Training 10/15-10/25

10/15- I tried to get by without Glutathione and that lasted about 5 days then it turned disastrous.  I cheated on caffeine to get through it.  I kinda had to because I was on the road.  Did 1 Mile in 11:15

Distance=1.0

10/16- Another Mile at Montreat and my time is down to 10:17.  Added a cool.

Distance=2.0

10/17- Intervals.

Opener- 2:49 

TRS- 2:31

Probiotics- 2:00

Very pleased with the closer.  Gap remains large at 2:27 per mile.

10/18- A 6 minute pace for 1/3 mile does not translate well for longer distances.  Today was my longest run in 2 weeks.  I managed 3 miles on Lakeshore in 26:42 (8:54 pace).  1st half was 13:45, 2nd half was 12:57.  Don't be fooled by the negative split.  On race day, I felt okay through 6.5 then collapsed.  Today, I probably last about 5 miles before the collapse.  Daily incremental improvements.  I'm 3 days clean on the diet and am taking plenty of Probiotics.

Distance=3.0

10/19- The flip flop flip.  Woke up with intolerance to probiotics.  By the afternoon, I had an insatiable need FOR them.  Opened with a 2:38.5 lap with nothing.  Then after the probiotics, I managed only a 4:38.  By the afternoon, I was doing half lap intervals.  I opened with a 1:57 (11:42 pace) but once I had taken the full dose, I was all the way down to a 1:11 (7:06 pace).  MINUS 4:36.  This is NUTS!  Day 4 clean.  I was tempted to cheat today but I've stayed strong.

Distance=2.0

10/20- Opened with a 3:22 (10:06 pace).  Actually thought it would be worse.  Improved to a 2:12 (6:36 pace) with TRS and Probiotics.  MINUS 3:30.  Unfortunately, I had nothing in the real workout.  2 miles on Lakeshore in 20:57 (10:28 pace)

Distance=3.0

10/21- Opener improved to 2:51 (8:33 pace).  NO time for a closer but figure it'd be close to 2:00.  Gap is closing but it still around 2:30 per mile.  Real workout improved as well.  Repeated the 2 miler and improved to 17:59 (8:59 pace).  Added a cool.  In the evening, I learned that I still need at least 5 sprays of TRS to get the beneficial effect of Probiotics.  Improved but a long way to go.  6 days clean on the diet with no real temptations recently.

Distance=3.0

10/22- No intervals.  Went straight for the real workout.  Made it 5 miles on Lakeshore in a time of 43:54 (8:47 pace).  Last mile was a semi-respectable 8:19.  Again, don't be fooled by that.  My split at 5 miles on race day was very similar to this and I still felt comfortable but 2 miles later, I was done.  

Distance= 5.0

10/23- Ran only the opener once again.  No closer.  Time was down to 2:26 (7:18 pace).  I figure the closer would be around 1:56 so the gap is closing but remains significant at 90 seconds per mile. A closer would have hurt me in the real workout.  Lakeshore 3 in 24:17 (8:06 pace).  Pleased to get under 25 but came up short of the stretch goal of 24 (Mendoza line).  Hit halfway in 12:12 and thought I had a shot given the recent history of negative splits but the legs went dead just before 2 miles.  Rebounded a bit in the last quarter mile but it was not nearly enough.

Distance=3.5

Reaction: This is now 8 days off sugar and caffeine.  I've progressed well but have a LONG way to go.  I need to get under the Mendoza line WITHOUT treatment for at least 1 day and I can't quite do it with treatment.  I bet I can tomorrow.  Still, no real temptation to cheat.  Can I make it 2 more weeks?  I should be able to handle the occasional treat but I could see a daily habit being a problem.

10/24- Planned rest day.

10/25- Tried to run in the morning with no treatments and it wasn't as bad as I expected.  2 miles on the beach in 17:44 (8:52 pace) with a strong negative split and no imminent collapse.  1st half-9:07, 2nd half- 8:37.  Figure, I'm probably mid-26 for 3 miles, which is within 60 per mile of my time with treatments.  Next, I want to see what I can do after a FULL day off it.

Distance=2.5

-25 miles total

Largest Cities and Capitols

 For the record, it is NOT yet a goal of mine to visit the largest city and/or capitol city of every state but I'm curious as to how far I've gotten.  How to define the largest city can be up to interpretation based on city proper population or the metro area as a whole.  I may be wrong on a few of these but I'll give it my best shot. To qualify, I must have actually stopped in the city for a meal or walking tour.  Driving past it on the interstate does not count.  Here it is listing the capitol first followed by the largest city:

1.Alabama- Montgomery- YES.  Birmingham- YES

2.Alaska- Juneau- NO, Anchorage- YES

3.Arkansas- Little Rock- YES

4.Arizona- Phoenix- YES

5. California- Sacramento- YES, Los Angeles- YES

6. Colorado- Denver- YES

7.Connecticut- Hartford- NO, New Haven- YES

8.Delaware- Dover- NO, Wilmington- YES

9.Florida- Tallahassee- YES, Miami- YES

10.Georgia- Atlanta- YES

11.Hawaii- Honolulu- NO

12.Idaho- Boise- NO

13.Indiana- Indianapolis- YES

14.Illinois- Springfield- YES, Chicago- YES

15. Iowa- Des Moines- NO

16.Kansas- Topeka- NO, Wichita- NO

17.Kentucky- Frankfurt- YES, Louisville- YES

18.Louisiana- Baton Rouge- YES, New Orleans- YES

19.Maine- Augusta- NO, Portland-YES

20.Maryland- Annapolis- YES, Baltimore- YES

21.Massachusetts- Boston- YES

22.Michigan- Lansing- NO, Detroit- YES

23.Minnesota- St. Paul- NO, Minneapolis- YES

24.Mississippi- Jackson- YES

25.Missouri- Jefferson City- NO, St. Louis- YES

26. Montana- Helena- YES, Billings- NO

27.Nebraska- Lincoln-NO, Omaha- NO

28.Nevada- Carson City- YES, Las Vegas- YES

29.New Hampshire- Concord- YES, Manchester- YES

30. New Jersey- Trenton- YES, Newark- YES

31.New Mexico- Santa Fe-YES, Albuquerque- YES

32.New York- Albany- YES, New York- YES

33. North Carolina- Raleigh- NO, Charlotte- YES

34. North Dakota- Bismarck- NO, Fargo- YES

35. Ohio- Columbus- YES, Cincinnati- YES

36. Oklahoma- Oklahoma City- YES

37. Oregon- Salem- NO, Portland- YES

38. Pennsylvania- Harrisburg- YES, Philadelphia- YES

39. Rhode Island- Providence- YES

40. South Carolina- Columbia- YES, Charleston- YES

41. South Dakota- Pierre- NO, Sioux Falls- NO

42. Tennessee- Nashville- YES, Memphis- YES

43. Texas- Austin- YES, Houston and Dallas- YES

44. Utah- Salt Lake City- YES

45. Virginia- Richmond- YES, Norfolk- YES

46. Vermont- Montpelier- YES, Burlington- YES

47. Washington- Olympia- NO, Seattle- YES

48. Wisconsin- Madison- YES, Milwaukee- NO

49. West Virginia- Charleston- YES

50. Wyoming- Cheyenne- YES

- State Capitols- 33.  

Largest Cities- 42

Cities that I may visit in the future include Raleigh, Boise, Honolulu and Dover.  I'm close.  

OKC/Little Rock/Memphis Trip Report

 This was almost an impromtu trip.  Hurricane Delta struck Loosiana and though Birmingham is far enough inland that there will be no damage, the weekend was sure to be rainy and depressing.  After some deliberation, I chose Oklahoma over Florida due to a better weather forecast.  It proved to be a good call.  I left after work on Friday and as planned, I got beyond Memphis and into eastern Arkansas.  I ran into some light rain the next day but once I got past Little Rock, the skies began to clear.  As I approached Oklahoma, it was a beautiful cloudless day with temps around 80 with the leaves just beginning to change.  

My only stop on the way was Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas.  The hiking trail to the summit was nothing special but nearby overlooks were beautiful.  I arrived in Oklahoma City  around 4 PM the next day and took a walk to the bombing memorial and museum.  As expected, it was well done and delivered a strong emotional hit.  In most cases, I am against the death penalty but in circumstances like this where 168 people were killed and 700 others injured, I will make an exception.  I caught a couple nice skyline views on the way back.  After some rather mediocre pizza, I went out for a drink at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar in Bricktown.  There was a canal with a waterway so it reminded me a bit of a small San Antonio.  Overall, I liked the vibe in OKC and found it preferably to Tulsa but don't think I'd want to live there.  Too far from both the beaches and mountains.  Dallas is the only other nearby large city.  On the plus side, the climate is a bit drier with more sunshine but it's also vulnerable to a Spring tornado.  

Next, I headed east back towards Arkansas with one stop at a lake then took a hike up to the summit of Hot Springs National Park.  That was pretty cool but the real highlight was Pinnacle Mountain just outside of Little Rock.  It was a very steep and strenuous hike up through boulders.  I arrived at the top about 30 minutes before sunset and caught some epic views of the lake and nearby mountains.  I headed down none too early as it would have been very unsafe in the dark.  I spent the night in Little Rock where I got a drink and chatted a bit with the bartender who also enjoys hiking.  The next morning, I took a walk down by the river and caught a nice shot of the skyline before heading to Memphis. 

 

First stop in Memphis was the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated.  The motel has since been converted into a Civil Rights museum.  My reaction was the same as with the others.  I am dumbfounded and horrified that black people were mistreated so badly but am proud of the progress that we have made as a nation.  I enjoyed some good BBQ on Beale Street then headed to the pyramid for another cool skyline view.  The trip home in the dark was a bit dicey but I made it safely.     

South Dakota Road Trip Report

 10/1

This was my first flight since February.  I found the Birmingham airport to be deserted.  All restaurants were closed except for the Chick- Fil-A but major airports such as Chicago and Dallas were much busier.  At any rate, the flight and the connection went without a hitch and I was on the ground in Rapid City, South Dakota before 3 PM.  It was my 2nd time here overall but my first visit since 1988.  I picked up my rental car (Mitsubishi SUV) and hit the road going northwest.  First stop was Devil's Tower just across the border in Wyoming then made it to a nice lake at Keyhole State Park just before sunset.  I spent the night in Sundance, Wyoming and dinner was a decent Ribeye steak.  

10/2

I took a short detour in the morning just to cut through a small corner of Montana.  I like to take pictures of as many Welcome signs as possible but that's not always feasible if you fly into the center of a large state.  From there, it was a scenic ride on US-14 A (Spearfish Canyon Byway).  Early October is a good time to visit South Dakota.  Leaves are just beginning to change.  Mornings often dawn chilly but it warms up quickly to the 60s to near 70 by the afternoon with a good probability of sunshine.  Lunch was in the Old West town of Deadwood.  I was not overly impressed here.  It's got lots of bars and casinos but it was largely empty, which is a good thing if you are afraid of COVID.  I ended up with an overpriced and rather mediocre burger then was back on the road. 

 I got a brief sample of Needles Highway, which was AWESOME then went to the unfinished Crazy Horse Monument to check out the race course.  From there, it was on to Badlands National Park, roughly 1.5 hours away.  That was absolutely PHENOMENAL!  I'd say that it rivaled the Grand Canyon in terms of it beautiful rock formations.  I wanted to drive through it just before sunset and timed it well.  

Unfortunately, the trip back to Rapid City was a dark and lonely state highway.  I was running a bit low on fuel and wanted to get back to the Interstate because I figured it would be safer albeit a bit longer.  BAD call there.  Several deer ran out right in front of me and there was nothing I could do.  I did manage to slow down a bit but swerving to avoid one deer meant that I hit another one or maybe two.  There was damage to the front of my car but it was not disabled nor was I injured so it could have been worse.  My insurance should cover this but I'm sure it will be a pain in the ass to deal with them.  They had better not raise my rates because I did nothing wrong.  Nobody could have avoided all of those deer.  This left me shaken so I was not up for a drink on the town that night.  

10/3-

I saved the best for last.  Full Needles Hwy and of course Mt. Rushmore.  I recommend tourists to take Iron Mountain Road from the south then 244 East so you can catch several views of the monument from the road before you arrive at the actual park.  The mountain views on Needles Hwy reminded me a bit of the Blue Ridge Mountains but the rock formations were out of this world.  Mount Rushmore?  Words can't describe that.  

10/4-

Race day.  Not going to say much about this one.  Though net downhill, I'd say it was a fair course because of the 5,000+ foot elevation.  It had some tough climbs in the first 5K on the grounds of the park and altitude hills are much tougher than at sea level.  Miles 4-6 were a nice steady decline.  I ran this section pretty well and passed halfway in 57:30, on pace for a 1:55, which would have beaten expectations.  The trail leveled off after this and I went from feeling reasonably well to flat out awful in a matter of seconds.  I was still on pace for a sub-2 through the end of 8.1 miles but the last 5 miles were a death march.  I went with a run .20/walk .05 strategy, which was probably the best thing to do to finish safely.  My pace on the runs were only 10-11 minutes and my walking was more like 18 minutes so you can guess my finish time.  As I said in my previous post, if this had been 2 days later, the outcome would have been a lot better.  I took my time going back to the airport and the trip home also went without a hitch.

Still a fun trip overall but the deer and bad race did put a bit of a damper on it.  I've only got 4 more states to go.  I will not run half marathons after that unless my health improves.  The remaining states are Maryland, Minnesota, Maine then I will finish in Hawaii.    

TRS, Sugars and Probiotics- Part 3

 I doubt it but let's hope this is the last time I have to do this.

I can handle alcohol and candy but any type of sugared drink including fruit juice will trigger a reaction, especially if I am not taking probiotics.  Specifically, if I do drink sugar and take TRS with no probiotics, it will be AWFUL!  I'll be much worse AFTER the TRS.  A 1st and 2nd probiotic after the TRS (provided that I took enough TRS) will make things a LOT better.  However, any more probiotics after that will make things WORSE!  Thus, the only way that I feel halfway decent is with 2 probiotics.  It seems now that the Glutathione and Taurine is not making much difference.  I'll probably finish the bottles and be done with it.  

WITHOUT SUGAR:

Here's where it gets complicated.  In the past, my need for probiotics diminished significantly after I was off sugar.  That did NOT happen this time.  The first change that I noticed came on Day 2.  I actually improved on TRS WITHOUT probiotics then continued to improve with probiotics.  However, on Day 3, I developed an extreme INTOLERANCE to probiotics.  Then, by Day 5, the situation had totally reversed itself.  I had an insatiable need FOR probiotics.  

When that sort of thing happens, I know the drill.  The gaps will be HUGE early but will diminish.  It takes 5-7 days to close it.  It was only the 3rd day in that scenario on race day so I knew it would be a disaster.  2 days later?  I probably finish under the Mendoza line.  2 days earlier?  I would not have even tried and likely die after just 1 Mile.  As it was, I ran a decent first 7 miles then CRASHED.  Before the detox, the book on me was that if I could remain comfortable through 4 miles, I probably finish respectably.  Not so now.

The only thing I can do is stay on water and beer for 21 days then allow for only occasional treats.  Will that settle it?  Given my history, I doubt it.  There will be another battle to fight and it could be even more ugly than this one.