Equality of Outcomes?

 Like most American boys, I dreamed of being a professional athlete from the age of 8 through about 12.  Unfortunately, for 99.9+ percent of the population, that's simply not a realistic goal.  No amount of hard work and determination can make up for lack of natural talent.  At least I was good enough for Varsity in high school.  Some people are not even capable of that.  A baseball manager once said that the only thing that is fair in life is a ball hit between the first base line and the third base line.  

Life isn't fair.  Some people are born into better circumstances than others and thus are more likely to be successful.  That said, if you are fortunate enough to be blessed with the following, I would say that you've been dealt a pretty good hand regardless of your skin color:

Good family with a loving mother and father 

Triple digit IQ

Reasonably attractive 

Generally good health and chemical balance.

I get good marks in the first 3 categories.  Even with Level 1 Autism, my life would be a lot better if I could ever get the autoimmune issues at least UNDER CONTROL.  

If you were born into a dysfunctional family, you are more likely to struggle with substance abuse and get into legal trouble.  If you have an IQ of 75, that's a mental age of 12-13.  You will most likely not graduate high school unless the standards are lowered.  You will have to be content with being a janitor or some other menial labor job.  You will struggle in the dating market if you are unattractive and will be difficult to live with if you have chemical imbalances.  RFK was correct when he said that those with Level 3 Autism cannot live independently.  Sad but true.  

Still, with all of that being said, unless you are severely disabled, you can better your circumstances or at least improve your chances of being successful by making good choices.  My Spanish 1 teacher told our class that she was amazed every year to see kids with IQs over 130 fail the class while others that she never thought would make it get B's and C's.

As bad as my health problems are, it could be worse.  If I didn't take the pills that I need, I don't think I could even work a full time job.  If I smoked a pack of cigarettes, drank a 6 pack every day and didn't even try to exercise, I would certainly feel a LOT WORSE.  

I rarely made all A's but it was a good feeling every semester to look in mirror knowing that I gave it my best shot in every class.  Not everyone can be a A-student but far too often I saw classmates who were perfectly happy with a C.  They certainly could have done better with more effort.  Nobody in their right mind would suggest awarding the same grades to every student regardless of the quality of work.  By the same token, because some jobs require a higher skill level than others, some professions should pay higher than others.

 I met an idiot in college who honestly believed that a cashier or a fast food worker should earn as much as a doctor or lawyer.  One problem.  Why would anyone put themselves through the stress of law school or medical school when they could earn just as much in menial labor?  You can make the case that most people don't have the intelligence to earn an advanced degree and you are certainly right that life is unfair.  Now, is it fair to deny compensation to highly educated people who have worked hard and made tremendous sacrifices? Even with an IQ above 120, getting an MBA was very hard especially with neuro imbalances and constant adjustment to my cocktail of pills.  I deserve a comfortable life.  

I asked several people what needs to happen for them to say that the USA is no longer a systemically racist country.  I rarely got a simple straight answer but a few people pointed to the wealth gap.  Unless the average black person has the same net worth as the average white person, racism is the culprit.  While I agree that the Civil Rights era did not erase the history of slavery and Jim Crow overnight, much progress has been made in the last 60 years.  For Boomers and to a lesser extent, Gen Xers, racism was still a real obstacle.  For those my age or younger, not so much.  

Ben Shapiro aired a podcast in which he said that if you simply finish high school, secure stable employment and do not have children out of wedlock, your odds of living in permanent poverty are very slim regardless of your race.  I am betting that mental health issues are a factor for those who remain poor in spite of good decisions.  Same wealth and same quality of life regardless of your choices?  I don't think so.  What if you factor in those differences?  It may not be equal but I am quite sure that the racial wealth gap diminishes considerably.  

I dislike the term "black fatigue" because I think it promotes stereotypes.  In Chicago while waiting for the subway, I observed a young man talking loudly on his phone using horrible language including the n-word and the MF word in front of children who appeared no older than 7 or 8.  Needless to say, I disliked him but it had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH SKIN COLOR.  In fact, I observed 2 other black people who looked at each other and shook their heads in disgust. What angers me just as much is liberals who make excuses for that type of behavior.  Some have even stated that it should be accepted as part of their culture.  NO.  If you don't expect or demand better than that, you are part of the problem.  I'm no fan of Bush-43 but he was spot on with his soft bigotry of low expectations remark.

One of the highlights of my childhood was the Junior Olympic Nationals in Mobile, Alabama back in 1992.  One of the motivational speakers was a former sprinter by the name of Harvey Glance.  His message left a profound impression.  These are his words, not mine so don't try to twist it.  

Glance said that after track practice, "I went home and did my homework.  I was considered weird.  I didn't drink alcohol or experiment with marijuana.  I was considered weird.  I didn't fool around with girls until I was ready for a serious relationship.  I was considered weird.   Problem was that the same people who called me weird because of my consciencious effort and rejection of drinking and womanizing were on their way to minimum wage jobs with much of their earnings going to child support." 

Training 6/16-6/22

 6/16- Cut the Mag down to 1 and took the adrenal stimulants before the run.  Felt noticeably better and the results showed it.  3 miles in 27:06 (9:02 pace).  Doubled the distance and improved the pace by 60 seconds.  Only downer was that I faded down the stretch.  I was on pace for a sub-27 most of the way but lost it in the last half mile.  Splits were 13:27-13:39.  I will stick with this formula until it stops working.  A 5K would have been about 28:15 so I still have a ways to go.

Distance-3.0

6/17- TORTURE!  It never fails.  I get a little better then collapse.  Today, I lasted just 1 Mile and my time was over 12 minutes.  The smart money is on Magnesium as the culprit and I've become completely intolerant.  Without Mag, I can't tolerate Malic Acid.  Without Malic Acid, the autoimmune reactions will return with a vengeance.  The herbal stimulant isn't enough.  The only hope is Endodren, which should arrive any day now.

PM- Got home to find that Zinc is also bad.  Perhaps I really have tanked my adrenals.  I will cut the Malic Acid down to 1 scoop per day.  I'll lay off the Mag for just a couple of days then hope to gradually re-introduce it.  I will pitch the Zinc and order Liver.

Distance-1.0

6/18- 2 miles on New Lakeshore going west towards Bessemer.  Liked the route and will do it more often.  Finished in 20:16 (10:08 pace) with a strong negative split (10:25-9:51) and didn't push much harder on the back half.  About as expected.  A lot better than yesterday but not even close to acceptable.  Might try the quarter marathon tomorrow.  

Distance-2.0

6/19- TORTURE CONTINUES!  I went with neither Malic Acid nor Magnesium today.  I know it's not the long-term answer but I thought it gave me the best chance to be successful today.  Nope!  Quit after just a half mile in a time over 6 minutes.  

Culprit was the herbal adrenal stimulant.  Apparently, it only works if I take the Magnesium prior to it.  Popped 1 Mag pill and was initially better but it turned ugly after the full effects kicked in about an hour later.  A 2nd Mag pill made things much worse.  

Fortunately, the Endodren arrived last night and I gave it a shot.  Results were encouraging.  Opened with an 82 then dropped all the way to 70.  That's a game changer.  I hoped that it would enable me to tolerate Mag.  Nope.  Collapsed to 95.  Add to that, I seemed to get even worse on Malic Acid.

Distance-1.0

I suspect that the Malic Acid is causing the intolerance to Magnesium.  I've never had problems with Mag before this.  If true, I don't know what to do.  Definitely panic time and I am close to doom.  I can only hope that by some miracle, I don't need Malic Acid anymore or I can detox with something that is not as strong.

Training 6/9-6/15

 6/9- AM. Lakeshore 2.5 in 23:38 (9:27 pace).  Even pace (11:50-11:48).  Big improvement over yesterday.  Well under 30 for 5K so I'm halfway there.  That's it for today.  Afternoon is likely to be stormy.

PM- Decided to test my response to Magnesium.  Opener in 66.1 (6:37 pace), nearly all out.  After 4 Mag pills (recommend dose), I slipped to a 71.3 (7:08 pace).  PLUS 31.  Tacked on a half lap cool. Yes, that's enough to be considered significant but certainly not a collapse. 

 I'm still not quite at equilibrium after last week's excess but I'll get there very soon.  Stopping Mag completely will put me right back to where I was after Alaska.  Intolerant to Malic Acid and a return of the autoimmune reactions to pills.  In THEORY, I have it all sorted out now but how many times have I thought that before?

Distance-3.0

6/10- PM- Hoped to run 5 miles today but had to settle for 1 and my pace was pathetic.  Culprit was likely insufficient Malic Acid.  I didn't skip the morning dose but did take less than a full scoop.  Felt noticeably better after taking another scoop in the evening.  No discernable difference with Vitamin C but I still feel safer with it.

Distance- 1.0

Reaction:  I'm pissed and rightfully so!  Just 2 days ago, I declared that extra Malic Acid didn't make a significant difference and the interval test showed just that.  When I take 4 scoops per day, a little extra doesn't make much difference.  If I only take 1-2 scoops, skimping on just 1 dose makes all the difference in the world.  I will load on Malic Acid going forward.  Does Magnesium increase the need for it?  Probably but that's unconfirmed.  It definitely increases the tolerance.  As long as my Magnesium stores are sufficient, too much Malic Acid SHOULD NOT hurt me.

6/11- Magnesium was likely the culprit, not insufficient Malic Acid.  Took plenty of the latter before the run and it made no difference.  Quit after just 1.5 miles with a pace over 12.  Got home and confirmed that Magnesium was the culprit as I was even WORSER after an additional pill.  Why didn't I immediately collapse on Monday evening during the interval test?  Probably because it's a sustained release.  The full effects don't kick in right away.  If I had waited a couple hours after taking the 4 pills, it would have been ugly.

Distance-2.0

6/12- AM- Took a total of 3 Mag pills yesterday but only 2 in the evening.  As expected, I saw significant improvement.  2 miles at Vaughn Road Park in 20:44 (10:22 pace) with a strong negative split.  Nearly 2 minutes faster per mile.  Ridiculous that ONE EFFING PILL makes this much difference.

Million dollar question:  Is there a Magnesium dosage that is strong enough to allow for enough Malic Acid to prevent the autoimmune reactions without a reaction to Magnesium itself?  I'm pretty confident that 2 pills will be enough but not just 1.  3 will likely be too much but I will give it a try.  Also, if I load on Malic Acid, that will likely reduce the tolerance to Magnesium.  What a mess!

Distance- 2.0

6/13-AM.  3 Mag pills yesterday all in the evening with basically the same result.  1.5 miles at Vaughn Road Park in 15:29 (10:19 pace) with another negative split.  Early pace was over 11 but dipped under 10 for the last half mile.  

Reaction:  This raises as many questions as it answers.  3 Mag pills are clearly too much.  I will reduce it to 2.  I'm confident that it will be enough to tolerate Malic Acid.  If I have to reduce it to 1, I am not so sure.

Is there anything that can be done to increase the tolerance to Magnesium?  Loading on Malic Acid may may actually reduce the tolerance.  I'll have to test that out.  What about the adrenal balance?  Maybe I will have a resolution by the end of the month.

PM- Opener in 82

Adrenal Modulator-75

Malic Acid- 73

The adrenal balance may be a factor in the intolerance to Magnesium.  I took 2 ADHS pills (modulator) and the improvement was significant.  Malic Acid was pretty much a non-factor.  My time for that interval was almost a 74, so it was slightly more than a 1 second difference.

I still want to gauge my reactions to Magnesium on days that I load on Malic Acid versus taking 1 scoop.  Most likely, I have 2 options:  Reduce the Magnesium and take just enough to tolerate the Malic Acid OR go on adrenal stimulants in order to tolerate the Magnesium.  This is probably a detox reaction and the need for stimulants is only temporary.

Distance-2.0

6/14- 5 miles on Lakeshore in 53:17 (10:39 pace).  Even pace with something left.  Splits were 26:44-26:33.  May have been dead even without a small push at the end.  The most important thing is that I finished and had more in the tank.  Another 8.1 miles?  No way.  Another 1.55 without much of a slow down?  I think I could do it.  Next time, I will shoot for the quarter marathon distance.  

Bad news is that this was MUCH TOO SLOW.  I cut the Mag down to 2 and hoped to at least match yesterday's pace over the longer distance.  I was 20 seconds slower but with more than triple the distance, it's still an improvement.  

It seems unlikely that I will improve significantly on 2 Mag.  More likely, I will plateau or get worse.  I did feel noticeably better after adrenal stimulants.  That may be the ticket to tolerate Mag.  Option 1 or 2?  Time will tell which works best.

Distance-5.0

6/15- 1.5 on North Lakeshore in 15:03 (10:02 pace).  On my second day at 2 Mag, I was only slightly better than I was on 3.  That leads me to believe that my intolerance to Magnesium is slowly getting worse.  I will go down to 1 but am unsure if it will be enough to stop the autoimmune reactions.  

Got some good news when I got home for the interval test.  Opened with an 84 then repeated the 84 on Curcumin so that stuff is a non-factor.  Improved to 74 on herbal adrenal stimulants.  When the Endodren arrives, it may resolve the Mag intolerance.

Distance-2.0

-17 miles on the week 

Late Summer Road Trip Plan

 Down to 2 finalists.  Washington State or Southern California.  I can't go wrong with either.  If I am healthy enough to run 13 miles, it's gonna be SoCal even if my time will be over 2 hours.  Would I do SoCal if I have to downgrade to the 5K?  Not sure about that.  

Here's what Washington State would look like:

Day 1- Fly to Seattle with a preferred connection in Denver.  Night will probably be in Seattle but I can be flexible.  If a Mariners game fits my schedule, I will consider it but I've already done the tour.  I can be flexible with the weather forecast.  It's usually pretty nice in late summer but I definitely want a clear day for Rainier and North Cascades.  I don't care if it's dreary at Olympic.  

Day 2- Leave Seattle, hopefully ahead of the traffic to North Cascades and Ross Lake.  Night will definitely be in Tacoma.

Day 3- Olympic NP then a ferry to Victoria BC with a night in Canada.  

Day 4- Morning ferry back to USA.  Rest of the day at Rainier NP.  Tacoma for the night.  Edit: a night in Canada will not leave enough time for Rainier.  I'll either have to skip it or make it a day trip.

Day 5- Fly home.  

Southern California:

Day 1- Fly to John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, Orange County.  Probably connect in Dallas but open to other cities.  The John Wayne airport should be much less crowded than LAX or San Diego.  Should have time to take a dip at Huntington Beach.  It's only 20 minutes from the airport.  I would have preferred to get a hotel in Laguna but prices are outrageous.

Day 2- Morning session in Huntington Beach then head 30 minutes south to Laguna.  Need to go on a week day.  It will probably be Friday.  Night in San Clemente.  Laguna to San Diego is less than an hour and a half.

Day 3- If I am to race, I should take it easy today.  Stop in Oceanside on the way to San Diego.  Tour San Diego and may or may not take a dip.  

Day 4- Race day.  Rest of day in La Jolla and Torrey Pines.  From there, it's only a half hour to Oceanside.  

Day 5- Can be flexible in the morning.  I can either stay in Oceanside or go back to Laguna.  By late afternoon, I will need to be in Anaheim for the Angels game.  Anaheim is just under an hour from Oceanside and there are several hotels within walking distance of the stadium.  

Day 6- Fly home.  The airport is just 15 minutes from Anaheim.  Option of an overnight layover in Dallas.

Miami Trip Plan

 I'm about 75 percent sure that this will be a go.  The Marlins are home for the 4th of July weekend and that will take me up to 21 ballparks.  Even if this is my last one of the year, I can finish in 2028 with just 3 per year going forward.

Of course, the big negative is that it's the wrong time of year to visit Miami.  That said, I'm betting that the rainy season is not as bad as you might think.  Figure that on any given day, the weather will be about the same.  Temps will top out around 90F with a heat index over 100 and about a 60 percent chance of rain.  That's really not much different than the Gulf coast. Mornings are usually nice but you can expect a heavy downpour around 3 or 4 PM then it clears up by the evening.  I can live with that.  July is actually the driest month of the rainy season on average.  

The positive is that prices are much more affordable.  You can get a decent hotel right on the beach for around $100.  I'll fly out of Atlanta because there are multiple cheap flights every day to and from the cities.  I don't need to rent a car either.  The MIA airport has a shuttle every half hour from the airport to South Beach.

7/3- Leave work maybe 2 hours early and drive to Atlanta to catch a morning flight the next day.  

7/4- Land around 11AM and figure that I get to South Beach around 1ish.  I'll drop off my bag and take a quick dip before it rains.

7/5- All day on the beach.  I don't expect much surf and I may not even bring my board but I will have beautiful blue water with abundant lush palm trees.

7/6- I'll have time for a morning session at the beach.  I'll check out around 10 AM then take the shuttle back to the airport.  MIA does have one hotel connected to airport.  It will be a little pricey but worth it because I won't have to worry about transportation the next morning.  The ballpark is about 3 miles from the airport.  Too far to walk but taxis are readily available.  There is bus service as well.  The game is at 1:30.  After it's over, I'll check out the surrounding area and may have dinner there.  I'll get back to the hotel by early evening then just chill for the night.

7/7- If I get an early flight out, I might work half a day.

Relapse and Recovery

 Over the past few weeks, I've had progressively more trouble with detox supplements.  First, it was the Melatonin.  I was only a little bit upset about the bad reaction to that stuff because I didn't think it was necessary and was a little leery about long-term high level use anyway.  A couple of weeks later, I began having problems with Lactoferrin.  That was a real concern.  In fact, I called it a reason to panic.  Since I was almost done with the bottle, I just took the last few pills, tossed it and did not re-order.  I read later that Lactoferrin is involved with Aluminum detox, as is Melatonin.  I surmised that combined with the Malic Acid, the detox action was just too much for my system to handle.  Interestingly, I found that Taurine mitigated much of the ill-effects if I took Lactoferrin and wasn't sure what to make of that.  All of this occurred before I left for Alaska.  

In Alaska, I only did a couple of junk runs.  I found that after stopping the Lactoferrin, the Taurine became a non-factor.  However, something did happen that was very disturbing.  I got a negative reaction to Malic Acid.  Fortunately, I was better after taking Vitamin C.  Apparently, Malic Acid had to be taken with C.  I don't like it but I can live with that.  I took some OJ without Malic Acid before my next flight.  I actually felt pretty good in San Francisco.  No workout but I did sprint across the street to beat a traffic light and impressed an onlooker.  

When I got home, extra C made things worse but I got better after a scoop of Malic Acid.  Again, I can live with having to take them together.  I took 1 Curcumin pill, which is also involved with Aluminum detox.  Not surprisingly, I got a bad reaction but that was a risk that I was willing to take.  I wanted to confirm that Lactoferrin itself was not the problem, but rather all pills that are involved with Al detox should be avoided.  Malic Acid, even with C was not tolerated with the Curcumin.  Not a surprise because that's just too much detox.  What was VERY disturbing was that the next day, it STILL wasn't tolerated even without the Curcumin.  No choice but go off the Malic Acid.  Maybe by some miracle, I don't need it anymore.  I did gradually get better over the next few days without the Malic Acid.

The idea that my autoimmune issues were solved after a course of Malic Acid was rudely quashed over the weekend.  I had a bad reaction to Yasko's Ultimate B Complex and I know it was two specific ingredients that caused problems in the past.  Just a trace of Malic Acid made things noticeably better but a full scoop was NOT tolerated.  It appeared that I was doomed until I noticed improvement after taking 1 Magnesium pill.  I had been slacking on the Magnesium because when taken with C, it causes diarrhea.  I also thought that Malic Acid helped produce Mag.  Probably wrong on that.  

I loaded on Magnesium the next day and initially improved but awoke from a nap with a SEVERE need for Malic Acid.  I took a scoop and not only was it tolerated, it was more effective than in the past.  Also, Curcumin, which was not tolerated just a week ago, is now BENEFICIAL!    Apparently, Magnesium is necessary for the detox to be tolerated.  I will increase the Mag at night and only take the C in the morning with the Malic Acid.  I will need the Malic Acid for the foreseeable future.  The fact that my autoimmune issues flared up after just 3 days off it is VERY DISTURBING!  

Time is ticking away.  I need to be able to run at least 10 miles consistently on the weekends in order to attempt the half in San Diego in mid-August.  I cannot afford any more meltdowns.  Washington state will be a nice trip too but I'd rather go to SoCal this year.         

Training 6/2-6/8

 6/2- 1 Mile at Montreat in 9:44.  Passed half in 4:54 then popped Magnesium and did the back half in 4:50.  Exactly what I wanted to see.  Marginally better but not enough to be significant.  

Aftermath:

Took Curcumin, a formerly problem pill and did a half lap in 85 (8:30 pace).  Then, it was a scoop of Malic Acid and I improved to 75 (7:30 pace).  I tried to keep the effort even with the Mile and this was not a sprint.  I don't think I could have held 7:30 all the way but I certainly would have done a lot better than 9:44.  Added a half lap cool.  Most likely, that's it for today.

Distance-1.5

Reaction: Good news is that now that the Magnesium is restored, extra by itself doesn't matter.  Malic Acid is not only tolerated again, it is more effective but may be more necessary.  By that, I mean that I may NOT be able to get by without it for a long weekend.  Detailed post coming.

6/3- Struggled as expected.  1.5 on Lakeshore in 16:15 (10:50 pace)  Did manage a slight negative split (8:11-8:04).  Took a scoop in the morning but not in the afternoon.  Also dealing with caffeine withdrawal.  Should be better tomorrow.

Distance-1.5

6/4- AM- Merely hoped for a modest improvement but got worse instead.  Could not even finish a half mile without walking.  Good news is that I was noticeably better after the scoop of Malic Acid.  Bad news is that it's an insatiable need.

PM- 3x half lap intervals at Montreat.

Naked-98 (9:48 pace)

1 scoop- 78 (7:48 pace)

2 scoops- 62 (6:12 pace)

No words are necessary.  This is an insatiable need that will eventually diminish.  Even the Naked interval was better than the morning session.  Sadly, if I ran it again just a couple hours later, I would not even come close to that 62.  

Distance-1.0

6/5-AM.  No pills.  Lakeshore 1 Mile in 11:12.  An improvement over yesterday morning but I won't get better until I take a scoop and even then, it won't last.  Splits were 5:45-5:27 so that's encouraging.

PM- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 20:42 (10:21 pace).  I will take it.  Doubled the distance and improved the pace by 51 seconds.  Obviously, I would have been a lot better if this was run immediately after a scoop.  Nevertheless, I was still holding on to some benefit a full 10 hours later. Splits were 10:26-10:16.

Distance-3.0

6/6- AM Repeated the 2 mile on Lakeshore and improved to 19:40 (9:50 pace).  I'll take it.  Cut off another 31 seconds per mile on tired legs.  With the Malic Acid, I think I lose more benefits overnight than during the day despite it being the same amount of time between scoops.  That's it for today.

PM- Planned rest but there was a REVOLTING development this morning.  I was noticeably WORSE after taking 2 scoops after the run.  It's confirmed that the form of Magnesium needed must be Malate.  Glycinate won't do it.  I suppose that makes sense.  Unconfirmed but strongly suspect that the form of Vitamin C must be Ascorbic Acid rather than Whole Food.  I don't like that.

Distance-2.0

6/7- Failed long run, which wasn't a surprise.  What was surprising was that the culprit was Magnesium Malate.  Glycinate wasn't the issue after all.  I overshot the balance point with Magnesium. Scoops of Malic Acid didn't make much difference either way.  Workout was pathetic.  Lasted 2 miles but the pace was over 12.

Distance-2.0

6/8- 1.5 miles at Heardmont in 15:29 (10:19 pace) with splits of 7:47-7:42.  Can't say that I am pleased but it was an improvement over yesterday.  I only took 1 Mag pill last night.  Got home and did some tests with Malic Acid and Vitamin C.

Opener-86.5 (8:39 pace)

Scoop of Malic Acid- 84.1 (8:25 pace)

Whole Food C- 84.4 (8:27 pace)

Ascorbic Acid- 83.7 (8:22 pace)

This is good news.  I am sure that I still need the Malic Acid but if my Magnesium stores are sufficient, it may not be a critical need every day.  14 second improvement in pace is not enough to be considered significant.  Both forms of Vitamin C were non-factors.  Fractionally slower on Whole Food and fractionally faster on Ascorbic Acid.  The reverse could happen next time.  

Distance-2.1

13.1 on the week.  Didn't plan on that.  Time is ticking away.  Need to get up to at least 25 over the next 6-8 weeks.

MLB Stadium Count and Rules

 With the White Sox game in Chicago, I have reached the 20 mark.  Only 10 to go and my goal is to finish the challenge by the end of the decade.  Here are the 10 that I have NOT seen:

National League:

Marlins, Gnats, Phillies, Cubs, Brewers 

American League:

Guards, Tigers, Twins, Angels, Athletics

The only ones that might require a special trip are Twins, Gnats and Phillies but I am hoping that by some miracle, I will be healthy enough to combine it with a race.  

Like the Visit All 50 States, there are debates as to what constitutes an official visit.  The most strict standard only counts a home game played by the team that plays there.  The most lenient actually counts walking past it from the outside.  Here's what I count and don't count:

Exhibition game played by other teams in the same sport- COUNTS.  

For example, the 2025 MLB All Star game will be in Atlanta this year.  If you attend that game, you can check off Truist Park and the Braves without seeing a Braves game. Also, a World Baseball Classic in Miami counts for the Marlins.  I don't expect much dispute over that.  

Though I have no plans to see all 32 NFL teams, I did see a college football game in the Carolina Panthers stadium in Charlotte.  I would count that too.  

This is probably a moot point now but what about multi-purpose stadiums?  Let's say that you saw a Steelers game at old Three Rivers in Pittsburgh.  Can you count the Pirates because they shared the same venue?  I say NO.  You never saw the baseball dimensions.  Every football field is 100 yards.  A ball hit 400 feet to dead center field may or may not be a home run.  I heard about a hockey game at Boston's Fenway Park.  No, you can't count the Red Sox for a hockey game.

Teams that move to a new stadium or a new city:

I saw several Atlanta Braves games at old Turner Field.  Yes, I did see the new park but it was not required to check off the Braves.  I heard that the Kansas City Royals may be getting a new stadium in 2028.  I've seen the old one so the new one is not required.  

Edit: Can you count a Montreat Expos game for the Gnats?  I am undecided but would lean towards no.  Although it is the same franchise, it has been totally rebranded.  The Oakland Coliseum counts for Las Vegas because the team will remain the Athletics.  If the re-located team became the Gamblers instead, I would have to re-think it.

Both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland A's are temporarily playing in minor league parks.  If you see an MLB game there, can you check off that team?  I say NO.  It's only a temporary home.  I did not see the Oakland Coliseum when I was in the Bay area last summer.  I will have to wait until they play in their permanent home in Las Vegas.  The plan is an overnight layover from Hawaii.  Also, a Dodger game in Japan doesn't count.  You have to see Dodger Stadium.  

Stadium Tours:

This is probably the most controversial.  It's debatable but I say YES, it counts.  You pay money specifically to the home team and in many cases, you have access to areas that are off limits on game day.  Not only can you sit in the stands, you can often access the press box, the dugout or even the field itself.  For the Mets, Red Sox, Cardinals and Mariners, I have yet to see a game but did do the tour and I count it.  

Concerts or other events:

A hard NO on concerts.  Same with any other non-baseball events.  I've done a few races with a stadium finish.  NO, I don't count that even though I did step foot inside and on the field.  Walking past a stadium in which case you only see the outside?  NO way!  That's the equivalent of an airport layover.  

Chicago/Alaska/SF Trip Report

 

5/21- Early wake up for a 6:40 flight to O'Hare airport in Chicago.  The main destination was to be Anchorage, Alaska but the plan was to break it up to reduce the risk of delays and allow for some fun instead of spending all day en route.  The flight went off on time and we landed just before 9:00 local time.  Chicago's subway system is connected to the airport and I got a 24 hour pass for unlimited rides that cost me just $5.  Smokin' deal.  The trip into the downtown loop normally takes 45-60 minutes.

As expected, the weather wasn't great.  Temps were in the low 50s all day with occasional drizzle.  Could be worse.  At least it wasn't a downpour and with relatively calm winds, I wasn't too uncomfortable out there.  After dropping my bag off, I took a short walk to Grant Park and saw a nice fountain and a view of Lake Michigan.  I had plenty of time before the game and actually arrived before the gates even opened.  My losing streak continues as the Mariners beat the White Sox 6-5 but it was a pretty good game in a decent ballpark, number 20 for me.  Only 10 to go.

It was nearly 5 PM when I got back to the hotel and I relaxed for just a few minutes and decided what to do for the rest of the day.  No use seeing a skyscraper because it was too foggy at the top.  I took the Red Line to Grand then walked a fair distance to Navy Pier and Ohio Street Beach.  The latter looks like it will be nice in the summer.  Water temperature hits 70 by July but wave action is rare.  

I hit the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave on the way back and got some Chicago style pizza there.  It was good but I still prefer the New York style.  It was now past sunset and I took a nice little walk by the river but called it a night pretty early.  I did meet a guy from Trussville, AL on the way back. Tomorrow's flight would leave at 9:30, so that meant that I had to be out the door by 6:30.  

5/22-With 3 days in Alaska, I only hoped for one sunny day with good views of Denali.  I would get 2 good weather days (sunny and 60-65), which turned out to be the nicest weather of the entire trip.  I arrived just after 1:00 local time and took it easy.  Even though jet lag is not as bad going west, I was still quite tired from the long flight.  I decided to just chill in Anchorage for the rest of the day.  I did check out a couple of parks and got a steak dinner and a drink at a bar, where I had a good conversation with a guy from Seattle.  

5/23- With Anchorage as my home base, I could be flexible with my plans.  Though both of the next two days turned out to be good, the forecast looked better today.  I headed north to Talkeetna, which is basically a one street town with a few restaurants and hotels.  It serves as a gateway to Denali and does have a nice lake with views of the mountain. 

 From Talkeetna, it's about an hour to the South entrance of Denali State Park with the North entrance being another 30 miles up the road.  There are a couple of other trailheads in between.  I drove up to the North entrance first, then turned around.  The best hiking trail here is Curry Ridge, which rises above the trees for spectacular views of the mountain.  IMO, this is better than Denali National Park and doable on a day trip from Anchorage.  

I got back at a decent hour then saw a beautiful sunset over the bay.  The sunset was at 11:00 PM this time of year and it does not get fully dark until after midnight.  A few hours further north, it never does get fully dark.  It's a little surreal for it to be so bright at 10:00 and I got a bit of a second wind.  Yes, I was able to sleep but awoke much sooner than usual.  About 5 hours of sleep was all that I needed.

5/24-Headed South to Seward and arrived by about 9:45.  I walk through town then up and down the coast until the restaurants opened at 11.  I got some good seafood then stopped at the Visitor's center.  In a change of plans, I decided to get cruise tickets for the Kenai Fjords NP.  Probably a good call but I have mixed feelings. The views were awesome but it was just too long and too expensive.  

 The shortest cruise was 4.5 hours, which meant that I would have to skip the hiking trails, which were located almost an hour away.  Maybe I could have done it, but I would have arrived very late back in Anchorage with a plane to catch the next morning.  Oh well, I did plenty of hiking the previous day and wasn't feeling great because of the pills.  I only wish that a 2 hour cruise was available, which would have allowed me to comfortably do both.  

5/25- Slept in a bit more but still got out the door at 8 so I could get a sit down breakfast at the airport.  There was a short delay but I landed in San Francisco just after 5.  The BART ride and the walk to my hotel took almost an hour and a half so that left me with about a 2 hour window for sightseeing before dark.  As I predicted, I had time for either Baker Beach or Golden Gate Park but not both.  

With overcast skies and no visible sunset, it was an easy call.  I went to Golden Gate Park.  I climbed Strawberry Hill, which offered nice views of both Stowe Lake and city streets.  By this time, I was feeling better and my mood had brightened.  I got some quick pizza then took Muni back to my hotel.  Before calling it a night, I went to a fun karaoke bar.  As usual, Californians treated me very well.  

5/26- Rough day.  I had 2 flights on tap today and wasn't scheduled to land until 11PM.  That's the price you pay if you want to squeeze in more sightseeing.  I awoke to foggy conditions, as is common this time of year.  I still enjoyed the hike up to Twin Peaks but could not see anything at the top.  I passed the famous Castro theater on the way back.  By 10:00, the weather was nice but I couldn't wait.  Check out was 11 and my flight was scheduled to leave at 2.  Because of bad weather in Dallas, both flights were delayed and I didn't get home until after 1 AM.  I took 2 hours off work.  Should have taken an earlier flight with a different connection city.  Good trip overall.  

Training 5/19-5/25

 5/19- Struggled mightily.  1.5 miles in 17:48 on Lakeshore (11:52 pace) with a slight positive split.  Did this on neither Taurine nor Malic Acid but didn't feel much better after I did take it.  

Good news is that I found the culprit.  It was Lactoferrin, which is another autoimmune supplement that showed promise when I first tried it.  Malic Acid was SUPPOSED TO STOP INEXPLICABLE REACTIONS!  I did read today that it is involved with Aluminum detox, which makes me feel a little better.  Perhaps it's just too much detox action as was the case with Melatonin.

Distance-1.5

5/20- Repeated the 1.5 mile distance on Lakeshore and showed significant improvement.  Time is down to 16:48 (11:12 pace).  Exactly 60 seconds faster than yesterday but almost all of it came in the first half.  Splits were 8:07-8:41.  Did not take Lactoferrin last night, which was clearly the difference maker.  Again, no Taurine or Malic Acid.  Not sure why Taurine helped.  Malic Acid made it worse if I took too much Lactoferrin.

PM- 2 miles at Veteran's Park for a change.  Finished in 21-flat (10:30 pace).  Probably translates to 10:15-10:20 on Lakeshore.  Another solid improvement but this is not a quick rebound but a slow climb off the floor.  I can't afford another relapse if I want to race San Diego in August.

Distance-3.5

5/21- Planned rest day.  Flight to Chicago.

5/22- Elective rest day.  Long flight to Anchorage.

5/23- AM- Half mile loop on a relatively flat but gravel trail.  Finished in 5:15 and had nothing.  Worse than 3 days ago.  Perhaps Taurine is a problem now 

PM- Frequent urination today, which could be a sign of detox.  I was better this session.  Repeated the half mile distance and improved to 4:36.  Out and back at Delaney Park.  Popped a Taurine at the midpoint and it had no effect.  I was fractionally faster with it.  I consider that good news.  No pill should make a night and day difference, especially not a single dose 

Distance-1.0

5/24- Confirmed that Taurine is a non-factor.  Today, I was fractionally slower but it made essentially no difference.  A more worrying trend is my reaction to Malic Acid.  I was noticeably WORSE after just half a scoop.  To my relief, I was better after I popped some Vitamin C.  If I am to stick with the Malic Acid, it MUST be taken with C.  I'm not messing with any other pills, especially not ones that are involved with detox 

Distance-1.0

5/25- Elective rest day.  Flight to San Francisco but felt better there by the evening.

7 miles

USA Bucket List Update/ Alaska Preview

 The Alaska trip is just around the corner.  Weather is a bit of a concern.  Chicago will not be pleasant.  Temps will barely make it out of the 40s with occasional rain showers and it will probably be windy as well.  Could be worse.  At least it won't rain all day.  I imagine that the baseball game will still be played.  Again, I don't care if I miss part of it.  I just want to see the ballpark and reach the 20 mark.  I'll probably limit my sightseeing at the Riverwalk and Magnificent Mile and spend more time indoors at Navy Pier.  

As for Alaska, the forecast is about what you'd expect this time of year.  Highs will be in the upper 50s with partly to mostly cloudy skies and a low chance of rain.  I don't care if it's dreary in Seward but I want it to be sunny in Denali.  Since I am staying in Anchorage all 3 nights, I can be flexible.

San Francisco's weather will be NICE.  Perfect sunny and 65.  I just hope there will be no flight delays so I can see both Golden Gate Park and Twin Peaks.  Baker Beach could be too tight.  

After this trip is complete, I will have been to all 50 states at least twice.  There are still 6 more bucket list trips after this.  Then, I will go heavy international.

#1 National Parks in Washington State. 

 Probably the front runner for Labor Day weekend.  Fly to Seattle.  I've been there before and thought it was an okay city.  I wouldn't mind seeing Kerry Park again.  I got a sample of Rainier but didn't really do it justice.  What I really want to see is Olympic and North Cascades.  I could take a ferry to Victoria, BC for a day if it's not too far out of the way.

#2 Pacific Coast Highway.  

Fly to LAX.  Take a dip at Manhattan Beach then head north to Santa Cruz via the Interstate.  I'll start the next morning with a Redwood Park then take 2 days on the PCH back to LA.  First night stop will probably be Santa Barbara.  I will likely hold off on this one because the beaches in Malibu are probably still damaged by the fires.  

#3 San Diego and Orange County 

If by some miracle I am healthy, I've wanted to do a half marathon in San Diego for a long time.  I didn't do justice to that city and largely missed out on Laguna and Huntington Beach as well.  I can see an Angels game too.  The race is in August so if I am to do it, there will be no Labor Day trip.  

#4 Great Lakes

Fly direct to Detroit for a Tiger game then drive through Canada to Niagara Falls then loop back on the USA side with stops in Cleveland, Erie and possibly Buffalo.  Summer is definitely the time to do it but crowds could be a serious issue especially at Niagara Falls.  

#5 New England Foliage

Fly to Hartford, CT.  Only 30 miles north is the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.  I'll take a scenic drive through the Berkshires then cut down to Greenwich, CT with a stop at the FDR Museum in New York state.  From Greenwich, I can take a train to NYC.  I really want to see Central Park in Fall and the Brooklyn Bridge lit up at night.  

#6 Hawaiian Islands

I have been to Oahu and the Big Island but not Maui or Kauai.  I'd have to take 7-10 days off but it might be possible to hit both islands on one trip.  I'll take an overnight layover in Vegas for an A's game on the way back.

Training 5/12-5/18

 5/12- Real workout was nothing special.  1.5 miles in 13:41 (9:07 pace). Caffeine withdrawal hasn't passed fully and this was done without Thym Adren.  Splits were 6:45-6:56 but I wasn't spent at the end.  I was more interested in my interval test afterwards.

Opener in 84.  Slightly worse on the Thym Adren.  Slipped to 86.  That means I should be able to safely quit that stuff and switch to the modulator.  Good news.  Next up was the Malic Acid test.  I was hoping that my time would be about the same but I improved to 79.  That gap remains about the same.  Roughly 45 seconds per mile give or take.  I do hope that gap will diminish in time 

Distance-2.0

Caffeine withdrawal hits between 24-48 hours of the last serving.  Therefore, use every other day or every third day is the worst thing to do.  It's either every day or never 

5/13- Caffeine withdrawal usually peaks around 48 hours then goes down.  Today is Day 3 and it was the worst.  Tried to run in the morning and quit after less than 100 meters.  

PM- Not much better.  Lap and a half at Montreat in 5:28 (10:56 pace).  Splits were 1:59-1:47-1:42 so that suggests that better days are ahead.

Distance-0.5

5/14-AM- Much better but not as good as I hoped.  Full mile at Montreat in 9:40. Double the distance and 76 seconds faster on the pace.  Negative split again (4:55-4:45) but this is still 2+ minutes away.  Day 4 off caffeine and it should only get better from here.  Plan to be back out this evening.

PM- Quit after a half mile in 5:28 and was getting worse with every step.  Concern, panic or doom?  I'm going to say Panic.  I shouldn't be getting worse on Day 4.  I did drink a bottle of green tea today (20 mg caffeine) but that should not affect me.  I can handle at least 50 mg.  I am beginning to suspect that it might be the pills.  I sure hope that I am lacking in something rather than intolerant to something.

Distance-1.5

5/15- AM- Took a 2nd scoop of Malic Acid shortly after the first one.  I was slightly better after the 2nd one but not enough to be considered significant.  Still very stiff and sluggish today.  

PM- Day 5 and I cheated.  Kinda had to in order to make it through the day.  Showed marked improvement after drinking a Rockstar but it was not the caffeine that helped.  It was the Taurine, which is an ingredient in most energy drinks.  

Took some Probiotics after I got home and was noticeably weaker.  Makes sense because Probiotics deplete Taurine.  For the last interval, I took 1500 mg of Taurine with no caffeine and clocked a 59 second half lap (5:54 pace).  This is a game changer!  

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

The sudden downturn after Day 3 without caffeine was NOT lingering withdrawal symptoms.  It happened because my supply of Taurine was cut off.  Why did that happen?  I'm not sure.  Malic Acid does not deplete Taurine but it's possible that the detox did.  At any rate, Taurine must be added back to my formula but it must be used in combination with Probiotics or else Taurine will get too high and Probiotics will be depleted.

Is it extreme dependence?  Probably not.  Once I restock my supply of Taurine, nothing will happen if I miss a day.  Also, I must NOT be forced to take an exact ratio of Taurine/Probiotics.  That seems unlikely too.  Back off caffeine tomorrow and hopefully a 1 day slip does not trigger another withdrawal.

5/16- Vestavia Mile in 8:21.  Took 1000 mg Taurine before I started and passed halfway in 4:27 with splits of 2:11-2:16.  Figure that I probably just barely sneak under 9 without any further intervention.  Popped another 500 at the midpoint and my pace immediately quickened to the 8:00 range.  Found another gear in the homestretch with a last 200 in 53 seconds.  That's it for today.

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

I do NOT like this!  I was more than 1 minute faster per mile because of 1 friggin pill!  I can't even imagine how badly I would have done it I didn't take any beforehand.  I'm probably over 10.  Hopefully, it will just take time to rebuild my supply of Taurine.  The amount in the energy drinks is probably enough to prevent a total collapse but not enough to get in decent form.

5/17- Cheated again but not because I craved sugar and caffeine but because of the Taurine deficit.  Opened with a pathetic 1:54.  Got down to 1:30 after 1000 mg of Taurine.  Expected a 1:22-1:23 after a scoop of Malic Acid.  In a REVOLTING development, I was much WORSE.  Slipped to a 1:47.  

Vitamin C made it worser then I was only slightly better on additional Taurine.  Only good news is that I was better after going to the toilet.  It's detox.

Distance-1.0

5/18- Opened with a poor 1:44 and was much better on Taurine (down to 1:27).  The moment of truth came when I took just a pinch of Malic Acid.  It was tolerated and I improved marginally to 1:25.  On the full scoop with C, I managed a 79.9 but suffered a diarrhea attack.  Added a cool down.  The Malic Acid is doing what it's supposed to do once again.  The gap was about 45 seconds per mile, just like usual.  Can I prevent this from happening in the future if I take Taurine every day?  Maybe it's not such a good idea to quit caffeine at this time.  I'll try again after Alaska.

Distance-1.0

-8 miles 

Update on the 3 Demands

 1. Stable and manageable cocktail of pills.

 ON THE WAY.  Jury is still out but it's looking good.  I've had to tweak the Thym Adren dose but it's been steadily trending down and I never had a horrible day because I took too much.  I was merely a little more sluggish and just a few seconds slower in my interval tests.  I may end up switching to the modulator soon.  I've only recently read that toxic metals may have been responsible for the adrenal dysfunction all along.  When they're out, I will be in much better balance.  Again, even if this works, WHY DID I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I AM PAST MY PRIME?

The other thing that did anger me was being forced off the Melatonin, which looked like a miracle last Fall.  It may not matter however.  The Malic Acid may render it unnecessary and the combination triggered too much of a detox reaction.  That's understandable.  All of my other pills are well tolerated.  

2. NO Extreme dependency on any pill

ALMOST READY TO DECLARE VICTORY!  Today's workout was very encouraging.  Even after 2 missed doses, I was not half bad.  Malic Acid does give me a boost but it's not a night and day difference and positive effects don't last long.  Still, what is most important is that the comedown is gentle and I can still function without it.  What would happen if I forgot to pack it for a long weekend?  I'm pretty confident that I would be okay.  Not great but okay.  There would be no crash and I could still enjoy myself.  That's something that would have been impossible 12 months ago.

3. At Least Adequate Energy Every Day

Sadly, I still have a long way to go.  I remain abnormally sore, stiff and sluggish.  My 5K time right now would probably be in the mid 28s and still over 60 minutes for a 10K.  How long can I hold a sub-2 half marathon pace?  Probably around 3.2-3.3 miles, which is only a quarter of the way there.  Another 10 miles seems insurmountable at this point. Another 23?  Forget it!  Other strenuous activities such as skiing,  hiking and surfing are very draining.  It's not realistic to expect to maintain my early 30s performances but I certainly wasn't expecting this much regression either.  I've got to get up to at least 25-30 MPW.  I believe that I can IF #1 and #2 hold up.  

Alaska Trip Plan

 I'm doing something interesting on this trip, which I have done before and may do more often in the future.  I'm hopping on the way up and the way down.  

5/21- Early morning flight to Chicago.  The scheduled landing is at 8:47.  No car rental.  I will take the Blue Line downtown to the Loop then drop off my bag at the hotel.  From there, it will be the Red Line down to the White Sox stadium.  The game starts at 1:10 so that leaves me nearly 4.5 hours until game time.  Barring a flight delay, that should be plenty of time.  I don't even care if I miss a couple of innings.  The ballpark looks decent but the team sucks.  I would have preferred to see the Cubs, but they are on the road.  I'm now committed to all 30 and this is a good opportunity to check one off. 

Figure that I'll get back around 5 PM so I'll have more than 3 hours of daylight left.  I want to see Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, the Riverwalk, a beach and possibly the John Hancock building again.  I'll get some deep dish pizza.  I sure hope I get good weather.  A rainy day would be a bust.

5/22- Direct flight to Anchorage.  It's early but not super early.  I gain 3 hours and land around 1:30 PM.  I'll have plenty of time to explore Anchorage.  I've been there before but that 9 years ago.  Sunset is around 11 PM and civil twilight lasts beyond midnight.  Only about 1-3 AM will be completely dark.  

5/23-24- Play it by ear depending on the weather.  Normal high temperature is in the upper 50s to low 60s with a low chance of rain.  I'm staying in Anchorage for 3 nights so I can be flexible.  I want a sunny day for the best views of Denali but don't really care if it's cloudy for the Fjords and glaciers.  Both Talkeetna and Seward can be done on a day trip from Anchorage.

5/25- In what may be a questionable call, I'm stopping in San Francisco for the night.  I get in around 4:40 so that leaves about 4 hours until dark.  The plan is to take Muni to Golden Gate Park.  I could take a bus to Baker Beach for a sunset view of the Golden Gate bridge but I may not have enough time.  

Neither BART nor Muni opens until 8 AM the next day.  The plan is to walk to Twin Peaks in the morning and hope it's not foggy.  Wish I had more time in SF.  I suppose I could stay an extra day but prefer not to.  Dallas could be a fun night layover in the future but not this time.  I won't be too upset if I have to spend a night there 

EDIT: Getting from Anchorage to Birmingham in 1 day would be a royal pain.  It involves either a red eye or a super early morning departure and 3 flights with close connections.  High risk of a missed flight.  San Francisco is probably the right call.

Training 5/5-5/11

 5/5- AM- 1 Mile at Vestavia in 8:27.1.  Good pacing.  Splits were 2:05-2;07-2:10-2:05 but breathing was labored early.  Rate of improvement is definitely slowing but I'll still take it.  Pulled to within 57 of the reset PR without Malic Acid.  Added a cool.  With a scoop, I am probably under 8 but short of the PR.  

PM- 2.5 on Lakeshore in 22:28 (8:59 pace).  I wasn't sure if 1@8:27 was any better than 3@9:25 from last weekend but this is definitely better.  Even if I slipped to 10 minutes pace in the next half mile, I am still almost a minute faster for 3 miles.  Positive split again (11:08-11:20) but that's still decent pacing.  Good job.  

Distance-4.0

5/6-Planned to rest but did 1 easy Mile in 9:43.  No cause for alarm.  I only did this because the weather looks iffy tomorrow.

Distance-1.0

5/7- PM- Weather held up.  Did 2 miles on Lakeshore in 17:46 (8:53 pace) with perfect splits.  Figure that I only matched Monday's performance give or take a few ticks but I am still pleased.  I FORGOT to take a scoop of Malic Acid this morning and I was NOT THAT BAD!  This is NOT extreme dependency!  I did consume a lot of caffeine and I might have to pay for that over the next 2 days.

Distance-2.0

5/8-AM.  Breakthrough.  Vestavia Mile in 7:51.8.  Pulled to within 22 of the reset PR.  That's within shouting distance.  Splits were 1:56-1:59-2:02-1:54.  Pretty good pacing.  Took a scoop last night but not this morning.  I bet I PR if I had but that will come soon enough.

PM- North Lakeshore 3 in 27:54 (9:18 pace).  Never felt good and really struggled at the end but I was able to push through and rallied to shore up the sub-28.  Splits were 13:42-14:12.  I'm probably just worn out.  This was my 3rd session in the last 24 hours.  

Distance-4.0

5/9- PM- Easy 2 on South Lakeshore in 18:30 (9:15 pace).  Good to be back in negative territory with the splits (9:19-9:11).  Felt pretty rough this morning but improved by the afternoon.  I'm okay with the time because I deliberately took it easy.  Granted, it was a shorter distance but I was much more comfortable than yesterday at the same pace.  Should be ready to go full throttle tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

Distance-2.0

5/10- Hoped for 5 miles but settled for 4.  Finished in 39:44 (9:56 pace).  Not a total loss but I was not pleased with this.  At least I did go beyond my comfort zone.  I believe it's only the 2nd time this year that I went beyond 5K.  

I thought yesterday's pace was almost sustainable and I passed 2 miles just about on target at 18:40.  I wisely turned around because I knew a massive fade was coming.  Back half was 21:04.  Mile 3 was really ugly but managed a small rebound to shore up the sub-40.  I know I'm better than this and I'm not sure about the problem.

Distance-4.0

5/11- Trak Shak loop for a change.  Skipped the first hill and the homestretch and finished 2.5 miles in 22:10 (8:52 pace).  Added a half mile cool.  Surprisingly decent and better than expected.  Splits were 11:00-11:10.  No, this pace was not sustainable but I'm betting that I could have done yesterday's 4 in the low-mid 37s today, which is a significant difference.

What made the difference?  I'm afraid the answer is caffeine.  If I am to use it, it must be high levels every day.  No more of this in between stuff and certainly not off and on or I'll frequently be in withdrawal.  I will try again to quit.  It's possible that it's useful as a detox aid but it may also contribute to inflammation and sore muscles.

Distance-3.0

I have reason for optimism.  Hit 20 miles on the week and even my bad days were not completely pathetic.

Training 4/28-5/4

 4/28- Planned rest day.  Melatonin is officially BAD.  Bad reaction after not taking it for almost a week.   Probably it's just too much detox when combined with the more effective Malic Acid.  Still, it makes me very ANGRY.  This stuff looked like a miracle back in November but it goes down as yet another false hope.  

4/29- Interval tests.  3x half lap at Montreat.

Opened with a poor 1:47.  Got significantly worse on Malic Acid (1:54) but no "worser" on Vitamin C.  Fractionally better at 1:53.  I'll just wait until the Melatonin clears.

Distance-0.5

4/30-AM.  Better with or without?  93 without Malic Acid and 85 with it plus a cool.  Enough to be considered significant but not enough to be night and day.  Yesterday, I was worse on Malic Acid.  Today, I was better.  How will I react tomorrow?  Your guess is as good as mine.  I expect to struggle mightily if I attempt a real workout this evening.

PM- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 17:32 (11:41 pace).  Done without Malic Acid.  Probably sub-11 with it but not by much.  Clearly better WITH.  Splits were 8:55-8:37.  That suggests that better days are ahead.

Distance-2.0

5/1-AM.  Repeated the 1.5 mile distance again on Lakeshore.  Improved to 16:12 (10:48 pace).  I took Malic Acid yesterday evening but not this morning.  Pleased with the improvement.  Another strong negative split (8:17-7:55).  Could this be the start of real sustained improvement?

PM- Lap at Montreat in 2:59 (8:57 pace).  Scoop of Malic Acid plus Vitamin C in 2:46 (8:18 pace) plus a 1 lap cool.  About what I expected.  A significant difference but not enough to be considered night and day.  39 seconds per mile is not a huge gap and that could close further.

Distance-2.5

5/2- 2.5 miles on Lakeshore in 25:10 (10:04 pace) with splits of 12:42-12:28.  Very pleased.  This pace would bring me home in a low-31 for 5K so I have a long way to go but I've shown steady improvement all week.  Added a warm and cool 

Distance-3.0

5/3- 3 miles at Heardmont in 28:15 (9:25 pace). Projects to a 29:26 for 5K so I'm comfortably under 30 with a level course.  Continued steady improvement but the rate of improvement is starting to slow.  The only downer was a positive split (13:59-14:16) and I didn't have much left at the end.  Last lap was 2:13.  Still pleased overall.

Got home and did a Thym Adren test.  94 without and was actually slightly worse with at 97.  Thym Adren will be cut to 1 pill next week.

Distance-3.5

5/4- Tests.  Opener in 77.  Malic Acid plus C and 1 Thym Adren in 69.  Zinc- in 70.  Did not run on extra Thym Adren but expected to be a few ticks slower.  Probably 73-74.  That's it for today.  Need a rest to clear my head as well.

Distance-0.5

Reaction:  MUCH better than where I was 4 days ago with the 93-85 splits.  The gap has remained around 45 seconds per mile give or take a few ticks.  Not sure what to make of that.  I'm not real pleased with how I feel overall.  I'm still quite stiff and sore.  Maybe I'm just not used to doing 3 miles regularly.

Nevertheless, I plan to stick with what I am doing as long as my times continue to improve.  No radical changes.  Cutting the Thym Adren down to 1 is probably the right call but I'm not trying anything new until further notice.

12 miles on the week.

25 Arizona Road Trip Report

  

4/24-

Direct flight from Birmingham to Phoenix.  Because of this, I was willing to chance it and risk missing the baseball game because of a flight delay.  I had almost 3 hours between the scheduled landing and the start of the game.  The flight went off as scheduled but traffic was a little rough on the way.  Still, I had about an hour to spare.  

I wanted to see an evening game because I figured that the roof would be open.  It was.  The stadium was about average.  A good venue but not one that will leave a lasting impression.  It was a pretty good game even though the D'Backs lost in extra innings.  Ballpark number 19 is in the books but it's been a while since I've seen a win for the home team.  I got a drink on the way back, where I met a nice younger couple.  

4/25-

Up with the sun and on the road heading north to the Grand Canyon.  It was almost 4 hours from Phoenix.  Last time I was here, weather was bad.  Not so this time.  Every day was mostly sunny or crystal clear.  It was about 90F the first day in Phoenix, about 70 at the Grand Canyon and 75 in Sedona.  When I was back in Phoenix at the end of the trip, the temp had dropped to the low 80s.  

I stuck with the Rim trail and stayed for about 4 hours.  Words cannot do it justice and neither do the pictures but I'll give it a try.

From here, it was slightly more than 2 hours to Page and Lake Powell.  I hoped to arrive before sunset, which I did.  I kinda wish I had gone to Horseshoe Bend because the sunset view is better than the sunrise.  I was tired and didn't want to get back in my car so I opted for a short hike at sunset.

4/26-

Sunrise trip to Horseshoe Bend and a couple of photo ops at Lake Powell.  I did briefly cross into Utah but only met the lenient standard.  From there, the destination was Sedona with a lunch stop in Flagstaff.  

The first hike was Devil's Bridge, which had several challenging staircases.  On the way back, I took a wrong turn, which added about a mile and a half to the hike.  Fortunately, I had plenty of daylight.  With such beautiful scenery, I didn't mind it too much.  Dinner was a steak and I met a nice older couple from Pittsburgh.  

  

  

4/27-

I feared parking issues on a weekend this time of year.  First stop was Slide Rock Park.  In the summer, people get in the water but today wasn't warm enough.  It was still worth it for the scenery.  It was only about 9 AM when I got back to Sedona for the trails but parking lots were already full.  I got lucky and sneaked into a spot just after another car left.  Bell loop would have been a nice place to run but I elected not to do so.  

  

My preference for a 2nd hike would have been Cathedral Rock but it required a shuttle with a long wait.  I opted for a short hike at nearby Red Rock State Park.  It was about 2 hours back to Phoenix.  I decided to check out a wave pool called Revel Surf Park.  I could have rented a boogie board but with a price of $75, I passed and simply got a beach pass.  Perhaps George Strait was right.  There really is oceanfront property in Arizona.  LOL.  

4/28- 

Just enough time to hit South Mountain Park for a short hike just after sunrise.  It offered distant views of the Phoenix skyline with cacti and palm trees.  The return flight back to Bham also went off without a hitch.