Training 8/12-8/18

8/12- Mountain Brook loop in oppressive conditions (85 w/high humidity).  This week's loop was Brownell to Canterbury to Country Club to Jack's Shell then down Montevallo to the finish.  It was a hilly 5.4 mile loop and I stopped at 5 then treated the remainder as a cool down.  Time was a very solid 36:29 (7:18 pace), a strong performance in tough conditions.  Effort was moderate.  Current formula is Mag chloride and Mag malate.  If it fails to keep the Na and K in line, it will be Thym-Adren+C and Mag malate.  I am cautiously optimistic heading forward.  I've been off caffeine for 3 days but am still consuming too much sugar.  That needs to change.
Grade: A-/1 credit/distance=5.5

8/13- Planned workout was Johnny's speed session.  Did 2x400 in 81-79 then it started to storm so I hit Gold's gym and ran an easy 6 there.  Time was a comfortable 44:47 (7:28 pace).  Slowed just a tad towards the end (22:16/22:31) but this was a strong performance overall.  A quarter mile warm and cool brought me up to 7 on the day. On another note, this has been one of the wettest summers that I can recall.  It has not been real hot temp wise but the humidity sucks.  I prefer 95 and dry to 85 and sticky.  Bring on Fall.  It's not far off now.

 Update: I've ordered Jigsaw magnesium, which is basically another magnesium malate supplement with a few synergistic vitamins.  It's also a better value for the money that what I currently take.  I'm reducing the Mag chloride and stand by my previous assessment that too much can be harmful.  Stopping it completely could force me back on the Thym-Adren.  I'd prefer not to do that but if my hair test shows continued sky high Na and K, I have no other choice.  Mag citrate was poison for me and threw the Na and K through the roof but that does not necessarily mean that Mag malate will.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0

8/14- Thought about a rest day but the weather finally cleared and the dew point dropped to 70 so it didn't feel half bad out there.  Trak Shak 7.5 mile loop in 55:50 (7:27 pace).  Solid performance but this is not an "A" because I faded after Mile 5.  I was doing 7:20 pace at that time but slipped to 7:40 over the final 2.5 and had to work just to maintain that. Went with all magnesium malate today and was pleased with the results.  Hope this one won't hurt me tomorrow.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=7.5

8/15- BAFA day!  18th anniversary of my first HS cross-country practice, which was a big turning point in my life.  I always like to do something special on this day if I can.  What does BAFA mean?  That's a secret of the team and I've sworn not to tell.  It was a speed workout at Mountain Brook.  24x200 in sets of 6.  R was 1 minute except for a quarter mile jog after every 6th rep.  The first 23 were all between 37-40 with most of them being 39.x.  Turned on the speed on #24 and clocked a solid 31.4 despite having to dodge a soccer player.  Strong performance and feel like I could have done 37-38s.  Unfortunately, plantar has flared up.  Actually, it never fully went away.  I will attempt to take Thym-Adren and see what happens.  Tomorrow is a rest day so if it doesn't work, I'll be ready by Saturday.  Enjoyed my warm and cool running with Kelly.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=5.0

8/16- Planned rest day.  Took 2 Thym-Adren last night and seemed to tolerate it okay but 2 more the next morning was too much.  I should be okay by tomorrow morning.

8/17-  I was not okay for the long run.  The Thym-Adren apparently still has not cleared and my plantar issues are getting worse.  I will try to load on the Mag and have heard that it is a good treatment.  My calf muscles are too tight and without sufficient Mag, they can't relax.  6 miles in 50:46 (8:28 pace) plus a cool.  Was doing near 8:00 pace through 4 then finished with an 8:55 and 9:36.  Ouch!  Need a "C+" tomorrow with a distance of at least 10.5 for a win this week.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=6.5

8/18- Lakeshore double out and back in steady drizzle.  Finished 10 miles in 76:47 (7:41 pace).  Kinda meh on this one.  Timewise, this is my best 10 miler since June but I was not pleased by how much I faded at the end. 1st half was 37:15 and I was actually holding back for a while.  Then, I faded to a 39:32 and saw the pace go above 8 in Miles 8-9 then had to push for a 7:50 close.  The Mag malate has a bit of a laxative effect but the Jigsaw Mag does not.  I'm sticking with the Jigsaw for better or worse.  The plantar is still there but it is not debilitating.  I'm giving it 2 more weeks before I bite the bullet and go for prolo.
Grade:C+/2 credits/distance=10.5

Weekly summary:
Held on for the win despite the shaky weekend and topped 40 miles for the first time in a long time.  I'm not in very good spirits right now.  With problems from too much Mag chloride and malate and still being intolerant of Thym-Adren, Jigsaw Mag is all that I can take and since it contains B-6, I may have problems with it down the road.  No time trials this week but if I ran one this weekend, I would have been going backwards.
Distance=42.0/GPA= 24.0/8= 3.00
YTD: 1,167 miles.  13-18 with a 2.63 GPA