Out Indefinitely

 No attempts to run until further notice.  I can handle a brisk walk around my neighborhood but any running, no matter how slow or short will do more harm than good at this stage.  Though I have not been tested, I am virtually certain that I am back to the state of full blown adrenal exhaustion.  The stress of the candida detox is the culprit and I have read several articles that have said that this could happen.

First, I found that Manganese helped with the die off reactions.  It worked for a while then quit.  Shortly thereafter, I developed an extreme need for NAC (N-Aceytal Cysteine).  That suddenly became ineffective about a week ago.  At least it is ineffective, not harmful like before I addressed the autoimmune issues.  Right now, the only thing that helps is a product called SBF Formula, which I have not taken regularly since at least 2008 when I was still adrenaline deficient.  I found that I could handle an occasional Mile time trial but if I attempted a two a day or a longer distance run, I would collapse.  Today, I opened with a pitiful 3:57 lap around Montreat.  Even a full dosage of SBF brought me no lower than 3:35 (10:45 pace).  Obviously, that's not good enough and it will only get worse if I try to keep pushing.

There is no timetable for another attempt to return to training but until I no longer need the SBF, it's out of the question.  In addition to the fatigue and sore muscles, I have a constant low grade headache and diarrhea.  I had 2 big and nasty attacks of diarrhea today at work then 2 more small dumps later in the day.  The good news is that I did feel noticeably better after a big dump.  Perhaps I got some toxins out.  

Although I have cheated a few times, I've done a lot better with restricting sugared and alcoholic drinks, both of which feed the candida.  The only thing that I can do is follow my present course.  If I cheat more often, I may get a bit of temporary relief from the die off but it will only prolong the recovery.  One article that I read said that the candida will eventually die off but it will go out kicking and screaming until the end.  If and when this resolves, I expect it to clear up suddenly.  I may go from flat out horrible to halfway decent over the course of just a couple days.  

It's too soon to think about this but the aftermath will probably be no picnic either.  I can expect an adrenal spike and the opposite pattern if this ever does clear up.   

What Constitutes Having Been to a State (Lenient and Strict Standards)

 I have touched on this before and it is a common discussion on online forums.  Everyone has their own standards and that's up to you.  I have 2 sets of standards.  

Lenient:

Anything counts except for airport layovers.  You could turn around at the Welcome sign without even getting out of the car.  You could be riding in the car sleeping as a small child with no memory of being there.  Even with airport layovers, you could make the case if you ate a sit-down meal and chatted with the bartender or purchased a souvenir.  Again, your rules.

My rules for Strict:

Here are some examples of what does make the standard.  I have no minimum amount of time.  

Attend or participate in an organized sporting event.  It could be a 5K race, a baseball game or your son's wrestling tournament.  I have done a half marathon in every state so that counts them all for Round 1

A swim in the ocean or a local public pool.  I have caught a wave in every state with an ocean coastline except for Alaska.

Trip to a ski resort.  I've done this in 5 states (PA, WV, NC, TN, CA)

You were taken to a state as a child with your parents, but you were at least 6-7 years old and therefore old enough to remember it with at least some clarity.  I was told that I went to the Jersey shore at 3 or 4 years old but did not remember it and did not count it.  I did go back as an adult.  However, I went to South Dakota about a month shy of my 8th birthday and yes, I do remember it.  That counts under the strict standard.

A visit to a museum or historical site.  You can chalk up Virginia by walking across the Potomac from DC to Arlington Cemetary.  That's most definitely a legitimate tourist attraction.

A visit to a State or National Park that includes a short hike or a sunset walk on the beach without taking a dip in the water.  I did the former in Iowa and the latter in Wisconsin for Round 2.  Those are probably my 2 weakest qualifiers but they both count in my book.

I don't think there is much argument about counting any of these but there is a grey area.

An overnight hotel stay?  IMO, this is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition.  Let's say you live near a state border and cross back and forth on a regular basis.  Chances are, you've qualified without going more than an hour or two from home.  There's no reason to stay in a hotel.  How about this one?  You pull off the interstate at night and sleep then check out the next morning.  You then proceed to the next state without leaving your car.  That's a NO for me but I would count a camping trip.  

Pulling off the highway to take pictures of a scenic overlook-  NO on the strict standard.

Browsing a shopping or outlet mall- I lean towards NO.  If you've seen one, you've seen them all and there is little difference between states.  However, if you purchase a souvenir or at least a T-shirt of the hometown sports team, I'd say MAYBE

Walking tour of a town or city- DEPENDS.  If you simply parked your car and walked a couple of blocks, I say NO.  A stop at a fast food restaurant or a convenience store does not qualify but a sit-down meal at a local restaurant or a small purchase at another local business?  I think YES.  National chains don't qualify.  A walk through a city park or a drink at the bar in which you had at least one meaningful conversation?  That's a YES.  I did both in Omaha, Nebraska and it counts.  

A walk across a river to see a city skyline?

The best views of Cincinnati are in Kentucky.  The best view of St. Louis are in Illinois.  Indiana offers a nice view of Louisville and the best view of Detroit is from Windsor, Ontario.    If all you do is cross the river and take a picture, it's a NO.  Put some effort into it.  Go out for a meal in Covington, Kentucky.  A visit to a casino in East St. Louis, IL?  That's safe enough and I say it counts but it's not something I'd recommend.  

North Dakota and Canada Road Trip

 9/1-

Early flight out of Birmingham.  There was a short delay but it did not affect my connection and I still had time to pick up some food in Dallas.  I landed in Bismarck around 2:30 then picked up my rental car and headed north.  The destination for the night was the town of Devil's Lake.  I did see a decent sunset over the lake but overall, the town was nothing special.  That was okay.  It would have been too hard to make it to Winnipeg that night and this was a good stopping point.  North Dakota was ranked #42 in terms of natural beauty according to Thrillist.  That's probably about right.  Outside of Theodore Roosevelt NP, you won't be awed by the scenery but it's not a barren wasteland either.  There were several nice lakes visible from the road and the western half is a lot more scenic than the eastern half.

9/2-

I expected to face a bit of scrutiny at the border because of where I am from.  They don't get many visitors from my neck of the woods.  I did have to wait almost an hour because the border crossing didn't open until 9 AM but it went without a hitch and I was welcomed into Canada, more specifically the province of Manitoba.  The drive from Devil's Lake to Winnipeg is only 3 hours but I took a short detour to the town Delta Beach on Lake Manitoba.  It won't be confused for Florida or even South Carolina but the beach scenery was not half bad.  Surf was minimal as expected with no rideable waves.  I didn't go out much beyond knee deep water but yes, it was warm enough for a swim.  The water temperature was probably around 70 degrees.  

As far as the weather, days dawned cool but it warmed up rapidly after 9 AM.  Normal highs for this time of year are in the low-mid 70s but the next 2 days topped out at over 90F.  However, with virtually no humidity, I felt quite comfortable on my walking tours.  Because of the dry air, I needed plenty of water to prevent a sore throat.  A cold front came through the night before my flight home but fortunately, the rain held off until my touring was complete.  

Lunch was a slice of pizza just a few kilometers from the beach and I was back on the road to Winnipeg.  I arrived just before 2 PM then went straight to the Museum of Human Rights.  It was interesting and thought provoking but it also offered some pretty nice views of the Winnipeg skyline. From there, I walked around the Forks, which is a park down by the river then went back downtown.  Winnipeg is a fairly large city but its downtown is compact and you can easily get from one side of town to the other.  Dinner was a good but overpriced steak at Keg's Restaurant.  I did not go out for more drinks on the town but did walk a few blocks from my hotel to get a night view of the city and view the Provincial Capitol.  I met a nice girl but didn't have much time to talk.  

9/3-

Up with the sun.  It would be 5.5 hours driving time to Regina, Saskatchewan.  As expected, the drive was incredibly boring with nothing but flat prairies and open spaces.   I did gain an hour so I arrived in town by lunchtime.  I stayed on the north side of town a couple of miles from the city centre so I would have to drive to get to my attractions.  Fortunately, I got a map of the city on my way.  I went down to Lake Wascana to see the Capitol and found that the leaves were already beginning to change.  I bet the foliage will be nice at the end of the month  With time to kill, I went into a nearby science museum and got a quick sample of downtown.  The museum was better than expected with many cool dinosaur exhibits.  I learned that millions of years ago, Saskatchewan had a tropical climate and its latitude has moved.  However, even when it was further north than it is now, the climate was still mild.  Of course, this was long before CO2 emissions were an issue.  The Earth's climate is always changing.  

The part of the trip that I probably looked forward to the most was a CFL football game.  It did not disappoint.  There were passionate fans on both sides and several rule differences that IMO make for a more exciting and interesting game than the NFL version.  In the end, Saskatchewan won an overtime thriller over Winnipeg by a score of 32-30 on a missed 2 point conversion.  Though I really didn't much care who won, I couldn't help but feel a bit excited in that atmosphere. 

9/4-

Regina is about an hour and a half north of the border.  Getting back into the USA was no problem and the scenery did improve further south.  I actually crossed into Montana then headed back east to North Dakota.  It was another 2.5 hours to the North entrance of Theodore Roosevelt NP.  That was much better than I expected.  It was about on par with Badlands NP in South Dakota.  It was another hour to the South Entrance of the park.  That was cool too but unfortunately, the haze from the Canadian wildfires began to affect the views as the wind picked up.  A cold front was coming but I finished my touring before the rain hit.  My hotel was about 30 minutes east going back towards Bismarck.

9/5- 

With time to kill before my flight, I went out for a sit down breakfast then drove 1.5 hours back to Bismarck.  I did have time to sample another interesting history museum near the Capitol area.  My luck was good on the trip home.  Because the flight landed about 20 minutes early, I was able to get on an earlier flight back to Birmingham.  I arrived at the gate just in time and learned later than my original flight was cancelled.  If not for the early arrival, I would have been stranded in Dallas for the night.   

Final Thought:

I really wasn't expecting this trip to be all that great but it was better than expected.  To be honest, if I wasn't for the bucket list to visit all 10 Canadian provinces, I doubt that I would have gone here.  This part of the world is not a popular tourist destination but it should not be overlooked.  I have now visited all 50 states at least twice with the exception of Alaska and have visited 9 of 10 Canadian provinces at least once.  The one that I am missing is Newfoundland.  Perhaps, I could make it there next month but I am leaning towards waiting until next summer.