New England Road Trip Report

I believe this is my 3rd visit to both Connecticut and Massachusetts but much of this is uncharted territory.  I had not explored Connecticut outside of the coastal areas and had never been to western Massachusetts, which has a different vibe than the Boston area.  You can't predict the exact dates for peak foliage but Columbus Day weekend in New England is usually a good choice.  Not so much this year.  Supposedly, a summer drought delayed the peak and it won't be as colorful when it does peak.  There was minimal foliage in NYC but spotty colors in New England and it was getting better towards the end of the trip.  Weather was a big concern with a Nor'Easter forecasted to hit over the weekend.  In the end, the weather was a downer but it didn't wreck the trip.  It was cloudy and breezy with occasional showers but no downpours.  

10/11- Uneventful.  Drive to Atlanta for a direct flight to Hartford, Connecticut.  From there, it was 30 minutes north to Springfield, Massachusetts.  I arrived after dark and just chilled for the night.

10/12- Driving tour of Springfield then toured the Basketball Hall of Fame.  I've now been to the HOF of all 4 major sports.  I don't really follow basketball nowadays but did play in a youth league for several years.  That brought back some good memories.  I stayed in Springfield for lunch then went north to Greenfield before picking up the Mohawk Trail through the Berkshires.

I stopped at a pretty nice park near the town of North Adams and went into Vermont just for the hell of it.  It was still an enjoyable day but it would have been a lot better with decent weather and peak foliage.  I took an 8 mile road up to Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts at nearly 3,500 feet.  The scenery was nice on the way up but there was zero visibility at the summit.  I arrived in Pittsfield for the night just before dark, as planned.  

10/13- First stop was a short but steep hike down to Bash Bish Falls on the border of Massachusetts and New York and saw a little bit of Fall colors too.  The original plan was the FDR Presidential Museum in Hyde Park, NY but it was closed due to the government shutdown.  Too bad.  That did enable more time in NYC so it wasn't all bad.  I don't think I've ever been to upstate New York on my own.  As it was, I did cut through a small portion of New York on the way but only met the lenient standard.  By lunchtime, I was back in Connecticut and stopped to eat in Danbury.

From there, I drove south to Norwalk to catch the train to Grand Central.  First stop was the gripping 9/11 museum, which I probably would have missed if I went to the FDR.  I had been there 8 years ago so it was worth seeing again.  From there, I took the subway to Brooklyn to see the bridge with the skyline lit up at night.  Epic as expected.  I had a bit of an adventure finding a subway to my hotel in Queens but it turned out okay.  Probably should have stayed in Manhattan or Brooklyn instead.  I made a friend at that hotel last Spring but unfortunately, she wasn't there tonight.

  

10/14- Walking tour of Central Park and the Rockefeller Center.  I feared zero visibility at the Top of the Rock.  Although the views certainly would have been better on a clear day, it was still worth seeing.  Central Park was clearly visible as was most of the Empire State building but the WTC was obstructed by the clouds.

From there, I walked to Grand Central and caught the train back to Connecticut.  It was another 2 hours into Hartford.  I arrived by late afternoon and took a walking tour of town and had a drink at a bar.  

10/15- Toured the Capitol building in Hartford then drove to the airport to catch the flight to Atlanta.  The drive home was tough.  Not an epic trip but I am glad I did it.

Vitamin C and ADHS (Possible Equilibrium)

 I experienced a collapse on 9/28 in which it took me more than 12 minutes to cover 1 Mile.  Excessive Vitamin C was confirmed to be the culprit after I was significantly worse after popping an extra pill at the halfway point.

I recovered much more quickly than expected. Normally, it takes 3-5 days before I am back to the new normal.  Just 36 hours later, I was doing 9 minutes pace with the same effort.  Another 36 hours later, I tested my response to Vitamin C.  Slightly slower than the previous day but not enough to be considered significant.  I considered it to be tolerated.  Why did I recover so quickly and why was it tolerated again so soon?  I first started having trouble with Malic Acid in late May- early June and only NOW is it fully tolerated again.  I just confirmed that last night.  

The answer to the above question is likely ADHS.  It is highly likely that stuff must be taken with Vitamin C to be tolerated.  Is there a combo that will allow me to reach permanent equilibrium?  I can only hope.  

I do know now that ADHS without sufficient C is NOT the answer either.  My morning workout yesterday (1.5 @ 10:50) was another collapse but just 12 hours later, I was MUCH BETTER because I loaded on C.  Then again, I know what happens if I take too much C for too long.  

I will have to experiment with several different combos and am prepared to endure a couple of rough days along the way.  Today's afternoon session provided strong evidence that caffeine depletes C.  Perhaps this is the final motivation that I need to quit those damn energy drinks for good.  It's possible that without caffeine, ADHS will be tolerated without C.  Who knows how this will play out but I have reason to hope.

Edit:  There is a possibility that after all this trial and error, I may be better off with no pills. It's becoming increasingly clear that ADHS is not the answer.

Training 10/6-10/12

 10/6- Vestavia Mile in 7:41.  I believe it's my best time of the year.  23 seconds faster than last time but still 11 away from the PR.  Pretty well paced with splits of 1:53-1:57-2:00-1:51.  No pills.  Pleased overall.  Added a warm and cool.

Just a little sluggish after taking the ADHS and Vitamin C when I got home.  I feel safer on at least some adrenal support but I may be better off without it.  

Can I cut off 42 more seconds?  If I am healthy enough to train at 30 MPW consistently, I think I have a realistic chance.

Distance-1.5

10/7- AM.  1.5 miles in 16:15 (10:50 pace).  FAIL!  Culprit is most probably ADHS.  That makes me feel really uneasy because it's a modulator.

PM- MUCH BETTER.  2 miles in 18:56 (9:28 pace). Perfect splits.  Vitamin C was the answer.  More to come in a separate post 

Distance-3.5

10/8- Repeated the 2 mile distance with a similar result.  Finished in 18:52 (9:26 pace) with a strong finish (9:37-9:15).  Malic Acid last night didn't hurt me but I am still significantly slower than last week probably due to the low Vitamin C.

PM- 1 Mile at Montreat in 9:38.  Looks ho hum but there is some interesting data under the surface.  I drank a Kickstart after I got home from the morning session and though I didn't collapse, I did feel a bit more sluggish.  Workout confirmed it 

Passed 2 laps in 6:37 (9:55 pace) at the same effort as this morning.  Figure that a 2 mile would be approaching 20 minutes instead of 19.  Popped a Vitamin C and definitely felt a boost.  Did the 3rd lap in 3:01 (9:03 pace).  Almost as good as last week.  Most of the questions have been answered.

Distance-3.0

10/9- AM.  2 Vitamin C alone was a DISASTER!  Quit after just half mile with a pace approaching 12.  Took an ADHS when I got home and it seemed to reverse itself.  Took 3 more C at work and it was obviously too much.  5 C to 1 ADHS is obviously too much C.  2-4 might work.  

PM- More tests.  No discernable reaction to Zinc or Liver.  Thym Adren may have helped a little.  Did a half lap in 1:49 (10:54 pace).  Popped an ADHS and improved all the way to 1:20 (8:00 pace).  I'm at a loss for words over this but it's increasingly likely that ADHS won't work for me.  Why?  I have no idea.  If I am to take any adrenal support, it must be Thym Adren.  Need for Vitamin C?  I don't know.  Perhaps, I will do best on nothing but I don't feel safe with that plan.  I won't try ADHS again until I am caffeine free 

Distance-1.0

10/10- No pills.  1 Mile at Heardmont in 9:41.  Splits were 5:01-4:40 and I did NOT take anything at the halfway point.  Meh.  I should do better tomorrow.

Distance-1.0

10/11- Hoped to run 3 but had to settle for 1.  Horrible without the C but much better with

Distance-1.0

10/12- Planned rest day.  It's confirmed now.  Vitamin C need and tolerance is affected by caffeine consumption.

10 miles

DC Day Trip Report

 Dang!  Just realized that I never got around to doing this blog post.  Anyway, not even close to an epic trip but still worth a share.

9/13- 6:30 flight direct from B'ham to Reagan National.  Landed at 9:40 with the time change.  No rental car is needed here.  The Metro is connected to the airport.  The route was Blue Line to L'Enfant then Green Line to Navy Yard.  My hotel was only about a half mile away from Nationals Park.  I dropped off my bag and started walking.

First stop was the Capitol and Supreme Court but I didn't actually go inside.  

From there, I walked through the National Mall to the Washington Monument, World War 2 memorial and got a view of the White House.  The only one that I actually went inside was the Lincoln Memorial.  

From there, I crossed the Potomac into Arlington to see the National cemetery, then took the Metro back to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.  I spent about 2 hours inside and saw exhibits about transportation and food production.  Pretty interesting.  

Because of the extra time at the Smithsonian, I had very little down time.  Almost as soon as I checked in at the hotel, it was time to leave for the game.  The home team lost again but I was rooting for Pittsburgh anyway.

After the game, I caught a river sunset then went back to the Mall for a different vibe at night.

9/14- My birthday and with the option of a direct flight home, I took it so I could see my parents.  

There was a bit of drama in the morning as the Metro didn't open until just after 6 and my flight was at 8:20.  Thankfully, there was almost no line at security and I made it to the gate with 30 minutes to spare.  

Today was a good day.  We went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse then had cake and ice cream at home.  

The next day wasn't so good.  I developed a stomach bug that got worse as the day progressed.  I was visibly sick on my flight home and took 2 days off work.  Fortunately, I was better by the end of the week.