Training 1/29-2/4

 1/29- HATED interval session.  

Opener- 2:06

Vitamin C- 1:58

B-Complex- 1:46

Stand Alone B-12- 1:12

Added a lap cool down.  Adding back the B-12 into my formula was YUGE!  I will stick with it and try to take just a little Glycine.  It is my hope that Glycine will be a non-factor.

Distance=1.0

1/30- In what should be no surprise, I now have an insatiable need for B12.  That should fade by the end of the week.  Opened with a 1:57 half lap and had nothing.  Could not go any faster.   Improved to a 1:32 on 1 pill despite backing off on the effort.  On 2 pills, I went all out and clocked a 58 (5:48 pace).  That's  right.  I doubled the speed just because of 2 pills.  Unfortunately, an hour later, I needed more.  Again, this will fade soon.  And something else will pop up.

PM- Took several B12 pills throughout the day but it wasn't enough. Really struggled out there.  1.5 miles in 17:12 (11:28 pace) with splits of 8:20-8:52.  BEST NEWS of the day:  I took BOTH the Malate and the Glycinate today.  NO OBVIOUS trouble.  Maybe I was slightly weakened but nothing serious happened.  Perhaps B12 deficiency was the cause of the recent issues.  That makes me feel a little better.  The need for it will diminish and I should improve tomorrow.

Distance=2.0

1/31- AM.  2 miles on Lakeshore in 20:16 (10:08 pace).  BIG improvement over yesterday.  80 seconds faster on the pace over a longer distance.  Splits were 10:06-10:10 but it took a late rally to even up.  May be back this evening.

PM- Repeated the morning workout.  2 miles in 17:36 (8:48 pace).  Best time of the year by a wide margin.  I figure this projects to a low-28 5K.  The difference was extra B12 but I don't feel as horrible without it.  Very soon, the gaps in performance will be gone.

Distance=4.0

2/1- 5K FAIL!  Struggled to hold a low-9 pace and passed 0.5 at 4:35.  I still believed I could break 30 or at least 30:48 but the power cut off at 0.6 and I wisely turned around.  Quit after 1 mile.  I think the GPS turned to 1.00 just before the watch hit 10:00 but who cares?  This feels like an adrenal spike.  Not a surprise.  This one should not last too long.  That's it for today.

PM- No running but found out it was not an adrenal spike after all.  It was a lack of Intrinsic Factor.  I cannot tolerate B12 without it.  That makes me feel a little better.  All that crap that I went through before the Cytokine treatment was not all in vain.  Felt much better after taking Intrinsic Factor.  I may try again at the 5K distance tomorrow.

Distance=1.0

2/2- Unplanned rest day.  Did not even attempt a workout and barely made it through the day at work.  I thought Intrinsic Factor would reduce my demand for B-12.  Nope.  It has temporarily INCREASED it.  I got a little better after taking a LOT when I got home but still I'm in no condition to run.

2/3- 1 mile in 11:41.  OUCH!  Only good thing was a strong negative split (6:03-5:38).  I'll be back out there this afternoon.  Felt better after a nap.

PM- Time is down to 10:21 but that doesn't tell the whole story.  I believe the adrenal spike has already hit.  Hopefully, it won't last too long this time.  1st half- 5:36 and fading.  2nd half- 4:45 after taking 2 extra Thym-Adren.  Tomorrow will likely be rained out but how I feel will be interesting.

Distance=2.0

2/4- 1 mile in light rain at Montreat.  Finished in 11:35 with relatively even splits.  Culprit is the adrenal spike.  I will improve steadily then collapse again when the spike goes down.  I don't think it will last 3 weeks this time.

Distance=1.0

-11 miles on the week.  YTD= 51

RANT: Malic Acid and Glycine Interaction

 As stated earlier, my only goal for 2024 is to do better than 2023, which is not asking for much.  So far, it is NOT happening.  I rang in the New Year recovering from the flu.  Then, 2 days later, an adrenal spike hit, which forced me to take mega doses of Thym-Adren.  That’s to be expected after solving a major problem (Candida) and it died down after 20 days just as quickly as it sprang up.   Nevertheless, improvement was strong and steady for the first 3 weeks of the year.  Every 1 Mile time trial was faster than the previous attempt, by a wide margin.  Same with the 2 mile and the 5K. 

In spite of minimal training and moderate drinking in Punta Cana, I still showed improvement.  My 2.5 mile pace was slightly faster than my previous 2-miler and though it wasn’t pretty, I finished a 5-miler without a total meltdown.  Hopes were beginning to rise, and I had aspirations of being ready for a couple of local races by early Spring.  I didn’t expect to set the world on fire but a time around 26-27 minutes for the 5K would have been nice.  I even looked into international races and was pleased to see that 3 bucket list races (Rio, Santiago, Cape Town) have companion 10Ks in addition to the full and half marathon distances.    

That’s my history in recent years.  Just as hopes begin to rise, I get slammed down when I least expect it.  A relapse because the adrenal spike went down?  Fine.  That’s totally understandable and it’s good news in the long run because I’m less dependent on one pill.  Taking adrenal suppressants when your function has slowed will leave any person very sluggish.  It’s the same as taking thyroid meds when you are already hyper.  A 1–2-day blip after I realize what’s happening followed by a quick rebound?  Nope!  Glycine intolerance flared up out of nowhere. 

After a week of trial and mostly error, I finally realized that I am getting a negative interaction between Malic acid and Glycine.  I found no evidence that this is normal.  Upping my Cytokine suppressants (Autoimmune) did nothing to help.  Neither did Probiotics or detox spray.  The form of Magnesium that I had been taking is Magnesium Malate, but I had only been taking it occasionally.  I discovered this weekend that if I don’t take the Malate, I NEED the Glycine.  If I do take the Malate, I CANNOT TOLERATE the Glycine.   WHAT THE _____________________!!!!!!!  Nothing new for me but I’ve never heard of anything like this from others!   It’s not just the pills either.  I cannot even eat strawberries because they are rich in malic acid. 

Lots of people take Magnesium Glycinate. Yes, indeed I have read that it's NORMALLY FINE to take Malate and Glycinate together but it’s obviously NOT an option for me.  It must be one or the other.  I will opt for the Malate.  If I take the Glycinate instead, I could end up intolerant to certain fruits with Malic acid such as apples and strawberries.  Again, WHAT THE __________________!!  What could be causing this if it’s not Cytokine dysregulation?  Possible malabsorption is the only thing that I suspect. 

I will try again to get my diet back on track then see if the intolerance and interactions have improved.  If that fails, I don’t see how I can manage this on my own.  Can’t I just avoid the Glycine especially if I may not even need it?  No.  Inexplicable negative reactions to minerals or amino acids will not be tolerated.  In the future, I will most probably develop a sudden intolerance to something that I really do need as a key part of my treatment.    I must harass the Rheumatologist until I get an appointment but I’m not very confident in their treatment plan either. 

UPDATE:

I saw a big improvement after taking B12.  Perhaps, it really is malabsorption due to a severe vitamin deficiency.  

Rant or Rave: Airport Logistics

 I've looked into several Mexican and South American destinations, and some are a lot more desirable than others just based on the logistics.  I'll start out with Mexico.  

Acapulco and Puerto Escondido- Both look beautiful and are plenty warm enough.  Even in January, the water temperature is consistently 82-85 degrees with almost no chance of rain.  Acapulco has a bad reputation for crime, but tourist areas are considered to be safe.  Puerto Escondido can have epic surf conditions.  Unfortunately, in both locations, it's a pain in the ass to get there.  I'm not aware of any US airport with a direct flight to either location.  Both would require an overnight layover in Mexico City. 

 Now, I've heard some nice things about Mexico City and maybe it's worth it to spend a few days there.  However, as it stands with the ticket, I'd have to go through immigration and then either spend the night at the airport or take a cab into town for a hotel.  I don't know if the MEX airport has a connected hotel but if I went that route, I'd have to go through security again and may have little time to sleep.  Not fun.

Two better options on the Mexican Pacific coast are Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.  I think that November is the ideal month because the water temperature is a lot warmer.  Granted, it is near the end of hurricane season but both locations are rarely struck and are virtually rain free.  In both cases, I can either go direct from Atlanta or stay in Birmingham and connect in Dallas or Houston to break up the trip. 

In the case of Puerto Vallarta, there is minimal surf there, but I can take a bus to a well-known surf town called Sayulita, which is where I'd spend just about all of my time.  Cabo would be a road trip in which I'd spend time in Cerritos and La Paz as well.  I'm a little apprehensive about renting a car in Mexico but I've heard that it's pretty easy.  Still, I'd opt for Sayulita before Cabo unless I have someone to join me.  

South America:

I have 2 races on my bucket list.  One is in Santiago, Chile.  I'd do a few days of touring, then race.  The next morning would be a bus ride over the Andes Mountains to Mendoza, Argentina.  From there, I'd fly to Lima, Peru to spend a couple days to break up the trip.  

The second is Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.  In this case, I'd stick to Rio.  Marathon Tours and Travel offers a package deal with a hotel near the border of Copacabana and Ipanema.  American citizens will need a VISA to enter Brazil beginning in April of this year.  AFF!  

The biggest gripe that I have about the logistics here is that almost all flights are overnight and land at 6 or 7 AM.  Figure that I clear customs in 1 hour and arrive in town around 9AM.  That leaves about 5-6 hours of dead time until I can check into my hotel.  Yes, they should allow me to drop off my luggage, but I'll need a plan to keep busy.  Add to that, I've never been able to sleep on the plane so I'll be hurting, and it will take me a couple of days to bounce back.  Though I may be done with the half marathon distance, I am optimistic about my ability to run 10Ks for the foreseeable future.  Both races have a companion half as well as a 10K.   

Overnight layovers:

On my first trip to Hawaii, I tried to drive from Atlanta to Birmingham after a sleepless night on a red-eye and severe jet lag.  I didn't make it and wisely stopped at a hotel not far from the airport.  Lesson learned.  Next time, I broke up the trip with a 24-hour layover in San Francisco.  That was a good call, and I liked the city more than I expected to.  

Ideally, I'd like an airport to be within 5-10 minutes of downtown or have easy access via public transportation.  If I get stranded overnight because of a cancellation, I'd want to make the best of it.  Here are some cities that fit that criteria.  I'm sure there are several others as well.

Reagan National in Washington, DC.  Metro is connected to the airport.

Newark- It will require a few rides and transfers, but you can get into NYC without a car. 

Atlanta- MARTA is connected to the airport.

Dallas- I believe DART is connected to the airport as well.  

San Francisco- BART is connected

Not connected but accessible with ease  

LAX- a fair distance from downtown but Manhattan Beach is just a few minutes away

Phoenix- downtown is literally next to the airport.

Salt Lake City- same as Phoenix but I'd rent a car and explore the area a bit.  

Of course, when breaking up a Hawaii trip, I'd want my overnight layover to be on the West coast.

 

Training 1/22-1/28

 1/22- The streak has come to an end.  I saw it coming yesterday but this still hurts especially the way it happened.  I had hoped that I would narrowly miss my best time of the year at a specific distance.  Instead, I collapsed.  

Got off to a decent start but the power cut off at just 0.2 miles and I just mailed it in from there.  Called it quits after just 1 mile in a time of 11:10, my worst showing since 1/2. 

 The culprit is my diet.  Not surprisingly, I was bad at the resort.  What was surprising is that I seemed to get away with it.  For that reason, I didn't get back on track right away after I got home.  Now, I must get back on track.  I can expect rough days ahead but hopefully not as bad as the recent candida die off, which was as bad as the flu.

PM- Half mile at Montreat in 4:46 (9:32 pace).  Better already.   If I had slipped from an 8:30 to an 8:45 because of one too many forbidden drinks, that's understandable.  A complete collapse like this morning should not happen.  Hopefully, I start a new streak tomorrow but the next 2 days may be hard.

Distance=1.5 

1/23- Montreat Mile in 10:24.  Improvement of 46 seconds over yesterday.  Negative split too (5:17-5:07) but I am still very discouraged.  Hopefully, I stay on track and am back to where I was 2 days ago by the end of the week.  Weather this week will be warm but rainy.  

PM- MAJOR update: The last 2 days, I've noticed that I felt better in the afternoon.  Today, I began to suspect that the adrenal spike has gone down after 3 weeks and I need to reduce the Thym-Adren.  That makes me feel a LOT better.  Taking way too many glandulars DOES explain a collapse.  The spike goes down just as suddenly as it went up.  I still need to get the diet back on track but perhaps that was not the problem after all.  I did the hated interval test after work.  

Half lap at Montreat in 1:28.5 (8:51 pace).  This was Mile effort, not an all out sprint.  I don't think I could have held it for a sub-9, but I certainly would have come in well under 10, which is a significant gain over the morning.  I cheated on the diet and it didn't hurt me.  Popped 2 more Thym-Adren and was immediately poorer.  With the same effort, I managed only a 1:41.5 (10:09 pace)  PLUS 78.  Added another half lap naked as a cool down.

Going forward:

I will cut the Thym-Adren from 6 pills to 3.  When I do get back on track, the adrenals could spike again.  I'll worry about that later.    

Distance=1.5

1/24- Repeated the Montreat Mile plus a cool on the lower dose and my time was all the way down to 8:22.  Best time of the year.  Excellent pacing (4:12-4:10) without an all out kick at the end.  Never expected this much improvement so quickly.  I should see a sub-8 very soon.  Weather looks very iffy for the remainder of the week.  Hopefully, there will be some breaks.  Sunday looks okay and I will try the 10K if I feel up to it.

Distance=1.5 

1/25- Planned rest day due to rain.  Made an important discovery.  I forgot to take the Glycine and I felt the difference.  It was not good.  This time, a forbidden drink DID hurt me.  The collapse on Monday was due to excess Thym-Adren AND a lack of Glycine.  The latter factor was worsened by my diet.  I was half right after all.  Back on track starting today.

1/26- Woke up feeling pretty good and was optimistic about breaking 30 for 5K.  As soon as I started, it was obvious that something was off.  Never had a good pace and it got worse as it progressed.  Settled for 1 mile in a pathetic time of 11:48.  The culprit this time?  Too much Glycine!!!   Words cannot express how much I HATE THIS!!  A bad reaction because I took too many glandulars?  I don't like it but that's understandable.  Too much of an amino acid, especially one that I need?   NOT OKAY!!!!   The Cytokine suppressants were SUPPOSED to stop this from happening.  All I can do is go back to the low dose and hope that staying clean with the diet will reduce the need for Glycine.

Distance= 1.0

1/27-AM Montreat Mile in the dark to beat the rain.  Improved to 10:51 on low dose Glycine.  MINUS 57.  Same pattern as Tuesday.  Negative splits (5:32-5:19).  Hope to see big improvement tomorrow but caffeine withdrawal could set in.  I could have done better if I didn't take any but if I did that, I'd see a meltdown because I did NOT take it.  ARGH!   Felt better after taking a nap.

PM- Repeated the Montreat Mile and improved to 9:40 with pretty even splits (4:48-4:52).  It wasn't pretty but this is over 2 minutes better than where I was just 36 hours ago.  Started in a drizzle that became a more steady rain towards the end.  I will not attempt the 10K tomorrow.  I will shoot for 4 miles.

Distance=2.0

1/28- FAIL.   I knew it before I started.  Quit after just a half mile in 5:52 and would have been well over 12 for a full mile.  Made an important discovery later in the day.  I've been slacking on my Magnesium Malate lately but did take it last night.  It made the reaction to the Glycine MUCH WORSE.  I DO NOT GET THIS AT ALL!  Magnesium Glycinate is a very popular form and I don't see how Magnesium can cause a Glycine intolerance nor do I see how not taking it can cause a need for it.  WHAT THE ______________!  Cytokine suppressants have NOT stopped the sensitivity!  ARGH!!!  

Important update:

I ate a couple of strawberries with my lunch and felt noticeably WORSE afterwards.  Strawberries contain malic acid.  There is got to be some sort of negative interaction between Glycine and malic acid.  I do NOT think that this is normal.  However, in theory, as long as I take the Mag malate consistently, I should not need the Glycine.

Distance= 0.5

- only 8 miles this week.  YTD= 40.

Training 1/15-1/21

 1/15- Planned rest day.  Excursion to Saona Island.

1/16- 1 mile jog on the treadmill at the resort.  That's about all I can stand to do on that machine.  It counts as a workout but does not affect the streak.  Speed was set to 6.2 but I jacked it up to 8.0 on the last tenth of a mile.  Not a serious effort but enough to prevent loss of fitness.  

Distance=1.0

1/17- Planned rest day.  Trip home

1/18- Unplanned rest day.  The predicted rain held off but I just wasn't feeling up to it, which is understandable after the trip.

1/19- 2.5 miles on South Lakeshore in 22:56 (9:10 pace) with splits of 11:32-11:24.  Very pleased with this one.  The streak remains intact.  I only needed to beat the pace of my last 5K, and I was actually slightly faster than my last 2 miler.  Obviously, the days off and the drinking at the resort didn't do me any good as it relates to my fitness, but I still showed improvement.  

Two important markers:  Even if I slipped to a 10 minute pace for the next 0.6 miles, I'm still below 29 for 5K.  Last week, I only managed a 30:48.  Next weekend, I think I have a realistic chance of a sub-60 10K.   I just missed the sub-2 half marathon pace.  As recently as 1/8, I could barely hold this pace for 1 mile.  If this was 2.6 miles, I am almost 20 % of the way to a sub-2 half.  Long way to go but great strides have been made.

Distance=2.5   

1/20- Trak Shak 5 mile loop in 50:25 (10:05 pace).  I hoped for a sub-50, but all is still well.  On the first attempt at a new distance, the only official goal is to finish.  I went aggressive by skipping the 4 mile so that a 10K will seem do-able.

  Splits were 24:35-25:50. Significant fade but I wouldn't call it brutal.  Pace fell off sharply in Mile 3, but it never got much worse.  Figure, I'd be around 63-flat for 10K but I'm going for it next weekend.  5 miles is 62% longer than a 5K.  By comparison, 12 miles is only 20% longer than 10 miles.  Perhaps, it will be easier to extend the distances when the mileage increases.  Temps were sub-freezing but with sunny skies and relatively light winds, it wasn't too bad out there.  Better than a treadmill run.  

Distance=5.0

1/21- 1.5 miles at Montreat (4.5 laps) in 12:54 (8:36 pace). That's good enough to keep the streak alive but it won't last much longer.  The rate of improvement has definitely slowed.  Fast start then faded early.  Passed 1 mile in 8:30 for a 4 second improvement over my last time trial.  YES!  Coasted the next lap but did finish pretty strong.  

Distance=1.5

-10 miles on the week.  YTD= 32.  That just won't do going forward.  I need a minimum of 20, probably 25 to have a chance to get below 2:00 in the half.

Punta Cana Trip Report

 1/13- 9:15 AM scheduled flight out of Atlanta.  I drove there the previous night.  There was a bit of a SNAFU that morning.  I went to the International terminal only to find that I was supposed to check in at the Domestic terminal for a Frontier Airlines flight.  Fortunately, I allowed myself extra time and I made the flight.  In the end, it didn't matter because the flight was delayed by an hour.  Can't say that I recommend this airline.  Though the price looked like a bargain, it really wasn't with the bag fees.  It was $104 each way just for a carry-on bag.   At any rate, we landed after 3 hours, and it was on to Immigration.  No hassle there.  My passport was checked and stamped.  The only question was where I was going.  I didn't even have to show proof of a hotel reservation or a return flight as I did in Costa Rica.  

Another nice touch was a free shuttle from the airport to my resort. Yes, I used my Spanish.  Several people were impressed and asked me where I learned.  The answer is mostly Duolingo, but I was not a raw beginner because I took Spanish in high school.  Still with the delay, I didn't have much time.  I only took a brief dip and walk on the beach.  I did have a drink at the swim up bar just before it closed.  That was where most of the action took place at the resort.  I really don't understand that with the beautiful beach.  Sure, the swim up bar was nice but nothing otherworldly.  There was one at my hotel in Wildwood, New Jersey and aside from the palm trees, this one wasn't much different.  Dinner was a rather mediocre hot dog and hamburger at a sports bar in the resort.  I met a couple drunk guys from Indiana and Wisconsin and a nice woman from Germany while I watched some football.   

1/14- This was an all-inclusive resort with the expected pros and cons.  It's got convenience but lacks authenticity.  I could have gone to Jamaica and had a similar experience at the same resort.  Not surprisingly, the food was mediocre.  It was better than what you will find at a college campus but a notch below Shoney's or Golden Corral.  I suspect that the drinks were a bit watered down, but I had no interest in getting stupid drunk, so I didn't really care.   There were a couple of restaurants that appeared to have some dishes that looked pretty good, but they required reservations.  I stuck to the buffet and had no real complaints.  

My room did not have a view of the ocean.  It was about a quarter mile walk on a tile path lined with tall tropical palm trees.  Today was a full day on the beach. Every day was sunny to partly cloudy with an air temperature of 85 and a water temperature of 81.  It was on a beach called Arena Gorda.  That proved to be a good call.  The surf wasn't as strong as Macao, a bit further north and the water wasn't as blue as Bavaro, which has calm waters.  However, it did provide the best of both worlds with beautiful blue water and some pretty good surf.  Macao may have actually been too strong.  Here, the waves were close to perfect.  I got plenty of great rides on the board and though it was never dangerous, I did go down a couple times on wipeouts.  Again, I was there for the beach and the surf, not the high-class accommodations or the food.  I must say that the Dominican Republic shines in this regard.   

 

1/15- Excursion.  I can't truly say that I experienced the country if I didn't leave the resort.  I considered Santo Domingo and even simply a visit to a shopping mall in downtown Punta Cana but opted for Saona Island in the Carribean.  I'm glad that I did it but wish it didn't take so long to get there. We did make a couple of stops but with the bus and the boat ride, it took 5 hours to arrive.  Thanks to the speed boat, the return trip was only 3 hours.  I enjoyed talking to a couple from Texas and another from Scotland.  Cool. 

After lunch, we only had about 2-2.5 hours at the beach itself.  That's just not enough time.    Here, the water was an even lighter shade of blue that I had never seen before.  I expected it to be dead flat, but it was surprisingly wavy today.  Nothing threatened to take me down but yes, I caught a few good rides even without the board.  It was almost 6 PM when we got back to the resort.  On the final leg back, I enjoyed a Spanish conversation with a girl from San Diego who said that my southern accent is "beautiful" and I should not lose it when speaking another language.  I had about 30 minutes until darkness and yes, I did squeeze in a quick surf session back at the resort.

1/16- Another full day at the beach.  Pretty much a carbon copy of 1/14.  Today, the surf kicked up a notch and it was really awesome.  Again, Macao probably would have been too strong.  I did get some pretty good jerk chicken just outside the beach, which I was allowed to bring into the swim up bar.  Once again, dinner was just okay at the buffet.  I met a guy from Poland at the swim up bar and another from Colombia over an after-dinner drink.  Pretty cool to meet people from all over the world.  Though I am a bit on the introverted side, I find it fairly easy to talk to people on road trips.  Chances are, I have either been where you are from or have looked into a trip there.  

1/17- After breakfast, I had almost 2 hours to take a dip before I would have to get ready to leave.  Yes, I took advantage of it.  Again, I had a free shuttle to the airport.  This time, it was a little nerve racking.  The bus was 15 minutes late and the lines at the airport were pretty long.  My flight began the boarding process just as I arrived at the gate.  Another 20-25 minutes and I would have missed the flight.  No harm, no foul but that's a little too close for comfort.  We were actually a little early with the arrival in Atlanta.  It was a long 15-minute walk to Customs but once I got there, it was painless.  The drive back to Birmingham also went without a hitch.  Yes, I did meet a woman from Alabama at the airport.  

Final thought:

Yes, I'd rank this as an all-time great trip.  I'd go back in a few years and take the excursion to Santo Domingo.  Not sure where I am going next, but my next international trip will probably be Canada as Newfoundland is the only province that I have yet to visit.

Training 1/8-1/14

 1/8- Montreat Mile in 9:07 plus a half mile cool.  The rate of improvement is slower, but the streak remains intact.  This was 31 seconds faster than I did 3 days ago and I expect to be under 9 next time.  I am still a distressing 87 seconds away from my reset PR.  Splits were 2:58-3:04-3:05. Really struggled in the back half but did finish pretty strong in the last half lap.  Legs are loose and limber but the cardio tires easily, which is characteristic of an adrenal spike.  One minor milestone that I realized that I accomplished shortly after:  This is sub-2 pace for a half marathon.  Another 12.1 miles at this pace seems insurmountable, however.  That's it for today.  Wind and rain are in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning.

Distance= 1.5

1/9- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 20:32 (10:16 pace).  Not bad.  Despite the slow pace, I can take away several positives from this one.  First, this was an evening session after no pills for several hours.  I couldn't hack it at all last week.  This wasn't pretty but I was able to do it.  Although my 2 mile split during the 5K was comparable to this, I was NOT completely spent when I finished tonight.  I certainly would have improved my 5K time by a significant margin.  Splits were 9:58-10:34 but the back half was into a stiff headwind, so the fade wasn't that bad.  This is a new distance for 2024 so it does not affect the streak.  I will need to improve the next time I run this route.

Distance=2.0

1/10- The streak continues.  Montreat Mile in 8:34 with splits of 2:44-2:56-2:54.  Cut off another 33 seconds in just 2 days.  This is unsustainable.  I know that I will level off soon, but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.  I could have broken 8:30 if I didn't go out so fast.  1st half lap was 1:18 but I was pretty even after that.  I am now within 54 of my reset PR.  I'll do more track time trials from now on.  

Distance=1.0

1/11- North Lakeshore 5K in 30:48 (9:54 pace).  MASSIVE improvement over last weekend (34:30).  Very well paced (15:19-15:29) with the back half being slightly uphill.  This is not a certified route, but my GPS read 3.11, so figure it's accurate give or take about 30 yards.  My bare ass minimum standard for race shape is a sub-60 10K and I am almost halfway there.  Can't say I'm pleased with where I am but I've shown the greatest improvement I've ever seen over the last 10 days.

PM- Easy 1.4 miles with no watch (naked).  4 laps at Montreat plus 100 meters.  Not much more than a junk run to pad the mileage.  Could not pass up a 60 degree evening.  Felt okay.  No real soreness from the morning 5k.  The Punta Cana trip is a GO!  Mileage will be hard to come by for the next 6 days and I may not even have access to the Internet.  May not post until next week.

Distance=4.5

1/12- Rain held off long enough for 2 miles at South Lakeshore.  The streak remains very much alive.  Finished in 18:34 (9:17 pace) with even splits (9:15-9:19).  If I didn't slack on the last hill, this would have been a FULL MINUTE faster per mile than just 3 days ago.  Granted, it helped that it was a morning session after I just took the pills.   Smooth and relaxed effort despite a bit of soreness in the hip and groin area.  No real concern about that.  I only needed another mile in about 10:15 to break 30 for 5K and I think I had a shot.  Off to Atlanta this evening to catch a morning flight tomorrow.

Distance-2.0

1/13- Planned rest day.  Arrived in the Dominican Republic.

1/14- 1 mile stop and go.  No time.  Just farting around to get the distance in but one observation is clear.  I'm still very much dependent on the Thym-Adren.  I was about 45 seconds faster per mile with the same effort after taking just 2 pills (current dose is 6).  That's good and bad.  I HATE being so dependent on the pills but it also reveals room for improvement.  I expect to level off when I am less dependent on the pills.

Distance= 1.0

=12 miles on the week.  YTD= 22.

Training 1/1-1/7

 1/1- Recovering from the flu.  Tried a new supplement called Glycine to assist with the Candida detox.  As usual, it's an insatiable need and things will get worse before they get better.  Did 1 mile at Montreat in 13:45, or exactly 3 hour pace for a half marathon.  OUCH!

Distance= 1.0

1/2- Same workout as yesterday.  Hardly a cause for celebration but I knew that I was better from the first steps.  Improved to 11:35 with even splits.  1st half- 5:45, 2nd half- 5:50.  I'll take it.  As of now, I can only tolerate one Thym-Adren.  Soon, I will see if I can handle 2.  Did 1 more lap in the evening in 3:48.  That pace (11:24) is only slightly faster than the morning session.  Hopefully, I see further gains overnight.

Distance=1.5

1/3- Montreat Mile in 10:59.  I met the minimum standard with a 36 second improvement but I really struggled in the homestretch and it didn't feel normal.  Splits were 3:26-3:41-3:52.  It took a push in the last 40 yards to get under 11.  I feared that the culprit was either NAC or Glycine but found to my relief that I NEEDED extra Thym-Adren.  The adrenals have spiked as expected.  Just 2 days ago, more than 1 of those pills would have triggered a bad reaction.  NOW, I NEED MORE!  Nothing changes on New Years Day.  Is this a blip or a long lasting spike?  Probably the latter.  EVENTUALLY, it will calm down and something else will probably flare up.  

Distance=1.0

1/4- Repeated the workout.  It was clear that the adrenal spike is NOT a blip.  Hopefully, it goes down gradually.  Started out comparable to yesterday but held it together in lap 2 then actually finished pretty strong.  Time was 10:13 (3:24-3:30-3:19).  3rd straight day that I have improved.  Keep it up.  Shooting for a sub-10 tomorrow.

Distance=1.5

1/5- The streak continues.  Improved to 9:38.  Splits were 3:07-3:16-3:15.  Didn't have a real strong finish but the pace was almost dead even after the first half lap.  Realized later that this is sub-30 pace for a 5K.  A very small milestone but a necessary step.  I may be back out this evening weather permitting.

PM- Could not hack it in the evening session.  Pace was well over 10 so I called it early.  I knew it was going to happen like this.  I did not take any Thym-Adren since the morning whereas yesterday, I took it in divided doses.  After 2 pills when I got home, I was better.  No panic.

Distance=1.5

1/6- 5K is in the books.  12.5 laps at Mountain Brook track in 34:30.  The only goal was to finish but I did expect to be better than this.  I passed the Mile in 9:56 and the halfway point in 15:52 but faded to 18:38 on the back half.  Considered bailing after 2 miles but I stuck it out and the last 4 laps were over 3:00.  Being unbalanced hurts worse over longer distances.  I may need to temporarily increase the dose.  On the bright side, it should be pretty easy to improve upon this next time out.  

Distance=3.5

1/7  Planned rest day.  I deserve it.

=10 miles on the week.  I hope that come Spring, I will look back on this week and see how far I have come.

Goals for 2024

 The goal is very modest.  I just want to do better than I did the previous year.  Let's revisit a specific date: November 13, 2022.  After 15 years, I completed my goal of finishing a half marathon in every US state at the Val Nolasco half marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Crossing the finish line that day was anti-climactic as I felt very little joy or happiness in that moment.  I didn't feel much sense of achievement at the time either.  It was 90 percent sadness.

   After doing more walking than jogging for the previous 3 miles, I summoned all my strength to trudge across the finish line with a very slow jog.  I was totally spent when I crossed the line.  I had no more spurts of jogging left in me and even the quarter mile walk back to my hotel was quite a voyage.  I don't even remember my time, but it was somewhere between 2:46-2:49, easily my worst ever. Especially now, I do NOT want this to be my last race.  That is not the way that I want to go out!  I'd much prefer to go out with a local 5K in which a final sprint shores up a sub-30 minute finish and I pass a couple of people in the last tenth of a mile.  That's hardly a triumph, but it's better than what I described above.    

After the disaster in Hawaii, I took 6 weeks of complete inactivity as a last ditch effort to reset my system.  It didn't work.  The sensitivity and extreme need for pills still remained.  Nevertheless, from New Years 2023 up through President's Day, I showed some pretty steady improvement.  I never got much below 28 minutes for 5K but I started out closer to 35 minutes.  Things took a turn for the worse when I made a serious effort to tackle the Candida.  I started with Apple Cider Vinegar and Probiotics then later tried anti-fungals, most notably Curcumin, NAC and then Zinc.  I kept hoping that I could get healthy enough to try a local 5K at some point later in the year but it never happened.

Again, let's just do better than last year.  That's not asking for much!