Training 2/18-2/24

2/18- Day off work for President's Day.  Trak Shak 7.5 loop in 65:25 (8:43 pace) plus a half mile cool.  Felt much better than the last 2 days.  As expected, it was caffeine withdrawal not the pills that was the reason for the slow paces last weekend. ONE cheat day per week and that's IT!  Today was still a little on the slow side but given a hilly route and a longer distance, I'm okay with this one.  I've done 21 miles in the last 3 days too.  Shooting for 35 on the week but much of it will have to be indoors because the weather is gonna SUCK this week.

 In other news, I did purchase a new leather sofa and coffee table and will get the cable installed tomorrow.  I can hold off on the bed for a few weeks because I can sleep on the futon.  I still need to unpack a few things but should take care of that today.
Distance=8.0

2/19-AM 3 mile tempo in 22:37 (7:32 pace).  Hoped for a little better than this but this was only 3 seconds slower than my 5K race pace and done on tired legs.  Went out at 7:15 but couldn't hold it and my legs had little pop out there.  It may seem like I'm going backwards on increased mileage but I am confident that my system will soon adjust.  This will be a big week for me because next week is a race week and I want a decent showing in a 10K.  We'll see how I feel in the evening but this might be it for the day.

PM- Took the evening off and the weather turned nasty.  One important observation:  The ridges on my thumbnails are still there but they appear to have diminished a bit on the bottoms.  That could be a sign of sustained improvement.  Hope to be up for an easy 5 tomorrow.
Distance=3.5

2/20- Easy 5 on Lakeshore in 42:17 (8:27 pace).  Slow start, ran 8:15s in the middle but backed down again towards the end.  Knee hurt at times but it was better after stretching.  30 miles in 5 days is over-reaching a bit at this point.  I must not get injured.  No running until at least the evening tomorrow.  Added a quarter mile warm and cool.
Distance-5.5

2/21- AM- Against my better judgment. I went ahead and ran this morning.  Easy 3 in 24:47 (8:16 pace).  Struggled during the workout but felt surprisingly well afterwards.  Best news is that my knee appears to be okay.  Perhaps even better is that my formula has been stable for 2 weeks.  If I can make it 2 more, it just might make me believe again.  No matter what happens next weekend, I am happy to be getting steady training.

PM- 2 mile junk run in the rain.  6 loops around the parking lot.  Did not time it but felt no worse than the morning session.  I am showing signs of adapting to the new level of training but plan to stay in the 35 MPW range for at least a few more weeks.  Need to keep stretching the IT band.
Distance=5.0

2/22- Planned rest day.  I'll play it by ear tomorrow.  If the weather is dry, I will go long.  If not, it will be okay to do the long run on Sunday.

2/23- RELAPSE!  Made it 15 days without an adjustment but that streak is over now.  Fortunately, I know the reason and it is understandable.  Toxins, which had been stuck in organs, have spilled out into the tissues and it will just take time to eliminate them.  I was in a similar situation 5 years ago after the Liver flush.  I had to turn to an adrenal glandular temporarily to get relief.  The same thing is happening now.  Last time, it was copper and cadmium that was eliminated.  Who knows this time?  It could be much more damaging toxins such as arsenic, lead or mercury.  I was so bad when I woke up that I was walking with a visible limp!  The right knee is especially sore but it is no worse when running.  Again, junk intervals were my only option.
Opener- 2:52 (11:28 pace) OUCH!
1 pill- 2:37 (10:28 pace) MINUS 60
2 pills- 2:17 (9:08 pace) MINUS 80
3 pills- 2:07 (8:28 pace) MINUS 40
  Unfortunately, that was as good as it gets.  A 4th pill made things worse again and I completed another mile at glacial pace as a cool down.  What happens tomorrow?  Can never say for sure but I won't be shocked if I no longer benefit from the adrenal glandular.  This puts next week's 10K in doubt.

PM- Tacked on another 2 miles at the parking lot.  6 laps untimed at glacial pace.  I bet it was over 20 minutes but now I only need 4 tomorrow to match last week's total and 5 to break it.
Distance=4.0

2/24- Made it 5 miles on Lakeshore to top 30 miles on the week.  Finished in a turtle time of 53:57 (10:47 pace) but did it on zero adrenal pills so this was better than yesterday.  Did not collapse and actually finished with a negative split.  1st half- 27:11.  2nd half- 26:46.  Popped 1 adrenal pill afterwards and was slightly but noticeable worse.  I'm a fast oxidizer so that's what should happen.  I'll just have to wait for the detox to run its course and hope to see modest improvements day by day.

PM- I was feeling a little better this afternoon so I decided to tack on 2 more in the parking lot.  Did 6 loops in 17:20 (8:40 pace) with a significant negative split (8:48-8:32).  No doubt that a 5 miler would have been a lot better than the morning session.  Maybe I have a chance at a semi-respectable showing next week.  Then again, I could relapse again.
Distance=7.0

Weekly summary:
In theory, I should be in the clear after the detox runs its course.  I thought that before the last relapse and the one before that and the one before that and so on.
Distance= 33.0- YTD= 171