Training 10/2-10/8

10/2-Continued improvement with the probiotics.  I was a little sore from yesterday but beat my goal.  5 miles at Gold's in 37:24 (7:29 pace).  Tempo effort but very even splits with something left at the end.  1st half-18:46, 2nd half-18:38.
Grade:B +/1 credit/distance-5.0

10/3- Easy 6 on Lakeshore.  Finished in 46:39 (7:47 pace).  Dialed back the effort and it felt a lot easier than yesterday despite the gently rolling terrain.  Soreness kicked in bigly after yesterday's workout but most of it had cleared by today.  Started a bit too fast then settled into the 7:50 range in the last 4 miles.  Added a half mile cool.  Good job overall.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.5

10/4- Planned rest day.  Body is a bit tired but I could have managed a standard issue run if I chose.

10/5-AM- Tempo.  Gold's 3 in 20:13 (6:44 pace).  Solid performance.  This is equivalent to a sub-21 5K, which is right on the edge of respectability.  I still don't feel like I had access to my top gear but ran a good even pace that never went above 6:50.  I may be back out for a couple junk miles this evening.  One confession.  I've cheated a couple times on the caffeine.  Probably hasn't hurt me as long as I don't binge but I've got to get back on the wagon.  2 weeks until I leave for New Mexico and Texas.

PM- VERY easy 3 on Wisteria.  Pretty much a junk run.  I didn't even use the watch but estimate the pace to be around 8:30 and steady all the way.  This does not affect the grade today.  That's based only on the morning session.  One observation which is a concern:  A 2nd probiotic pill left me slightly but noticeably weakened.  Probably a detox reaction but I'm a little worried that I still have low tolerance for it.  I may actually do best if I'm off it for a day or 2 but I know the sensitivity will kick in bigly if I stay off long-term.
Grade:A-/2 credit/distance=6.5

10/6- Easy 4 at Gold's in 29:37 (7:24 pace) before taking the probiotic.  YES, it really was easy.  I actually dialed it back further in Mile 4 because I was so far ahead of pace but still turned in a 7:31 split.  Felt great.

In the aftermath, I took a Cal pill and was significantly weakened but the reaction was not as severe as it was last week.  The probiotic knocked out that problem.  Detailed post coming.
Grade:A/1 credit/distance=4.0

10/7- O'Henry's 12 miler in 97:30 (8:08 pace).  Interesting observations today.  Started without the probiotic and it felt like I was dying early and didn't get much better after I took it about 1.5 miles in.  I actually considered bailing but held it together surprisingly well.  Very even pace with something left at the end but curiously, I could NOT pick up the pace until Mile 12 (7:34) no matter how hard I tried.  Garmin revealed my average HR was only 151 and on my easy 6, it was 160.  Max should be 185ish so I just could not access that top gear.  Is my tolerance to the probiotic starting to kick in?  I'll find out very soon.

On the plus side, it was BIG that I was able to go beyond 10 miles without a problem on a morning that was unseasonably warm and humid due to tropical moisture.  This would bring me home in 1:46:xx for a half mary and I had plenty left in the tank.  I bet I could have gone 16 today.
Grade:B/2 credit/distance=12.0

10/8- With the win locked up, I experimented with 4 Syntol pills.  Legs and joints were a bit sore from the detox but the rest of my body felt remarkably strong and fresh too.  Gold's 3 in 21:57 (7:19 pace) on an absolutely nasty weather day.  HR was only 148 today and this felt easy.  As I posted earlier, it took a monumental effort to run this distance in 25:xx the last time I tried to take 4 pills.  The tolerance is kicking in, which eases the fears of a relapse.
Grade:A/1 credit/distance=3.0

Weekly summary:
Win #9 on the year and this was my strongest week so far. I want to see how I react to being off the Syntol tomorrow but predict it will not be pretty.  Odds are, I need the full recommended dose of at least 6 pills for optimal results for a few weeks before going back down to 1-2 for maintenance.
Distance=37.0/ GPA= 28.0/8= 3.50
YTD: 1147 miles.  9-29 with a 2.14 GPA