Great Lakes/Niagara Falls Trip Plan

 This one will likely be split up.  The initial plan was to fly to Detroit for a Tigers game then drive through Canada to Niagara Falls.  From there, I hit Presque Isle (Lake Erie) and Cuyahoga NP on the way to Cleveland.  I'd see a ballgame there as well as the Rock n Roll HOF.  After all that, I would drive back to Detroit for a flight home.  Definitely a bucket list trip.  

Trip 1- My mother lives in Pittsburgh, PA and I'm looking for any excuse to come for a visit while she is still relatively healthy.  I "might could" swing it next month.  If I fly to Pittsburgh, the airport is west of town and just 2 hours from Cleveland.  If it's a night game in Cleveland, I should have time for both the RNR HOF and Cuyahoga NP on the way up.  There is also the Pro Football HOF in Canton, OH but I've already been there.  After my Cleveland adventures are over, it's 2.5 hours to Mom's place.  Since I'll have my rental car, I won't have to worry about her driving to and from the airport to pick me up.  If the weather is questionable, I can flip it and see Mom first.  

Trip 2- Pittsburgh is less than 4 hours from Niagara Falls, which is closer than I thought.  Presque Isle is on the way and I wouldn't mind doing a Buffalo Bills stadium tour as well.  I can't expect any surf in the summer but I might get lucky.  I can simply walk across the pedestrian bridge to Canada for better views of the Falls or I could go deeper into Canada with my car.  Hamilton is less than an hour away and I'd like to see another CFL game.  London is about an hour and a half from Hamilton.  The only negative is that it's a long way back to Pittsburgh from there.  Hamilton is probably as far as I'd go.

Trip 3- Fly to Detroit as planned for the Tigers game but this time, I have some flexibility.  I do not cross the border into Ontario but that's okay.  Last time I used that border crossing, my entire car was searched.  I was pleasantly surprised by the beaches in Chicago and I've heard that the ones in Michigan are even better.  The North Coast is an underrated summer destination.  It's about a 3 hour ride from Detroit to the Lake Michigan beaches and I can flip it based on the weather.  Unfortunately, a stop in Pittsburgh would probably be too far.  

Training 8/17-8/23

 8/17-AM.  78 degrees with a 72 dew point at 6AM!  Not fun.  We should begin to see relief by the end of the week.  Vestavia Mile in 8:11.  Cut off another 24 seconds and have pulled to within 41 of the reset PR.  That seems less insurmountable now. Just over 10 seconds per lap.  Knock the temp and dew point down by 10 and I am very close to 8.

I was on pace for a sub-8 through 600 then faded pretty hard.  Splits were 1:59-2:04-2:07-2:01.  That's still okay pacing for a Mile.  I took over 6000 MF and tolerated the Thym Adren.  If anything, the Thym Adren was too low.  Considering the weekend that I had, I've gotta be pleased.

PM- Less humid but hotter.  Temp was close to 100 degrees out there.  Easy 2 on Lakeshore in 19:36 (9:48 pace). Fine with this one.  Decent pacing especially under the conditions.  Splits were 9:44-9:52.  I have decided to temporarily jack up the Thym Adren then try to gradually reduce it.  

Distance-3.0

8/18- 3 miles on Lakeshore in 30:19 (10:06 pace).  Mixed feelings about this one.  I am clearly headed in the right direction.  Last week, I only managed a 31:56 so I chopped off more than 30 seconds per mile.  Still, I hoped for better.  If I can threaten an 8:00 Mile, I should be well under 30 for 3 miles.  

Splits were 9:42-9:56-10:41.  That last mile was about as painful as it appears.  I can blame it on the heat.  93 degrees with a 103 heat index.  Not much better than yesterday but relief is on the way.  Next week, low temps will dip below 70.

Though I have avoided energy drinks this week, I did have a couple of Cokes.  I felt noticeably stiffer afterwards.  Hope I don't face another withdrawal.

Distance-3.0

8/19- FAILURE!  Turned around after just a quarter mile at a pace approaching 12.  I was hurting this morning due to lack of B6.  Unfortunately, too much B6 triggered a reaction because my Cal/Mag is too low.

Distance-0.5

8/20- Unplanned rest day.  It appears that I am correct about the B6 and Cal Mag.  MUCH WORSE after taking stand alone Mag but got better after Paramin.  Sugar and caffeine aren't good but the reaction to alcohol was worse.  Finished what was left of my 6 pack tonight and will not drink again until further notice.  

8/21- Interval tests confirmed everything that I suspected.  Didn't try on no pills.  Took the MF and Thym Adren and felt a discernable improvement.  I expected to get worse after the B complex then rebound after Paramin.  

Opener- 1:32

B Complex-1:50

Paramin-1:35.

Distance-0.5

The reaction to the B complex was exactly what I expected.  I figured that the Paramin would split the difference with a 1:40ish.  It got me almost all the way back.  Hopefully, I don't need the B-complex every day and it will be better tolerated when the Cal/Mag is balanced.

8/22- Took no B-complex but the full dose of MF and Thym Adren.  Passed the Mile mark in 11:40 bit hoped to get a modest boost after Paramin.  Nope.  I got worse and couldn't even finish the back half.  

Got home and took the B-complex.  This time, I got major boost.  Improved my Montreat half loop time from 2:13 to 1:28.  

Distance-2.0

Training 8/10-8/16

 8/10-AM Opened with a very poor 99.  Took 1700 MF and improved to 89 but even that likely overshot.  2500 weakened me and I slipped to a 97.  Caffeine binge yesterday didn't fully clear and I didn't even try Thym Adren.

PM- Felt very much different by the afternoon and the need for Thym Adren kicked in bigly.  Took 2 at work and 1 on the run.  Not sure of the exact distance.  It was over 0.25 but under 0.30.  Did the front leg in 2:45 popped a pill and felt noticeable improvement immediately.  Time improved to 2:21 on the back leg (MINUS 14.5 percent). Game changer!

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

It has been confirmed that caffeine was the reason why I couldn't tolerate Thym Adren.  Why the extreme need for it now?  Could be a temporary adrenal spike.  Most probably, it's more permanent.  

Any chance it might be mineral depletion.  It's possible that extra Magnesium could help but I won't try caffeine again.  Tried some extra Magnesium before bed and felt no discernable difference.

8/11- 2 miles in 24:24 (12:12 pace).  Actually, I'm not upset with this one.  Extremely overstimulated even with 6 Thym Adren.  That has GOT TO CALM DOWN.  Good news is that I didn't collapse and negative split this (12:30-11:54).  Popped an extra 400 MF at the half and got a boost.  Total dose was 3300, which is higher than what I thought was optimal.  Hmm

PM- Extra Thym Adren did help.  No discernable difference from extra MF but the good news is that it doesn't appear that I went backwards.  Tacked on another 1 Mile in 10:28.  Even pace (5:13-5:15) that felt sustainable.  2 miles would have been 21:xx, which is a lot better than this morning.  Now 60 hours clean off caffeine.  The worst is over.

Distance-3.0

8/12- 3 miles in 32:53 (10:58 pace).  MUCH BETTER than yesterday's morning session.  I want to keep my Thym Adren dosage no higher than 6.  It would have been better if I took 8.  As it is, no complaints.  Near perfect pacing (16:27-16:26).  Backed off a tad in the last half mile when I felt a little niggle in my knee but it's no concern.  

Distance-3.0

8/13- 3 miles in 31:56 (10:39 pace).  Solid improvement over yesterday but hoped for a little better.  I've been taking mega doses of MF to test my tolerance. Today, I went down to the baseline and it probably slowed me down.  

Good pacing.  Splits were 10:38-10:32-10:46.  With a comfortable cushion on the sub-32, I didn't try to kick.  Otherwise, the 3rd mile is better.  3 miles on back to back days is encouraging.

PM- No running but definitely got a boost from extra MF.  I suspect that the need for Thym Adren has diminished but I won't try anything new when I am improving steadily.

Distance-3.0

8/14- I could tell warming up that 3 Thym Adren wasn't gonna cut it so it will be 6 until further notice.  I do think the extra MF helped as well.

Brutal conditions out there.  Mid-August in Alabama is never pleasant for running but this was worse than usual.  Fortunately, I only had 1 Mile on tap.  Finished in 8:35, which was about what I expected.  Maybe a hair better.  Splits were 2:06-2:11-2:13-2:05 so the back half was only 1 tick slower.  8 second gap between fastest and slowest is about what I should expect.

Improvement from a 10:28 to 8:35 in 3 days is a big deal.  Still 65 away from the reset PR and a sub-6 feels impossible right now.  

Distance-1.0

8/15- COLLAPSE on BAFA day.  Hoped to run 5 miles.  Didn't even finish 1.  Pace was over 12 through 0.8 and getting worse.  Thym Adren appears to be the culprit.  Why is it that I needed extra just yesterday but it failed me today?  

Distance-1.0

Theories:

1) Once I hit a certain amount of MF, which is probably around 5000 mcg, I can't take Thym Adren.  If I limit the MF to 4500, Thym Adren will be tolerated.  I believe that I exceeded 5000 MF before but it was taken in divided doses.  

2) With or without the mega doses of MF, I am trending off Thym Adren.  I had a little bit of caffeine yesterday (20 mg), but I highly doubt that was a factor.  On 2nd thought, maybe it was.  

3) Pills must taken in the right order.  Crazy but it's happened before.  I need to take the MF first then assess my tolerance for Thym Adren 

What a mess!

Tomorrow's plan is to load on MF to confirm unlimited tolerance with no Thym Adren.

Culprit identified:  

Just happened to read the label of my Body Armor sports drink.  It contains a fair amount of non-methylated Folic Acid.  I was MUCH WORSE after drinking the rest of the bottle this evening.  Small amounts of caffeine are probably okay.  I am betting that Theory 1, 2 and 3 were all wrong.  

8/16- Discernable improvement with every dose of MF.  Yes, I exceeded 5000 mcg.  Didn't try Thym Adren because I know it won't be tolerated.  I had a little bit of caffeine this morning and it wasn't a factor in my tolerance for MF.  

When the non-methylated Folic Acid clears, the need for Thym Adren will kick in with a vengeance.  I expect it to happen tomorrow morning if not this this evening.  Everything should be confirmed by tomorrow. 

Update:

It's not even noon yet and my body demanded Thym Adren.  Only took 2 pills but felt an improvement.  Tomorrow, I start back in earnest 

Distance-0.0

12 miles on the week 

RANT: People Who Hate the USA

 Around the 4th of July this year, I saw some polls on the news from 2001 compared to today.  25 years ago, 90 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats were proud to be American.  I assume that poll was taken on the 4th of July in 2001.  If it was immediately after 9/11, we would have seen an upsurge in patriotism and the numbers would have been even higher.  The poll was taken less than a year after a highly contentious election and many Democrats were still angry about the outcome.  Nevertheless, national pride was not significantly lower among political liberals.  

Today, pride in being American is unchanged among Republicans but has dropped to 32 percent among Democrats.  Is it just because of Trump?  I don't think so.  This has been a steady trend that has been going on for a quarter century.  The Iraq War began in 2003, which I concede was a mistake.  Some drop off among Democrats in the mid-00's would be understandable.  I would have expected a resurgence in patriotism in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama.  It didn't happen.  I'm sure the number did drop considerably when Trump came on the scene a decade ago but Joe Biden didn't help either.  I'm afraid that the belief that the USA is fundamentally unjust and needs to be radically transformed rather than reformed from within has become the mainstream viewpoint.  This line of thought really took hold under Obama.

Does the USA have problems?  Sure.  We live in a fallen world.  Every culture and civilization in  history has had problems.  I certainly don't deny that.  My biggest concerns today are the chronic disease epidemic, the high cost of living and the job market for inexperienced workers.  I certainly do NOT make light of the injustices of the past either.  Slavery, Jim Crow and the Trail of Tears most definitely should not be swept under the rug. There was no golden age when everything was perfect.  I am nostalgic for the 1980s and 90s but I recognize that all was not roses.  We had gang violence, AIDS and the crack epidemic.  

 Growing up, I was raised to believe that the modern USA is the greatest country ever.  I'm not sure if I still believe that.  Well above average and one of the best?  Definite yes!  I challenge you to visit a 3rd world country and venture away from the tourist areas to see how the average person lives.  Even low income Americans are wealthy by those standards.  

I'll address and rebut some liberal talking points.

Stolen Land:

Again, policy towards Native Americans was shameful and I will not justify it.  My problem is the notion that Native American culture was pure and peaceful.  It was not.  There was constant tribal warfare.  Read up on the Aztecs, Iroquois and Algonquin.  In addition to slavery, there was also child sacrifice.  Some tribes were actually rooting for the colonizers because they figured that their lot would improve.  How would the American continent look today if the Europeans never arrived?  I'm betting, not so good.  

Slavery:

Once again, I will not sugarcoat this.  Words cannot express how I feel about this evil and barbaric practice.  My problem is that children today are being taught that it was chiefly an American institution.  That ain't true!  The Arab slave trade was far more brutal and lasted longer too.  White people didn't invent slavery but they were the first to abolish it.  Slavery and slave like conditions still exist in Sub Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.  Civil Rights won't wipe out 2 centuries of real systemic oppression overnight but if we haven't achieved racial equality yet, we are as close as we've ever been.  White racism is such a taboo nowadays that your reputation could be forever tarnished because of a decade old social media post.  

I follow several vloggers who have visited upwards of 100 countries.  They all say that the USA is one of the LEAST racist countries in the world.  Try being a Mexican in Puerto Rico and vice versa.  Try being Persian in Saudi Arabia.  How about being Tutsi in Rwanda in the 1990s?  

What I like and appreciate about the USA:

Despite the rising cost of living, I still believe that the American dream is attainable for most people.  Life isn't fair and some people are born into better circumstances than others.  That said, especially if you come from a good family, your chances of being successful are pretty good if you make smart life decisions.  If you are healthy with normal intelligence and reasonably attractive, you've been dealt a pretty fair hand no matter what your skin color.  You have the opportunity to achieve a standard of living far greater than the average person in the developing world.  Consider the caste system in India.  If you are born into the lowest caste, you have virtually no chance to get ahead and will endure slave like conditions for the rest of your life.

If you don't like your job or your current city, you are free to seek a fresh start and better opportunities elsewhere.  By contrast, the Soviet Union did guarantee you a job but your occupation was decided by an aptitude test.  If you don't like your assigned job or city, too bad. You will be imprisoned if you don't show up.  You lived in a planned high rise with government officials watching your every move and you needed special permission to leave your area.  

Our Founding Fathers created a democratic system of government.  I am a fan of the two party system too.  I worry that this could change in the future but if things are not going well, the incumbent party will likely be voted out.  Given a lousy economy, civil unrest and an unpopular war, there is still very little chance that you will win your next election.  Republicans deserved to lose in 2008.  Democrats deserved to lose in 2024.  In Nicaragua, the current president recently announced that no more elections will be held.  No matter what happens with the economy or how much he suppresses your rights, he is safely in power.

As much as I dislike when the Left has said about Trump, I defend their right to say it.  I will draw the line at death threats and rooting for violence.  We Americans take for granted that we can say we don't like the President or his policies and we won't get a visit from a government official.  China has a social credit system in which posts are social media deemed inappropriate will result in restrictions of your rights and privileges.  North Korea is far worse.  Simply being in possession of the wrong books can cost you your life.  

If the church in which you are raised no longer fits with your values or theology, you might get some family pressure but you are free to join another one or leave Christianity altogether without any erosion of your rights.  Much of the Muslim world has the death penalty for apostasy.  Their treatment of women and gays is far worse than any so-called Christian nationalist has ever proposed.  

I appreciate ethnic diversity and my life in the USA has been enriched by people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures.  I am in awe of the beautiful landscapes and world class cities.  From the beaches to the mountains, canyons and valleys, it is a breathtakingly beautiful country.  

In conclusion, sure there are plenty of things that the USA could do better but I believe the country is fundamentally good and capable of improvement.  When you consider the severe poverty and cruel oppression in other countries, the USA doesn't look so bad.  Yes, I am proud to be American and am thankful to be born and raised here.

Colorado/Utah Trip Plan

Labor Day trip:

I considered the Pacific Coast Highway but decided that I need 4 days to do it justice, not just 3.  Washington State was a close 2nd but this just felt like the better fit because of the climate.  

Lower elevations can be awfully hot in the summer.  It still might hit 90 in early September but mornings are cool and there is low humidity.  More importantly, I don't have to worry about snow at high altitude.  Come mid-October, yes that is a real concern.

9/2- Flights were much cheaper on a Wednesday and I wanted some slack time built in so that's what I booked.  Though I've been to Colorado 5 times, I have not ventured west of Breckenridge as an adult.  

The flight out of Birmingham leaves at 8:13 so I won't have to get up at 3 AM.  If I am out the door by 6, I'm in good shape to make the flight and I still beat the rush hour traffic.  I connect in Denver with a 59 minute layover.  That's shorter than I would like and I can't afford more than a 15 minute delay.  If all goes well, I land in Grand Junction, Colorado at 12:38.  

From there, it's slightly more than 2 hours west to Moab, Utah.  I should have enough time to catch a sunset at Canyonlands or Arches NP.  

9/3- I will spend most of the day in Moab and will probably do the Arches hike early in the morning then check out Canyonlands.  I've been to the former before but not the latter.  In the evening, I will drive to Durango, Colorado just across the New Mexico border.  4 corners monument?  Most likely, I will pass.  It's crowded, too far out of the way and the monument is a few hundred yards from the actual borders.  Thus, you don't really get to stand in 4 states at the same time.  I might cross into New Mexico just for the hell of it because it's only a 20 minute detour.  I probably won't go 45 minutes to Arizona.  

9/4- Mesa Verde National Park.  I was there as a teen but not as an adult.  From there, it will be a very scenic but possibly scary drive on the Million Dollar Highway.  That's why I didn't want to chance it with the weather.  I will not drive that road in the snow.  Figure that if I could navigate the roads in Maui, this won't be a problem in dry conditions.  There is a nice state park on the way but my destination for the night is Montrose and Gunnison NP, which I have never seen.  

9/5- I hope to make it to Gunnison before sunset the previous day but if not, it will be okay to hit it in the morning.  From there, I am flexible.  Grand Junction is only 60 miles north of Montrose.  There are several gems east of Grand Junction that I would like to see.  I could go as far as Aspen and hunt down Mary Swanson.  I will pass on the International Preservation Society and go back to Grand Junction for the night.  

9/6- There is a Monument and a park just outside of Grand Junction that I should hit before my 1 PM flight.  This time, I will have plenty of time in Denver on my layover.  I am scheduled to get back to B'ham at 9 PM.  I will have a full day to recover on Labor Day (9/7).  

After this one, I am down to 4 bucket list USA trips.  

PCH, Washington State, Kauai, Niagara Falls.

Training 8/3-8/9

 8/3- More observations from yesterday:

Caffeine enhances methylation.  Thus, the need and tolerance for MF is reduced.  Alcohol has the opposite effect.  It's probably best to steer clear of both.  

My opener was a 73, which was MUCH BETTER than the 93 that I managed just 2 days ago.  3 Thym Adren had minimal impact (72).  Hmm.

Took the same 2500 dose of MF that appeared to be optimal yesterday.  It did help but it only brought me down to 60.  By comparison, I did a 51 just 2 days ago on a slightly higher dose.  Extra Thym Adren did nothing.  I was actually slightly worse at 62.  Figure that a Mile time trial would have been in the high 8s to low 9s once again.  If I had only taken 1500 instead, I almost certainly would have been better.  

Another 400 of MF made it much worse so I didn't even try the real workout.  

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

It should be safe to reduce the Thym Adren. It's good that I didn't collapse from taking too much.   I was only slightly slower.  As for the MF, I don't know.  Am I really trending down or was it because I consumed caffeine yesterday?  Maybe come Wednesday, I will know for sure.  

8/4- No opener.  Went out on 1200 MF and only 3 Thym Adren.  Came through the first half mile in a pathetic 5:45.  Popped another 400 and was down to a less horrible 5:08 for an overall time of 10:53.  

Most definitely NOT trending down!  The caffeine messed up the balance for sure.  At 1600, I was not even close to the optimal dose.  

Distance-1.0

Update: Noticeably worse after taking a 4th Thym Adren pill.  Maybe that's why I was so slow this morning.

8/5- Went with 1700 MF and NO Thym Adren.  Vestavia Mile and improved to 8:52.  Splits were 2:13-2:17-2:15-2:07.  Big improvement over yesterday but not even close to optimal.  I have a strong feeling that Thym Adren needs to be eliminated.  I'll take 1 pill this evening to confirm but it will be after my date.  Also, does Thym Adren still hurt on mega MF or is it a non-factor?  I'll find out tonight.

PM- Opener in 65 and actually hoped to go downhill from there.  I was not disappointed.  800 extra MF plus caffeine and I slipped to 82.  Just 1 Thym Adren and I was "worser" with a 90.  I am 90 percent sure that Thym Adren must be eliminated but that may change when I am off caffeine.  The MF dose fluctuates based on my diet.

Distance-1.5

8/6- Planned rest day.  Thym Adren hasn't fully cleared.  Felt a bit jittery in the evening.  ADHS was tolerated.  That's a relief.  I don't feel comfortable eliminating all adrenal support.

8/7- Unplanned rest day.  Caffeine really spiked the methylation.

8/8- Lakeshore 1 Mile in 11:58.  Withdrawal hit much sooner than usual.  Good news is that the MF dose is back up to normal.  Passed half mile in 6:19 then improved to 5:39 after popping extra MF.  Might try again this evening.

PM- Half mile at Montreat in 4:56 (9:52 pace).  Much better than the morning session.  Once again, I got a boost from an extra 400 MF.  Splits were 1:47-1:39-1:30.  Popped the pill at the 1/3 mark.  

Distance-1.5

8/9- NIGHTMARE!  Hoped for 3 miles and barely finished 1.  Time was likely over 12.  Culprit this time was LACK of Thym Adren.  

Confirmed:  Caffeine caused the intolerance to Thym Adren.  Being off it, I either experienced a temporary adrenal spike or a more permanent condition.  I'll know for sure by the middle of next week!

Distance-1.0