Training 7/28-8/3

 7/28- Sprint tests.  Did the opener in 55.  Very pleased with that.  Last week, it took 3 pills to hit that time.  After 4 pills, I was all the way down to 43.  The gap has not closed at all.  Not so pleased about that but it does suggest room for much improvement.

Real workout was 2.5 in tough humidity.  Finished in 23:21 (9:20 pace).  That's a pretty significant improvement over last time (25:09) but the rate of improvement is slowing.  That's okay.  I knew it was unsustainable.  As it is, I skipped the 24s and came closer to breaking into the 22s.  Splits were 11:44-11:37.  No real ill-effects from the 6 miler and no sign of autoimmune reactions.

Distance-3.0

7/29- Vestavia Mile in 8:04.  Improvement over last time but hoped for better.  Heart wasn't into it this morning and it was probably the most uncomfortable weather yet this summer.  Already pushing 80 degrees at sunrise with nearly 100 percent humidity.  Still, cutting off 20 seconds in 4 days is nothing to sneeze at.  If I was fully fresh, I am pretty sure that I come in under 8.  Well paced again.  Splits were 2:00-2:04-2:04-1:56.  20 seconds down, 34 to go.  Might be out this evening for a light workout.  It will be very hot but less humid.  I get a rest either tomorrow or Thursday.

Training 7/21-7/27

 7/21- Unplanned rest day.  I am completely intolerant to Magnesium Malate and didn't even try to go today.  Why was it helpful just a few days ago?  Maybe if I gradually re-introduced it, things would be different.  Good news is that Magnesium is not the problem.  Only the Malate is and that problem stems from excessive Malic Acid scoops, which was necessary to detox Aluminum.  Glycinate is well tolerated and that's what I will take.  If I collapse one more time, I am out for San Diego.

7/22- AM- Curious finding.  Extra ADHS didn't really move the needle much today.  Sprint time improved from 61 to 59 on 6 ADHS instead of 3.  Not a significant gain.  The real workout was as ugly as expected.  1 Mile on New Lakeshore in 12:19.  Splits were 6:14-6:05.  I expect to be better tomorrow and the overstimulation will really kick in when the Malate clears 

PM- Repeated the 1 Mile distance this time at Montreat.  MUCH less ugly.  Time is down to 10:30 with a strong negative split (5:24-5:06).  I will go with this formula until it stops working.

Distance-2.5

7/23- 2 miles in 20:48 (10:24 pace).  I'll take it.  Only marginally faster pace than yesterday afternoon but I did double the distance.  Slight negative split (10:28-10:20) in soupy conditions.  Heat should begin to die down in about 3-4 weeks.  Very overstimulated and again, not much difference on mega ADHS.

Distance-2.0

7/24- Sprint tests.  Roughly 0.1 miles.

Opener-64

3 ADHS- 55

6 ADHS- 52

No big surprise.  Opener was pathetic.  I expected a larger gain on the 3 pills but that's still BIG.  A smaller gain from 3 to 6 but still more than 5 percent.  At the end of the month, I will reduce the dosage to 3.  If I took any more than 6, the effects are probably negligible.  

Real workout was 2.5 on Lakeshore in 25:09 (10:04 pace).  Hoped for a little better but a gain is a gain and it beats the alternative.  Splits were 12:38-12:31. It's probably a good sign that I am improving gradually because it shows more stability.  Increased the distance by 25 percent and my pace was 20 seconds faster.  I'll take that any day.

Distance-3.0

7/25- Cut the ADHS down to 5 and it didn't hurt me.  Vestavia Mile in 8:24 plus a warm and cool.  Splits were 2:05-2:09-2:10-2:00.  May have left a few seconds out there but still very pleased.  I bet that I would have been 30 seconds faster per mile than yesterday if I ran 2.5.  I am within 54 seconds of the reset PR and I will try to break it next week. Still too soon to get my hopes up but I am leaning towards doing the 5K in San Diego.

An improvement from 10:30 to 8:24 in just 3 days is YUGE!  Obviously, the rate of improvement is unsustainable but I might not be horrible in San Diego if this continues.

Distance-1.5

7/26- 6 miles in 59:36 (9:56 pace).  Extension-New Lakeshore-South Lakeshore with 2 Gatorade stops.  Passed 1.5 in 14:30 and 3 miles in 29-flat.  I knew the back half would be ugly and it was.  I passed 4.75 in 46:33 and trudged home in 13:03, which is still under 10:30 pace.  This projects to a 10K in about 62-flat and a quarter marathon in the low 65s.  The 5K is definitely the right call even if my fitness improves over the next 3 weeks.  Very pleased overall.

PM- I have noticed a pattern the last few days.  I feel half decent through mid-afternoon then the energy drops off considerably in the evening.  I needed a test despite tired legs.  

Did 1 lap at Montreat at standard effort in 3:09 (9:27 pace).  Popped 2 pills and took about 2 minutes to recover.  Did the next lap in 2:49 (8:27 pace).  Fully 60 seconds faster on the same effort.  I'll probably keep the dose the same but it must be taken in divided doses.  A mega dose in the morning isn't much better than a low dose and it wears off just as quickly.  Added a very slow cool down lap.

Distance-7.0

7/26- Easy 2 miles at Veterans Park.  3 laps around the lake.  Felt surprisingly well after yesterday but it could hit tomorrow.  Finished in 19:32 (9:46 pace) with a slight negative split (9:52-9:40).  Little more than a recovery jog effort.

Distance-2.0

18 miles on the week.  Signed up for the 5K in San Diego.

Training 7/14-7/20

 7/14-AM- Opener in 1:41 (10:06 pace).  A little slower than expected but no panic.  On the full dose, I felt somewhat better and knew it was under 90 but I was surprised to see a 78 (7:48 pace) at the finish.  That's a 2:18 gap, which is much too big.

PM- Unsure of myself after caffeine withdrawal, which wasn't bad because I weaned off.  Intended for it to be an easy day but did a little better than expected.  1.5 miles in 14:24 (9:36 pace) with even splits (7:10-7:14) despite backing off a tad on the back half.  Also, the Liver appears to be tolerated but I am not messing with it unless it's needed.  Last week's culprit was Malic Acid.  I can only hope that the autoimmune reactions are gone forever.

Distance-2.0

7/15- 3 miles on Lakeshore plus extension in 28-flat (9:20 pace).  I'll take it.  Only downer was that I struggled on the back half.  Then again, it was more humid than usual this morning.  Splits were 13:52-14:08.  Legs had decent pop all the way but I still feel quite overstimulated.  

Distance-3.0

Shipment of ADHS is delayed so I will have to use Thym Adren for the next 3 days.  Which will be more effective?  Probably Thym Adren.  I'll have to keep the dose low to prevent a flip flop.

7/16-AM.  Switched from 6 ADHS to just 3 Thym Adren.  Collapsed but that probably wasn't the reason.  I passed the 1/4 mile in a time over 3 minutes so I just walked back.  Most likely, it's an adrenal spike, which can happen 3-4 days after quitting caffeine.  It should pass quickly.

PM- Much better.  Did 3/4 mile at Montreat in 7:14 (9:39 pace).  Should be ready to train again tomorrow.  That's right at 30 pace for 5K.

Distance-1.0

7/17- Good news and bad.  The good news is that my opener was down to 85, which was much better.  Bad news is that the Thym Adren wasn't very effective.  I did improve to 75 on the closer but had NOTHING in the real workout.  Perhaps, the negative didn't kick in right away.  At any rate, I passed half mile in 5:30 then walk jogged back.  Extra pills made it worse.  

Distance-1.5

Good news is that the ADHS arrived and that's what I'll be taking going forward.  At least that question was answered.

7/18- Labored through 1.5 miles in 16:27 (10:58 pace) with even splits. Marginally better than yesterday.  Back to feeling overstimulated and back on ADHS.  I suspect that Magnesium is also a necessity and will test that out when I get home.

PM- Magnesium is indeed a necessity.  Less than a month ago, I could not tolerate it.  Now, I can't get along without it.  What else is new?  Opened with a 90.  Popped just ONE Mag pill and slow jogged another half lap.  My closer was down to 80.  MINUS 60 per mile.  Significant gain.  The full dose would have been a game changer.  

Distance-2.0

Magnesium plus ADHS with methylation support?  That's a cocktail that is manageable.  The latter is not required every day.  I am HOPING that the same will be true eventually with the first 2.  As it is, this is extreme dependence and my energy is still inadequate.  I fail 2 out of the 3 demands.

7/19- Lakeshore 2.5 in 26:14 (10:30 pace).  Improvement over yesterday and it was enough to be considered significant but I was hoping for better.  Even pace (13:05-13:09) but no power and still quite overstimulated.  Perhaps taking the Mag in the morning will make a difference.

Distance-2.5

Sustained improvement must start now or I am out for San Diego.

7/20- Magnesium in the morning was NOT the answer.  Bailed after just 1.5 miles @ 11:15 pace and fading.  Extra Mag when I got home made it worse.  The form of Magnesium that I take is Malate, which is bound to Malic Acid.  Perhaps that's the problem.  Either I switch to Glycinate or I need the Malate but at a lowered dose.

PM- Sprint improved from 55 to 50 after taking Glycinate so that's a viable option.  I will go back to low dose Malate tonight but if it doesn't work, it's Glycinate.  This MUST be resolved next week.

Distance-2.0

14 on the week 

Training 7/7-7/13

 7/7- Planned rest day.  Tired from the trip.  Good news at night.  Despite taking essentially no Malic Acid for 2 weeks, there is still no sign of autoimmune issues.  I may have finally beaten that part.  Unfortunately, the adrenal balance is WAY OUT OF WHACK!  Magnesium is tolerated again.  Endodren is NOT.  Thym Adren does help.  

In other words, I've experienced a flip flop flip back to overstimulation and need adrenal suppressants again.  I cannot allow this back and forth action to continue.  It must be the modulator going forward.

7/8- Opened with a 1:40 on no pills, which was not as bad as I expected.  Took 1 scoop of Malic Acid and clocked a 1:41.  Slightly more than 1 second slower but that's not significant.  Essentially, it was a non-factor.  Not sure what to do about the Malic Acid going forward but am leaning towards only occasional use.  Improved to 1:23 on 2 Modulator pills (ADHS), which is a game changer.  Unfortunately, the gain was short lived and I now have an insatiable need.  

Real workout was 1 Mile in a pitiful 12:33.  Splits were 6:24-6:09 so I suppose that can be considered good news.  Took more pills at work.

PM- Half mile at Montreat in 4:57 (9:54 pace).  Much better.  I don't think the ADHS will cause another flip flop.

Distance-2.0

7/9- 2 miles on New Lakeshore in 19:36 (9:48 pace).  I'll take it.  Quadruple distance at a pace marginally faster.  I'm sticking with this plan.  I will gradually reduce the dosage of ADHS and caffeine.  Splits were 10:01-9:35 so I finished strong 

Distance-2.0

7/10- AM-Aimed for 1 Mile at least under 9:00.  Started off decent but slowed sharply after 300 meters.  Quit after 1000 as my pace slowed to the 11:00 range.  Not a step backwards.  This is a full blown collapse!  Felt very overstimulated as if the ADHS was not enough.

PM- Tested myself with just 1 extra Thym Adren.  Did 2 sprints of roughly a tenth of a mile.  Did a 59 without it and a 56 with it.  Only slightly better and bordering on insignificant but with a 5 percent improvement, yes it did do something.

Distance-1.0

I am NOT taking mega Thym Adren to quickly get in balance.  I know exactly what will happen if I do so.  I will flip flop again and need to temporarily go back to Endodren.  Yesterday, it appeared that the ADHS was working so why did this happen?  The only thing I did differently was take a Liver pill so that's likely the culprit.

If I have beaten the autoimmune issues, the only negative is that I cannot easily identify the culprit. Before, I got a reaction literally within seconds of swallowing the bad pill.  Now, I don't feel anything right away.  I once judged Magnesium to be not a serious problem because I was not significantly slower immediately after taking it.  However, within 2 hours, something was clearly wrong.  I'm betting that the same holds true now with the Liver.  Hopefully, I don't need Thym Adren and the ADHS will work if I stay off the Liver, which is indeed a mild stimulant.  Jury is still out on Malic Acid.  

7/11- Jury has returned its verdict on Malic Acid.  It's a NO.  That's okay.  I probably don't need it anyway.  I will only take it if autoimmune reactions flare up again.  Struggled through 1.5 in 17:21 (11:34 pace) with even splits.  The suckage felt different this time.  More sluggish than overstimulated.  

PM- Same sprints as yesterday.  I thought that perhaps the Malic Acid flipped me so I tried Thym Adren again.  Did a 53 without and a 51 with it.  I have NOT flipped to slow oxidation.  Good news.  I believe Liver will be okay when the adrenal balance is better but I won't mess with it until further notice.  Best news of the day is that my passport was found.  I still plan to get the Star ID but I can fly without it.

Distance-2.0

7/12- 2 miles in 21:46 (10:53 pace).  Ugly showing but it was an improvement over yesterday.  Splits were 11:00-10:46.  Increased the distance by 33 percent and improved the pace by 41 seconds.  Totally different from yesterday.  Felt extremely overstimulated but I will resist the urge to seek quicker gains from Thym Adren.  No more flip flops!

Distance-2.0

7/13- 4 miles at South Lakeshore in 39:53 (9:58 pace).  Much better than yesterday in terms of both pace and the way I felt but still significantly overstimulated.  Splits were 10:13-9:47-9:49-10:04.  Legs started feeling heavy at the end of Mile 3 but I had enough in the tank to hold it together and found some life in the homestretch.  Caffeine withdrawal may hit this afternoon.

Distance-4.0

13 miles on the week.  There is no way that I can do the half in San Diego but I still might make the trip for the 5K.  At any rate, the long run must be extended.  I'll shoot for 6.5 next week.

Miami Trip Report

 7/4- Direct flight out of Birmingham.  I had to get up super early but that was a price that I was willing to pay for more time at the beach.  The flight landed at 9:15 and I eventually found my way out of the terminal and to the bus stop.  No rental car was needed.  It was just a 30 minute bus ride to South Beach and back for just $4.50.  The bus stop was just a block away from my hotel, just 2 blocks from the beach for $150 per night.  That's a smokin' deal!  

As I posted earlier, the weather was a concern.  You can expect about a 60+ percent chance of rain every day but it's rarely a total wash out.  The air temperature remained below 90 for the entire trip.  When it's overcast, it's actually pleasant to walk around but when the sun comes out after it rains, the humidity is extremely oppressive.  The weather is also extremely unpredictable.  Even the hourly forecast is totally unreliable.  It can rain when it's expected to be dry and a predicted storm may never hit.  Fortunately, I was never caught in a storm.  

Today was overcast but mostly dry.  I arrived at my hotel just before noon and surprisingly, my room was ready.  I went straight out for pizza then spent about 4 hours on the beach and in the water.  The water was a crystal clear emerald green with minimal surf.  It wasn't dead flat but very few waves were big enough to ride.  I knew that coming in and didn't even take my board.  Winter or early Spring is your best bet for surf here.  Dinner was a good steak and I had a Spanish conversation with a nice girl from Argentina.  I headed to South Pointe Park for a decent sunset then went to bed early.  I had been up since 4 AM.  

7/5- More sun today but also more rain.  Unless there is lightning in the area, most people, myself included, won't even bother getting out of the water.  It rained 3 times today but none of them lasted more than 30 minutes.  Sometimes it was still partly to mostly sunny but pouring rain at the same time.  Crazy.  I spent the morning at South Pointe.  The only real difference between this area and near my hotel is that it is more shallow and doesn't get deep suddenly.  Ideal for small children.  Most of the day was spent at the beach but I did check out Lincoln Road shopping center after lunch.  Dinner was another steak at a South American themed restaurant.  My server was flat out beautiful and again, I did make small talk in Spanish.  A friend of mine once said that if a guy needs Viagra, just send him to Miami and that will do the job.  LOL.  

7/6- Got up for a nice sunrise then stole another 2 hours on the beach before checking out.  I took the bus back to the airport, dropped off my luggage then hit the subway train to downtown Miami.  I was there for the Marlins game just as much as the beach. 

The subway dropped me off about a Mile from the stadium.  Though the neighborhood was a bit sketchy and the fans lacked passion, LoanDepot Park itself was surprisingly decent and better than expected.  An indoor stadium really is necessary in Miami.  My seats were on the 1st base side with a view of the city behind the glass.  My losing streak continues as the Marlins went down 3-1.  

After the game, I went back southbound on the subway to a nice park called Brickell Key.  I probably had time to check out the area around Government Center as well but I was getting tired and hungry so it was back to the airport.  

My hotel for this night was connected to the airport itself.  Good call even if it was pricey.  No need to worry about transportation the next morning and didn't have to get up super early to catch my flight.

7/7- Flight went off without a hitch but when I got off the plane, I noticed that my passport wasn't in my pocket.  I checked inside my luggage and it wasn't there either.  Most probably, I lost it after I went through Security.  After I put my wallet and cell phone in my pockets, I got distracted and walked off without the passport.  I'm afraid that I will have to replace it but it could have been worse.  Imagine if that happened on an international layover!  I will get the Star ID for domestic flights.  There are no international trips on my radar until next January.

UPDATE: Passport was found on 7/11 by a friendly rep at American Airlines.  I never did report it lost so I am good to go.  

Not an all time great trip but still worth it.