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.