within my sight. Finally, I took a downhill hard near the end of Mile 4 and estimated that the man I was chasing was 20 seconds ahead. For a short time, I managed to increase my pace in hopes of catching him but gained little-no ground until it was too late. As it turned out, he would be the eventual winner of the 30-39 age division. With a mile to go, I knew that I needed to finish in 7:15 for a PR and thought I could do it. Just before 5.5, we hit a long steady incline and I looked at my Garmin to see a current pace of 7:35. Oh no! At this new pace, I would fall short. Fortunately, there was a downhill that followed. By the 6 Mile mark, I knew that a PR was mine barring a long course. My Garmin measured it almost perfectly. I really didn't care too much about breaking 42:30 but still produced a solid finish and hit it on the nose.
Splits:
6:33
6:39 (13:12)
6:49 (20:01)
6:59 (27:00)
7:05 (34:05)
7:08 (41:13)
1:17 (42:30)- 6:04 pace for last .21
A PR by 13 seconds. Yes! I have now set either post-HS PRs or all time PRs at every distance from 400 m up to the marathon in 2009.
Aftermath:
My legs were not too sore but my body simply felt "beat up." I got dragged into a 3.77 Mile warm down but enjoyed hanging with one of my favorite running bloggers, LA runner. She ran a fantastic race and won it outright (yes, she beat the male winner). Way to Go Rebecca! Oh yeah, I was 1st in the male 20-29 division and got a nice gold medal.
Any time I run a PR, I am going to be pleased and today was no exception. I graded myself at an A minus today. That said, I think in my current condition, I would have been around 42 flat with a flat course such as Mobile and close competition in the second half. To have a ghost of a chance to qualify for Boston, my 10K needs to be around 40, probably under. I am more than willing to put in the mileage required but will my body cooperate?
Final results: Finished 6th overall (out of 106) with an official time of 42:30 PR. The 5K had 131 participants and a winning time of 20:23 so I certainly would have won if I had raced the 5K. If the 5K guys had raced the 10K, I would have been 6th out of 237 (97th percentile). I can be proud of that even in a weak field.
Monday, September 14, 2009
training 9/13-9/19 (race week.... maybe)
9/13-Pelham 5 in 38:41 (7:44 pace). 1st time at this track. Even pace, felt pretty well all the way.
Grade: B/1 credit/distance=5.5
9/14- Birthday run at Hoover Rec center. It was a forgettable performance. I did manage to hit the pace target but on an easy run, it should feel nearly effortless. My pace slowed in the second half and was completing the miles with increasing strain. By the end, I was almost going all out. Overall pace was just under 8, which isn't bad but the grade is primarily based on how I feel on easy runs and today was fair at best and felt let down, not energized after. I can't wait for my 20s to be over! 1 more year to go.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=4.0
9/15- Long intervals at Vestavia in humid conditions. Pleased with the workout overall. Best that I've felt in 2 weeks. I'll be lenient with the grade since it was a bit of a breakthrough. Here are the stats: 400-88, 800-2:58, 1200-4:29, 1200-4:28, 800-2:56, 400-69 plus a Mile cool down. Everything was under 6 pace and finished with an overall pace of 5:50. I hope the slump is over.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=4.0
9/16- Go figure. Felt awful when I woke up and knew that I was low on chromium so I loaded on it and although I was still sore, I was feeling well enough to run. It was a pretty solid workout. Trak Shak 5 @ 7:06 pace plus a Mile cool down. 1st half was 18-flat, 2nd half was 17:30. I did stop for water but would have been sub-36 even if I had not. Felt invigorated just like I should after it was over. I have learned that zinc inhibits chromium absorption! That explains a couple of things. Where do I go from here? Despite the good performance today, I can't have this instability. What will happen if I cut out zinc? Who knows? My race on Saturday will be a "game time decision."
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=6.0
9/17-Actually woke up feeling good for the first time in a while and showed no ill effects from back to back quality days. No zinc last night. Mid morning low, took a chromium and felt better. Mid afternoon low, took half a chromium and felt better. Half proved to be not enough as I deteriorated by evening. 2 chromium pills work for now but for how long? It was only a few weeks ago that 1/2 was too much.
I'm still 50/50 for Saturday and I'll try not to go expecting a PR. Normally, under these circumstances, I would rest 2 days before a planned race following consecutive quality days but I needed a small test today. Workout was 2.5 at Heardmont just before a storm. Pace was a moderate effort 7:50. Not terrible but certainly wasn't feeling up to par.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=2.5
9/18- easy 2 on the mill. Is the rainy weather ever going away? Essentially a test warm up. Relaxed and effortless just like it should be. Starting to get a toothache. Okay, more pain! No, it's not too bad yet and I can make it through the weekend. Weather permitting, I plan on running tomorrow.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=2.0
9/19- Big Brothers/Big Sisters 10K in 42:30 PR plus a long warm down.
Grade:A-/4 credits/distance=11.0
Weekly summary:
Only 2 out of 7 sub par days. Not too bad. Nothing less than a C. That's a step in the right direction. How long will this formula work?
Distance= 35.0/ GPA= 3.317
Grade: B/1 credit/distance=5.5
9/14- Birthday run at Hoover Rec center. It was a forgettable performance. I did manage to hit the pace target but on an easy run, it should feel nearly effortless. My pace slowed in the second half and was completing the miles with increasing strain. By the end, I was almost going all out. Overall pace was just under 8, which isn't bad but the grade is primarily based on how I feel on easy runs and today was fair at best and felt let down, not energized after. I can't wait for my 20s to be over! 1 more year to go.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=4.0
9/15- Long intervals at Vestavia in humid conditions. Pleased with the workout overall. Best that I've felt in 2 weeks. I'll be lenient with the grade since it was a bit of a breakthrough. Here are the stats: 400-88, 800-2:58, 1200-4:29, 1200-4:28, 800-2:56, 400-69 plus a Mile cool down. Everything was under 6 pace and finished with an overall pace of 5:50. I hope the slump is over.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=4.0
9/16- Go figure. Felt awful when I woke up and knew that I was low on chromium so I loaded on it and although I was still sore, I was feeling well enough to run. It was a pretty solid workout. Trak Shak 5 @ 7:06 pace plus a Mile cool down. 1st half was 18-flat, 2nd half was 17:30. I did stop for water but would have been sub-36 even if I had not. Felt invigorated just like I should after it was over. I have learned that zinc inhibits chromium absorption! That explains a couple of things. Where do I go from here? Despite the good performance today, I can't have this instability. What will happen if I cut out zinc? Who knows? My race on Saturday will be a "game time decision."
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=6.0
9/17-Actually woke up feeling good for the first time in a while and showed no ill effects from back to back quality days. No zinc last night. Mid morning low, took a chromium and felt better. Mid afternoon low, took half a chromium and felt better. Half proved to be not enough as I deteriorated by evening. 2 chromium pills work for now but for how long? It was only a few weeks ago that 1/2 was too much.
I'm still 50/50 for Saturday and I'll try not to go expecting a PR. Normally, under these circumstances, I would rest 2 days before a planned race following consecutive quality days but I needed a small test today. Workout was 2.5 at Heardmont just before a storm. Pace was a moderate effort 7:50. Not terrible but certainly wasn't feeling up to par.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=2.5
9/18- easy 2 on the mill. Is the rainy weather ever going away? Essentially a test warm up. Relaxed and effortless just like it should be. Starting to get a toothache. Okay, more pain! No, it's not too bad yet and I can make it through the weekend. Weather permitting, I plan on running tomorrow.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=2.0
9/19- Big Brothers/Big Sisters 10K in 42:30 PR plus a long warm down.
Grade:A-/4 credits/distance=11.0
Weekly summary:
Only 2 out of 7 sub par days. Not too bad. Nothing less than a C. That's a step in the right direction. How long will this formula work?
Distance= 35.0/ GPA= 3.317
Monday, September 7, 2009
Need to Vent!
Disclaimer: I do not want this post to be thought of as self-pity but I really need to get a few things off my chest and maybe clarify any misconceptions that others may have about me. I have been praised for my patience in this situation but there comes a time when patience runs out.
Since the Elvis Presley 5K, my bad days have outnumbered my good ones. My last 3 weeks have been 2.26, 2.19 and 2.09 and this is my longest slump since starting this blog. It looks like I may have got this figured out for now but if my history is any indication, it is almost certain that I will have another flare up sooner rather than later.
On a good day, I can do a 2 Mile in well under 12 minutes yet 2 days ago, I was honestly trying my best and could not even break 15 minutes and if had tried to go longer and slower, I almost certainly would have conked out after about 3-4 miles, which is what happened this morning. I had no trace of the flu or any other viral or bacterial infection and I certainly was not over training. Heck, I didn't even run the day before and have averaged less than 30 miles/wk. over the past month or so. During my best period of marathon training, I averaged close to 50 for an entire month. I think I did do a little too much speed last training cycle but that certainly would not cause a roller coaster like this. My abysmal performances on certain days can be explained by chemical imbalances alone. I would trade much of my talent as a runner for more consistency. I'd much rather be stuck running 21-22 minute 5Ks and be able to do so every day than be capable of breaking 19 one day then not being able to go sub-25 another day even though I am fresh and free of infections.
Almost as frustrating as the roller coaster ride is having to deal with people who don't understand what I am going through and in some cases, do not even consider my point of view and make negative assumptions about me, which are 100% inaccurate. When I started going downhill in undergrad, I still tried to train with the team in hopes that I could find out why my 20 year old body could not do what it was able to do at 17-18. Coach was very good to me but I cannot say the same about my teammates. Typically, I would run well maybe once a week and it would leave me so sore that I was worthless for the next 2-3 days. Because I could rarely work out with the team, I was labeled a "pussy." More recently, a few discussions on RWOL have opened up some of those old wounds. There are some posters on the Marathon Race Training Forum that think that everyone should run 80+ MPW and if you don't, you're lazy and you'll never get optimal results. It's obvious that such mileage would never work for me right now especially since on a bad day, I hit the wall after 3-4 miles and literally can't go on at a pace faster than 10:00/mile. A while back, some idiots suggested that if you cannot run a sub-5 Mile, then "you suck and you're a pansy." I don't kid myself, I never would have been much better than a midpack runner at a Division II school even if healthy but I'd have to be blind not to realize that I have above average talent when it comes to running. How many 30 year old guys out there are capable of running a quarter in 60 seconds if they trained? Not too many. I have tremendous respect for those who put in the hours of training but may not perform as well in races because they are not as talented as I am.
To the non-runners who tell me that my bad day is still better than their best day: Not entirely accurate. Even during my energy crash, I had some days that I wasn't feeling quite as bad as usual and would force myself to do a few miles. I would usually turn in a Mile in about 7 minutes, a 2 Mile in 15-16 (just like 2 days ago) and a 5K in 25-26. Any longer than that and I would hit the wall. To the average person on the street, a 7 minute mile isn't so bad and few untrained people my age can even run that fast. However, on those days, one of 2 things is happening to me. I am either extremely stiff and sore despite being fresh or I am over stimulated and get out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs. In either case, I will be crap in a workout. I would gladly trade my running talent for freedom from those symptoms. A 7 minute mile represents about a 30% slowdown from my best. To put that into perspective, if Usain Bolt lost that much of his ability, he would clock about 12.4 in the 100 and lose to an average high school sprinter. Of course, everyone would want to know what was wrong. BTW- if I don't run, my depression symptoms worsen because running releases dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline.
I think y'all get the picture. How I feel completely depends on taking the right pills at the proper dosage. That would not be so bad if this magic formula stayed constant but that's not the case. What works like magic now is unlikely to work in a month's time and I'll go through another rough patch and the cycle repeats itself. That said, why am I such a strong advocate for alternative medicine despite what I am going through? Simple. If I stayed with traditional medicine (anti-depressants), I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY GOOD DAYS!!! A "good day" would be a 15 minute 2 mile with extreme stiffness. I never was suicidal but a bad day would be laying around, not feeling like doing anything. I may have symptom free days but I've never been in balance and I really don't know how good I can be when that happens. Even a modest 5% improvement would lower my PRs to the following:
400 in 58, Mile in 5:06, 5K in 18:29. With that speed, there's no reason why I can't run a 3:10 marathon and qualify for Boston on about 60 MPW. When that happens, I will show everyone that this stuff really works. I've made tremendous progress. Take a look at my race results:
http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=29860139
-23 minute improvement in my half marathon in 2 years. Nearly 3:00 off in the same timeframe in the 5K.
I have tried to reach out to people on RWOL that post messages indicating that they suffer from depression. Believe it or not, I've faced criticism (not from those I've tried to help but others) and have been accused of "railing against traditonal medicine and SSRI antidepressants" Again, that is not accurate. First, I don't deny that traditional medicine can be a great thing. When I got nailed by a bacterial infection, I was thankful for antibiotics. Also, I would never tell anyone to quit taking a drug if it helped them feel better. I am only interested in getting the word out about other options if anti-depressants don't work (even drug companies admit that 70% of depressed patients have unresolved symptoms) and connect patients with people qualifed to advise them in natural medicine.
I had symptoms beginning in the Fall of 1998 and masked most of them, first with thyroid medication on the bad advice of a quack physician and later with a powerful stimulant adrenal supplement. Both helped me in the short-term but likely contributed to my current instability and extreme sensitivity to the pills. Standard blood tests came back normal but when my first hair test came back, it showed that I was trending diabetic, badly hyperthyroid, hypoadrenal and in a state of adrenal exhaustion. I was also deficient in serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline and GABA (no wonder SSRIs didn't work). Obviously, I was in pretty bad shape and it explains why I had lost 30% of my running ability (more than that at longer distances). I have escaped adrenal exhaustion but as is common, my system overshot the balance point and my adrenals are now overactive. I should just take stuff to slow them down now, right? Wrong. I still have mineral deficiencies (such as chromium) that are associated with slow adrenals. Fixing one problem makes the other worse so it is a very delicate balance. I was so hopeful that I no longer needed chromium because that would mean that I had a clear path to recovery. Not so. I just hope that I can get by with very little of that stuff. When I am free from this and yes, I still have faith that I will be, I will show everyone what kind of runner I really am and more importantly, the type of person that I really am. I know this was a long rant. Thanks for listening.
Since the Elvis Presley 5K, my bad days have outnumbered my good ones. My last 3 weeks have been 2.26, 2.19 and 2.09 and this is my longest slump since starting this blog. It looks like I may have got this figured out for now but if my history is any indication, it is almost certain that I will have another flare up sooner rather than later.
On a good day, I can do a 2 Mile in well under 12 minutes yet 2 days ago, I was honestly trying my best and could not even break 15 minutes and if had tried to go longer and slower, I almost certainly would have conked out after about 3-4 miles, which is what happened this morning. I had no trace of the flu or any other viral or bacterial infection and I certainly was not over training. Heck, I didn't even run the day before and have averaged less than 30 miles/wk. over the past month or so. During my best period of marathon training, I averaged close to 50 for an entire month. I think I did do a little too much speed last training cycle but that certainly would not cause a roller coaster like this. My abysmal performances on certain days can be explained by chemical imbalances alone. I would trade much of my talent as a runner for more consistency. I'd much rather be stuck running 21-22 minute 5Ks and be able to do so every day than be capable of breaking 19 one day then not being able to go sub-25 another day even though I am fresh and free of infections.
Almost as frustrating as the roller coaster ride is having to deal with people who don't understand what I am going through and in some cases, do not even consider my point of view and make negative assumptions about me, which are 100% inaccurate. When I started going downhill in undergrad, I still tried to train with the team in hopes that I could find out why my 20 year old body could not do what it was able to do at 17-18. Coach was very good to me but I cannot say the same about my teammates. Typically, I would run well maybe once a week and it would leave me so sore that I was worthless for the next 2-3 days. Because I could rarely work out with the team, I was labeled a "pussy." More recently, a few discussions on RWOL have opened up some of those old wounds. There are some posters on the Marathon Race Training Forum that think that everyone should run 80+ MPW and if you don't, you're lazy and you'll never get optimal results. It's obvious that such mileage would never work for me right now especially since on a bad day, I hit the wall after 3-4 miles and literally can't go on at a pace faster than 10:00/mile. A while back, some idiots suggested that if you cannot run a sub-5 Mile, then "you suck and you're a pansy." I don't kid myself, I never would have been much better than a midpack runner at a Division II school even if healthy but I'd have to be blind not to realize that I have above average talent when it comes to running. How many 30 year old guys out there are capable of running a quarter in 60 seconds if they trained? Not too many. I have tremendous respect for those who put in the hours of training but may not perform as well in races because they are not as talented as I am.
To the non-runners who tell me that my bad day is still better than their best day: Not entirely accurate. Even during my energy crash, I had some days that I wasn't feeling quite as bad as usual and would force myself to do a few miles. I would usually turn in a Mile in about 7 minutes, a 2 Mile in 15-16 (just like 2 days ago) and a 5K in 25-26. Any longer than that and I would hit the wall. To the average person on the street, a 7 minute mile isn't so bad and few untrained people my age can even run that fast. However, on those days, one of 2 things is happening to me. I am either extremely stiff and sore despite being fresh or I am over stimulated and get out of breath from walking up a flight of stairs. In either case, I will be crap in a workout. I would gladly trade my running talent for freedom from those symptoms. A 7 minute mile represents about a 30% slowdown from my best. To put that into perspective, if Usain Bolt lost that much of his ability, he would clock about 12.4 in the 100 and lose to an average high school sprinter. Of course, everyone would want to know what was wrong. BTW- if I don't run, my depression symptoms worsen because running releases dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline.
I think y'all get the picture. How I feel completely depends on taking the right pills at the proper dosage. That would not be so bad if this magic formula stayed constant but that's not the case. What works like magic now is unlikely to work in a month's time and I'll go through another rough patch and the cycle repeats itself. That said, why am I such a strong advocate for alternative medicine despite what I am going through? Simple. If I stayed with traditional medicine (anti-depressants), I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY GOOD DAYS!!! A "good day" would be a 15 minute 2 mile with extreme stiffness. I never was suicidal but a bad day would be laying around, not feeling like doing anything. I may have symptom free days but I've never been in balance and I really don't know how good I can be when that happens. Even a modest 5% improvement would lower my PRs to the following:
400 in 58, Mile in 5:06, 5K in 18:29. With that speed, there's no reason why I can't run a 3:10 marathon and qualify for Boston on about 60 MPW. When that happens, I will show everyone that this stuff really works. I've made tremendous progress. Take a look at my race results:
http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=29860139
-23 minute improvement in my half marathon in 2 years. Nearly 3:00 off in the same timeframe in the 5K.
I have tried to reach out to people on RWOL that post messages indicating that they suffer from depression. Believe it or not, I've faced criticism (not from those I've tried to help but others) and have been accused of "railing against traditonal medicine and SSRI antidepressants" Again, that is not accurate. First, I don't deny that traditional medicine can be a great thing. When I got nailed by a bacterial infection, I was thankful for antibiotics. Also, I would never tell anyone to quit taking a drug if it helped them feel better. I am only interested in getting the word out about other options if anti-depressants don't work (even drug companies admit that 70% of depressed patients have unresolved symptoms) and connect patients with people qualifed to advise them in natural medicine.
I had symptoms beginning in the Fall of 1998 and masked most of them, first with thyroid medication on the bad advice of a quack physician and later with a powerful stimulant adrenal supplement. Both helped me in the short-term but likely contributed to my current instability and extreme sensitivity to the pills. Standard blood tests came back normal but when my first hair test came back, it showed that I was trending diabetic, badly hyperthyroid, hypoadrenal and in a state of adrenal exhaustion. I was also deficient in serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline and GABA (no wonder SSRIs didn't work). Obviously, I was in pretty bad shape and it explains why I had lost 30% of my running ability (more than that at longer distances). I have escaped adrenal exhaustion but as is common, my system overshot the balance point and my adrenals are now overactive. I should just take stuff to slow them down now, right? Wrong. I still have mineral deficiencies (such as chromium) that are associated with slow adrenals. Fixing one problem makes the other worse so it is a very delicate balance. I was so hopeful that I no longer needed chromium because that would mean that I had a clear path to recovery. Not so. I just hope that I can get by with very little of that stuff. When I am free from this and yes, I still have faith that I will be, I will show everyone what kind of runner I really am and more importantly, the type of person that I really am. I know this was a long rant. Thanks for listening.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
training 9/6-9/12
9/6- I wish that I was in Miss'sippy racing today. As it is, I ran an all out 5 mile on Lakeshore instead and my time was a pedestrian 37:49 (7:34 pace). Faded pretty badly in 2nd half so good call on the no go. Splits were 7:19-7:19-7:29-7:49-7:53. Still stiff and sluggish. This was more than 4 minutes slower than my PR but still a nice improvement over yesterday and the day before.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=5.0
9/7- AM- Lakeshore run. Hit the wall after Mile 3 (23:30), walked 1.5 then ran the last 800 in a pathetic 4:35. That's less than half the speed of my PR at that distance.
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=3.5
PM- Vestavia 2 Mile time trial after taking chromium. Felt somewhat like myself for the first time in a week. Finished at 12:23 (6:02-6:21). Laps 6 and 7 sucked. Yesterday, I was more than 4 minutes from a 5 Mile PR. Today, I was within 52 seconds in a 2 Mile. Significant improvement but I was not pleased at all that I had to take the chromium to do this. I'll explain in my "need to vent" post. Probably good for a mid-high 20s in a 5K, which isn't very good but I'll be lenient with the grade since it was my best run in the last 7 days,
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=2.5
9/8-Took half a chromium and it was too much. Legs were fine but could not breathe. Hoped to run an easy 10 today but I was cooked after 5. Time was around 39 but GPS died on me. I will try to settle on 1 chromium every 3 days. AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGG!
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance5.0
9/9- Trak Shak 8 @ 7:53. That's not even close to a course PR and Preston nailed me in the 2nd half but still clearly an improvement over yesterday. No chromium and lots of taurine. Got heckled and had to go an extra half mile because the bridge was flooded. This brings me back up above 2.0 and I have beaten last week's mileage on just 4 days. I still have a chance to run close to 45 miles this week. Even a 2.27 GPA would be my best in 4 weeks and I still have a chance to do that. Moderately easy tomorrow, rest Friday, long Saturday.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=8.5
9/10- Lakeshore 6.5 run in an even 50-flat (7:42 pace). Dead even pace (25:00-25:00). I don't think I've ever done that in a run. Miles 3-6 were all within 5 seconds of each other and 3 of the 6 were exactly 7:45. Still a little stiff and had sloppy form but this is the best I've felt since early last week. It's about fricken' time! Rest tomorrow, long Saturday.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.5
9/11-picked a good day to rest. rain almost all day. Woke up feeling awful then took chromium and loosened up. Hopefully, 1 every 3-4 days.
9/12- AM-9.5@ 8:52 pace. At my best, I can run twice the distance nearly a minute faster per mile. Awful yet again. I get a passing grade for not quitting. Too much taurine?
Grade:D/1 credit/distance=9.5
PM- Vestavia 4 @ 7:22 and closed with a 1:32 last quarter. plus a cool down. Too much taurine was the right answer. Only 2 missed doses made a significant difference. AN ADJUSTMENT EVERY FEW WEEKS? I can deal with that. EVERY FEW DAYS? NO!
Grade: B-/1 credit/distance=4.5
Weekly summary:
Difficult to sugarcoat this. I'm still quite angry but I did hit the mileage target. Low GPA but the mileage total was my highest since marathon training. I ran 8 times but some of them were so pathetic they should not even count.
Distance=45.0/ GPA=21.4/10= 2.14 (4th straight week below a C+ avg)
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=5.0
9/7- AM- Lakeshore run. Hit the wall after Mile 3 (23:30), walked 1.5 then ran the last 800 in a pathetic 4:35. That's less than half the speed of my PR at that distance.
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=3.5
PM- Vestavia 2 Mile time trial after taking chromium. Felt somewhat like myself for the first time in a week. Finished at 12:23 (6:02-6:21). Laps 6 and 7 sucked. Yesterday, I was more than 4 minutes from a 5 Mile PR. Today, I was within 52 seconds in a 2 Mile. Significant improvement but I was not pleased at all that I had to take the chromium to do this. I'll explain in my "need to vent" post. Probably good for a mid-high 20s in a 5K, which isn't very good but I'll be lenient with the grade since it was my best run in the last 7 days,
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=2.5
9/8-Took half a chromium and it was too much. Legs were fine but could not breathe. Hoped to run an easy 10 today but I was cooked after 5. Time was around 39 but GPS died on me. I will try to settle on 1 chromium every 3 days. AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGG!
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance5.0
9/9- Trak Shak 8 @ 7:53. That's not even close to a course PR and Preston nailed me in the 2nd half but still clearly an improvement over yesterday. No chromium and lots of taurine. Got heckled and had to go an extra half mile because the bridge was flooded. This brings me back up above 2.0 and I have beaten last week's mileage on just 4 days. I still have a chance to run close to 45 miles this week. Even a 2.27 GPA would be my best in 4 weeks and I still have a chance to do that. Moderately easy tomorrow, rest Friday, long Saturday.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=8.5
9/10- Lakeshore 6.5 run in an even 50-flat (7:42 pace). Dead even pace (25:00-25:00). I don't think I've ever done that in a run. Miles 3-6 were all within 5 seconds of each other and 3 of the 6 were exactly 7:45. Still a little stiff and had sloppy form but this is the best I've felt since early last week. It's about fricken' time! Rest tomorrow, long Saturday.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.5
9/11-picked a good day to rest. rain almost all day. Woke up feeling awful then took chromium and loosened up. Hopefully, 1 every 3-4 days.
9/12- AM-9.5@ 8:52 pace. At my best, I can run twice the distance nearly a minute faster per mile. Awful yet again. I get a passing grade for not quitting. Too much taurine?
Grade:D/1 credit/distance=9.5
PM- Vestavia 4 @ 7:22 and closed with a 1:32 last quarter. plus a cool down. Too much taurine was the right answer. Only 2 missed doses made a significant difference. AN ADJUSTMENT EVERY FEW WEEKS? I can deal with that. EVERY FEW DAYS? NO!
Grade: B-/1 credit/distance=4.5
Weekly summary:
Difficult to sugarcoat this. I'm still quite angry but I did hit the mileage target. Low GPA but the mileage total was my highest since marathon training. I ran 8 times but some of them were so pathetic they should not even count.
Distance=45.0/ GPA=21.4/10= 2.14 (4th straight week below a C+ avg)
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