1/27- Lakeshore 5 in 49:21 (9:52 pace). Good news is that I completed the planned distance. Bad news is that it sure was ugly. I have upped the mileage recently so I might just be adjusting. Slowed badly on the back half. Legs tightened up after 1 Mile.
Distance=5.0
1/28- Woke up feeling much worse. Clearly need a new treatment. I got it with Probiotics and Taurine to control the candida. Only did 3x1/6 miles at Montreat in the hated interval fashion.
Opener- 82.5 (8:15 pace)
Taurine- 70.9- (7:05 pace) MINUS 70
Probiotics- 63.2 (6:19 pace) MINUS 46
More sensitivity? I don't think so. Once my system gets used to it, the gaps will diminish. More to come in a separate post.
Distance=0.5
1/29- Gold's 3 in 23:48 (7:56 pace). Managed to sneak under the Mendoza line but it wasn't pretty. Splits were 15:32-16:16 so I faded again on the back half and really didn't feel strong after the first half mile. This was done after cheating again on purpose. Can't say this is anything to celebrate but it was a LOT better than it would have been without the new pills. Often, I feel okay on the cheat day but it hits me hard about 24-48 hours later. Come Friday, I'll have a good idea how this is going to play out. Let's hope the probiotics stop the withdrawal symptoms. Added a half mile cool.
Distance=3.5
1/30-AM- Intervals at Montreat:
Opener: 66.5 (6:39 pace)
Closer- 56.0 (5:36 pace)
The gap was 1:56 just 36 hours ago. It's down to 1:03 now.
PM- 3.5 on Lakeshore in 31:05 (8:53 pace). Not a good showing but I believe it would have been far worse without the probiotics. Took some more after the run and felt noticeably better. So far, everything is going as planned.
Distance=4.0
1/31- 3x8 laps at Gold's with added probiotics.
Opener- 5:42 (8:33 pace). Fading at the end. Likely would have been on par with yesterday if not slightly worse.
1 Probiotic plus Taurine- 5:18 (7:57 pace). Significant improvement but not a night and day difference. The gaps appear to be diminishing.
5 Probiotics- Even after loading, I improved only to a 5:08 (7:42 pace). Barely enough to cross the threshold of significance and it took 4 additional pills to do it.
Added a Taurine and managed a 3:45 half mile (7:30 pace). Again, slightly better but 1 pill will NOT make a yuge difference. Looking good. It will take time for the probiotics to do the job but I should NOT be sensitive to them.
Distance=3.0
2/1- Tried to run long today and FAILED! 1 mile in 11:37 at Lakeshore and I knew it would be a failure before I started. Guess what? The probiotics are the culprit and caused an adrenal spike. Not a surprise after solving a major problem. Took Thym-Adren and improved to 9:24 in the afternoon.
Distance=2.0
2/2- Intervals.
Opener- 3:49 (11:27 pace)
Trace of Probiotics- 3:17 (9:51 pace)
Full Pill- 4:12 (12:36 pace).
It appears that it will play out similarly to the last battle with the TRS. Tolerance will be very limited early but the sensitivity will soon diminish. I'll head to Utah TOTALLY unprepared.
Distance=1.0
-19 miles on the week.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Puerto Rico Trip Report
1/17- Caught a 7:30 flight out of Atlanta and landed in San Juan around noon (lost 1 hour en route). No rental car this time. I simply took a taxi to my condo, right on the beach at Isla Verde. I found that there were several sit down and fast food restaurants within walking distance plus a CVS and convenience store, so no car is needed if you plan to stick to Isla Verde.
I got a quick burger at a nearby restaurant then put on my suit and hit the water. The water was a clear emerald green with light brown sand that almost bordered on golden with plenty of tall tropical palm trees. Very nice as expected. This was my first time below the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 18.5 here). Temps were in the low-mid 80s and quite humid away from the coast but the water temps were just about 80 degrees, which is just about perfect. Cool enough to be refreshing but not nearly cold enough to be uncomfortable. There were a few passing rain showers but none lasted for more than a few minutes and often, it was dry just a few hundred yards further down the beach. Days often dawned overcast, so I never got very good sunrise pictures, but it usually turned sunny by the afternoon.
As for the language barrier, Spanish is not necessary in tourist areas. Almost everyone can speak English well. When I did speak Spanish to locals, they could understand me but usually answered in English. However, I have heard that if you travel off the beaten path in Puerto Rico, you will be expected to speak Spanish and comprehension of English may be limited. The island was hit by several recent earthquakes around 6.0 on the Richter scale but there was no apparent damage in the San Juan area. Areas further south may have been a problem.
In terms of wave action, it was interesting. Isla Verde, where I stayed, is separated from Pine Grove by a rocky corner. On each side, the farther away that you got from the rocks, the bigger the waves became. That’s good for everyone. Families with small children could stay near the rocks while more adventurous folks caught the big waves. I experienced 1 knock down, several head shots and plenty of good long rides to the shore.
Unfortunately, on my last day, my inflatable boogie board deflated after just 1 hour. I figure that I must have punctured on a rock of hard sand. Too bad. I still managed to have fun that day though.
This was the weekend of the San Sebastian Festival in Old San Juan. I had planned to take a bus to check it out briefly but after waiting for about an hour at a stop no bus came by. Oh well, it was probably better. This festival is rumored to be on par with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It would have been a total zoo scene with little chance of meeting a friend. I ended up stopping for beers at a Mexican restaurant where I enjoyed a conversation with a younger guy from NYC who also shares my passion for travel.
Final thought:
All in all, it was a good trip but given the short amount of time, I would have opted for Cancun or the Dominican Republic if I had it to do again. Puerto Rico has so much more to offer and you just can’t do it justice in a long weekend. Word is that Rincon in the west has epic surf conditions and there is a really nice rainforest (El Yunque) with mountain hiking trails plus the obvious tourist spots in San Juan. I’ll be back.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Training 1/20-1/26
Best news is that the TRS sensitivity has greatly diminished. In fact, I'm close to declaring it gone. The only thing that is bothering me now is forbidden drinks and I am betting that candida is the culprit. I recently read that candida "hides behind toxic metals to ensure its survival." Now that the toxic metals are out, the candida die off could be rough.
1/20- 1 mile sunrise run on the beach in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. Time was slow at 8:28 but I didn't care. Sand was soft in some spots so it's not the best beach for a run. Daytona wins that category.
Distance=1.0
1/21- I drank a Rum and Coke at the end of a long day yesterday (flight delay) and paid the price. 2 miles at Gold's in 19:56 (9:58 pace) with splits of 10:04-9:52. I actually feared even worse than this.
Distance=2.0
1/22- 3 miles at Gold's in 28:46 (9:35 pace). Improvement. The 2nd day off sugar is often the worst and today was significantly better. MINUS 23 and 50% longer distance. I'll take it. I'm doing all of this without pills or TRS. I expect to be significantly better tomorrow.
Distance=3.0
1/23- 3 miles at Gold's again (rainy day) but my time is down to 25:45 (8:35 pace). MINUS 60. A significant improvement as expected. If you look closer, the news is even better. I ran the opening mile in 8:34, took 3 sprays of TRS and hit 2 miles at 17:10 for an 8:36 split. Finally, I took the methylation pills and incredibly clocked an 8:35 split.
So, after 3 days off ALL pills, I go back on them and it's THE DEFINITION OF A NON-FACTOR! Just like I wanted! Effort was very even too. With the exception of mild pick up in the last 100 yards, I made no extra push to hit the splits nor did I hold back. In theory, the sensitivity is GONE and all I have to do is avoid sugared drinks and I should be in the clear. Again, this is IN THEORY! I would like to add that avoiding sugar is easier said than done. Because of the candida infection, I will crave it and 1 small slip up could lead to a full relapse. Maybe I can finish a long or longish run this weekend.
Distance=3.0
1/24- 2 miles in 15:43 (7:51 pace). Not a disaster but I was hoping for a little better than this. Hoped to get close to 15. Found that an 8 minute pace was difficult to hold with the exception of a fast start and fast finish. Still an improvement over yesterday and likely near the Mendoza for 3 miles.
Distance=2.0
1/25- 8 miles in 75:52 (9:29 pace). Good news is that I completed the planned distance for my longest run since October. Bad news is that I just wasn't feeling it at all out there. Early pace was around 9:15 but slowed considerably on the back half. I figure that in a 13.1 mile race, I would have had to Gallo-walk and probably finish around 2:10ish. 3 weeks out from race day. I've got a long way to go. Got back home and felt considerably better after taking an ADHS pill. That's okay. I've REALLY not been diligent about taking that stuff lately. I can most definitely get by off it for a few days and even several days off will not be a disaster.
Distance=8.0
1/26- Canterbury loop. 3.5 miles in 29:20 (8:23 pace). Hilly route and despite the slowish pace, I still felt considerably better than yesterday. I credit the ADHS. No real complaints. Held the pace well on the climbs but didn't gain much on the downhills. Added a half mile cool on Jemison.
Distance=4.0
-23 miles on the week.
1/20- 1 mile sunrise run on the beach in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. Time was slow at 8:28 but I didn't care. Sand was soft in some spots so it's not the best beach for a run. Daytona wins that category.
Distance=1.0
1/21- I drank a Rum and Coke at the end of a long day yesterday (flight delay) and paid the price. 2 miles at Gold's in 19:56 (9:58 pace) with splits of 10:04-9:52. I actually feared even worse than this.
Distance=2.0
1/22- 3 miles at Gold's in 28:46 (9:35 pace). Improvement. The 2nd day off sugar is often the worst and today was significantly better. MINUS 23 and 50% longer distance. I'll take it. I'm doing all of this without pills or TRS. I expect to be significantly better tomorrow.
Distance=3.0
1/23- 3 miles at Gold's again (rainy day) but my time is down to 25:45 (8:35 pace). MINUS 60. A significant improvement as expected. If you look closer, the news is even better. I ran the opening mile in 8:34, took 3 sprays of TRS and hit 2 miles at 17:10 for an 8:36 split. Finally, I took the methylation pills and incredibly clocked an 8:35 split.
So, after 3 days off ALL pills, I go back on them and it's THE DEFINITION OF A NON-FACTOR! Just like I wanted! Effort was very even too. With the exception of mild pick up in the last 100 yards, I made no extra push to hit the splits nor did I hold back. In theory, the sensitivity is GONE and all I have to do is avoid sugared drinks and I should be in the clear. Again, this is IN THEORY! I would like to add that avoiding sugar is easier said than done. Because of the candida infection, I will crave it and 1 small slip up could lead to a full relapse. Maybe I can finish a long or longish run this weekend.
Distance=3.0
1/24- 2 miles in 15:43 (7:51 pace). Not a disaster but I was hoping for a little better than this. Hoped to get close to 15. Found that an 8 minute pace was difficult to hold with the exception of a fast start and fast finish. Still an improvement over yesterday and likely near the Mendoza for 3 miles.
Distance=2.0
1/25- 8 miles in 75:52 (9:29 pace). Good news is that I completed the planned distance for my longest run since October. Bad news is that I just wasn't feeling it at all out there. Early pace was around 9:15 but slowed considerably on the back half. I figure that in a 13.1 mile race, I would have had to Gallo-walk and probably finish around 2:10ish. 3 weeks out from race day. I've got a long way to go. Got back home and felt considerably better after taking an ADHS pill. That's okay. I've REALLY not been diligent about taking that stuff lately. I can most definitely get by off it for a few days and even several days off will not be a disaster.
Distance=8.0
1/26- Canterbury loop. 3.5 miles in 29:20 (8:23 pace). Hilly route and despite the slowish pace, I still felt considerably better than yesterday. I credit the ADHS. No real complaints. Held the pace well on the climbs but didn't gain much on the downhills. Added a half mile cool on Jemison.
Distance=4.0
-23 miles on the week.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Hopefully the Final TRS Update
On January 1 of this year, I successfully tried 3 sprays after having not taken it the previous 2-3 days. I was slightly faster on 3 sprays but it was not enough to be considered significant then was not horrible in an afternoon 4 miler. I took 2 sprays that night then repeated the 3 sprays the next morning. The results were NOT good.
I started off pretty well but faded after just a half mile. I came through the Mile marker in 8:15 but was doing close to 9:00 pace by the end of the mile. I strongly suspected that too much TRS was the culprit and 2 more sprays confirmed it. I slipped all the way to 11:00 pace after the next 2 sprays. OUCH! Next, in not a big surprise, I went back to caffeine and though it helped get through the day, I faced withdrawal symptoms as usual.
Yesterday, I did something interesting. I took just 1 spray and felt considerably BETTER! However, a 2nd spray not surprisingly made things worse again. It was not a night and day difference but I could still feel it.
Today:
Intervals at Montreat:
Opener in 2:27 (7:21 pace)- a little better than I expected. Probably because I had taken it the previous day.
1 spray- 2:01 (6:03 pace). MINUS 78. Fastest time for this loop.
2 sprays- 2:17 (6:51 pace). PLUS 48.
Just like yesterday, I was much better after 1 spray but a 2nd spray made it noticeably worse but not a night and day difference. A 3rd spray was not attempted but I figure, I would have been slightly worse than the opener. Probably in the low 2:30s.
Reaction:
On the first of the year, 3 sprays felt about the same as zero. Today, 3 sprays ALSO would have felt about the same as zero. So, essentially nothing has changed but I do have more clarity. Maybe, I'd be slightly worse but that was because I did not have any missed doses. Figure, the break even point where my performance is the same as the opener is 2.5 sprays. It is quite UPSETTING that a single spray makes this much difference and I MUST take EXACTLY 1 spray to feel anything close to normal. Still, as long as the dose is stable, this is an acceptable outcome.
Goals for the Future:
I'm not concerned about my top-end speed. That will come with steady training. What I want to see is improvements in my opener, less of a gap in performance between zero and 1 spray and less negative reactions to extra doses. If need for more TRS arises, it must be gradual. Absolutely no wild swings in dosage!
Let's say that my top end speed never gets under 2:00. That's okay with me but I do expect to get faster. What would be great is if I can get under 2:10 in my opener AND stay under 2:10 on 5 sprays. A better way to put it is stay within a range of 10 seconds (30/mile) regardless of whether I take 0 sprays or 5 sprays.
Postscript:
Did a 3 mile this evening at 8:30 pace. Not horrible by today's standards but didn't feel very good doing it. It became clear a couple hours later that another spray was needed. AGAIN, just ONE!
I'm going with 1 spray in the morning and 1 in the afternoon and sticking with it. Soon, there will be another dreaded interval workout.
Update next day:
Fresh legs in the evening after taking 1 spray in the morning.
Opened with an IDENTICAL 2:27, which made it clear that the morning dose will not be enough. Because of darkness and pine cones (sprained ankle last year), I opted for a half lap to assess the tolerance while keeping the legs fresh. A full lap all out would have tired me out a bit. On 1 spray, I clocked a 57.0 (5:42 pace). Figure, I would have matched yesterday's 2:01 over a full lap give or take 1-2 ticks.
Then, it was a moment of truth. On the second spray, I felt only a SLIGHT difference and the watch confirmed it. I managed a 60.5 (6:03 pace). PLUS 21. Yes, this is enough to be considered significant but just barely. That's a WHOLE LOT BETTER than the PLUS 48 yesterday. There will be more to come tomorrow.
I started off pretty well but faded after just a half mile. I came through the Mile marker in 8:15 but was doing close to 9:00 pace by the end of the mile. I strongly suspected that too much TRS was the culprit and 2 more sprays confirmed it. I slipped all the way to 11:00 pace after the next 2 sprays. OUCH! Next, in not a big surprise, I went back to caffeine and though it helped get through the day, I faced withdrawal symptoms as usual.
Yesterday, I did something interesting. I took just 1 spray and felt considerably BETTER! However, a 2nd spray not surprisingly made things worse again. It was not a night and day difference but I could still feel it.
Today:
Intervals at Montreat:
Opener in 2:27 (7:21 pace)- a little better than I expected. Probably because I had taken it the previous day.
1 spray- 2:01 (6:03 pace). MINUS 78. Fastest time for this loop.
2 sprays- 2:17 (6:51 pace). PLUS 48.
Just like yesterday, I was much better after 1 spray but a 2nd spray made it noticeably worse but not a night and day difference. A 3rd spray was not attempted but I figure, I would have been slightly worse than the opener. Probably in the low 2:30s.
Reaction:
On the first of the year, 3 sprays felt about the same as zero. Today, 3 sprays ALSO would have felt about the same as zero. So, essentially nothing has changed but I do have more clarity. Maybe, I'd be slightly worse but that was because I did not have any missed doses. Figure, the break even point where my performance is the same as the opener is 2.5 sprays. It is quite UPSETTING that a single spray makes this much difference and I MUST take EXACTLY 1 spray to feel anything close to normal. Still, as long as the dose is stable, this is an acceptable outcome.
Goals for the Future:
I'm not concerned about my top-end speed. That will come with steady training. What I want to see is improvements in my opener, less of a gap in performance between zero and 1 spray and less negative reactions to extra doses. If need for more TRS arises, it must be gradual. Absolutely no wild swings in dosage!
Let's say that my top end speed never gets under 2:00. That's okay with me but I do expect to get faster. What would be great is if I can get under 2:10 in my opener AND stay under 2:10 on 5 sprays. A better way to put it is stay within a range of 10 seconds (30/mile) regardless of whether I take 0 sprays or 5 sprays.
Postscript:
Did a 3 mile this evening at 8:30 pace. Not horrible by today's standards but didn't feel very good doing it. It became clear a couple hours later that another spray was needed. AGAIN, just ONE!
I'm going with 1 spray in the morning and 1 in the afternoon and sticking with it. Soon, there will be another dreaded interval workout.
Update next day:
Fresh legs in the evening after taking 1 spray in the morning.
Opened with an IDENTICAL 2:27, which made it clear that the morning dose will not be enough. Because of darkness and pine cones (sprained ankle last year), I opted for a half lap to assess the tolerance while keeping the legs fresh. A full lap all out would have tired me out a bit. On 1 spray, I clocked a 57.0 (5:42 pace). Figure, I would have matched yesterday's 2:01 over a full lap give or take 1-2 ticks.
Then, it was a moment of truth. On the second spray, I felt only a SLIGHT difference and the watch confirmed it. I managed a 60.5 (6:03 pace). PLUS 21. Yes, this is enough to be considered significant but just barely. That's a WHOLE LOT BETTER than the PLUS 48 yesterday. There will be more to come tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
More TRS News
In short, there is still reason for optimism but it's still too early to declare myself in the clear.
After Christmas, I foolishly decided to test my tolerance for forbidden drinks. Day 1 was okay. I was noticeably weakened on Day 2 then Day 3 was flat out AWFUL!
On the evening of Day 3, I took 3 sprays of TRS and improved my pace from the 10:00 range to the low 7s over 1 lap at Montreat. That's right, 1 minute per mile improvement PER SPRAY! That is NUTS! The next morning (Day 4), I woke up with an insatiable need for TRS. 3 sprays provided only temporary relief and even that wasn't much. On Day 5, it was the opposite of Day 4. A single spray of TRS made things MUCH WORSE! Again, this is NUTS!
After this clearly failed experiment, I went back to abstinence and faced brutal withdrawal symptoms. Today (New Years Day) was the first day since 12/26 that I felt less horrible. After a very slow warm up lap, I clocked a 2:40 at Montreat (8:00 pace). Then, the moment of truth came. How would I react to TRS after being free of sugared drinks for 3 days? Once again, I took 3 sprays but this time, the results were NOT so dramatic. I improved only to a 2:37 (7:51 pace). MINUS 9.
This is EXACTLY what I had hoped to see. I was slightly better with the TRS but it was not enough to be considered significant. Hell, if I didn't wear a watch, I would not have judged the TRS lap as any better than the non-TRS lap. I followed this up with a noontime 4 miler on Lakeshore. I finished this one in 34:50 (8:43 pace). Not good by any stretch but I held the pace well and had a bit of juice left at the end.
Reaction:
Could it be true? If I simply abstain from sugared drinks, the sensitivity to TRS will be gone! I'm sure that if I skipped the TRS for week, I'd run into trouble. Also, a single mega dose will be tolerated but several days of 5+ sprays will also be a problem. As for the drinks, an occasional treat will be tolerated but I know my limits. I still don't understand why I can eat a whole bag of candy without a problem but the drinks trigger the reactions. Sensitivity to the other stuff faded last year after a BRUTAL fight. If the TRS reactions remain similar to today, this means VICTORY! All I have to do from here is train myself to handle longer distances consistently. If I am stable, there is no reason to believe that I can't do it. It's a bit of a surreal feeling after so many years but once again, it is TOO EARLY TO DECLARE VICTORY! If I am still stable at the end of January, then I might have something.
After Christmas, I foolishly decided to test my tolerance for forbidden drinks. Day 1 was okay. I was noticeably weakened on Day 2 then Day 3 was flat out AWFUL!
On the evening of Day 3, I took 3 sprays of TRS and improved my pace from the 10:00 range to the low 7s over 1 lap at Montreat. That's right, 1 minute per mile improvement PER SPRAY! That is NUTS! The next morning (Day 4), I woke up with an insatiable need for TRS. 3 sprays provided only temporary relief and even that wasn't much. On Day 5, it was the opposite of Day 4. A single spray of TRS made things MUCH WORSE! Again, this is NUTS!
After this clearly failed experiment, I went back to abstinence and faced brutal withdrawal symptoms. Today (New Years Day) was the first day since 12/26 that I felt less horrible. After a very slow warm up lap, I clocked a 2:40 at Montreat (8:00 pace). Then, the moment of truth came. How would I react to TRS after being free of sugared drinks for 3 days? Once again, I took 3 sprays but this time, the results were NOT so dramatic. I improved only to a 2:37 (7:51 pace). MINUS 9.
This is EXACTLY what I had hoped to see. I was slightly better with the TRS but it was not enough to be considered significant. Hell, if I didn't wear a watch, I would not have judged the TRS lap as any better than the non-TRS lap. I followed this up with a noontime 4 miler on Lakeshore. I finished this one in 34:50 (8:43 pace). Not good by any stretch but I held the pace well and had a bit of juice left at the end.
Reaction:
Could it be true? If I simply abstain from sugared drinks, the sensitivity to TRS will be gone! I'm sure that if I skipped the TRS for week, I'd run into trouble. Also, a single mega dose will be tolerated but several days of 5+ sprays will also be a problem. As for the drinks, an occasional treat will be tolerated but I know my limits. I still don't understand why I can eat a whole bag of candy without a problem but the drinks trigger the reactions. Sensitivity to the other stuff faded last year after a BRUTAL fight. If the TRS reactions remain similar to today, this means VICTORY! All I have to do from here is train myself to handle longer distances consistently. If I am stable, there is no reason to believe that I can't do it. It's a bit of a surreal feeling after so many years but once again, it is TOO EARLY TO DECLARE VICTORY! If I am still stable at the end of January, then I might have something.
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