Training 1/13-1/19

1/13- Experimentation day just like after the detox.
AM- 2 mile quickie in 14:55 (7:27 pace) but did not feel well at all on only 6 Thym-Adren.  Too overstimulated.  Took a Cal pill after the workout.
PM- Same 2 miler and showed slight improvement.  Time was down to 14:44 (7:22 pace) but the effort was more comfortable.  Popped a 2nd Cal pill.
#2- This one was significantly better.  The same moderate effort yielded a time of 13:58 (6:59 pace) and felt I could have gone on for at least 4 more.
#3- Taking an extra 1.5 Thym-Adren made me feel slightly worse.  Stopped at 1 mile in 7:38 but was getting a little better towards the end.  Could have kept going but elected not to do so.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=7.0

Health status:
Lots of questions were answered today but a few remain.  First, I can take no more than 6 Thym-Adren and that dosage could be going down to as low as 4.  I still don't know if it's due to a shift in my chemistry or an issue with processing but I'd lean towards the former.  I wasn't horrible in run #3 and before the detox, an extra pill would have put me over 8:00 for 1 mile.

Second, I need more Calcium but don't know how much or more importantly, the ratio of Cal/Mag.  Calcium does decrease cell membrane permeability and also lowers tissue Na and K, which is good for me but too much can also lower Mag, which is bad for me.  250 of Cal won't cut it and neither will 500.  I'd prefer to take 750 of each (1:1 ratio) and it is recommended that you take 5mg of Mag per lb of body weight, which would be 750-800 for me.  However, if I feel best on 750/500 (3:2 ratio) or 1000/500 (2:1 ratio), so be it.  You should never take a Cal/Mag ratio higher than 2:1.  When I was on the Paramin and Thym-Adren, I was getting almost 2.75 parts Cal/1 Mag and suffered as a result.  Somewhere between a 1:1 and a 2:1 ratio will likely give me the best result.  Let's hope that I can find a ratio that works and stick with it.  I'm still 6 weeks out from sending another hair sample to the lab.

1/14- Took 750/500 last night with good results.  Lakeshore 6.5 in 48:05 (7:24 pace) on a nice clear 50 degree evening.  Splits were 23:57-24:08 and I did deliberately slow down at the end because I was way under 7:30 pace.  Good job overall but I'm not sure how I'd do on a tempo.  We'll see how I do on 750 of each.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0

1/15- I knew before the workout that a 1:1 ratio would not work for me.  I hoped to be able to slog through the workout in spite of it, which I did.  It wasn't pretty but I finished 5 miles at Gold's in a time of 38:20 (7:40 pace).  Pace fell off badly after the halfway point but I managed to keep Mile 4 and 5 below 8:00 despite very stiff calf muscles toward the end.  Splits were 18:40-19:40.  Overall, I was significantly worse on 1:1 than 3:2.  Tomorrow, I'm going with the 2:1 and will attempt a quality workout.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=5.0

1/16- AM.  Took the 2:1 ratio.  Workout was a short tempo.  3 miles in 20:40 (6:53 pace).  An improvement over yesterday but clearly a long way from my old form.  A full 5K would have been about 21:25, which is pretty baaauhd.  I should be able to go sub-20 every day that I am even moderately fresh.  This is worrisome.  I am officially concerned but not in a panic mode yet.  This was only the first day on the 2:1 and there is still a chance that I'll be fine by the weekend.

PM- I am officially in trouble now.  I felt worse as the day progressed and was unproductive at work.  Attempted an easy workout but quit after just 1 Mile at garbage pace.  It does appear that the 3:2 ratio will work best for me but I felt worse again after taking those Cal/Mag pills even in the right ratio.  One last resort is Vitamin C, which is worth a shot.  If that fails, it is most definitely a processing issue.  I am not due for another detox for 2 weeks so if that's the case, it's going to be rough until then.  I'll have to quit the Cal/Mag and stay on the Thym-Adren if my system cannot tolerate both.
Grade:C-/2 credits/distance=4.5
 Update: Learned that it could be the Jigsaw that's causing the problems and I may be able to take the plain malate.  Even if that's the case, it is likely indicative of a liver issue.

1/17-This was a scheduled rest day but I wanted to make up some of the shortfall from yesterday.  2 miles in 16:04 (8:02 pace) with splits of 7:55-8:09 and I could not go much faster.  This was actually an improvement over yesterday evening's debacle.  I will try plain malate tonight and hope for an incremental improvement but it seems unlikely that I will be able to go long.
Grade:None/0 credit/distance=2.0

1/18- AM- Plain malate has failed me.  1.5 miles at Gold's in a time of 15:45 (10:30 pace).  It's either go with the Thym-Adren alone for 2 weeks and probably watch my tolerance for it go down OR do the detox early.  I'm doing the detox early.  There is no danger in doing it too soon after the last cleanse.  I'll do it again 2 weeks later to make sure I'm sharp for Mercedes.  Again, I expect that over time, the interval between detoxes will increase.

PM- 3 miles in 27:24 (9:08 pace).  Improved by a full 82 seconds per mile for double the distance.  I attribute that solely to getting some of the forbidden pills out of my system and will likely improve further tomorrow.  However, another crash will be just around the corner if the toxicity is left untreated.  I am prepared for the detox tomorrow and this time, I am not afraid.
Grade:F/2 credits/distance=4.5

1/19- Vestavia 3 mile in an even 24:00 (8:00 pace).  Took all magnesium today, which is safe for a detox day.  It's just after noon now so I've got to tough it out until bed time.  I will pre-hydrate so I can take the Epsom salt water but it's no food or drink at all after 2 PM.
Grade:C-/1 credit/distance=3.0

Weekly summary:
Many weeks in 2013 looked very similar to this one.  If not for the detox, I would continue to show gradual improvement but would endure another crash in about a week when my system could process fewer and fewer pills.  Overall, my record does not look too bad through 3 weeks and I expect to get back on the winning track next week.
Distance=33.0/ GPA= 13.8/8= 1.73
YTD: 115 miles.   2-1 with a 2.74 GPA