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.