Health News

 Before I went to Florida, I was in a predicament in which there were days that I benefitted from Vitamin C and other days in which I could not tolerate it.  It was likely NOT an autoimmune issue.  Too much Vitamin C triggered Iron Overload.  Perhaps it was helpful for detox.  I also read that fructose increases Iron absorption.  Switching from Red Bull to Coke to reduce caffeine actually made things worse.  Red Bull is sweetened with glucose while American Coke is loaded with high fructose corn syrup.

The solution to that problem is either blood donation or Inositol.  I had BIG problems with the latter before I took care of the autoimmune issues.  This time it worked.  After just a few days on it, I had no discernable reaction to either Coke or Vitamin C.  YES!  

I did run twice when I was with Mom.  Both times, I tested reactions to pills.  The first day, I only did 1 Mile with quick stops at each quarter to pop pills.  Nothing had a significant impact as my splits ranged from 2:05-2:11.  I was actually marginally faster on the C.  The next day didn't go as well.  I passed the Mile in 8:49 then popped a Zinc and was significantly weakened.  It took nearly 11 minutes to complete the back half.  Towards the end of my time at home, I was beginning to have trouble with other pills but C remained tolerated.  

Since I didn't expect to stay with Mom for so long, I didn't even pack all of my pills and I knew that I was suffering due to lack of a key pill.  When I got home, I took all of the methylation supps and got no discernable reaction.  However, after just a pinch of straight Malic Acid, I was significantly better.  Most probably, I just need it for maintenance.  Occasional use should be all I need to keep the toxic metal buildup in check.  I can live with that.  

I woke up today feeling dazed and drugged in addition being overstimulated.  I went to the track and opened with a poor 2:27 first lap (9:48 pace).  Popped 2 ADHS and it was a game changer.  Improved to 2:08 (8:32 pace).  Switched to 200s after that.  Zinc got me down to 56 seconds for 200 (7:28 pace).  Even if that pace wasn't sustainable, I'm sure that a 400 would have been well under 2:00.  That's another significant gain.  Did a 54 on Probiotics and a 53 on Vitamin C.  Not significant.  Did another 200 untimed as a cool down.

Going forward, as long as I take occasional Malic Acid, the plan is adrenal support plus Zinc.  The only matter to be resolved is whether I should take ADHS or Thym Adren.  I'll update this tomorrow.

Death in the Family

 My Dad was the one person in my life that I absolutely could not do without when I was growing up.  Where would I be without him?  Just the thought gives me chills.  Needless to say, I am devastated by this loss.  

He had not been well for the last few years but I expected him to hang on for at least another year or two.  I'm SO GLAD that I took the 2 day layover back home from DC on my birthday.  That was 2 months before he died and the last time I had a conversation with him.

He took a fall in mid-October, which caused a
brain bleed and one thing led to another.  He developed a septic infection and pneumonia.  After reading up on it, I knew the prognosis was poor.  Even if he made it, he would have been a vegetable and lived out his last few months in a nursing home.  He never would have wanted that to happen.  It was later revealed that he had a spot on his pancreas that may have been cancerous.  I'm convinced that it was simply his time and there was nothing that could have saved him.  Even still, I thought he'd hang on for another week or 2 until Thanksgiving.

I volunteered to go home for Veteran's Day weekend but Mom said no, and I went to North Florida as I often do that weekend.  It was a good but not great trip to Flagler and Amelia Island with a stop at Okefenokee Swamp Park on the way back.  I got home on Veterans Day then worked the next day at the office.  That afternoon, I got a call from Mom.  Come home ASAP.  I left the next morning before dawn and made it to the hospital just a few hours before he passed.

I was close to my grandmother and confided in her things that I never told my parents.  I got to see her 2 weeks before she passed.  She was still coherent and I did get to tell her how I felt.  With Dad, there was no proper goodbye.  Though I had heard the bad reports, nothing could prepare me for seeing him at the hospital at death's door.  He tried to sit up and grunted at me but he was no longer able to talk.  At least he knew that I was there.

We got some lunch at the cafeteria then returned to the room for a couple hours.  Mom and I took a walk around the hospital for maybe 15 minutes.  When we got back, we heard a last gasp, almost as if he waited until we got back to pass away.  When I realized that he was gone, I completely lost it and bawled my eyes out.  I'm not at all ashamed to admit it.  

I initially planned to say my goodbye then come back for the funeral after Thanksgiving.  Since it happened so fast, we had the funeral the next Monday and Tuesday.  I stayed with Mom through Thanksgiving.  No reason to go back to B'ham for just 3 days then return to my Mom's house.  I certainly couldn't be alone or leave Mom without me.  Time to get back to real life now with a new normal.  I figure that it will take time to get back into my routine.

Training 11/3-11/9

 11/3- Interesting episode yesterday.  I felt a discernable positive reaction to Vitamin C.  I loaded on caffeine to see if it would be tolerated.  It wasn't.  Also, extra C made things WORSE, not better.

Forced rest day today.  Reduced the caffeine and found Vitamin C tolerated again.

11/4- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 18:44 (9:22 pace).  Took pills every half mile.  Opened with a 5:02 on just ADHS.  2 Probiotics got me down to 4:50.  I was expecting a non-factor but this is borderline significant.  1 Vitamin C got me down to 4:37 and a 2nd C yielded a 4:15.  Interesting!

Distance-2.0

11/5- Today I couldn't tolerate Vitamin C.  What else is new?  Yesterday's medicine is today's poison.  Even without the autoimmune issues, caffeine is still a factor in Vitamin C metabolism.  Attempted a run but died within 2 minutes and slow jogged home 

Distance-0.5

11/6- Ugly 1.5 on Lakeshore with no pills.  Finished in 16:23 (10:55 pace) with a slight positive split (8:08-8:15) but did have to hold in diarrhea.  Trying to gradually reduce the sugar.

Distance-1.5

Done for the week.  The intolerance to C is likely related to Iron Overload.  I can fix that provided that my autoimmune issues remain in check.

2026 Road Trip Ideas

 The non-baseball destinations now.  There are really only 3 more bucket list trips in the Continental US besides the aforementioned Great Lakes trip, where I hope to see 2 new parks.

All 3 are summer destinations and there's no way that I can do all of them in one year.  If I do the Great Lakes trip instead of the Chicago and Milwaukee, I may have to choose just one.

Utah/Colorado- 4 National Parks in as many days.  Fly to Grand Junction.  Arches and Canyon Lands followed by Mesa Verde and Gunnison Canyon.  I really haven't explored much of western Colorado beyond Breckenridge.

PCH- Fly to San Francisco and take the Pacific Coast Highway down to Manhattan Beach, just outside of LAX.  Stops will include Santa Cruz, Big Sur, Santa Barbara and Malibu.

Washington State-3 more National Parks.  Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades

Training 10/27-11/2

 10/27- Took 2 Thym Adren after a mega dose yesterday.  Still a little sluggish but that's understandable and to be expected when you take too much adrenal suppressants.  A modulator such as ADHS should NEVER trigger a reaction.  After all this, I will end up back on ADHS, the very pill that gave me fits for the last couple of months.  I finally found the source of the intolerance.  Lack of Malic Acid.

Workout wasn't horrible.  2 miles on Lakeshore in dreary conditions.  Finished in 18:58 (9:29 pace) with splits of 9:33-9:25.  Weather should get nice again later this week.  Early November is usually still pretty nice here.  Not so later.

Distance-2.0

10/28- Repeated the 2 mile distance this time with 2 ADHS.  Improved only modestly to 18:46 (9:23 pace) with even splits (9:22-9:24).  At least I didn't collapse but this one should have been better.  Perhaps the Vitamin C should be cut.  Rainy day tomorrow so it will likely be my rest day.

Distance-2.0

10/29- Bad reaction to Quercetin last night but probably not an autoimmune reaction.  I felt overstimulated and Thym Adren helped.  It likely would not have helped if it was autoimmune.  That's probably why I didn't improve much yesterday.  I was slightly weakened by 1 dose while multiple doses put me out 

Today I went with ADHS though Thym Adren likely was a better choice.  Got a break in the weather this evening and I squeezed in 1 Mile at Montreat in 8:47.  Took an extra ADHS after the first lap and Zinc after the 2nd lap.  Splits were 3:05-2:54-2:48.  The difference between the first and second lap is enough to be significant.  The second and third lap is borderline.  I'm prepared to load on Zinc to see if I feel a discernable difference.

Distance-1.0

10/30- 1 Mile in 9:50 this time at Vestavia.  First half in 5:18.  Popped a Vitamin C and improved to 4:32 on the back half.  Much less horrible but that's still baaauhd!  ADHS must be taken with C.  Probiotics must be taken with Taurine.  Much better after taking Melatonin after work.  I don't know!

Distance-1.0

10/31- 1.5 on Lakeshore in 17:51 (11:54 pace).  Opened with a 5:42 for the first half mile then slowed to 6:37 after 2 ADHS.  Melatonin did help but it wasn't enough.  Improved only to 5:32 so it did little more than offset the ill-effects from the ADHS.  Culprit is either caffeine or Fulvic Acid.

Distance-1.5

11/1- Vulcan 10K and I was a DNS.  Didn't sign up so that's good.  I'm nearly certain that the Fulvic Acid needs to go.  I read yesterday that indeed it can trigger autoimmune reactions and that explains why I benefitted from the Malic Acid and the Melatonin.  Repeated the 1.5 miles on no pills and improved to 14:57 (9:58 pace) with splits of 7:37-7:20.  I did push it at the end and then hamstring was a little sore but no real concern.

Update- Took ADHS without the C and had no discernable reaction.  Nearly 100 percent sure that I found the culprit.  Fulvic Acid.

Distance-1.5

11/2- Deuces wild!  2 miles in 22:22 (11:11 pace).  Step backwards from yesterday.  Culprit is likely lack of Vitamin C.  Some good news.  Adrenal support didn't really matter.  Passed 1 Mile in 11-flat but splits were 5:15-5:45.  Popped an ADHS pill and did the next half mile in 5:41.  Slightly better than the previous half but not significant.  Popped a Thym Adren and repeated the 5:41.  

Pills that gave me fits earlier in the week are now non-factors.  Good news.  If anything, they were slightly beneficial by preventing me from fading further.

Distance-2.0

11 miles total 

Remaining MLB Parks

 I saw 5 new ballparks in 2025, which leaves me with just 7 to go. Checked off this year were the D'Backs, White Sox, Marlins, Angels and Gnats.  I'd like to finish this challenge sooner rather than later but I don't think I can manage it in 2026.  Here's the list of the 7 remaining:

Detroit Tigers 

Cleveland Guardians 

Chicago Cubs

Milwaukee Brewers 

Minnesota Twins

Philadelphia Phillies 

Athletics

Here's how I plan to do it:

Minnesota will be a stand-alone late Spring to early summer trip.  I'll probably just choose a weekend with a home game and book a last minute flight.  I'm not willing to risk a rainout on a stand-alone trip.  I won't need a car.  Minneapolis has a subway system from the airport to downtown.  On the way back, I'll do a night on the town in Atlanta before heading home.  

In Philadelphia, I have 2 options in September.  I can take the train to Atlantic City for a surf session.  Prices drop bigly immediately after Labor Day and it's likely still warm enough to swim though good weather is not guaranteed.  Option 2 is to rent a car and check out the Poconos or upstate New York.  That could be interesting.  

These 2 are in the likely column for next year but I will probably have to choose 1 of the next 2 packages.

Detroit and Cleveland- Summer is the only choice here.  I will fly direct into Detroit for a Tigers game.  Then, it's a drive through Canada to Niagara Falls.  From Niagara, I will complete the loop in the USA.  Possible stops on the way to Cleveland include Buffalo, Erie and Cuyahoga NP.  In Cleveland, I want to see the RNR HOF and the Christmas Story house.  I am willing to risk a rainout for this trip.  

Chicago and Milwaukee- Direct flight to Chicago from Birmingham.  Chicago will be easy.  It's a simple connection on the EL with several hotels and beaches within walking distance of Wrigley Field.  Milwaukee could be a little dicey.  Probably the best bet is to take the train from Chicago.  Unfortunately, the stadium is about 3 miles from the train station.  Unless I can find a shuttle, I'll probably have to take a cab each way or do a lot of walking.  I've never been to Milwaukee.  Possible attractions include the Harley Davidson museum and Lakeshore Park with the city skyline view.  There is a pretty good bus system in Milwaukee but no subway, to my knowledge.  

That leaves only the Athletics, which will have to wait until 2028 when the new stadium is complete.  I'll take a layover in Vegas on my way back from Hawaii.  I will steer clear of the casinos and opt for Valley of Fire and Mt. Charleston.

Magnesium and Adrenal Support

 Another disastrous session this morning.  Quit after just 1 Mile in 11:28.  Passed halfway around 5:15 then it took well over 6 minutes to complete the last half.  I didn't confirm it but was 90 percent sure that the culprit was Thym Adren.  I was correct.  This left me intolerant to ALL adrenal support.  Try to go without?  I don't see that working.  I feel noticeable overstimulation after just a couple days off it.

On a hunch, I tried some Magnesium Malate at lunch today.  I was IMMEDIATELY better!  Excellent news!  The intolerance to adrenal support is LIKELY NOT an autoimmune issue but rather an enzyme defect related to a Magnesium deficiency. I'm about 90 percent sure of this but it will be confirmed over the next few days.  There are all sorts of enzymes that are Magnesium dependent and thus can become defective when Mag is deficient.  Simple fix.  Just increase the Mag and that probably resolves it.  

I did feel a bit overstimulated this afternoon and evening.  Was it too much C or not enough Thym Adren.  No discernable reaction to extra C and a definite positive response to extra Thym Adren.  That's to be expected after skimping on the adrenal support for so long.  Now that it's tolerated again, the adrenals have spiked.  Temporary reaction.  I may not even need the Vitamin C going forward. 

Why did the Mag deficiency pop up?  I became intolerant to Mag Malate over the summer so I switched to Glycinate.  The directions on the bottle said to take only 1 Glycinate pill, maybe up to 2 but beware of the laxative effect especially if taken with Vitamin C.  I was only getting 120 mg of elemental Magnesium with just 1 of those pills and I wasn't even consistent with taking those pills.  By comparison, the Mag Malate gave me 500 mg of elemental Magnesium.  Thus, it should not be a surprise that over time, I became deficient.   

Only 1 question remains:  

Was it a deficiency of Magnesium or a deficiency of Malate?  I am 90 percent sure that it is the former.  If it's the Malate, that would be very concerning because it does suggest autoimmune issues and toxic Aluminum once again.  That's probably not the case because I didn't have any trouble with stuff that I couldn't tolerate before the detox.  Even if so, simply taking more Malic Acid should fix it.  Unfortunately, I worry about overshooting and becoming intolerant to Malate again.  

In order to confirm, I will take nothing but Glycinate at higher doses.  If the adrenal support is still tolerated on the Glycinate, I will know for sure that low Magnesium was the problem and I can solve it with EITHER FORM.  Things are beginning to look up!

EDIT:

The adrenal support is NOT tolerated on Glycinate.  I must use the Malate and possibly straight Malic Acid but I will keep it low to prevent overshooting.

Training 10/17-10/26

 10/17- The link between caffeine and Vitamin C need/tolerance has been confirmed.  I've been off both for 2 days and struggled as expected today.  1 Mile in 10:38 with a slight negative split.  Wasn't expecting much but did expect better than this.

Distance-1.0

10/18- Worse.  Quit after just a half mile with a pace over 12.  Got good news when I got home.  No discernable reaction to either Vitamin C or ADHS.

Distance-0.5

10/19- MUCH BETTER.  New Lakeshore 1.5 in 13:42 (9:08 pace).  Strong negative split (7:02-6:40) so I was sub-9 on the back half.  Through I have been off caffeine for several days, I still haven't kicked the sugar.  That starts next week and I am prepared to endure another rough patch.

Distance-1.5

10/20-FAIL.  Shooting for 2.5-3, I had to settle for another 1.5 in 15:36 (10:24 pace). Started off comparable to yesterday with a 7:03 first half but was already faded.  Back half took 8:33, over 11 minute pace.  Culprit was ADHS.  For reasons I can't explain, I just can't tolerate that pill.  I thought caffeine was a factor and it was for the C, but apparently not the ADHS.  What hurts the most is that the detox was supposed to stop this from happening.   A reaction to a stimulant or suppressant is understandable.  A modulator should be tolerated regardless of your chemistry.

PM- Better after Vitamin C.  My only explanation is that ADHS must severely deplete C with or without caffeine.  Did a couple sprints with slow jogging in between.  Improved from 63 to 55 thanks to 2 C.  Not a game changer but significant improvement.  If I am to take adrenal support, it must be low dose Thym Adren.  Cold turkey off sugar tomorrow.

Distance-2.0

10/21- 1 Mile in 11:19 with splits of 5:17-6:02.  Nuff said.

Distance-1.0

10/22- Unplanned rest day.  The culprit is sugar withdrawal.  No discernable reaction to Vitamin C and Thym Adren.  I'm not touching the ADHS for a couple weeks.

10/23- Nearly caved this morning but held strong.  1 Mile at Montreat in 12:57.  Slightly better after taking the Thym Adren and the C but I don't think that had anything to do with it.  It was barely significant anyway.

PM- Repeated the 1 Mile distance this time on New Lakeshore and my time is down to 10:16.  Splits were 5:12-5:04.  I want to see steady progress tomorrow morning.  Hopefully no adrenal spike.

Distance-2.0

10/24- DISASTER.  Mile in 11:28 with bad splits but at least I know why and what to do about it.  Upcoming in a separate post.

Distance-1.0

10/25- Went with Mag Glycinate last night (3 pills) and woke up feeling AWFUL.  Opened with a 2:11 half lap (13:06 pace).  Popped 3 ADHS looking for any improvement at all.  I got it with a 3:54 full lap (11:42 pace).  I went with the ADHS because I had a worse reaction to it before increasing the Mag.

Took 2 more plus a C before the real workout.  1.5 miles in 16:12 (10:48 pace).  Much better.  I'm going with this formula until the Glycinate runs out then I'll switch back to Malate.

Distance-2.0

10/26- Went with Glycinate again last night.  I was MUCH LESS AWFUL in my opener with a 1:44 half lap (10:24 pace).  

Question:  Is the adrenal spike a temporary blip or does it have staying power?  The answer is still unknown.  I went with 4 Thym Adren today and had NOTHING.  Couldn't run at all!  Quit after less than half a mile and walk jogged back. This didn't feel like an overshot and I confirmed it when I got home.  

Question:  Overshot or Autoimmune reaction?  Clearly the latter.  If it was an overshot, I should get better after taking 2 ADHS (modulator).  I got a discernable reaction and it was worse.  Popped 2 Malate pills.  Though I still don't feel great, I was noticeably better.  I MUST use Malate and may have to go back to straight Malic Acid.  Not pleased but at least I know what to do.

UPDATE: 

It does appear that the adrenal spike is just a blip.  After the Malate did the job, I was slightly worse on Thym Adren but better on ADHS.  If it continues to work, I'd lean towards ADHS in the future.  Too much of a modulator should not hurt 

Distance-1.0

12 miles

New England Road Trip Report

I believe this is my 3rd visit to both Connecticut and Massachusetts but much of this was 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.  Fortunately, I was spared the worst of it because I was far enough inland.  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.  Next, 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 Rockefeller, I walked about 10 blocks 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.