Training 1/21-1/27

1/21- MLR in the daylight thanks to the MLK holiday.  Some Gnomes ran at 6:30 this morning.  Why anyone would want to run in the cold and dark when they could run in sunny 50 degree temps is beyond me.  Took 7 pills today and felt a lot better than I did on 6 yesterday.  Again, it is RIDICULOUS that a single dose makes this much difference!  Trak Shak 9+ part of Lakeshore extension for a total of 10 miles in 71:40 (7:10 pace).  Sub-3:10 marathon pace is a solid day but this was not a stellar performance.  How much longer could I have sustained this pace?  Maybe another 4-5 miles but not 10, which I have done recently.  Feeling increasing uneasy about the Thym-Adren.  I fear that I could end up below 3 pills and have cut to them in half.  If that happens, I've got to do something different.  Again, it will be at least 6 more weeks until I get my next medical report.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=10.0

Update:
Good news today.  Previously, I could NOT take choline/inositol but when taken with B-3 and L-methionine as suggested, I did NOT have a negative reaction.  If the Thym-Adren does fail, I know it's the copper that is the problem and it is NOT hopeless after all.  I can take the ICMN and/or thymus substance alone (glandular in Thym-Adren w/o other ingredients).  Quality tomorrow.

1/22- Good tempo.  5 miles in 32:24 (6:29 pace) with a hard but measured effort just like a tempo should feel.  Added a short cool at the end.  Felt just a touch loose and faded a bit in Miles 3-4 but finished pretty strong. 1st half: 16:07, 2nd half: 16:17.   I would have broken 41 for 10K today not going all out.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=5.5

1/23-Another quality session.  Body is holding up okay but I expect to be sore tomorrow.  I tried out Alex's speed session at Mountain Brook.  His philosophy is different than Johnny's.  Alex wants a lot more reps at slower paces with minimal recovery.  He initially wanted me to run 8x800 at 3:10-3:15 pace with only a 30 second rest.  That's pretty much a tempo run.  I modified it to run 6x800 with a 1 minute rest.  My normal rest for 800 intervals is 2:30 or even 3 minutes but I can run them in 2:45-2:50.  Tonight, I was fighting for sub-3:00 on the shorter rest.  I managed to average a 2:58.5 or 17:50 for 3 miles (5:57 pace).  That's 10 seconds faster than my current 5K race pace, which is good but not great.  Like Johnny's group, nobody could run my pace.  I'm stuck in the middle.  Too slow to run with the best in the area (2:50 marathoners) but too fast for most everyone else.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=4.0

Update:
I had hoped that because I took some ICMN last night, I would not feel so awful in the morning.  Not so.  I was obviously too loose on 7 pills so I popped #8 at lunch time.  When I get too tight, cutting the Thym-Adren is not as effective as adding more Vitamin C.  However, I must be judicious about doing that because too much can cause diarrhea as I learned the hard way in LA.  It also stimulates the adrenals. I'm currently taking 1500 mg of C and am willing to go up to 3000 if need be.

1/24- Easy 6 on Lakeshore in 44:54 (7:29 pace).  Relaxed even pace.  Felt good and never struggled despite back to back quality days.  It was a comfortable 50 degrees outside while the North and Midwest are close to single digits.  Added a half mile cool.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=6.5

1/25- Planned rest day and I need one.  Pretty much all I have to do is finish my workouts this weekend and I pick up another win.

1/26- Gnome run with the big boys.  I did not plan to run more than 14-15 but the pace was slower than usual (7:40ish) so I opted for the full monty (19 miles) in a time of 2:33:30 (7:34 pace) or approx. 3:17ish for a full mary.  Mile 19 was a strong 6:40 but it did include a steep quarter mile downhill on a route that was not easy (16-18 were tough).  I definitely think I could have held it for another 7 miles.  I have won another one.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=19.0

1/27- Went to Veteran's Park for a change for a low-key easy run with Kirk and Will.  Finished 4.5 miles in 35:44 (7:57 pace) then added a half mile cool.  Pace is always slower here because of the gravel trail, which is soft in some spots and the wooded section is hilly.  Sore knee and stiff legs.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=5.0

Weekly summary:
7th consecutive victory with no major hiccups this time but it seems like I am needing more and more Vitamin C.  I fear that eventually, the gains that I make from the Thym-Adren will be wiped out.  The verdict on the ICMN is that although it will not hurt me, it is unlikely to be very effective.  The only other viable option is thymus glandular and I am unsure if that will be effective.
YTD: 167 miles.  4-0/3.37.  Good start but not as good as last year.
Distance=50.0/GPA= 34.8/10= 3.48