Training 1/25-2/2

 1/25- Interval tests

Opener-84.0

Low dose Melatonin-85.4- Not a significant difference but I did feel just a tad more sluggish.

B-Complex-79.5- Significant improvement but not a game changer 

Thym Adren-75.0- Once again, significant improvement but not a game changer.

Methyl Folate- 50.8.  Yes, that's right.  FIFTY POINT EIGHT!  Definitely a game changer!

Quercetin and NAC- Noticeably weaker.  Treated it as a cool down.  Untimed.

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

I had trouble with Melatonin last week but found the solution.  I need a B-complex, which is not unexpected.  MF without the B-complex is usually not a good idea.  I won't need the complex every day.  Just don't go a week without it.

MF is still the key.  I am disturbed by just how much difference it did make.  That's more than a 3 minute gap.  That's got to shrink in the future.  Unfortunately, Melatonin is still needed at 5 mg or else the sensitivity will flare up again.

1/26- 3 miles on North Lakeshore in 26:48 (8:56 pace).  Very pleased especially with the splits.  9:08-8:58-8:42.  I did increase the effort in the last mile but I was far from all out.  This projects to about a 27:53 for 5K.  That's about a minute off my reset PR.

PM- Interval tests at base effort.

Opener-75.5 (7:33)

10 mg Melatonin-78.3 (7:50)

B-complex- 73.3 (7:20)

Not a severe reaction to Melatonin but if I hadn't been taking B-complex before this, it would have been a disaster.  As it is, the reaction was borderline insignificant.  I did gain after taking the B-complex but it was not a significant improvement over the opener.  Good news all around.  If for whatever reason, I need extra Melatonin, I won't react that badly to it and the B-complex will get me back to where I was before if not a hair better.

Distance-3.5

1/27- AM- Just 1 sprint.  Wanted to be under 80 or at least see an improvement from the 84 last opener.  Running all out, I managed a 70.5 on no pills.  Still a long way from the 50.8 ceiling but it's progress.

 PM- Planned on either 2 or 2.5 miles but called it at 1.33 for a total of 1.5 on the day.  Felt pretty good during the day and started off pretty well with a pace around 8:30 for the first quarter mile.  The power cut off after that.  The back half was approaching 12 minute pace.  Probably not enough MF.  I only took a low dose this morning.

Distance-1.5

1/28- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 17:58 (8:59 pace).  This is what I meant to do yesterday.  Looks okay on the surface but the splits were BAD (8:17-9:41).  I was doing sub-8 for most of the first half mile but felt the power fade after about 0.4. At least I didn't completely collapse this time and rallied in the last 0.1 to get the sub-18.  I have an INSATIABLE NEED FOR METHYL FOLATE.  Surely, this pattern won't last much longer.

Distance-2.0

1/29- Felt awful at work today even though I took plenty of MF.  It's obvious that I still need Intrinsic Factor.  Shortly after popping one of those pills, I was MUCH BETTER.  Workout was 1 Mile at Vestavia in 7:34.1 (3:44-3:50).  Just 4 seconds off my reset PR.  Good start, struggled in the middle but came back in the last 200.

Distance-1.0

1/30- Awful again.  Hoped for 3 miles this morning but settled for 1 in a time well over 10 minutes.  Never did have a good pace and it was worse in the back half.  Took plenty of MF and it didn't help.  My only conclusion is that I am seeing an increased need for Intrinsic Factor.  The new bottle should arrive today.

Distance-1.0

Update: Learned that MF increases the need for B12.  Intrinsic Factor is needed to absorb it.

1/31- Planned to rest today but needed a test at standard effort.  No sprinting.

Opener-92

Methyl Folate-88

Intrinsic Factor- 78

Extra MF-81

1 lap cool.

Confirmed that Intrinsic Factor is what I need.  Maybe I can reduce the MF.

Distance-1.0

2/1- It appears that the need for MF has diminished.  Not surprisingly, it has been replaced by an adrenal spike.  Did 1 Mile at Heardmont in 9:47 overall.  1st half in 5:18 then improved to 4:29 after I popped 2 more Thym Adren.

Distance-1.0

2/2- 5000 meters at Heardmont in 29:45 (9:33 pace).  An improvement over yesterday and hope to build on it.  The adrenal spike is not going to go down any time soon so it will be 6 Thym Adren until further notice.  

This wasn't good by any stretch but it ends on a note of hope.  Splits were 9:18-9:50-9:34-63.  I wasn't sure if I would even finish at the halfway point but showed surprising life at the end.  Passed 12 laps in 28:42 and planned to stop there but with the sub-30 in the bag, I kept going to make it legit.

Distance-3.1

-15 miles total 

Cartagena Colombia Trip Report

 Why here?

I got this question several times.  Prior to this year, Colombia had been on my bucket list but didn't rank very high.  The original plan was Maui, Hawaii in January then nothing until April.  Instead of that, I figured that I could take 2 smaller tropical trips for roughly the same price as Hawaii.  I just felt like it was the right fit for this year and was excited about my first foray into South America.  This is not the furthest south I've been.  That title belongs to Jaco, Costa Rica by a slim margin.   

Logistics:

Direct 4 hour flight from Atlanta or fly out of Birmingham with a connection in Miami.  I chose the former and there was some drama as I will explain later.  There was no need for a rental car.  It was only a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the airport to my hotel.  I chose to stay on the north side of Playa Boca Grande, which proved to be a good call.  I was right on the beach and the Centro Historico was not too far to walk.   I was warned about aggressive vendors but had no such problems.  I found that if you simply walk away, they won't follow you.

Language:

I've been to several other Latin American destinations.  This is the first time I've been in a situation in which knowledge of basic Spanish was necessary.  Most people that you encounter here have limited English skills.  For example, I found a Tex Mex bar that played American country music but the servers didn't speak English.  However, when I switched to broken Spanish, yes I was understood.  I'll need to actually speak Spanish more often to become conversationally fluent but Duolingo counts for something.  

Food:

Normally, this is not a priority for me on my trips but this time, I did get some more authentic Colombian cuisine.  I got a delicious seafood dish from a restaurant on the beach and grilled beef with fried bananas on the side from the mall.  The rest of my meals were nothing special.  I did eat my first empanada and it was pretty good.

1/18- Flight went off after a short delay and I was able to get a sit down breakfast.  That was necessary because there would be no lunch.  The flight landed at about 2:30 PM then it was a 2+ hour line at Immigration.  Because it was a holiday weekend, that should not have been a big surprise.  At any rate, there was no hassle when it was my turn.  I was simply asked where I was staying then my passport was stamped and I was in South America.

   

No big plans for the night.  I did catch the sunset over the water.  Dinner was a mediocre pizza but I liked my server and the views of the city were beautiful at night.  

1/19- Mostly a beach day.  If you are looking for snow white sand and clear turquoise water, this isn't the place.  The sand is dark and the water isn't clear but I wasn't about to complain.  Every day was at or near 90 degrees F with nary a cloud in the sky.  This is at a time when much of the USA was in deep freeze.  Water temperature was 85 with decent surf conditions.  Waves broke deep but did not take you all the way to the shore.  One blogger described it as being comparable to South Carolina in early August without the rain chances.  I'll go along with that.  You can take a day cruise to a beach with clear and calm waters but I elected not to do so.  

I'm leery about leaving stuff unattended on a beach while I am riding the waves.  Fortunately, the lifeguard stored it in a locked door so I didn't have to worry about it being stolen.  I only would have lost a ratty t-shirt but it would have been awkward to go into the hotel lobby without a shirt to explain why I needed a new room key.  

In the evening, I took a walk to the Centro Historico just to check out the Wall.  I would save the night out for the next day.  I did get a cheap burger for dinner and kinda wish I had tried my luck back in Boca Grande but I spoke nothing but Spanish during the meal.  On my way back, I checked out a shopping mall, where I would get my lunch the next day.  

1/20- Morning walk to scout out the Getsemani neighborhood and I determined that it was worth another night out.  In both Getsemani and Centro Historico, it's easy to get lost briefly but if you make enough turns, you will eventually see the famous clock tower.  Once I got back there, I knew where to go.  Got lunch at the mall then stayed at the beach until 4 PM.  

Changed clothes then headed to Centro Historico.  Dinner was a T-bone steak then a drink at the aforementioned Tex Mex bar.  I also got some delicious gelato for dessert.  Centro Historico reminded me a bit of St. Augustine but it was bigger and better.  

1/21- Checked out more of Boca Grande in the morning and it looked to have some fun restaurants and bars but most of the action was surely in Getsemani.  That proved to be a good call.  After another fun surf session, I got a beef and chicken combo for dinner then met a nice couple from Montreal.  

 

1/22- Had time to take a dip in the morning before my flight out.  I just took it all in with the cloudless sky and high rise buildings.  I wanted 3 hours in case of a long line at security and that proved to be a bad call.  Because of a freak snow storm the previous day in Atlanta, the flight was delayed 3 hours.  I was back in America at 10:30 PM.  Surprisingly, there was no line at Immigration here but I did have take a shuttle back to the Domestic terminal to get my car.  I was looking at a 1:15 AM arrival in Bham.  I probably could have done it but elected to get a cheap motel about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta.  Very good trip overall.  I'll certainly be back to South America.  

Training 1/13-1/19

 1/13- Opener is down to 2:40 (8:00 pace).  Cut off another 36 seconds per mile but I was pretty winded when I finished and didn't feel like another full lap would yield an accurate assessment. Did a half lap on NAC and Thym Adren in 71.1.  Figure that's worth a 2:30 give or take.  Helpful but not a game changer.  Very sore when I finished too.  

PM- Repeated the half lap on MF and improved to 58.6 (5:52 pace).  MINUS 75 due to MF alone plus about 30 from NAC and Thym Adren.  Figure that the gap is about 1:45 per mile from no pills to the stacked deck.  Felt pretty rough at work without the MF.  I will start taking it in divided doses and see how that works.

Distance-1.0

1/14- AM-Did a 68.8 opener on no pills (6:53 pace).  Not even NAC or Thym Adren. Probably at least 30 seconds per mile better than yesterday.  Soon, I will break 60 without pills.  Though it's a big step, I still have a long way to go.  A half lap is only a sixth of a mile or roughly 270 meters.  A good pace in a 5K or even 1 Mile is TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

  A bit sleepy at work.  Perhaps the divided Melatonin dosage was a problem.  I'll try a divided MF dosage but only take the Melatonin at night.  Will the MF remain effective?  We shall see.

PM- Much worse after the evening Melatonin dose.  I am fairly certain that I accidentally took a double dose this morning after a normal dose yesterday evening.  That explains it.  I should be better tomorrow.  Curious as to how I'd do on a day or 2 off the Melatonin.  I was okay in December but that was before I added the MF.  Did 1 untimed lap at junk pace.  

Distance-0.5

1/15- AM- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 15:52 (10:34 pace).  Very poor.  I hope I can chalk it up to excess Melatonin and I sure hope that I'm not becoming intolerant to it.  Only positive is that I was significantly better after popping 2 MF pills at the midway point.  Splits were 8:10-7:42.  That's probably all for today.

PM- Once again, a bad reaction to Melatonin and I only took 6 mg.  Very worried.  If I become intolerant to Melatonin, the sensitivity could be back with a VENGEANCE!

Distance-1.5

1/16- Unplanned rest day.  Still clearing out the Melatonin.  I will try to quit that stuff altogether and hope the sensitivity doesn't come back.  I don't think it was a Melatonin deficiency that caused these problems but rather toxic metals that Melatonin helped remove (hopefully).  I am still getting benefits from Thym Adren and NAC as well as Methyl Folate.

Even though it's unlikely that Fulvic Acid is the problem, I will lay off it for a few days just to see if the need for Melatonin kicks back in.  Also, am I completely intolerant to Melatonin or have I just taken too much and will tolerate occasional use?

1/17- Opener in 70.5 (7:03 pace).  Almost back to where I was before the problems with Melatonin.  

Took Thym Adren, NAC, MF plus 2 other formerly problematic pills.  Improved to 64.0 (6:24 pace) then added a cool.

Good news all around.  Sensitivity has not returned yet.  The gap in performance is down to 39 seconds.  That's significant but no longer in game changer territory.  Perhaps I can soon pass the test of no extreme dependency 

Distance-0.5

1/18- Planned rest day.  Flight to Cartagena 

1/19- Half mile junk run at Boca Grande.  Heat was tough even at 8 AM

Distance-0.5

Training 1/1-1/12

 1/1- I did intervals yesterday and my opener was AWFUL (2:07).  NAC was a game changer at 1:47 while a can of Rockstar was a bigger game changer at 1:20.  That said, I really don't want to rely on stimulants to speed up the detox.  Not good for me over the long haul.

Today, the opener was much better at 1:47.  Again, the NAC was a game changer at 1:30.  It's tempting to take more of that stuff and you would think I'd continue to improve but it doesn't work that way.  Instead of caffeine, I went with Thym Adren for the 3rd run.  I hoped that it would be a non factor like before Christmas.  Nope.  Significant negative reaction.  Slipped back to 1:45.  Finished with a half mile junk run and found that this time, stimulants didn't help.  

Eventually, the Thym Adren will be tolerated and then necessary.  Before the adrenal spike hits, I will increase the Methyl Folate, which will probably trigger more detox.  If the increased MF together with the Melatonin is tolerated, I am improving.

Distance-1.0

1/2- No intervals this morning.  Just a 1 Mile at Montreat in the evening.  Days are getting longer and it wasn't pitch black until after I finished.  Time was 10:50 (5:28-5:22) and it took a late rally to shore up the sub-11.  Better than yesterday and about what I expected.  I will look for steady improvement going forward.  

If my progress is stymied, I do have a couple options.  I thought perhaps NAC is causing excess Sulfur.  Yasko has a product for that, which I have ordered.  The second thought is further off the beaten path: Parasites.  I haven't ordered this one yet but one of the active ingredients is none other than Eye-Vermectin.

Distance-1.0

1/3- Interesting finding in the morning.  I was significantly better after taking a Probiotic.  That suggests that my limited tolerance for NAC may be Sulfur related.  I forgot to take NAC before work and endured a rough day.  

Repeated the Montreat Mile in the evening after NAC and improved nicely to a 9:54 (MINUS 56) plus a short cool.  Splits were 5:01-4:53 despite coasting in the final stretch.  Now, can I keep this streak going?  The rate of improvement will slow but it must be steady.

Distance-1.5

1/4- Interesting day.  Probiotics do help with the ill-effects of taking too much NAC but it's not enough and I get no additional benefit beyond the first pill.  

Opened with a 1:52 then improved significantly to 1:40.  Popped 2 more and clocked a 1:38.  Not good enough.  NAC must be limited to 2 pills in divided doses.  It's possible that Yasko's product may help.

Later on, I could feel the adrenals beginning to spike.  Last time, it was a slow process that started with mere tolerance to Thym Adren.  Today, I improved to 1:26 on 1 pill and had a strong feeling that I needed more.  

Added a 2nd MF pill with the Melatonin and this time, the detox reaction wasn't bad.  In fact, I improved again to a 1:11.  I don't know what to make of it.  I'm betting that Thym Adren would make it worse but I didn't try.

Distance-1.0

1/5- Woke up severely overstimulated.  Significantly better after 1 Thym Adren.  Added more MF and it was a game changer again in a positive way.  Took Thym Adren again after the extra MF and it was NOT TOLERATED!

Yes, that's right.  The same pill that helped me in the morning hurt me just a couple hours later.  WHAT A LIFE!  Good news is that I can definitely tolerate extra MF as long as I don't touch the Thym Adren.  I won't be shocked at all if even on the extra MF, I will again need the Thym Adren.  

Distance-1.0

1/6- Unplanned rest day.  Loading on MF didn't seem to hurt yesterday but this morning, it felt like I was hit by a truck.  I will cut that down to 2 pills until the adrenals spike again.

1/7- Opened with a 1:40 then down to 1:21 on NAC.

PM- Adrenals spiked BIGLY after lunch.  Upped the MF to 3 pills and it stopped the spike.  NAC had an even greater effect than usual (1:45-1:11).  I did not mess with Thym Adren.  If I had taken it, it would have been helpful before the MF but harmful after.  WHAT A LIFE!

UPDATE: Adrenals are still spiked despite increased MF.  I'll probably have to raise it again tomorrow.  How high do I go?  Unsure.  I think it's possible that Yasko's product could help and possible that Fulvic Acid could help.

Distance-1.0

1/8- Unplanned rest day.  Insatiable need for MF.  I don't even know how much I took but even a mega dose didn't stop the adrenal spike.  

1/9- Very interesting.  Need for MF has diminished and tomorrow, I will go back to 4 at night with the Melatonin.  

Opener-82.7

Extra Methyl Folate- 79.2

1 Thym Adren-75.1

NAC-73.0

3 Extra NAC-73.4

Reaction:

Taken together, I gained slightly less than 60 seconds per mile.  Certainly enough to be considered significant but not a game changer.  The only one that was significant on its own was the Thym Adren while the MF was borderline.  

I am VERY encouraged that the NAC really didn't move the needle.  The gain here was NOT significant and I was only fractionally slower on extra.  Yasko's product was ineffective in that regard but it's possible that the Fulvic Acid helped.  Just 2 days ago, 1 NAC was a game changer but 3 were not tolerated.  

Still feel a little sluggish and this was a far cry from the sub-60 that I did a few months ago.  I do have excess Melatonin in my system.  Cut that back down to 5 mg and I should do better.

Distance-1.0

1/10- Snow Day and a planned rest.  Woke up feeling pretty rotten.  Thym Adren did help a bit but the needle didn't really move until I took 4 MF in the evening.  I plan to stick with this formula.  Low dose Thym Adren and a high dose of MF with Melatonin and NAC.

1/11- Very interesting yet again. Still BAD in the morning but perhaps not as awful as yesterday.  Took 2 MF in the morning and got somewhat better.  In the afternoon I did 1 lap in 3:04 (9:12 pace) then popped 4 MF pills, which brought me all the way down to a 2:17 (6:51 pace).  Added a 1 lap cool down.

Distance-1.0

2 days ago, I got a reaction to extra MF but it was bordering on insignificant.  Probably because I had already taken a mega dose.  Today, it was MINUS 2:21.  I expect to follow the usual pattern.  Both the ceiling and the floor will improve but the floor will rise faster.  The gap will diminish and eventually become insignificant.  In theory, it will be squared away but something else will pop up 

1/12- Mostly pleased with today's outcome.

AM- 1 lap at Montreat without pills in 2:52 (8:36 pace).  Compared to yesterday, it's MINUS 36.  Did not attempt to run it with a stacked deck.  Merely added a half lap cool.  I figure that my ceiling would improve by 18-24 so the gap is still probably over 2 minutes per mile.  When it drops below 60, I feel like I am on the way.  Thym Adren and NAC are helpful but neither is a game changer.  Only the Methyl Folate is in that category.

PM- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 18:58 (9:29 pace).  Pacing wasn't great (9:20-9:38) but if I fell behind 19 pace, I bet I could have rallied.  My last real workout was barely under 10 for 1 Mile so this is a lot better.  This is 10 seconds faster than sub-60 pace for 10K.  I figure I could have held it for another half mile.  40 percent down.  60 to go.

Distance-2.5

-11 miles total