I am of the opinion that there is no place, at least in the USA, that has ideal weather. Here in the Southeast, we have to deal with the heat and humidity in the summer with pop up storms as well as tornado threats in the Spring. The Northeast and upper Midwest can have cold snaps in which the high temperatures do not climb above freezing for entire month or more. The Pacific Northwest is chilly and grey for much of the year. Even Southern California has to deal with the threat of earthquakes and wildfires.
What are my thoughts on Birmingham's weather? Overall, not too bad. Not the best but certainly far from the worst. Let's break it down by season:
Winter: We'll see measurable snow maybe 1-2 times per year and yes, panic may set in when it does. You had best stay off the roads if it does snow. We only see 4-5 days in which temps do not make it out of the 30s. A typical day will dawn chilly with low temp near freezing but by the afternoon, it will warm to the low-mid 50s. If you can wait until noon to run, that's pretty favorable conditions for a long run. We'll get maybe 2-3 rain all days per month but a lot of bright and sunny days as well.
Spring: Trees begin to bloom in early March most years and it sure is a pretty sight. As an aside, my allergies have been almost non-existent since starting on the magnesium. Again, we get a few rainy days every month and this is the time of year in which the tornado threat is the greatest. That said, the perfect "sunny and 75" weather days will outnumber the bad ones.
Summer: If you want to run long distance here, you had better be done before 8 AM or start after 5 PM or it will be a very slow and painful affair. It is no unusual to see severe storms on one side of town with no sign of rain only 5 miles down the road so you've got to be careful checking the weather. There are basically 2 weather patterns here. Upper 80s and sticky with a 50/50 chance of storms OR 95+ and dry. I, along with most other runners would prefer the latter. If you can wait until after 6:30 to run, it's fairly comfortable. There are really only about 8 weeks (mid-June through mid-August) that are really tough. Speed workouts are manageable at dewpoints under 75 and short tempos can be done at near 70. They say that you need to scale back if dew point + temp exceed 150 but you also need to consider the humidity. I prefer evenings to mornings in the summer. Although the temps are higher, humidity is only 50% compared to 90% in the morning and IMO, it is more comfortable. I have been known to stay inside when the weather is iffy.
Fall: This is by far the nicest time of the year, especially between about Labor Day and Veteran's Day. It may remain warm but the humidity has gone down and the rainfall is the lowest of the year. Severe weather is also very rare this time of year. High temps are often in the 80s in October but in the mornings and evenings when it's time to run, conditions are usually near perfect.
Worst weather in the country:
I've chosen 4 cities in different parts of the country that would be brutal for runners:
-Buffalo, New York- 100+ inches of snow per year piled high on the sidewalks. 'Nuff said.
-New Orleans, Louisiana- Not a fan of this city for other reasons but the humidity is absolutely brutal in the summer. Birmingham is dry by comparison. Low temps are often about 80 degrees with 100% humidity. Temps will climb to 95 and the humidity remains quite high. 65 inches of rain per year with hurricane threats.
-Phoenix, Arizona/Las Vegas, Nevada- It may be a "dry heat" but 110 and dry cannot be preferable to 90 and humid. The running group usually starts at 3 AM and you had better be done by 6 AM.
Fargo, North Dakota- Not as snowy as Buffalo but the sub-zero cold and wind more than makes up for it. When the snow melts in May, flooding is always a concern.
Best weather for runners:
San Diego, California- I've heard others refer to this city as a "runner's paradise" as temps rarely fall below 50 or rise above 80 and it almost never rains. Beware of the wildfires.
Denver, Colorado- This may be a surprise pick but winters are not as severe as you might expect. The major downside is that it is very cold in the mornings but again, if you can wait until afternoon, it's not so bad. 300 sunny days per year with very little humidity in the summer. Lots of great trails too.
Asheville, North Carolina- Winters can be chilly here in the mountains but humidity is noticeably less severe in the summer. You can expect about 10 degrees cooler than Birmingham throughout the year. I also thought about Richmond, Virginia. I know there will be some cold snaps and heat waves there but neither will be constant or extreme for very long.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Training 11/25-12/1
11/25- Manganese is NOT the answer. That leaves me with only 2 other pills to try. Easy 5 in 39:26 (7:53 pace). It has not fully cleared but I did what I intended to do. Pleased that I managed to hold on my 5 instead of 3. Faded in 2nd half (19:30/19:56) but managed a sub-8 on the back half. I won't have many chances to run this week because of travel and bad weather.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=5.0
11/26- Easy 3 at Gold's in 23:07 (7:42 pace). Not good. I felt no better than yesterday. I did manage to keep the pace even but would have faded in Mile 4 and 5. I suspect that drinking 2 Screwdrivers last night (OJ) was the culprit. I cannot take Vitamin C with Magnesium. I expect a modest improvement this evening
PM- As expected, I got the modest improvement. 3 miles in 22:07 (7:22 pace) for an even 60 second improvement. I did manage a 7:14 "kick." SO WHAT? That is unsatisfactory on a planned tempo day and this week, I won't be able to make it up later. Yes, it has been confirmed that OJ was the culprit. On the mega Thym-Adren with its full DV of copper, 500 mg of C was absolutely necessary. Without the Thym-Adren, it is toxic!
Grade:D+/2 credit/distance=6.0
11/27-Planned rest day. Travel day. Do I tough it out and run a few miles in foul weather or do I wimp out in the next few days? The gym is not an option and neither is the 'mill.
11/28- Naked 2 mile junk run (no watch) in sub-freezing temps with high winds. My Dad said that I was crazy but y'all already know that. It was miserable out there and I wasn't feeling great but I get points just for being out there today. Very lenient grading.
Grade;B/1 credit/distance=2.0
Update: Endodren (adrenal stimulant) is NOT the answer! I cannot take either Thym-Adren OR Endodren! The only other experiment to try is to go off the Mag for a few days to see what happens. I expect to be forced back to Thym-Adren but not at mega doses. It's looking more and more like Mag alone is the best solution right now. Let's say the medical report shows my Na and K levels at about 55/20. That would be an improvement over the 85/31 last time but does not explain the Thym-Adren intolerance. I can try another brand of a thymus based supplement. I expect to suck tomorrow and may even take the automatic "F" for not even trying the workout.
11/29- 3 mile junk run. Did not feel well at all but I got through it. No watch. I will be back in Birmingham on Sunday.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/30- 2 mile junk run on the 'mill in 15:22 (7:41 pace).
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=2.0
12/1- Attempted a tempo and it was horrible. 2 miles in 14:58 (7:29 pace). I believe that I am taking too much Mag relative to Cal. Adding some Cal after the run seemed to help. Prediction: I will need a specific ratio of Cal/Mag going forward and it too will be a moving target.
Grade:D/2 credit/distance=2.0
Weekly summary:
SUCKED AGAIN! If any critics blame overtraining on my ills, how do you explain this debacle?
Distance= 20.0/ GPA= 14.3/8= 1.79
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=5.0
11/26- Easy 3 at Gold's in 23:07 (7:42 pace). Not good. I felt no better than yesterday. I did manage to keep the pace even but would have faded in Mile 4 and 5. I suspect that drinking 2 Screwdrivers last night (OJ) was the culprit. I cannot take Vitamin C with Magnesium. I expect a modest improvement this evening
PM- As expected, I got the modest improvement. 3 miles in 22:07 (7:22 pace) for an even 60 second improvement. I did manage a 7:14 "kick." SO WHAT? That is unsatisfactory on a planned tempo day and this week, I won't be able to make it up later. Yes, it has been confirmed that OJ was the culprit. On the mega Thym-Adren with its full DV of copper, 500 mg of C was absolutely necessary. Without the Thym-Adren, it is toxic!
Grade:D+/2 credit/distance=6.0
11/27-Planned rest day. Travel day. Do I tough it out and run a few miles in foul weather or do I wimp out in the next few days? The gym is not an option and neither is the 'mill.
11/28- Naked 2 mile junk run (no watch) in sub-freezing temps with high winds. My Dad said that I was crazy but y'all already know that. It was miserable out there and I wasn't feeling great but I get points just for being out there today. Very lenient grading.
Grade;B/1 credit/distance=2.0
Update: Endodren (adrenal stimulant) is NOT the answer! I cannot take either Thym-Adren OR Endodren! The only other experiment to try is to go off the Mag for a few days to see what happens. I expect to be forced back to Thym-Adren but not at mega doses. It's looking more and more like Mag alone is the best solution right now. Let's say the medical report shows my Na and K levels at about 55/20. That would be an improvement over the 85/31 last time but does not explain the Thym-Adren intolerance. I can try another brand of a thymus based supplement. I expect to suck tomorrow and may even take the automatic "F" for not even trying the workout.
11/29- 3 mile junk run. Did not feel well at all but I got through it. No watch. I will be back in Birmingham on Sunday.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/30- 2 mile junk run on the 'mill in 15:22 (7:41 pace).
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=2.0
12/1- Attempted a tempo and it was horrible. 2 miles in 14:58 (7:29 pace). I believe that I am taking too much Mag relative to Cal. Adding some Cal after the run seemed to help. Prediction: I will need a specific ratio of Cal/Mag going forward and it too will be a moving target.
Grade:D/2 credit/distance=2.0
Weekly summary:
SUCKED AGAIN! If any critics blame overtraining on my ills, how do you explain this debacle?
Distance= 20.0/ GPA= 14.3/8= 1.79
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Preview of next medical report
My last results were as follows:
Ca: 30, Mg: 3, Na: 85, K: 31. All other minerals were fairly balanced except selenium, which was very low.
Key ratios:
Blood sugar:
30/3= 10.0
Thyroid:
30/31= 0.97
Adrenal:
85/3= 26.33
Vitality:
85/31= 2.74
The blood sugar and vitality were pretty good but the thyroid and adrenals were beyond awful.
I expect radical change this time around. One confession to make is that I have been cheating a bit on the sugar and caffeine restrictions but I really don't think it's hurting me all that much. My sugar tolerance has greatly improved since taking more magnesium. I abstained for a whole week before Huntington and the Thym-Adren dosage still trended down. As of now, I've been forced off it again, probably due to the magnesium supplementation. What will happen if I stop taking the Mag for a few days? I will probably have to go back to the Thym-Adren but not at mega doses.
At any rate, the hair sample has been cut and sent to the lab and the results should come within 2-3 weeks. Any predictions? I will first go over some negative possibilities, which if true, spell the end of me as a serious runner:
1. The biggest fear as always is adrenal fatigue. That's unlikely. When I was at my low point in 2006, I didn't have any good days. As badly as I have struggled, in this month alone, I have done a sub-20 5K as well as 2 long runs of 13.1 and 14 miles, both at paces south of 7:20. Very doubtful that I could do that with full blown adrenal exhaustion. I am talented but anyone who can do that with severe adrenal disease would have to be a world beater when healthy.
2. Basically the same as last time. That's also not likely. I took mega doses of Thym-Adren for almost 2 months. Whenever I have done that before, it lowered the Na and K nicely.
3. Modest improvement in key ratios with a severe deficiency in another mineral, which may not be easily corrected. That may not be a killer for me even though it does mean another 2 front war until further notice.
Predictions:
I want and fully expect the Na to be under 50 and the K under 15. I would not be surprised to see a Na value in the 30s and a K closer to 10. If those 2 values are below 30 and 10, it would fully explain the intolerance to Thym-Adren, which is designed to lower both and keep the ratio in line. I expect the Cal to be over 30 if not higher. Again, I could not take the Cal with the Thym-Adren. As for the Mag, I do expect it to be a little low this time. I was hoping for a 5 or at least a 4 but I stopped taking it for 6 weeks when I went back to the Thym-Adren. I would be okay with a 3 but really don't want to see another 2. Since I came off the Lithium in 2010, I have never had a Na/Mg (adrenal ratio) below 15. I think I have a good chance to be under it this time.
My dream:
I want to be off the Thym-Adren and simply take the Cal/Mag for preventative maintenance. Only by doing that and having it confirmed by a good medical report will I declare myself to be in the clear. I can then FINALLY pursue my dreams.
My nightmare:
I have to deal with this all my life. All my dreams of a book deal, working a job in my passion and the least of my concerns, running goals will all die. I may have small victories here and there but will continue to get worse as I age. Marriage will be out of the question. I will struggle with my job. As my body gets more and more out of whack as I get older, I will be vulnerable to serious diseases.
Ca: 30, Mg: 3, Na: 85, K: 31. All other minerals were fairly balanced except selenium, which was very low.
Key ratios:
Blood sugar:
30/3= 10.0
Thyroid:
30/31= 0.97
Adrenal:
85/3= 26.33
Vitality:
85/31= 2.74
The blood sugar and vitality were pretty good but the thyroid and adrenals were beyond awful.
I expect radical change this time around. One confession to make is that I have been cheating a bit on the sugar and caffeine restrictions but I really don't think it's hurting me all that much. My sugar tolerance has greatly improved since taking more magnesium. I abstained for a whole week before Huntington and the Thym-Adren dosage still trended down. As of now, I've been forced off it again, probably due to the magnesium supplementation. What will happen if I stop taking the Mag for a few days? I will probably have to go back to the Thym-Adren but not at mega doses.
At any rate, the hair sample has been cut and sent to the lab and the results should come within 2-3 weeks. Any predictions? I will first go over some negative possibilities, which if true, spell the end of me as a serious runner:
1. The biggest fear as always is adrenal fatigue. That's unlikely. When I was at my low point in 2006, I didn't have any good days. As badly as I have struggled, in this month alone, I have done a sub-20 5K as well as 2 long runs of 13.1 and 14 miles, both at paces south of 7:20. Very doubtful that I could do that with full blown adrenal exhaustion. I am talented but anyone who can do that with severe adrenal disease would have to be a world beater when healthy.
2. Basically the same as last time. That's also not likely. I took mega doses of Thym-Adren for almost 2 months. Whenever I have done that before, it lowered the Na and K nicely.
3. Modest improvement in key ratios with a severe deficiency in another mineral, which may not be easily corrected. That may not be a killer for me even though it does mean another 2 front war until further notice.
Predictions:
I want and fully expect the Na to be under 50 and the K under 15. I would not be surprised to see a Na value in the 30s and a K closer to 10. If those 2 values are below 30 and 10, it would fully explain the intolerance to Thym-Adren, which is designed to lower both and keep the ratio in line. I expect the Cal to be over 30 if not higher. Again, I could not take the Cal with the Thym-Adren. As for the Mag, I do expect it to be a little low this time. I was hoping for a 5 or at least a 4 but I stopped taking it for 6 weeks when I went back to the Thym-Adren. I would be okay with a 3 but really don't want to see another 2. Since I came off the Lithium in 2010, I have never had a Na/Mg (adrenal ratio) below 15. I think I have a good chance to be under it this time.
My dream:
I want to be off the Thym-Adren and simply take the Cal/Mag for preventative maintenance. Only by doing that and having it confirmed by a good medical report will I declare myself to be in the clear. I can then FINALLY pursue my dreams.
My nightmare:
I have to deal with this all my life. All my dreams of a book deal, working a job in my passion and the least of my concerns, running goals will all die. I may have small victories here and there but will continue to get worse as I age. Marriage will be out of the question. I will struggle with my job. As my body gets more and more out of whack as I get older, I will be vulnerable to serious diseases.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Training 11/18-11/24 (possible race)
11/18- AM- 3 miles in 22:48 (7:36 pace). That's still BAAAAUHD!
PM- Same old tired 3 mile but my time is down to 20:53 (6:58 pace) with splits of 7:03-7:02-6:48. A nice improvement and a decent showing on a planned easy day but I would have been mediocre at best in a race setting. This only projects to about a 21:35 for a full 5K. I predict that I will improve for another 2-3 days then collapse late in the week. Down to 4 Thym-Adren. Weight remains at 160.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=6.5
11/19-Unplanned rest day. Feel HORRIBLE again so there's no use even trying to run. I must cut the Thym-Adren down to 3, which did not work as recently as last Friday. I REALLY don't want to go under that dosage. I cut the hair sample today and plan on mailing it tomorrow. IT BETTER BE GOOD. If the results are bad, I'm shutting down and officially give up hope.
11/20- 1 mile all out in 8:42. Can't get much worse than this.
PM- Only slightly better. 2 miles on Lakeshore in 16:12 (8:06 pace). Only positive was that I managed a sub-8 on the back half after popping a Mag pill. Magnesium isn't hurting me. Thym-Adren is. Down to 2 pills tomorrow.
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/21- Went radical and cut out Thym-Adren altogether before the morning workout and showed marked improvement. 3 miles in 22:13 (7:24 pace). Popped 2 magnesium pills after a 7:31 1st mile and again, I managed to turn it up a notch afterwards (7:21 pace for last 2). The magnesium isn't hurting me now. The Thym-Adren is. I popped only 1 Thym-Adren after getting back home and tightened up quickly. I expect to suck this evening. New update post is coming.
PM- 3 miles in 23:26 (7:49 pace). I expected to take a step backward after taking the Thym-Adren. If I had taken the same 3 pills as yesterday, I would have been MUCH WORSE! Even pace and did not really struggle but had no power in my body.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=6.0
11/22- AM-Gold's 3 at tempo effort in 20:45 (6:55 pace) with splits of 6:56-6:57-6:52. Can't get much more even than that. Felt noticeably better today and I remain on just a low dose of magnesium. I will experiment with Vitamin E and manganese to rule out mineral deficiencies.
PM- Lakeshore 5 at easy-moderate effort in 37:55 (7:35 pace) Again, splits were nearly even. Nothing under 7:30 or over 7:40. This was run on a warm evening with a light mist just before a big cold front will hit. I'm skipping the 5K tomorrow and the weather is iffy anyway. Clinched a 2.25 GPA on the year.
Grade:B/2 credit/distance=8.0
11/23- Tried some Vitamin E last night and had a swift negative reaction. I was willing to endure a rough day today to rule that out. I have 2 more pills that I need to try down the road to rule out other deficiencies. Workout was Gold's 3 in 23:36 (7:52 pace) with a hard fade in Mile 3. Hoping to go long tomorrow. Added a cool.
Grade:C-/1 credit/distance=3.5
11/24- Trak Shak 1 and 9 route in 70:58 (7:06 pace). Again, reminiscent of the Crazy J of old. Even if I slipped to 7:20 pace over the last 5K, I still would have run 1:33:xx. for a half mary. Finished with a hard fought 6:48 last mile. No pills except for 2 Magnesium malate in the morning. I will try just a trace of manganese just to see what happens and hope it clears by tomorrow.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=10.0
Weekly summary:
Lost again but got a couple moral victories and maintained my overall GPA. I have seen improvement after being off Thym-Adren but it's not as dramatic as it was in the past. Of course, I'll know a lot more when the medical report comes in.
Distance=37.0/ GPA= 20.4/8=2.55
PM- Same old tired 3 mile but my time is down to 20:53 (6:58 pace) with splits of 7:03-7:02-6:48. A nice improvement and a decent showing on a planned easy day but I would have been mediocre at best in a race setting. This only projects to about a 21:35 for a full 5K. I predict that I will improve for another 2-3 days then collapse late in the week. Down to 4 Thym-Adren. Weight remains at 160.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=6.5
11/19-Unplanned rest day. Feel HORRIBLE again so there's no use even trying to run. I must cut the Thym-Adren down to 3, which did not work as recently as last Friday. I REALLY don't want to go under that dosage. I cut the hair sample today and plan on mailing it tomorrow. IT BETTER BE GOOD. If the results are bad, I'm shutting down and officially give up hope.
11/20- 1 mile all out in 8:42. Can't get much worse than this.
PM- Only slightly better. 2 miles on Lakeshore in 16:12 (8:06 pace). Only positive was that I managed a sub-8 on the back half after popping a Mag pill. Magnesium isn't hurting me. Thym-Adren is. Down to 2 pills tomorrow.
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/21- Went radical and cut out Thym-Adren altogether before the morning workout and showed marked improvement. 3 miles in 22:13 (7:24 pace). Popped 2 magnesium pills after a 7:31 1st mile and again, I managed to turn it up a notch afterwards (7:21 pace for last 2). The magnesium isn't hurting me now. The Thym-Adren is. I popped only 1 Thym-Adren after getting back home and tightened up quickly. I expect to suck this evening. New update post is coming.
PM- 3 miles in 23:26 (7:49 pace). I expected to take a step backward after taking the Thym-Adren. If I had taken the same 3 pills as yesterday, I would have been MUCH WORSE! Even pace and did not really struggle but had no power in my body.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=6.0
11/22- AM-Gold's 3 at tempo effort in 20:45 (6:55 pace) with splits of 6:56-6:57-6:52. Can't get much more even than that. Felt noticeably better today and I remain on just a low dose of magnesium. I will experiment with Vitamin E and manganese to rule out mineral deficiencies.
PM- Lakeshore 5 at easy-moderate effort in 37:55 (7:35 pace) Again, splits were nearly even. Nothing under 7:30 or over 7:40. This was run on a warm evening with a light mist just before a big cold front will hit. I'm skipping the 5K tomorrow and the weather is iffy anyway. Clinched a 2.25 GPA on the year.
Grade:B/2 credit/distance=8.0
11/23- Tried some Vitamin E last night and had a swift negative reaction. I was willing to endure a rough day today to rule that out. I have 2 more pills that I need to try down the road to rule out other deficiencies. Workout was Gold's 3 in 23:36 (7:52 pace) with a hard fade in Mile 3. Hoping to go long tomorrow. Added a cool.
Grade:C-/1 credit/distance=3.5
11/24- Trak Shak 1 and 9 route in 70:58 (7:06 pace). Again, reminiscent of the Crazy J of old. Even if I slipped to 7:20 pace over the last 5K, I still would have run 1:33:xx. for a half mary. Finished with a hard fought 6:48 last mile. No pills except for 2 Magnesium malate in the morning. I will try just a trace of manganese just to see what happens and hope it clears by tomorrow.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=10.0
Weekly summary:
Lost again but got a couple moral victories and maintained my overall GPA. I have seen improvement after being off Thym-Adren but it's not as dramatic as it was in the past. Of course, I'll know a lot more when the medical report comes in.
Distance=37.0/ GPA= 20.4/8=2.55
Monday, November 11, 2013
Training 11/11-11/17
11/11- Recovery run at Veteran's Park. Legs felt pretty good. I opened with a 7:36 first mile before slowing down in the woods. Stomach was jacked up but that's probably due to the caffeine binge yesterday after the race. I am off the Vitamin C and took 1 Mag pill with no issues.
Grade: Pass/0 credit/distance=2.0
11/12- Not surprisingly, I am almost as sensitive to the Mag as I am to the Vitamin C. I thought it might take the Thym-Adren dosage down and it appears that it has. I will not go under 3 of those pills unless by some miracle, the medical report is good. Speaking of which, I need to send out that hair sample by the end of the week. Workout was a total of 7 miles in 53:50 (7:41 pace) but it was divided up at 2.5 in the morning and 4.5 in the evening. Both times, I started off pretty well but faded near the end and was strugg-a-ling for an 8 minute pace. The formula will be tweaked.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=7.0
11/13- Cut the Thym-Adren from 5 pills to 3 and it wasn't enough. I believe the culprit is the calcium. I'm getting enough in the Thym-Adren and will try to stick to around 300 mg. of Mag. Workout was pitiful today. 3 miles at Gold's in 25:50 (8:37 pace) running nearly all out. I did manage an even pace (12:57-12:53), which is why I get the plus.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/14- Another 3 miler at Gold's. Time was down to 22:25 (7:28 pace) for an improvement of 3:25 (1:09/mile). Big woop! That still sucks! I managed to hold tempo pace for about a half mile then faded hard. 1st half: 10:40/ 2nd half: 11:45 (7:50 pace for last 1.5). The improvement was attributed to cutting out the calcium, which likely has not fully cleared my system. The good news is that taking extra magnesium did NOT make a radical difference. Went bowling with Chilton and managed to average 100 over 3 games.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/15- AM- 1 mile at tempo effort in 6:48. I probably could have beaten last night's time if I went 3 miles but not by a significant margin. I was fading and did not feel much difference in terms of energy. 3 Thym Adren won't do even on Magnesium.
PM- 5K time trial in 19:48*. Took a 4th Thym-Adren and felt noticeably better but still had room for improvement. I stopped for about a minute and took a 5th pill from my pocket then found another gear. Splits were 6:30-6:19-6:19-39. A sub-20 5K even with an asterisk IS indeed a reason to be glad. Still, the news is not all good. The 5th Thym-Adren may deplete with Vitamin C stores and I cannot take magnesium with C. I'll take care of that when it comes up. I may continue to trend down on the Thym-Adren and be able to get down to 4 by the end of the month.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=4.0
11/16- Lakeshore 5 in 37:44 (7:33 pace). Sluggish. 1st half in 18:22, 2nd half in 19:22. I was really strugg-a-ling in Mile 4 and 5 but I did not collapse. Managed to hold a steady 7:45 pace in the back half. Not a surprise. I took the 5 Thym-Adren immediately upon rising after having taken 2 the previous afternoon for a total of 7 in 24 hours. Too much. I will try to run long tomorrow but the weather looks a bit iffy.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=5.0
11/17- HORRIBLE! Lakeshore 3 in 27:53 (9:18 pace). Splits were 8:24-9:21-10:08. Need to cut dosage and/or take the Mag at night. I may be better this afternoon but this is an "F"
PM- 3 miles at Gold's in 25:54 (8:38 pace). 2 minute improvement but SO WHAT?
Grade:D-/2 credits/distance=6.0
Weekly summary:
Given that I switched to magnesium and quit the Vitamin C, I did not expect to win this week so I am not too disappointed. Prediction: I will do well tomorrow on 4 Thym-Adren but for the foreseeable future, I will be unstable and make adjustments almost every week. It sucks to be me!
Distance=30.0/ GPA= 17.9/8= 2.24
Grade: Pass/0 credit/distance=2.0
11/12- Not surprisingly, I am almost as sensitive to the Mag as I am to the Vitamin C. I thought it might take the Thym-Adren dosage down and it appears that it has. I will not go under 3 of those pills unless by some miracle, the medical report is good. Speaking of which, I need to send out that hair sample by the end of the week. Workout was a total of 7 miles in 53:50 (7:41 pace) but it was divided up at 2.5 in the morning and 4.5 in the evening. Both times, I started off pretty well but faded near the end and was strugg-a-ling for an 8 minute pace. The formula will be tweaked.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=7.0
11/13- Cut the Thym-Adren from 5 pills to 3 and it wasn't enough. I believe the culprit is the calcium. I'm getting enough in the Thym-Adren and will try to stick to around 300 mg. of Mag. Workout was pitiful today. 3 miles at Gold's in 25:50 (8:37 pace) running nearly all out. I did manage an even pace (12:57-12:53), which is why I get the plus.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/14- Another 3 miler at Gold's. Time was down to 22:25 (7:28 pace) for an improvement of 3:25 (1:09/mile). Big woop! That still sucks! I managed to hold tempo pace for about a half mile then faded hard. 1st half: 10:40/ 2nd half: 11:45 (7:50 pace for last 1.5). The improvement was attributed to cutting out the calcium, which likely has not fully cleared my system. The good news is that taking extra magnesium did NOT make a radical difference. Went bowling with Chilton and managed to average 100 over 3 games.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=3.0
11/15- AM- 1 mile at tempo effort in 6:48. I probably could have beaten last night's time if I went 3 miles but not by a significant margin. I was fading and did not feel much difference in terms of energy. 3 Thym Adren won't do even on Magnesium.
PM- 5K time trial in 19:48*. Took a 4th Thym-Adren and felt noticeably better but still had room for improvement. I stopped for about a minute and took a 5th pill from my pocket then found another gear. Splits were 6:30-6:19-6:19-39. A sub-20 5K even with an asterisk IS indeed a reason to be glad. Still, the news is not all good. The 5th Thym-Adren may deplete with Vitamin C stores and I cannot take magnesium with C. I'll take care of that when it comes up. I may continue to trend down on the Thym-Adren and be able to get down to 4 by the end of the month.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=4.0
11/16- Lakeshore 5 in 37:44 (7:33 pace). Sluggish. 1st half in 18:22, 2nd half in 19:22. I was really strugg-a-ling in Mile 4 and 5 but I did not collapse. Managed to hold a steady 7:45 pace in the back half. Not a surprise. I took the 5 Thym-Adren immediately upon rising after having taken 2 the previous afternoon for a total of 7 in 24 hours. Too much. I will try to run long tomorrow but the weather looks a bit iffy.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=5.0
11/17- HORRIBLE! Lakeshore 3 in 27:53 (9:18 pace). Splits were 8:24-9:21-10:08. Need to cut dosage and/or take the Mag at night. I may be better this afternoon but this is an "F"
PM- 3 miles at Gold's in 25:54 (8:38 pace). 2 minute improvement but SO WHAT?
Grade:D-/2 credits/distance=6.0
Weekly summary:
Given that I switched to magnesium and quit the Vitamin C, I did not expect to win this week so I am not too disappointed. Prediction: I will do well tomorrow on 4 Thym-Adren but for the foreseeable future, I will be unstable and make adjustments almost every week. It sucks to be me!
Distance=30.0/ GPA= 17.9/8= 2.24
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Marshall Univ. Half RR
Training:
Volume has been down around 30-35 MPW with a few decent tempos but very little speed and only 2 successful long runs above race distance. That won't do. My health is about as unstable as ever. On race day, I took 5 Thym-Adren pills and slightly less than half of a Vitamin C. If I had taken the 6 pills that had worked last weekend or a whole Vitamin C, I would have struggled just to finish. Still, if I hit the formula just right, I have the talent to run 1:33ish even though I've lost a step in terms of fitness. The more realistic goal was a pace between 7:15-7:30, which would bring me to the finish line in 1:35-1:37.
Trip:
Huntington is just over 8 hours driving time from Birmingham via the interstate. I took the interstate up to Knoxville, roughly halfway there. Then in honor of John Denver, I took the country roads through the heart of Appalachia. That's some really beautiful country especially in the summer and early Fall. Even though the trees were mostly bare once I hit the Virginia border, it was still a pretty scenic and enjoyable drive. I took a more direct route on the way back so I could make it back to the Ham in one day. All told, I saw parts of 7 states (AL,GA,TN,VA,KY,OH,WV). Huntington has a small but vibrant downtown area, a nice Riverwalk and a pretty decent sized mall but no real tourist attractions. I was there solely to race and this was the only out of town Fall race on my list that fit my schedule. West Virginia was state #18 in my drive for 25.
Pre-race and course-
Aside from a long line at a no-frills expo and some minor parking issues, it was a well organized race and yes, I would recommend it if you are a 25 or 50 stater and need West Virginia. Ironically, in a state with almost no flat land, it's a fast course with only 2 or 3 noticeable hills that were only about a tenth of a mile each. It has a nice mix of downtown, riverside and trails. The course finished in the end zone of the Marshall Thundering Herd football stadium. The day dawned clear and cool with temps in the low 40s at the start, which rose to near 50 by the finish with light-moderate winds. I could not ask for much better conditions.
Race:
Woke up feeling decent after my pills and my legs had some power warming up. Still, given how sensitive I am, it's very hard to hit it perfectly and I merely hoped to to finish respectably and enjoy the race experience. I had aimed for a conservative start, just under 7:30 and then try to pick it up after Mile 3 if I felt good. It was a good clean start and I felt pretty good early. I was doing about 7:20 early and it felt very easy. The pace quickened after shallow downhill and I hit the first marker in 7:10. Too fast. I made a deliberate attempt to slow down but my speed remained fairly constant through the first 3 miles as the course looped through the Marshall campus. My calf was starting to get heavy in Mile 2 which was not a good sign but my wind was fine and my form was okay. I was on pace for a 1:34:xx through the first loop, which was fast but not unreasonable.
7:10 (7:10)
7:13 (14:23)
7:20 (21:43)
Mile 3 is often when I start to fade on my bad days and I still felt decent overall so I made a bit of a push in Mile 4 as the course went down to the Riverwalk before heading back on the roads in Mile 5. Mile 6 was probably the toughest of the race but I remained in control.
7:11 (28:54)
7:16 (36:10)
7:18 (43:28)
We turned onto a trail section just before the halfway point, which I passed in almost exactly 47:30 for a dead even 1:35 pace. The pace group passed me at this point but I managed to stay with them. The pace felt a bit easier running in a pack but I missed a key water stop because of the traffic. I tried to make a break in Mile 8 but it was short lived as the pace group slowly pulled away from me. I thought I could go maybe 15 seconds in the red and be able to make it up the last mile. I hit Mile 9.1 fading a bit at 66 flat. 4 miles to go but with a round number and an accurate GPS reading, I knew exactly what I had to do the rest of the way. 7:15 for a 1:35 and 7:30 for a sub-1:36. Even a brutal fade to 8:00 pace would still get me home in 1:38 flat, which would be an improvement over the disasters at Mercedes and St. Louis.
7:11 (50:39)
7:15 (57:54)
7:18 (65:12)
Not surprisingly, my low mileage would catch up to me in Mile 10 and Mile 11 would be worse. I was set to concede a 1:36:xx. However, after the hydration stop that I should have taken earlier, I managed to gain a bit of a second wind in Mile 12. With 1 mile to go the watch read 1:28:33. I need a 7:27 to get the 1:35:xx and it seemed to be doable. My pace quickened to the 7:20 range as we turned into the stadium. We went down a small ramp then after a sharp turn, we had the length of the football field to go. I knew I had it but left nothing to chance and delivered a strong closing kick, which brought me to a finish in 1:35:50 (7:18 overall pace). It was good enough for 4th in my age group out of 62 finishers.
7:31 (72:43)
7:40 (80:23)
7:30 (87:53)
7:14 (95:07)
:43 (last .12)
Final thought:
If this is as good as I can run due to talent limitations, I'd be okay with that and would still be able to enjoy these race experiences. If race day had been only 3 days earlier, I would have been awful. I managed to recognize the issues with the pills and adjust in time. I'm not always so lucky. What will work next week? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm quitting the Vitamin C and going back to Cal/Mag along with the Thym-Adren. If I get this squared away, I predict that I will be back in sub-90 form within a few months.
Volume has been down around 30-35 MPW with a few decent tempos but very little speed and only 2 successful long runs above race distance. That won't do. My health is about as unstable as ever. On race day, I took 5 Thym-Adren pills and slightly less than half of a Vitamin C. If I had taken the 6 pills that had worked last weekend or a whole Vitamin C, I would have struggled just to finish. Still, if I hit the formula just right, I have the talent to run 1:33ish even though I've lost a step in terms of fitness. The more realistic goal was a pace between 7:15-7:30, which would bring me to the finish line in 1:35-1:37.
Trip:
Huntington is just over 8 hours driving time from Birmingham via the interstate. I took the interstate up to Knoxville, roughly halfway there. Then in honor of John Denver, I took the country roads through the heart of Appalachia. That's some really beautiful country especially in the summer and early Fall. Even though the trees were mostly bare once I hit the Virginia border, it was still a pretty scenic and enjoyable drive. I took a more direct route on the way back so I could make it back to the Ham in one day. All told, I saw parts of 7 states (AL,GA,TN,VA,KY,OH,WV). Huntington has a small but vibrant downtown area, a nice Riverwalk and a pretty decent sized mall but no real tourist attractions. I was there solely to race and this was the only out of town Fall race on my list that fit my schedule. West Virginia was state #18 in my drive for 25.
Pre-race and course-
Aside from a long line at a no-frills expo and some minor parking issues, it was a well organized race and yes, I would recommend it if you are a 25 or 50 stater and need West Virginia. Ironically, in a state with almost no flat land, it's a fast course with only 2 or 3 noticeable hills that were only about a tenth of a mile each. It has a nice mix of downtown, riverside and trails. The course finished in the end zone of the Marshall Thundering Herd football stadium. The day dawned clear and cool with temps in the low 40s at the start, which rose to near 50 by the finish with light-moderate winds. I could not ask for much better conditions.
Race:
Woke up feeling decent after my pills and my legs had some power warming up. Still, given how sensitive I am, it's very hard to hit it perfectly and I merely hoped to to finish respectably and enjoy the race experience. I had aimed for a conservative start, just under 7:30 and then try to pick it up after Mile 3 if I felt good. It was a good clean start and I felt pretty good early. I was doing about 7:20 early and it felt very easy. The pace quickened after shallow downhill and I hit the first marker in 7:10. Too fast. I made a deliberate attempt to slow down but my speed remained fairly constant through the first 3 miles as the course looped through the Marshall campus. My calf was starting to get heavy in Mile 2 which was not a good sign but my wind was fine and my form was okay. I was on pace for a 1:34:xx through the first loop, which was fast but not unreasonable.
7:10 (7:10)
7:13 (14:23)
7:20 (21:43)
Mile 3 is often when I start to fade on my bad days and I still felt decent overall so I made a bit of a push in Mile 4 as the course went down to the Riverwalk before heading back on the roads in Mile 5. Mile 6 was probably the toughest of the race but I remained in control.
7:11 (28:54)
7:16 (36:10)
7:18 (43:28)
We turned onto a trail section just before the halfway point, which I passed in almost exactly 47:30 for a dead even 1:35 pace. The pace group passed me at this point but I managed to stay with them. The pace felt a bit easier running in a pack but I missed a key water stop because of the traffic. I tried to make a break in Mile 8 but it was short lived as the pace group slowly pulled away from me. I thought I could go maybe 15 seconds in the red and be able to make it up the last mile. I hit Mile 9.1 fading a bit at 66 flat. 4 miles to go but with a round number and an accurate GPS reading, I knew exactly what I had to do the rest of the way. 7:15 for a 1:35 and 7:30 for a sub-1:36. Even a brutal fade to 8:00 pace would still get me home in 1:38 flat, which would be an improvement over the disasters at Mercedes and St. Louis.
7:11 (50:39)
7:15 (57:54)
7:18 (65:12)
Not surprisingly, my low mileage would catch up to me in Mile 10 and Mile 11 would be worse. I was set to concede a 1:36:xx. However, after the hydration stop that I should have taken earlier, I managed to gain a bit of a second wind in Mile 12. With 1 mile to go the watch read 1:28:33. I need a 7:27 to get the 1:35:xx and it seemed to be doable. My pace quickened to the 7:20 range as we turned into the stadium. We went down a small ramp then after a sharp turn, we had the length of the football field to go. I knew I had it but left nothing to chance and delivered a strong closing kick, which brought me to a finish in 1:35:50 (7:18 overall pace). It was good enough for 4th in my age group out of 62 finishers.
7:31 (72:43)
7:40 (80:23)
7:30 (87:53)
7:14 (95:07)
:43 (last .12)
Final thought:
If this is as good as I can run due to talent limitations, I'd be okay with that and would still be able to enjoy these race experiences. If race day had been only 3 days earlier, I would have been awful. I managed to recognize the issues with the pills and adjust in time. I'm not always so lucky. What will work next week? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm quitting the Vitamin C and going back to Cal/Mag along with the Thym-Adren. If I get this squared away, I predict that I will be back in sub-90 form within a few months.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Training 11/4-11/10 (race week)
11/4- Planned rest day. I may do a very short junk run later just to see how I feel. I may cut my dosage down to 5 Thym-Adren today. If I go under 4, Vitamin C won't work anymore and I'll have to take Cal/Mag. I really want to stay at or above 4 at least until the end of the month.
PM- Spaced out the doses today and found that 5 pills were not enough and I knew it before the run. I also found that 5.5 pills were not enough either. On 6 pills however, my legs had some nice pop despite the hard session yesterday. I ran down Wisteria with no warmup and covered a half mile in a comfy 3:26. I then popped another half pill and waited for just a few minutes for it to kick in. I wasn't horrible on the back half but clearly I had lost a step. The next half mile took me 3:42 with the same effort for an overall time of 7:08. Finished with a half mile cool in the parking lot.
I can learn a lot just in a junk run. 6 pills is clearly the right formula at this time and I doubt that it will drop below 4 before Thanksgiving. If I am off +/- even half a pill, I will suffer. Still, even with the extreme sensitivity, this condition would be manageable if the key formula stayed constant. It is the INSTABILITY that is wrecking my life. "I wish I could run like you." I hear that all the time from joggers at the track. Be careful what you wish for.
Grade:Pass/0 credit/distance=1.5
11/5- AM. Basic 5 miler at Gold's in 36:53 (7:23 pace). Legs had decent power and felt pretty relaxed all the way. Slowed just a tad in the 2nd half (18:20-18:33). Also, my weight was up to 161, which is a minor concern. I did take all 6 pills upon rising this morning after spacing it out and taking 2 yesterday afternoon. That explains why I was a little sluggish but overall pretty strong and I believe I can go much faster over 13.1 fresh in a race setting.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.5
11/6- AM Run with the Gnomes. Lakeshore 6.5 in 47:17 (7:17 pace). Not a bad workout but I could not hack it with big boys who doing 7:05. I was working harder than I should have been. This is roughly 1:35:20 pace for a half mary but I would have been hard pressed to hold that pace today for another 6.5. I'm going to try to reduce to Vitamin C since I have reduced the Thym-Adren.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=7.0
11/7- Skipped a dose of Vitamin C and it ended in disaster. Goal workout was a short tempo and I called it quits after 1 Mile in 7:36 with a rapidly slowing pace. I'm not surprised. If I was taking 8 Thym-Adren, I'd need a full Vitamin C. If I was taking less than 4, I'd need none. Now that I'm on 6, a half pill should work. Please, don't anyone say that you want to run like me! I'm not grading today and will do an abbreviated version of the workout tomorrow morning, which will give me 48 hours rest. If I quit the Vitamin C, the extreme Magnesium sensitivity will flare up. I can't win. Weight is down to 157, which is good news.
Grade:Non Pass/0 credit/distance=1.0
11/8- Final workout before race day was better than yesterday but expectations are running pretty low. 1 Mile in 6:14, stopped to stretch for maybe 2 minutes then clocked another Mile in 6:12 followed by a very slow cool. Times were decent but I did not feel real good. It's too late to make any radical changes now but it appears that very soon, I will be forced off Vitamin C due to less Thym-Adren. This change will force me back on Cal/Mag. Weight: 159. It's 9:00 AM and I'm hitting the road and aim to be in Kentucky before dark.
Grade:B-/2 credit/distance=3.0
11/9- Planned rest day. Easy drive from eastern Kentucky into Huntington.
11/10- Marshall Univ. Half marathon in 1:35:50 (7:18 pace)
Grade:B/4 credits/distance=14.0
Weekly summary:
Done with the Vitamin C and going back to Cal/Mag plus Thym-Adren. It was another "lenient" win this week. That's 2 in a row. Win next week and that's called a winning streak.
Distance= 32.0/GPA=24.1/8= 3.01
YTD= 1,552 miles. 17-26 record on the year.
PM- Spaced out the doses today and found that 5 pills were not enough and I knew it before the run. I also found that 5.5 pills were not enough either. On 6 pills however, my legs had some nice pop despite the hard session yesterday. I ran down Wisteria with no warmup and covered a half mile in a comfy 3:26. I then popped another half pill and waited for just a few minutes for it to kick in. I wasn't horrible on the back half but clearly I had lost a step. The next half mile took me 3:42 with the same effort for an overall time of 7:08. Finished with a half mile cool in the parking lot.
I can learn a lot just in a junk run. 6 pills is clearly the right formula at this time and I doubt that it will drop below 4 before Thanksgiving. If I am off +/- even half a pill, I will suffer. Still, even with the extreme sensitivity, this condition would be manageable if the key formula stayed constant. It is the INSTABILITY that is wrecking my life. "I wish I could run like you." I hear that all the time from joggers at the track. Be careful what you wish for.
Grade:Pass/0 credit/distance=1.5
11/5- AM. Basic 5 miler at Gold's in 36:53 (7:23 pace). Legs had decent power and felt pretty relaxed all the way. Slowed just a tad in the 2nd half (18:20-18:33). Also, my weight was up to 161, which is a minor concern. I did take all 6 pills upon rising this morning after spacing it out and taking 2 yesterday afternoon. That explains why I was a little sluggish but overall pretty strong and I believe I can go much faster over 13.1 fresh in a race setting.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.5
11/6- AM Run with the Gnomes. Lakeshore 6.5 in 47:17 (7:17 pace). Not a bad workout but I could not hack it with big boys who doing 7:05. I was working harder than I should have been. This is roughly 1:35:20 pace for a half mary but I would have been hard pressed to hold that pace today for another 6.5. I'm going to try to reduce to Vitamin C since I have reduced the Thym-Adren.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=7.0
11/7- Skipped a dose of Vitamin C and it ended in disaster. Goal workout was a short tempo and I called it quits after 1 Mile in 7:36 with a rapidly slowing pace. I'm not surprised. If I was taking 8 Thym-Adren, I'd need a full Vitamin C. If I was taking less than 4, I'd need none. Now that I'm on 6, a half pill should work. Please, don't anyone say that you want to run like me! I'm not grading today and will do an abbreviated version of the workout tomorrow morning, which will give me 48 hours rest. If I quit the Vitamin C, the extreme Magnesium sensitivity will flare up. I can't win. Weight is down to 157, which is good news.
Grade:Non Pass/0 credit/distance=1.0
11/8- Final workout before race day was better than yesterday but expectations are running pretty low. 1 Mile in 6:14, stopped to stretch for maybe 2 minutes then clocked another Mile in 6:12 followed by a very slow cool. Times were decent but I did not feel real good. It's too late to make any radical changes now but it appears that very soon, I will be forced off Vitamin C due to less Thym-Adren. This change will force me back on Cal/Mag. Weight: 159. It's 9:00 AM and I'm hitting the road and aim to be in Kentucky before dark.
Grade:B-/2 credit/distance=3.0
11/9- Planned rest day. Easy drive from eastern Kentucky into Huntington.
11/10- Marshall Univ. Half marathon in 1:35:50 (7:18 pace)
Grade:B/4 credits/distance=14.0
Weekly summary:
Done with the Vitamin C and going back to Cal/Mag plus Thym-Adren. It was another "lenient" win this week. That's 2 in a row. Win next week and that's called a winning streak.
Distance= 32.0/GPA=24.1/8= 3.01
YTD= 1,552 miles. 17-26 record on the year.
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