Training 8/19-8/25

8/19- Avoided the sticky-icky weather and stayed inside, which proved to be a good call because I had some mild stomach discomfort.  Performance was about on par with yesterday but I felt that I had a bit more energy today.  Finished 6 miles in 45:28 (7:35 pace) with a relatively even pace (22:36/22:54) but I did have some hamstring soreness.
Medical update: I've recently read an article that said that in some cases, old meds become toxic when starting Mag supplements so I feel a little better about being forced off the Thym-Adren.  I'm taking Mag without calcium, which may or may not be good call.  I'll know when the medical report comes in.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=6.0

8/20- Unplanned rest day.  Feel flat out terrible.  Yesterday's run should not have taken this much out of me.  It could be the B-6 trouble again or it could be the lack of calcium.  I have ordered Jigsaw Cal.  If it is B-6, that means that I cannot take the Jigsaw Mag.  I'll have to rely on the Mag malate and must be careful about the dosage.
Update: Barely made it through the day at work.  It appears that yes, B-6 is the problem and based on my history, for some reason, I can only tolerate it if I am taking Thym-Adren.  The only problem is that I still cannot tolerate Thym-Adren.  Adding some Calcium should not hurt but the ratio of Cal/Mag should be near 1:1.

PM- Decided to do a junk run and clocked 1 Mile in blazing time of 9:49.  For some reason, I have an irrational hope that adding back some Calcium will allow me to tolerate some Thym-Adren and hence, the Jigsaw Mag.  My worst fear is that taking extra Mag in any form will always force me off it.  If that's true, it is all over.  I'll never be healthy again.
UPDATE:  This one is big!  Thanks to the Livestrong website, I've learned that my B-6 intolerance is likely due to an extreme imbalance in my Ca/K ratio.  Adding some Ca is definitely a good call now.  Is there any chance that it will allow me to tolerate Thym-Adren?

8/21- Trak Shak 3 in 25:58 (8:39 pace).  Pace was even and felt relatively comfortable.  I could have gone 5-6 miles today but I could not pick up any speed at all.  I felt substantially WORSE after taking the Mag this morning.  I need more calcium for sure.  The only thing that is certain about my chemistry right now is that my Ca/K is very low (1.4 or below vs an ideal of 4).  That indicates thyroid hyper-function. My Mag had BETTER be up and I hope that I've taken my high Ca/Mg too far in the opposite direction, not just lowered the ratio closer to normal.  I have learned that a chronic Mag deficiency puts you at risk for heart disease too.   The B-6 intolerance does not necessarily mean that my Na/K or Na/Mg (adrenal) is bad but it's surely not a good sign.
Also, I cannot take any old calcium from Wal-Mart.  I need calcium malate, which had to be ordered online.  It's hard to find Cal alone too.  It's usually packaged with Mag in citrate or oxide form, which I cannot tolerate.  The pills will not arrive until Friday so tomorrow will be only slightly better.
Grade:D/1 credit/distance=3.0

8/22- Gold's 5 indoors.  It thundered but the rain never came.  It went as expected.  I was struggling to stay focused at work again and was only slightly better in my workout.  Finished in 41:45 (8:21 pace).  Started off at 8:00 pace then gradually faded but never went much over 8:30.  No Cal this evening but there is a chance that they could be there by lunchtime tomorrow.  I took nothing today.
Grade:C-/1 credit/distance=5.0

8/23- Unplanned rest day.  Feel terrible and have a tender Achilles.  Not worth it to chance it.  Pills have not arrived but according to the tracker, it should be here tomorrow.
Grade:F/1 credits/distance=0

8/24- The pills arrived around 9:45 AM.  I took 2 calcium pills immediately.  It was not a magical cure, nor was I expecting one but I did get the solid incremental improvement that I had hoped for.  Gold's 5 miler in 39:39 (7:56 pace). That's still BAAAAUHD! Gradually faded after a pretty good start.  Splits were roughly 19:30-20:06 and the slowest was Mile 4 at 8:15.  I'll count this as my tempo on the week and I get a passing grade for finishing.  Going for 10 tomorrow and I don't care if I have to walk part of it.
Grade:D/2 credit/distance=5.0

8/25- There was a shift overnight and not in a good way.  I hit Lakeshore at 7 AM intending to run a very slow 10 miler.  I had to turn around after only 0.75 miles and finished the 1.5 miler in a time of 14:52 (9:55 pace).  Fortunately, I brought the bottle of Thym-Adren with me because I thought I might need it again.  I got back to my car, popped 2 pills and got a quick drink before heading back out there again.  Just like yesterday, there was no magic but I did feel noticeably better within minutes.  Finished the 5 mile out and back on the trail in 43:20 (8:40 pace) with a strongly negative split.  1st half: 22:18, 2nd half: 21:02.  Fastest was Mile 5 at 7:45.  Added a cool.

PM- 2 mile junk run on Wisteria just because I was bored and felt like doing something.  Finished in a solid 14:40 (7:20 pace) with the down side in 7:12 and the up side in 7:28.
Grade:F+/2 credits/distance=7.0

Weekly summary:
My worst non-injury week on record.  It appears that I may be right back to where I started.  I need a set amount of Cal/Mag every day and a set amount of Thym-Adren.  If I miss even one dose, I'm screwed.  Also, I will likely be shooting at moving targets.  Who knows what will work for me next week?  What a life I've got!  Still, what I just described is better than intolerable and unrelenting fatigue and depression if I do not take the pills.
Distance=29.0/ GPA= 8.3/8= 1.04