5/6- Easy 6 indoors in 45:00 (7:30 pace). Slight fade at the end and was working a bit in the last 2 miles but a solid performance overall. Good call to stay inside because it started pouring rain as soon as I started. 2nd day on the ADHS and I'm holding up okay. I got a little stimulated from extra Vitamin C, which was a possibility because it does contain a little bit of tyrosine. It also contains copper so I must keep the dosage low if this is going to work. Weight is 159-160, which is at the very top of my range and another sign that my oxidation rate has slowed.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.5
5/7- Johnny's workout was basically the same as my solo interval workout last week.
400-800-1200-800-400-400 with a low-balled goal of 6:00 pace and this time, I was able to do it. Splits were 87-2:57-4:29-3:00-90-76 (5:52 pace). Average performance. Sluggish and sore all day.
3rd full day on the ADHS and there is not a significant difference in how I feel. Again, I am willing to be patient and hope for gradual improvement but I am curious to see how I would respond to Endodren (intended to speed oxidation rate) for at least a few days. I'd like to try a Mile time trial on Thursday but I will be hard pressed to beat the 5:47.8, which is my best of the year.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=3.5
5/8- Another decent but not stellar workout. It appears that this will be the pattern for the foreseeable future. I remain stable on the ADHS but there is not a significant difference in how I've felt since starting it. Even if my pace per mile improves by only 2 seconds per week, I'll be back to PR form by the end of the summer and that's the goal. I will not race again until at least June and may even wait until Peachtree. Today's run was the Trak Shak 5.5 loop in a time of 40:52 (7:26 pace). Fell asleep a bit in Mile 4 but outside of that, it was a pretty even pace. Slacked off in the last .5 but was well ahead of the planned 7:30 schedule. Added a half mile cool. I've pulled even so far this week and have a chance to win with a good weekend.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.0
5/9- Vestavia Mile. I was hoping for a sub-5:45 but could only muster a 5:57.1. Even less than fresh and in my weakened condition, I should be better than this. I'm afraid that I will have to declare ADHS a failure at least for now. I've had to pee a lot today and that often means that my body is getting rid of minerals that it cannot use for some reason. I am tempted to try again tomorrow because I know I'm better but it will likely be a rest or junk run. Only good thing about this run was that my pace was pretty even (86-91-92-88). I need a very good weekend to win now. Endodren could arrive as soon as tomorrow and it is looking like it could work at least medium-term.
Grade:C/1 credit/distance=2.0
5/10- Miserable 2 mile junk run on Wisteria. I didn't time it but the pace was over 9. I tried some other pills last night and apparently they won't work. Endodren has not arrived yet but it will be here no later than Monday. It is my last good hope to improve.
Grade:None/0 credit/distance=2.0
5/11- AWFUL! 3 attempts to run and my best was a 3 miler in 24:24 (8:08 pace). In each run, I was unable to sustain an 8 minute pace. Days like this were pretty much the norm in Stage 3 adrenal fatigue and I am starting to get really worried. No Endodren today. Must wait until Monday.
Grade:F/2 credit/distance=7.0
5/12- WORSE! AM- Wisteria 1 Mile in 8:55 and had to rally for a sub-9.
PM- Back on the Thyroid caps and showed improvement. Wisteria 2 in 15:08 (7:34 pace) with splits of 7:26 (down)- 7:42 (up). I have reason to believe that the Endodren might work.
Grade:D/1 credit/distance=3.0
Weekly summary:
I'm past the anger stage. I'm just numb now. I did lose 9 of 10 once back in '09 but this slump has been worse. No real good days since mid-March and some have been flat out awful. If the Endodren does not work, it could be over for me as a serious runner.
Distance=30.0/ GPA: 15/8= 1.88
YTD: 705 miles/ Record: 8-10.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Fiesta 10K report
Training:
Pretty much crap since the middle the March. I made the decision to go at the last minute and did not even pre-register. There has been a massive shift in my body chemistry and I am facing symptoms of slow oxidation. I won't know the cause for another 3 weeks. I was somewhat less than fresh after a hard tempo only 36 hours prior to the gun. Based on my training, I expected to be 25-30 seconds per mile off my PR pace, which would put me in mid 42s, which is still semi-respectable. I really didn't care if I was over 43 because of the prior tempo but if I was much slower than that, I would not have been able to enjoy the experience.
Trip:
Florida is state #6 out of 10 in the 10K department and it was a smooth 4 hour drive to Pensacola. I completely winged it and did not even book a hotel. I knew the roads well because I have spent many happy hours on the Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast. The route was I-65 south down to the Florida border then US-29 into Pensacola. I got into town just after 3 PM and registered but they ran out of shirts. No big deal. I've got too many of them already. Next, I looked for hotels on my Garmin and scored one just about a half mile from the line. Cool. I can use that to warm up and will not have to get in my car the next morning. I got a decent steak dinner just down the road and headed back to my room early. Strangely, I was tired early and got a good night's sleep before waking just before the alarm.
Weather and course:
In the first week of May in Florida, the concern is usually the heat. Not so this year. I awoke to 48 degrees with cloudy skies and a 20 mph wind. Conditions would improve once the race started. The skies cleared and wind died down, making for pretty favorable conditions. The long run was rained out in Birmingham so this was a good call weather wise.
The course began at Pensacola State College and finished in the entertainment district. It was point to point with a shuttle that took us from the finish to the start. It was net downhill but not so much that it is much of an advantage. It's Florida so as you can guess, the elevation change was not significant. Mile 2 was the hardest. It began with a pretty significant downhill that was followed by a long climb, which merely leveled off. Even with the same elevation change, an uphill followed by a downhill is much easier. There was another mild hill near the end of Mile 5 but this one was followed by a nice downhill that began with about a mile to go. The remainder of the course, including to homestretch, was level or a very gentle incline/decline. It could be a PR course but I was not in shape to run anywhere near my best.
Race:
Congested start. I got behind a couple of slower runners in the first 100 meters, which cost me about 5 seconds. There was no chip time, which probably cost me another 3-4 seconds but it really would not matter at the end. I got to .25 in 1:40 and kept up the increased tempo going slightly downhill through the end of Mile 1, which passed comfortably in 6:28. A little faster than I planned but not so much that it will kill me at the end. Going down the hill early in Mile 2, I hit what I believed to be the end of the 1st quarter just under 10:00. Any thoughts of an official road PR (40:55) were put to rest quickly once I hit the big uphill. Early in Mile 3, it was merely a gentle incline on a road with thick Spanish moss. Most of Mile 3-4 were on a main road and largely residential but we turned to a business section in Mile 5. I made the decision to conserve energy on the hill at the end of Mile 5, which would be my only Mile over 7:00. I ran the next downhill very well but once the course leveled off, I was unable to keep up with my pack. There was only 1 turn in the last half mile and with the finish line in view, it looked like I could break 42:30 and made it comfortably.
Splits:
6:28 (6:28) little fast
6:37 (13:05) uphill hurt
6:49 (19:54) can't recover from hill.
Passed 5K in 20:54 but the official marker may have been a bit long (3.15)
6:59 (26:53) strug-a-ling
7:05 (33:58) will avoid a PW and break 43.
6:52 (40:50) Gonna break 42:30
1:30 (42:20) - last .23. Decent kick on a long straightaway.
Final Thought:
Almost exactly what I expected. I'm in 42 shape right now, maybe a hair under if fully fresh. Steady gradual improvement is the goal and I've felt pretty stable this week. I've needed Thyroid caps before but a single dose made a big difference. That's not happening now. This week, 1 extra pill did not make much of a difference. Another medical post is on the way. As for the race experience, it was a good quality event and can be a PR course with the right ingredients. I may be back next year if I am in top shape and don't have the official sub-40 on the road. Tennessee and Kentucky would be #7 and 8 and both are easy trips. I'll probably do one of these this Fall. There is a downhill race in Pittsburgh that I'd really like to do but I want to be in tip top shape for that even though it is an asterisk course. I'll bet I can find a decent race in ARK or NC that is drivable but I'd still lean toward a mega race in Richmond, VA for #10.
Trip home:
Made a side trip to the Flora-Bama lounge for a mediocre burger overlooking the Gulf. I wanted to take a dip but it was too cold outside (temp in the 60s). The drive back to B'ham also went without a hitch.
Pretty much crap since the middle the March. I made the decision to go at the last minute and did not even pre-register. There has been a massive shift in my body chemistry and I am facing symptoms of slow oxidation. I won't know the cause for another 3 weeks. I was somewhat less than fresh after a hard tempo only 36 hours prior to the gun. Based on my training, I expected to be 25-30 seconds per mile off my PR pace, which would put me in mid 42s, which is still semi-respectable. I really didn't care if I was over 43 because of the prior tempo but if I was much slower than that, I would not have been able to enjoy the experience.
Trip:
Florida is state #6 out of 10 in the 10K department and it was a smooth 4 hour drive to Pensacola. I completely winged it and did not even book a hotel. I knew the roads well because I have spent many happy hours on the Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast. The route was I-65 south down to the Florida border then US-29 into Pensacola. I got into town just after 3 PM and registered but they ran out of shirts. No big deal. I've got too many of them already. Next, I looked for hotels on my Garmin and scored one just about a half mile from the line. Cool. I can use that to warm up and will not have to get in my car the next morning. I got a decent steak dinner just down the road and headed back to my room early. Strangely, I was tired early and got a good night's sleep before waking just before the alarm.
Weather and course:
In the first week of May in Florida, the concern is usually the heat. Not so this year. I awoke to 48 degrees with cloudy skies and a 20 mph wind. Conditions would improve once the race started. The skies cleared and wind died down, making for pretty favorable conditions. The long run was rained out in Birmingham so this was a good call weather wise.
The course began at Pensacola State College and finished in the entertainment district. It was point to point with a shuttle that took us from the finish to the start. It was net downhill but not so much that it is much of an advantage. It's Florida so as you can guess, the elevation change was not significant. Mile 2 was the hardest. It began with a pretty significant downhill that was followed by a long climb, which merely leveled off. Even with the same elevation change, an uphill followed by a downhill is much easier. There was another mild hill near the end of Mile 5 but this one was followed by a nice downhill that began with about a mile to go. The remainder of the course, including to homestretch, was level or a very gentle incline/decline. It could be a PR course but I was not in shape to run anywhere near my best.
Race:
Congested start. I got behind a couple of slower runners in the first 100 meters, which cost me about 5 seconds. There was no chip time, which probably cost me another 3-4 seconds but it really would not matter at the end. I got to .25 in 1:40 and kept up the increased tempo going slightly downhill through the end of Mile 1, which passed comfortably in 6:28. A little faster than I planned but not so much that it will kill me at the end. Going down the hill early in Mile 2, I hit what I believed to be the end of the 1st quarter just under 10:00. Any thoughts of an official road PR (40:55) were put to rest quickly once I hit the big uphill. Early in Mile 3, it was merely a gentle incline on a road with thick Spanish moss. Most of Mile 3-4 were on a main road and largely residential but we turned to a business section in Mile 5. I made the decision to conserve energy on the hill at the end of Mile 5, which would be my only Mile over 7:00. I ran the next downhill very well but once the course leveled off, I was unable to keep up with my pack. There was only 1 turn in the last half mile and with the finish line in view, it looked like I could break 42:30 and made it comfortably.
Splits:
6:28 (6:28) little fast
6:37 (13:05) uphill hurt
6:49 (19:54) can't recover from hill.
Passed 5K in 20:54 but the official marker may have been a bit long (3.15)
6:59 (26:53) strug-a-ling
7:05 (33:58) will avoid a PW and break 43.
6:52 (40:50) Gonna break 42:30
1:30 (42:20) - last .23. Decent kick on a long straightaway.
Final Thought:
Almost exactly what I expected. I'm in 42 shape right now, maybe a hair under if fully fresh. Steady gradual improvement is the goal and I've felt pretty stable this week. I've needed Thyroid caps before but a single dose made a big difference. That's not happening now. This week, 1 extra pill did not make much of a difference. Another medical post is on the way. As for the race experience, it was a good quality event and can be a PR course with the right ingredients. I may be back next year if I am in top shape and don't have the official sub-40 on the road. Tennessee and Kentucky would be #7 and 8 and both are easy trips. I'll probably do one of these this Fall. There is a downhill race in Pittsburgh that I'd really like to do but I want to be in tip top shape for that even though it is an asterisk course. I'll bet I can find a decent race in ARK or NC that is drivable but I'd still lean toward a mega race in Richmond, VA for #10.
Trip home:
Made a side trip to the Flora-Bama lounge for a mediocre burger overlooking the Gulf. I wanted to take a dip but it was too cold outside (temp in the 60s). The drive back to B'ham also went without a hitch.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Training 4/29-5/5 (race week)
4/29- Felt no better this morning if not worse. I have ordered a hair test kit and the modulator supplement (ADHS). In the meantime, I have determined that the fatigue and depression is intolerable so I picked up some raw adrenal glandular and began feeling more energized. This is NOT the long-term answer and I hope to only take it for a week. I have experienced slow oxidation symptoms before but it was related to fructose intolerance and was pre-Fructosin. Today's workout was pretty decent. Fast finish 6 miler on Lakeshore in a time of 43-flat (7:10 pace). Hit 5 in 36:18 then turned it up for a 6:42 finish. This project to about 44:40 for 10K and in a race setting with an even pace, I'm likely mid-high 43 right now. That's pretty bad by my standard but not so awful that I can't enjoy the experience. I'm listed as probable.
Grade:B+/1 credits/distance=6.0
4/30- Terrible interval workout. 400-800-1200-800-400. No speed and no strength. A 6:00 overall pace would be a moderate goal and I was able to do it on Synthroid when I was only in 21:xx shape for 5K. Today's splits were 90-3:08 then I really lost it (4:59-3:19) and had to rally just to do that. I came back to finish with a "Rocket" 88 final quarter. I'm usually under 70. The culprit was the adrenal caps. My worst fear is that I will try all the possible pills and find nothing that works, which is what happened when I hit Stage 3 adrenal fatigue in 2005. I tried some thyroid caps (also stimulatory) expecting to feel worse yet got better. It is possible that the adrenal glandular is okay for me but the synergistic herb is not.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=3.0
5/1- AM- 2 mile quickie indoors in 13:50 with a negative split (7:03-6:47). Felt better than yesterday but had diarrhea for the 2nd straight session. The Florida decision will likely be made tomorrow evening.
PM- Trak Shak 5 in 33:57 (6:47 pace). Hard tempo effort. Held a strong pace for 2 miles and came through the marker in 13:02 but after that point, I was barely under 7 the rest of the way. Perhaps the bad stuff from yesterday hasn't fully cleared. At any rate, I still believe that I should go to Pensacola this weekend. The absolute best that I can hope for is a 6:45 pace (low 42 for 10K) but would not be surprised if I am over 43. MUST go out conservative this time! There is a chance of rain but I do have rain gear and I figure the chance of it being really bad at race time is slim. Not sure what I will run tomorrow. These workouts are NOT tiring me out. I'd be just as fatigued if I was not running.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=7.0
5/2- Indoor 5 and I could not restrain myself. Time is down to 33:26 (6:41 pace). This may hurt me on Saturday but it's just another glorified training session so I really don't care. So, I might run a 43 instead of a 42. So what? I'm gonna suck either way. I upped the Thyroid caps from 1 pill to 2 and did not feel a significant difference. I suppose that is a good sign. More on that later. I'm hoping that I will be able to send out my hair sample tomorrow morning. If it's not in the mail, it will be cut off on Sunday. A bit of foot pain, which is a concern. Saturday will be the last day on the Thyroid caps.
Grade:B+/ 2 credits/distance=5.5
5/3- Planned rest day. I'm coming down to Pensacola for the Fiesta 10K.
5/4- Fiesta 10K in 42:20. Pretty much what I expected. More details to come. Long warm and cool.
Grade:B-/3 credits/distance=7.5
5/5- Easy 7 on the Brookwood-Lakeshore route. I got dropped by the 2nd tier Gnomes but that's okay. Finished in 52:33 (7:30 pace), which was pretty steady from Mile 3 onward. It was not a stroll in the park but I was never uncomfortable. 1st day on the ADHS pills and it appears to be working okay ... for now that is. Clear skies with 50 degree temps this morning. There won't be many days like this over the next few months.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
Weekly summary:
Well, I almost won this week but almost doesn't count. With the exception of the injury-plagued 2010, I have never been under .500 this late in a year. There may be reason for optimism heading forward but I know better than to get my hopes up.
Distance=41.0/ GPA= 29.0/10=2.90
YTD: 675 miles. Record: 8-9 with a 2.71 average.
Grade:B+/1 credits/distance=6.0
4/30- Terrible interval workout. 400-800-1200-800-400. No speed and no strength. A 6:00 overall pace would be a moderate goal and I was able to do it on Synthroid when I was only in 21:xx shape for 5K. Today's splits were 90-3:08 then I really lost it (4:59-3:19) and had to rally just to do that. I came back to finish with a "Rocket" 88 final quarter. I'm usually under 70. The culprit was the adrenal caps. My worst fear is that I will try all the possible pills and find nothing that works, which is what happened when I hit Stage 3 adrenal fatigue in 2005. I tried some thyroid caps (also stimulatory) expecting to feel worse yet got better. It is possible that the adrenal glandular is okay for me but the synergistic herb is not.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=3.0
5/1- AM- 2 mile quickie indoors in 13:50 with a negative split (7:03-6:47). Felt better than yesterday but had diarrhea for the 2nd straight session. The Florida decision will likely be made tomorrow evening.
PM- Trak Shak 5 in 33:57 (6:47 pace). Hard tempo effort. Held a strong pace for 2 miles and came through the marker in 13:02 but after that point, I was barely under 7 the rest of the way. Perhaps the bad stuff from yesterday hasn't fully cleared. At any rate, I still believe that I should go to Pensacola this weekend. The absolute best that I can hope for is a 6:45 pace (low 42 for 10K) but would not be surprised if I am over 43. MUST go out conservative this time! There is a chance of rain but I do have rain gear and I figure the chance of it being really bad at race time is slim. Not sure what I will run tomorrow. These workouts are NOT tiring me out. I'd be just as fatigued if I was not running.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=7.0
5/2- Indoor 5 and I could not restrain myself. Time is down to 33:26 (6:41 pace). This may hurt me on Saturday but it's just another glorified training session so I really don't care. So, I might run a 43 instead of a 42. So what? I'm gonna suck either way. I upped the Thyroid caps from 1 pill to 2 and did not feel a significant difference. I suppose that is a good sign. More on that later. I'm hoping that I will be able to send out my hair sample tomorrow morning. If it's not in the mail, it will be cut off on Sunday. A bit of foot pain, which is a concern. Saturday will be the last day on the Thyroid caps.
Grade:B+/ 2 credits/distance=5.5
5/3- Planned rest day. I'm coming down to Pensacola for the Fiesta 10K.
5/4- Fiesta 10K in 42:20. Pretty much what I expected. More details to come. Long warm and cool.
Grade:B-/3 credits/distance=7.5
5/5- Easy 7 on the Brookwood-Lakeshore route. I got dropped by the 2nd tier Gnomes but that's okay. Finished in 52:33 (7:30 pace), which was pretty steady from Mile 3 onward. It was not a stroll in the park but I was never uncomfortable. 1st day on the ADHS pills and it appears to be working okay ... for now that is. Clear skies with 50 degree temps this morning. There won't be many days like this over the next few months.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
Weekly summary:
Well, I almost won this week but almost doesn't count. With the exception of the injury-plagued 2010, I have never been under .500 this late in a year. There may be reason for optimism heading forward but I know better than to get my hopes up.
Distance=41.0/ GPA= 29.0/10=2.90
YTD: 675 miles. Record: 8-9 with a 2.71 average.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Medical update: Off the Thym-Adren again
EDIT on 5/23/13:
I received the medical report in mid-May and it turned out NOT as expected. The magnesium rose by only 1 tick while the Na and K went through the roof. Needless to say, I am back on the Thym-Adren. I knew the next report would be bad because I was doing so poorly with the training but I expected it to be bad in another way. I now know that my slow oxidation symptoms came as a result of a Vitamin E deficiency. I have found no evidence that Mg contributed to it but if I had taken the magnesium only on an as needed basis, my Na/Mg ratio may have been unchanged or slightly better.
Note:
This is another one mostly for my reference and do not expect most readers to understand. There will be more interesting posts to come.
I can imagine some of my critics saying the following: Okay, this guy got a bad medical report in December then proceeded to run well in January. He got a good medical report in March yet endured another losing streak shortly thereafter. Therefore, a hair test is unreliable. Nonsense! A hair test represents an average of the previous 2-3 months and I had a 7 week winning streak in December-January.
First of all, my last medical report was better but to say that it was "good" is way off base. My adrenal ratio (Na/Mg), though much improved, was still bordering on "severely" overactive. My blood sugar ratio (Ca/Mg) was well into the "severe" category and was becoming more problematic than the adrenal ratio. My body tightened up something awful after taking too much calcium relative to magnesium so it was obvious that I needed to do something different.
Several questions needed to be answered mostly through trial and error. How much additional magnesium was necessary? I determined that answer to be nearly a 1:1 ratio with calcium. What was more of a thorn in my side was the fact that magnesium alone could not be properly absorbed. I needed B-vitamins, specifically B-6 as a catalyst. Do I take B-6 alone? Do I take a B-complex? Do I take it with an amino acid? Does it matter? In my case, it mattered tremendously and the answer was clearly B-6 alone. Moreover, I surmised that once my blood sugar normalized, my fructose intolerance should improve and leave me less dependent on the Fructosin. Like I said before, if I miss a dose here and there, it's no big deal but if go off it or take a reduced dose for more than a week or 2, I am in trouble. It appears that my Ca/Mg ratio does not effect the fructose malabsorption, which I learned the hard way in St. Louis. My pace slipped by more than a minute per mile AFTER I drank the Gatorade in Mile 9. My only objection to taking the Fructosin is the cost (over $50 per month). Combined with mega doses of Thym-Adren, no pay raises since 2010 and increased cost of living, my bank account is slowly losing money. There is no need to panic but I will have to cut my spending elsewhere.
Now, why am I off the Thym-Adren now? Although my adrenal ratio was 3x faster than ideal, my Na level was normal and rapidly trending down. Continued use of Thym-Adren could lower my Na below normal and when you combine that with an increased Mg level, you get SLOW oxidation or under-activity. If that's true, it would make perfect sense that I have been forced off the Thym-Adren. However, being off anything for my adrenals make me feel very uneasy given my history. It is probable that the Na will come up again when I am off the Thym-Adren for a week or 2 and I may settle on a low dose. Another option is a modulator supplement that worked well in the first half of 2011 but eventually stopped working. Would it work now if I take Fructosin and C? Another concern is that I have a history of allergic reactions to B-6. One episode was so bad in terms of heart palpitations that I could actually SEE my heart try to jump out of my chest. Very scary! Once I took the Thym-Adren, I could tolerate B-6 just fine. What do I do about the magnesium if the B-6 allergy re-appears when I am off Thym-Adren? The answer is transdermal magnesium.
I've got another 3 weeks before I am due to send in another hair sample. I may be close to balance. I take great pride in proving people wrong and my full vindication could be just around the corner.
I received the medical report in mid-May and it turned out NOT as expected. The magnesium rose by only 1 tick while the Na and K went through the roof. Needless to say, I am back on the Thym-Adren. I knew the next report would be bad because I was doing so poorly with the training but I expected it to be bad in another way. I now know that my slow oxidation symptoms came as a result of a Vitamin E deficiency. I have found no evidence that Mg contributed to it but if I had taken the magnesium only on an as needed basis, my Na/Mg ratio may have been unchanged or slightly better.
Note:
This is another one mostly for my reference and do not expect most readers to understand. There will be more interesting posts to come.
I can imagine some of my critics saying the following: Okay, this guy got a bad medical report in December then proceeded to run well in January. He got a good medical report in March yet endured another losing streak shortly thereafter. Therefore, a hair test is unreliable. Nonsense! A hair test represents an average of the previous 2-3 months and I had a 7 week winning streak in December-January.
First of all, my last medical report was better but to say that it was "good" is way off base. My adrenal ratio (Na/Mg), though much improved, was still bordering on "severely" overactive. My blood sugar ratio (Ca/Mg) was well into the "severe" category and was becoming more problematic than the adrenal ratio. My body tightened up something awful after taking too much calcium relative to magnesium so it was obvious that I needed to do something different.
Several questions needed to be answered mostly through trial and error. How much additional magnesium was necessary? I determined that answer to be nearly a 1:1 ratio with calcium. What was more of a thorn in my side was the fact that magnesium alone could not be properly absorbed. I needed B-vitamins, specifically B-6 as a catalyst. Do I take B-6 alone? Do I take a B-complex? Do I take it with an amino acid? Does it matter? In my case, it mattered tremendously and the answer was clearly B-6 alone. Moreover, I surmised that once my blood sugar normalized, my fructose intolerance should improve and leave me less dependent on the Fructosin. Like I said before, if I miss a dose here and there, it's no big deal but if go off it or take a reduced dose for more than a week or 2, I am in trouble. It appears that my Ca/Mg ratio does not effect the fructose malabsorption, which I learned the hard way in St. Louis. My pace slipped by more than a minute per mile AFTER I drank the Gatorade in Mile 9. My only objection to taking the Fructosin is the cost (over $50 per month). Combined with mega doses of Thym-Adren, no pay raises since 2010 and increased cost of living, my bank account is slowly losing money. There is no need to panic but I will have to cut my spending elsewhere.
Now, why am I off the Thym-Adren now? Although my adrenal ratio was 3x faster than ideal, my Na level was normal and rapidly trending down. Continued use of Thym-Adren could lower my Na below normal and when you combine that with an increased Mg level, you get SLOW oxidation or under-activity. If that's true, it would make perfect sense that I have been forced off the Thym-Adren. However, being off anything for my adrenals make me feel very uneasy given my history. It is probable that the Na will come up again when I am off the Thym-Adren for a week or 2 and I may settle on a low dose. Another option is a modulator supplement that worked well in the first half of 2011 but eventually stopped working. Would it work now if I take Fructosin and C? Another concern is that I have a history of allergic reactions to B-6. One episode was so bad in terms of heart palpitations that I could actually SEE my heart try to jump out of my chest. Very scary! Once I took the Thym-Adren, I could tolerate B-6 just fine. What do I do about the magnesium if the B-6 allergy re-appears when I am off Thym-Adren? The answer is transdermal magnesium.
I've got another 3 weeks before I am due to send in another hair sample. I may be close to balance. I take great pride in proving people wrong and my full vindication could be just around the corner.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Training 4/22-4/28
4/22- Back in Birmingham and I have good news and bad news today. The good is that it is beginning to feel as if my chemistry is coming in line. The bad is that I am coming down with some type of infection, probably due to the wild temperature swings. Fortunately, it does not appear to be anything more serious than a head cold. My throat is really irritated and swallowing is painful but other than that, I feel pretty decent. Workout was 5 miles on Lakeshore in a solid time of 35:54 (7:11 pace) with pretty even splits. 1st half: 17:54, 2nd half: 18-flat. I may feel worse tomorrow so it's likely no intervals until later in the week. If it was worse than a cold, I would not have run so well today more than 12 hours after symptoms began to appear. 2nd day off the Thym-Adren.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.0
4/23- Hit 20K blog views so once again, thanks to all my readers. Ugly tempo today. 4 miles in 27:20 (6:50 pace) with a massive fade. 1st half: 12:50, 2nd half: 14:30. This was not a surprise because the second day with a cold is usually the worst. The throat irritation is beginning to subside and the runny nose is starting to kick in. Added a mile cool on Wisteria when I got home. Funny story: I'm walking up to my apartment in workout clothes and a man waiting for a bus asked me if I had any cigarettes. I just politely said: "No sir." I may rest tomorrow.
Grade:C/2 credits/distance=5.0
4/24- NIGHTMARE! My worst fears have been realized. Once again, I cannot take B-6. I thought that without it, I might have to go back to the Thym-Adren. I learned the hard way that I do not. As of now, my only option is to take the magnesium without the B-6. In the future, my only options are transdermal magnesium and/or ADHS (modulator supplement). The workout was a junk run. 1 mile warm in 7:56, took half a Thym-Adren and an all out effort yielded a half mile in 4:21 (8:42 pace). Time to get the B-6 out of my system and at least for now, stay off the Thym-Adren. I'm only 10 days out from my next race and it does not look good.
Grade:F/0 credit/distance=1.5
Update: Enzymes such as lactase may help with B-6 intolerance. Worth a try.
4/25- Day 4 with the cold and I remain symptomatic. Primary concerns are chills and a stuffy nose. Not up for anything hard but I showed a lot of improvement over yesterday. Lakeshore 5 in 37:55 (7:35 pace), which is barely within the range. Faded pretty badly at the end too. 1st half: 18:32, 2nd half: 19:27. Tried some B-6 with enzymes when I got home and it has been confirmed that I cannot take it. I hope that it will be out of my system by tomorrow evening or I will have to take a penalty.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=5.5
4/26- DISASTER! B-6 may not have cleared and taking magnesium made things worse. I'm going back to Paramin. Failed the speed session. 1x200 in :58 then quit. Jogged a little to hit 1 mile on the day. Foot is hurting again.
Grade:F/1 credits/distance=1.0
4/27- Run with the slow Gnomes and I could not even hack it with them either. Finished 6 miles on a hilly route in a time of 53:35 (8:56 pace) with Mile 6 over 10:00. BAAAUHD! My new theory is that I have over-reached on the magnesium and it will take time to get to equilibrium.
PM- Indoor 3 in 22:27 (7:29 pace) with a negative split. Last mile in 7:19. Continuing to improve gradually. This takes me up to 9 @ 8:27 on the day, which is still very poor.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=9.0
4/28- Indoor 6 in 44:56 (7:29 pace). I have doubled the distance from yesterday afternoon and maintained the same pace. 1st half: 22:34, 2nd half: 22:22. I was feeling different (in a good way) starting last night so I was actually hoping for a little better. I will take any improvements that I can get. Steady, gradual improvement leads to more stability. I am only taking Paramin and C.
PM- 3 miles at tempo effort in a time of 20:57 (6:59 pace). Even pace with splits of 6:58-7:03-6:56.
A 30 second improvement in pace is something that I will take any day.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=9.0
Weekly summary:
Of course, I am not pleased in any way but I do have some optimism going forward. I am not due for a medical report for another 3 weeks but I really need to know what is going on now. If my theory of over-reaching on the Thym-Adren and magnesium is correct, it may take a few weeks to gradually get back to form but once that happens, there is a chance that it will merely be preventative maintenance from that point. As for the Pensacola 10K next weekend, my gut feeling is to go and treat it as a fun run. I've already missed 2 races due to illness so if I feel good enough to enjoy the experience, I'm going to Florida on Friday for state #6.
Distance= 36.0/ GPA= 17.1/8= 2.14
YTD: 634 miles, Record: 8-8 with a 2.70 GPA.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.0
4/23- Hit 20K blog views so once again, thanks to all my readers. Ugly tempo today. 4 miles in 27:20 (6:50 pace) with a massive fade. 1st half: 12:50, 2nd half: 14:30. This was not a surprise because the second day with a cold is usually the worst. The throat irritation is beginning to subside and the runny nose is starting to kick in. Added a mile cool on Wisteria when I got home. Funny story: I'm walking up to my apartment in workout clothes and a man waiting for a bus asked me if I had any cigarettes. I just politely said: "No sir." I may rest tomorrow.
Grade:C/2 credits/distance=5.0
4/24- NIGHTMARE! My worst fears have been realized. Once again, I cannot take B-6. I thought that without it, I might have to go back to the Thym-Adren. I learned the hard way that I do not. As of now, my only option is to take the magnesium without the B-6. In the future, my only options are transdermal magnesium and/or ADHS (modulator supplement). The workout was a junk run. 1 mile warm in 7:56, took half a Thym-Adren and an all out effort yielded a half mile in 4:21 (8:42 pace). Time to get the B-6 out of my system and at least for now, stay off the Thym-Adren. I'm only 10 days out from my next race and it does not look good.
Grade:F/0 credit/distance=1.5
Update: Enzymes such as lactase may help with B-6 intolerance. Worth a try.
4/25- Day 4 with the cold and I remain symptomatic. Primary concerns are chills and a stuffy nose. Not up for anything hard but I showed a lot of improvement over yesterday. Lakeshore 5 in 37:55 (7:35 pace), which is barely within the range. Faded pretty badly at the end too. 1st half: 18:32, 2nd half: 19:27. Tried some B-6 with enzymes when I got home and it has been confirmed that I cannot take it. I hope that it will be out of my system by tomorrow evening or I will have to take a penalty.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=5.5
4/26- DISASTER! B-6 may not have cleared and taking magnesium made things worse. I'm going back to Paramin. Failed the speed session. 1x200 in :58 then quit. Jogged a little to hit 1 mile on the day. Foot is hurting again.
Grade:F/1 credits/distance=1.0
4/27- Run with the slow Gnomes and I could not even hack it with them either. Finished 6 miles on a hilly route in a time of 53:35 (8:56 pace) with Mile 6 over 10:00. BAAAUHD! My new theory is that I have over-reached on the magnesium and it will take time to get to equilibrium.
PM- Indoor 3 in 22:27 (7:29 pace) with a negative split. Last mile in 7:19. Continuing to improve gradually. This takes me up to 9 @ 8:27 on the day, which is still very poor.
Grade:D+/1 credit/distance=9.0
4/28- Indoor 6 in 44:56 (7:29 pace). I have doubled the distance from yesterday afternoon and maintained the same pace. 1st half: 22:34, 2nd half: 22:22. I was feeling different (in a good way) starting last night so I was actually hoping for a little better. I will take any improvements that I can get. Steady, gradual improvement leads to more stability. I am only taking Paramin and C.
PM- 3 miles at tempo effort in a time of 20:57 (6:59 pace). Even pace with splits of 6:58-7:03-6:56.
A 30 second improvement in pace is something that I will take any day.
Grade:B-/2 credits/distance=9.0
Weekly summary:
Of course, I am not pleased in any way but I do have some optimism going forward. I am not due for a medical report for another 3 weeks but I really need to know what is going on now. If my theory of over-reaching on the Thym-Adren and magnesium is correct, it may take a few weeks to gradually get back to form but once that happens, there is a chance that it will merely be preventative maintenance from that point. As for the Pensacola 10K next weekend, my gut feeling is to go and treat it as a fun run. I've already missed 2 races due to illness so if I feel good enough to enjoy the experience, I'm going to Florida on Friday for state #6.
Distance= 36.0/ GPA= 17.1/8= 2.14
YTD: 634 miles, Record: 8-8 with a 2.70 GPA.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Training 4/14-4/21
4/14- 10 miles in 75:49 (7:35 pace). That's within the range so I will not complain about this one. Route was the regular 9 mile Trak Shak loop plus 1 mile on South Lakeshore. Pace slowed in Mile 4 but from that point on I held it pretty well and stayed in the 7:45ish range the rest of the way. Ran it early in the morning, which proved to be a good call because the weather turned nasty by mid-morning.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=10.0
4/15- I sure hope they catch that SOB that bombed the Boston marathon and I want him executed. In honor of Boston, I ran my standard Lakeshore 6.5 at GMP and finished with a time of 46:50 (7:13 pace). I was out fast with a 10:35 at 1.5 then proceeded to run the last 5 @ exactly 7:15 pace and the splits were even. Thym-Adren dosage is back down to 6 and I am okay with that. Felt pretty good overall. It wasn't a walk in park but it wasn't hard either. I'm pleased with this one and it looks like I may break the losing streak. Half mile cool.
Grade :A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
4/16- Will's speed session. It was 2x1000 at slightly better than 5K pace followed by 4x300 HARD. I like the combination of short and long intervals and like the group as well but these workouts need to be a little more challenging. We only did 2 miles worth of intervals and I'd like to see 3ish. Either 3x1000 or 6-8 300s. I was pleased with my splits. 1000s were 3:44 and 3:43. 300s were 54-54-55-52. R was 1 min. between 300s and :90 between the 1000s but a 5:00 R after the 2nd 1000. Pace was 5:58 on the 1Ks and a strong 4:48 on the 300s. 1 Mile warm and 1 Mile cool.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.0
4/17- Special Pray for Boston run at the Trak Shak. This was rather forgettable on my part. Went out hard but did not have a tempo in me. Backed off after 1.25 but still finished 5 in 35:55 (7:11 pace) in humid conditions. Not a bad run but I felt out of whack and as a test, I took half of an additional Thym-Adren and got worse. I will try to go down to 5 and hope to stay there.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=5.5
4/18- Easy 6 indoors in 44:56 (7:29 pace). Pretty strong and relaxed most of the way in spite of some lingering groin and hamstring pain. Even pace with a slight slow down in the last quarter mile. Dosage continues to trend down. 5 Thym-Adren pills today and it still felt like it was too much. Still not sure why it went up after taking the Fructosin consistently. I really don't want to have to get prolo for the groin/hamstring but if I have to, so be it.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.0
4/19- Planned rest day. I might end up doing a few strides to see how I feel on a lower dosage. I will try to do a quick tempo tomorrow morning before I leave to visit the family.
4/20- 3 mile tempo was all I had time for. Indoor route in a time of 19:39 (6:33 pace). Splits were 6:25-6:37-6:37. Mediocre performance. I was on target for a 5K in just under 20:30, which would be a "solid C" in a race setting. Tempo runs are a little more lenient and I probably would have been mid-high 33s for 5 miles. In another MASSIVE SHIFT in chemistry, I took no Thym-Adren this morning and felt worse after taking a half pill after the run. More details to come. Trip to see the parents. I probably won't have time to run tomorrow and if that's so, I've done just enough to win this week.
Grade:C+/2 credits/distance=3.5
4/21- As expected, I did not have time to run. I needed to sleep in after yesterday's trip. I remain off the Thym-Adren and still feel a bit sluggish.
Weekly summary:
Not very impressive but good enough for a win. I did manage a double digit run, a speed session, a short tempo and 2 GMP runs. Nothing great this week but nothing horrible either.
Distance=36.0/ GPA= 27.5/9= 3.06
YTD: 598 miles. 8-7 with a 2.73 GPA.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=10.0
4/15- I sure hope they catch that SOB that bombed the Boston marathon and I want him executed. In honor of Boston, I ran my standard Lakeshore 6.5 at GMP and finished with a time of 46:50 (7:13 pace). I was out fast with a 10:35 at 1.5 then proceeded to run the last 5 @ exactly 7:15 pace and the splits were even. Thym-Adren dosage is back down to 6 and I am okay with that. Felt pretty good overall. It wasn't a walk in park but it wasn't hard either. I'm pleased with this one and it looks like I may break the losing streak. Half mile cool.
Grade :A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
4/16- Will's speed session. It was 2x1000 at slightly better than 5K pace followed by 4x300 HARD. I like the combination of short and long intervals and like the group as well but these workouts need to be a little more challenging. We only did 2 miles worth of intervals and I'd like to see 3ish. Either 3x1000 or 6-8 300s. I was pleased with my splits. 1000s were 3:44 and 3:43. 300s were 54-54-55-52. R was 1 min. between 300s and :90 between the 1000s but a 5:00 R after the 2nd 1000. Pace was 5:58 on the 1Ks and a strong 4:48 on the 300s. 1 Mile warm and 1 Mile cool.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.0
4/17- Special Pray for Boston run at the Trak Shak. This was rather forgettable on my part. Went out hard but did not have a tempo in me. Backed off after 1.25 but still finished 5 in 35:55 (7:11 pace) in humid conditions. Not a bad run but I felt out of whack and as a test, I took half of an additional Thym-Adren and got worse. I will try to go down to 5 and hope to stay there.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=5.5
4/18- Easy 6 indoors in 44:56 (7:29 pace). Pretty strong and relaxed most of the way in spite of some lingering groin and hamstring pain. Even pace with a slight slow down in the last quarter mile. Dosage continues to trend down. 5 Thym-Adren pills today and it still felt like it was too much. Still not sure why it went up after taking the Fructosin consistently. I really don't want to have to get prolo for the groin/hamstring but if I have to, so be it.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.0
4/19- Planned rest day. I might end up doing a few strides to see how I feel on a lower dosage. I will try to do a quick tempo tomorrow morning before I leave to visit the family.
4/20- 3 mile tempo was all I had time for. Indoor route in a time of 19:39 (6:33 pace). Splits were 6:25-6:37-6:37. Mediocre performance. I was on target for a 5K in just under 20:30, which would be a "solid C" in a race setting. Tempo runs are a little more lenient and I probably would have been mid-high 33s for 5 miles. In another MASSIVE SHIFT in chemistry, I took no Thym-Adren this morning and felt worse after taking a half pill after the run. More details to come. Trip to see the parents. I probably won't have time to run tomorrow and if that's so, I've done just enough to win this week.
Grade:C+/2 credits/distance=3.5
4/21- As expected, I did not have time to run. I needed to sleep in after yesterday's trip. I remain off the Thym-Adren and still feel a bit sluggish.
Weekly summary:
Not very impressive but good enough for a win. I did manage a double digit run, a speed session, a short tempo and 2 GMP runs. Nothing great this week but nothing horrible either.
Distance=36.0/ GPA= 27.5/9= 3.06
YTD: 598 miles. 8-7 with a 2.73 GPA.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
5K in 5 states done/ update on 10K-Half states
A common goal among runners is to complete a marathon in all 50 states. For the serious runner, that goal should take at least a decade to complete and will certainly cost a lot of money. As for me, my travel goals are a bit more modest. I merely want to step foot in all 50 states and have completed the lower 48 but am missing Alaska and Hawaii. As for racing, I have set the following goals:
-Half marathon in 25 states (fulls count)- Missouri was state #17. Projected completion is 2015.
-10 K in 10 states. 5 down- 5 to go. Projected completion is also 2015.
-5K in 5 states. Done. Completed this goal in 2011.
I will list a brief summary of each 5K race plus a listing of states completed in the 10K and Half. If I have raced multiple events, I will only list my fastest time.
West Virginia- 2002- Run For Research in 21:32. Wheeling
This event was run on the Wheeling Jesuit campus to raise money for ALS treatment (Lou Gehrig's disease). It was a pretty fast course with only 2 significant hills. At the time, I was merely a recreational runner in between my first and second running life. I was suffering from Tarsal Tunnel syndrome and hyperthyroidism induced by Synthroid but I was stable chemically. I had not been diagnosed yet but was probably in Stage 2 adrenal fatigue. Despite being limited to only 3 runs per week, I managed a surprisingly decent time and placed in my age group. It was then that I realized that I had some talent after all and if I could get healthy, I would surely do better.
Georgia- 2009- Pound the Pavement for Peter in 20:16. Atlanta
This was another event to raise money for medical research and I was happy to participate. This event is also special to me because it was Nick's first race. I was surprised to see him finish with a time of 26:xx on very limited training. He would progress to a half by the end of the year and a full in the Fall of 2010. As for me, I treated it as a glorified tempo run and was pleased with my performance. Running in no man's land on a very difficult course, I finished 6th overall and 1st in my age group. On level ground in a more competitive race, I was surely good for a sub-20. At that time, I had done it in practice but not in a race setting since my comeback.
Tennessee- 2009- Elvis race in 19:37. Memphis.
This course started and finished just across the street from Graceland but the course was almost all residential and gently rolling throughout. Hills were rarely longer than 200 meters and were not steep but just kept coming one after another. I overcame instability and heat (75 w/80% humidity) in a mid-August race and delivered a very strong performance. It was good for 2nd in my age group too and believed that I could have threatened a PR in optimal conditions. In one of the weirder things that I have done, I turned it into a road trip to the Iowa border to get one step closer to the full 50.
Pennsylvania- 2011- Gatorade Steelers in 19:21. Pittsburgh
A very interesting event that began down by the river and finished on the 50 yard line at Heinz Field (home of the Steelers). It was a flat and fast course with a good competitive field and I got lucky with a good day in the midst of a rough period. I scored a new adult PR and finished 6th in my age group out of more than 100 runners.
Alabama- 2012- Rumpshaker in 19:13. Birmingham
Everyone who reads this blog knows what happened here and why it was so special so I won't rehash it. Unfortunately, I have not had much to celebrate since.
10K:
I have completed all of the Deep South
-South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana.
-Added Florida and Pennsylvania in 2013. Kentucky and Tennessee are easy trips so that leaves only one other fly away. I would lean towards Dallas, TX (Hottest 10K) or Richmond, VA (Monument Ave.)
Half:
I have completed the following states in the following years:
2007- Florida and Tennessee
2008- Illinois and Oregon
2009-Alabama, North Dakota and Louisiana
2010-Georgia and Mississippi
2011-Idaho, Ohio and Arkansas
2012-Texas, Colorado and North Carolina
2013-California, Missouri and West Virginia.
That's 18 in total. I can probably do it with just 2 more fly away races. SC,IN,KY,VA and OK are within 10 hours. If I had to pick 2 fly away states, I'd go with Arizona and Alaska. Detroit Free Press is also on my list and I would like to make some inroads into New England as well. I expect that I will end up around 30 but I promise that I will not try for 50.
-Half marathon in 25 states (fulls count)- Missouri was state #17. Projected completion is 2015.
-10 K in 10 states. 5 down- 5 to go. Projected completion is also 2015.
-5K in 5 states. Done. Completed this goal in 2011.
I will list a brief summary of each 5K race plus a listing of states completed in the 10K and Half. If I have raced multiple events, I will only list my fastest time.
West Virginia- 2002- Run For Research in 21:32. Wheeling
This event was run on the Wheeling Jesuit campus to raise money for ALS treatment (Lou Gehrig's disease). It was a pretty fast course with only 2 significant hills. At the time, I was merely a recreational runner in between my first and second running life. I was suffering from Tarsal Tunnel syndrome and hyperthyroidism induced by Synthroid but I was stable chemically. I had not been diagnosed yet but was probably in Stage 2 adrenal fatigue. Despite being limited to only 3 runs per week, I managed a surprisingly decent time and placed in my age group. It was then that I realized that I had some talent after all and if I could get healthy, I would surely do better.
Georgia- 2009- Pound the Pavement for Peter in 20:16. Atlanta
This was another event to raise money for medical research and I was happy to participate. This event is also special to me because it was Nick's first race. I was surprised to see him finish with a time of 26:xx on very limited training. He would progress to a half by the end of the year and a full in the Fall of 2010. As for me, I treated it as a glorified tempo run and was pleased with my performance. Running in no man's land on a very difficult course, I finished 6th overall and 1st in my age group. On level ground in a more competitive race, I was surely good for a sub-20. At that time, I had done it in practice but not in a race setting since my comeback.
Tennessee- 2009- Elvis race in 19:37. Memphis.
This course started and finished just across the street from Graceland but the course was almost all residential and gently rolling throughout. Hills were rarely longer than 200 meters and were not steep but just kept coming one after another. I overcame instability and heat (75 w/80% humidity) in a mid-August race and delivered a very strong performance. It was good for 2nd in my age group too and believed that I could have threatened a PR in optimal conditions. In one of the weirder things that I have done, I turned it into a road trip to the Iowa border to get one step closer to the full 50.
Pennsylvania- 2011- Gatorade Steelers in 19:21. Pittsburgh
A very interesting event that began down by the river and finished on the 50 yard line at Heinz Field (home of the Steelers). It was a flat and fast course with a good competitive field and I got lucky with a good day in the midst of a rough period. I scored a new adult PR and finished 6th in my age group out of more than 100 runners.
Alabama- 2012- Rumpshaker in 19:13. Birmingham
Everyone who reads this blog knows what happened here and why it was so special so I won't rehash it. Unfortunately, I have not had much to celebrate since.
10K:
I have completed all of the Deep South
-South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana.
-Added Florida and Pennsylvania in 2013. Kentucky and Tennessee are easy trips so that leaves only one other fly away. I would lean towards Dallas, TX (Hottest 10K) or Richmond, VA (Monument Ave.)
Half:
I have completed the following states in the following years:
2007- Florida and Tennessee
2008- Illinois and Oregon
2009-Alabama, North Dakota and Louisiana
2010-Georgia and Mississippi
2011-Idaho, Ohio and Arkansas
2012-Texas, Colorado and North Carolina
2013-California, Missouri and West Virginia.
That's 18 in total. I can probably do it with just 2 more fly away races. SC,IN,KY,VA and OK are within 10 hours. If I had to pick 2 fly away states, I'd go with Arizona and Alaska. Detroit Free Press is also on my list and I would like to make some inroads into New England as well. I expect that I will end up around 30 but I promise that I will not try for 50.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Training 4/8-4/13
4/8- 2 mile junk run on Wisteria. Good call to do a recovery jog instead of a rest day. As usual, the pain in my groin and hamstrings is NOT an injury and it had NOTHING to do with my workouts earlier in the week. It's all about the pills. Time was 16:38 (8:19 pace), which doesn't mean much today but I did feel better as the run progressed. I've seen enough to know that the B-complex won't work either. It will have to be the B-6 alone or transdermal magnesium, which could be difficult to regulate. The darkest hour is just before dawn.
Grade:None/0 credit/distance=2.0
4/9- Easy 5 on Lakeshore in 39:25 (7:53 pace). Very mediocre performance. 1st half was 19:10, 2nd half was 20:15. It was an improvement over yesterday but I should be much better than this 2 days after a half. This would be a "C-" grade today but I'm not going to grade anything this week. I always allow one such week per year.
Distance=5.0
Update: I mentioned before that I am low on Fructosin and aimed to conserve it. I thought I had another box of pills in reserve but it was empty. I had been taking only 1 pill every other day and that proved to be a bad call and likely hurt me in St. Louis. I have ordered it again but it could be another few days before it arrives. I had hoped that my fructose malabsorption disorder would improve as my body became more balanced but that does not appear to be the case. I have only 4 pills left and it could be rough until it arrives. That's why I'm not grading this week. UGH!
Run #2- It has been confirmed that the lack of Fructosin has been hurting me as of late. I had a mixed drink with dinner, which is the worst thing that you can do. As expected, I got much worse. I popped 1 Fructosin pill and guess what? I started feeling better. 2 miles on Wisteria in 15:04 (7:32 pace) and showed some life at the end. That's a big improvement over yesterday.
4/10- AWFUL! Quit just 1.5 miles into the Trak Shak workout with a time of 12:12 (8:08 pace). Just 2 days on the Fructosin has shifted my formula back to where it was before. I ran this on 6 pills and it wasn't enough. Thym-Adren is back up to 8 pills and I need Vitamin C again. Grade would have been an "F" today. I have only 2 pills left and can only hope that my supply will be replenished soon or else I have no hope of a good week next week.
4/11- Unplanned rest day due to a threat of severe weather, which turned out to be nothing major. I can only hope that the Fructosin will arrive tomorrow because I am all out of those pills. Good news is that I am feeling better and hope to do a small test tomorrow morning. If the Fructosin does not arrive, I will only be able to do lame 5-6 milers and must drink only water.
Update:
Fructosin DID arrive in the mail. I may be in the clear for now.
4/12- AM. Failed the test. 1 mile quickie in 6:56 with splits of 3:16/3:40 and hamstring pain.
Update: Taurine and milk thistle taken together are fine but I cannot take either one separately. I took some milk thistle yesterday before the fructosin arrived and it had yet to clear my system then I got worse after another dose. I predict that I will feel better AFTER I drink a Red Bull. Why Red Bull? It's a cheap source of taurine, not something I recommend regularly.
PM- Beautiful day outside. Crystal clear skies with 70 degree temps. Run was terrible again. Felt overstimulated, which I actually prefer to the lethargic symptoms. 2.5 miles on Wisteria in a time of 22:18 (8:55 pace) with splits of 10:30-11:48. Again, this would have been an "F" I have pitched the milk thistle and blew another $21.
Distance=3.5.
4/13- AM. Another lame 2.5 miler on Wisteria but this one was a sizable improvement over the previous evening. Time is down to 19:53 (7:57 pace) with pretty even splits (9:52-10:01) on an uphill 2nd half. I hope to do better in the evening.
PM- Lakeshore 5 in 37:01 (7:24 pace). MUCH better. This one required no more effort than this morning. What did I do in the meantime? Ate a Hardee's burger for lunch with a forbidden drink. It's all about the pills and the milk thistle is clearing out. No cause for celebration because this was a "C" grade. Tempo effort at easy pace. Short warm and cool.
Distance=8.0
Weekly summary:
I'm calling this one early because I likely will not be able to go long next week due to a family commitment. No more freebies for the rest of the year. Grading starts again tomorrow. This would have been my 2nd 4 week losing streak of the year and I'm mad as hell!
Distance= 22.0
Grade:None/0 credit/distance=2.0
4/9- Easy 5 on Lakeshore in 39:25 (7:53 pace). Very mediocre performance. 1st half was 19:10, 2nd half was 20:15. It was an improvement over yesterday but I should be much better than this 2 days after a half. This would be a "C-" grade today but I'm not going to grade anything this week. I always allow one such week per year.
Distance=5.0
Update: I mentioned before that I am low on Fructosin and aimed to conserve it. I thought I had another box of pills in reserve but it was empty. I had been taking only 1 pill every other day and that proved to be a bad call and likely hurt me in St. Louis. I have ordered it again but it could be another few days before it arrives. I had hoped that my fructose malabsorption disorder would improve as my body became more balanced but that does not appear to be the case. I have only 4 pills left and it could be rough until it arrives. That's why I'm not grading this week. UGH!
Run #2- It has been confirmed that the lack of Fructosin has been hurting me as of late. I had a mixed drink with dinner, which is the worst thing that you can do. As expected, I got much worse. I popped 1 Fructosin pill and guess what? I started feeling better. 2 miles on Wisteria in 15:04 (7:32 pace) and showed some life at the end. That's a big improvement over yesterday.
4/10- AWFUL! Quit just 1.5 miles into the Trak Shak workout with a time of 12:12 (8:08 pace). Just 2 days on the Fructosin has shifted my formula back to where it was before. I ran this on 6 pills and it wasn't enough. Thym-Adren is back up to 8 pills and I need Vitamin C again. Grade would have been an "F" today. I have only 2 pills left and can only hope that my supply will be replenished soon or else I have no hope of a good week next week.
4/11- Unplanned rest day due to a threat of severe weather, which turned out to be nothing major. I can only hope that the Fructosin will arrive tomorrow because I am all out of those pills. Good news is that I am feeling better and hope to do a small test tomorrow morning. If the Fructosin does not arrive, I will only be able to do lame 5-6 milers and must drink only water.
Update:
Fructosin DID arrive in the mail. I may be in the clear for now.
4/12- AM. Failed the test. 1 mile quickie in 6:56 with splits of 3:16/3:40 and hamstring pain.
Update: Taurine and milk thistle taken together are fine but I cannot take either one separately. I took some milk thistle yesterday before the fructosin arrived and it had yet to clear my system then I got worse after another dose. I predict that I will feel better AFTER I drink a Red Bull. Why Red Bull? It's a cheap source of taurine, not something I recommend regularly.
PM- Beautiful day outside. Crystal clear skies with 70 degree temps. Run was terrible again. Felt overstimulated, which I actually prefer to the lethargic symptoms. 2.5 miles on Wisteria in a time of 22:18 (8:55 pace) with splits of 10:30-11:48. Again, this would have been an "F" I have pitched the milk thistle and blew another $21.
Distance=3.5.
4/13- AM. Another lame 2.5 miler on Wisteria but this one was a sizable improvement over the previous evening. Time is down to 19:53 (7:57 pace) with pretty even splits (9:52-10:01) on an uphill 2nd half. I hope to do better in the evening.
PM- Lakeshore 5 in 37:01 (7:24 pace). MUCH better. This one required no more effort than this morning. What did I do in the meantime? Ate a Hardee's burger for lunch with a forbidden drink. It's all about the pills and the milk thistle is clearing out. No cause for celebration because this was a "C" grade. Tempo effort at easy pace. Short warm and cool.
Distance=8.0
Weekly summary:
I'm calling this one early because I likely will not be able to go long next week due to a family commitment. No more freebies for the rest of the year. Grading starts again tomorrow. This would have been my 2nd 4 week losing streak of the year and I'm mad as hell!
Distance= 22.0
GO St. Louis training session
Training:
My body is working totally differently after beginning to correct the magnesium deficiency. The Vitamin C had to be cut altogether and the Thym-Adren reduced from 8 pills to 3 pills but there were 2 other questions that needed to be resolved. How much calcium is necessary to prevent flipping to the other extreme? Second, B-vitamins (particuarly B-6) are needed for the cells to absorb the magnesium. Do I take B-6 alone, as part of a B-complex or with an amino acid? I had a decent training week coming in however but I was battling a bit of soreness in the groin and hamstring. Since it is not a PR course and I am not in PR shape, I chose to train through and take only 2 days to taper. I would treat this one as a glorifed training session. Unfortunately, the 2 days off did not reduce the hamstring soreness and I began to get a sense that the amino acid option was not the answer. I confirmed that after the race.
Trip:
I left work early on Friday and took the scenic route up through NW Alabama, a corner of Miss' Sippy and west TN. I stopped for dinner in Corinth, MS and spent the night in Jackson, TN about halfway to St. Louis. On Saturday, it was into Missouri with a stop in Cape Giradeau and I got to the airport to pick up Nick, who flew in from Atlanta, right on time. It was already mid-afternoon when we checked in so there was too little time to do anything except walk to the expo and stop at a Walgreens to pick up some fuel. The cashier asked us if we were racing and jokingly suggested a candy bar for fuel. I asked about some cigarettes instead because we were at the counter. Nick said that he would "disown me as a friend" if I ever did that. On the way home, I went back via the interstate, which took me through Illinois and western KY before picking up I-65 in Nashville. I was on the road until 11 PM but did make it back home in one day.
Course:
Fairly scenic route mostly on city streets with only a small residential portion. It was rolling all the way but for the most part, the hills were long and gradual. I'd rate this one as the 3rd toughest I've done behind Charlotte and Atlanta. I would have preferred more scenery along the river and near the Arch but this was still a quality event with good organization and fans along the way. Miles 1 and 2 were about 50% up and 50% down but Mile 3 was brutal. 4 went back down and 5 was fairly level. There was another tough section after Mile 5 then another small break. Mile 6.0-8.5 is referred to as "Holy Hill" so named for the large number of churches on that street. It was advertised as a gradual hill with less than 1% incline. In reality, it was a series of smaller hills that did include a few breaks and a few steeper sections. If you can get through that, you are in pretty good shape the rest of the way. There are a few ups and downs through Mile 12 but Mile 13 is all downhill before a bit of a rise to the finish line.
Race:
I knew I was off form but part of me had the irrational hope that the race day magic would carry me. I took off at a good pace and felt surprising comfortable through 2 miles, both of which were near 6:50. The last half of Mile 2 was mostly uphill then we turned up a side street for a much steeper section. From here, you could smell the hops and I wanted to quit right then and there and start drinking. I was surprised to see a respectable 7:10 split here but the damage had been done. I used Mile 4 to recover and turned in a split just under 7:00 but I was already in survival mode and basically punted from there. My hamstring and groin were stabbing at me and I just could not extend my stride. Add to that that my breathing was out of whack too. I was still doing a semi-respectable 7:15-7:30 early in Holy Hill but that turned to the upper 7s by the summit. In Mile 9, I stopped for a full cup of Gatorade and water. It was sunny and 60 degrees but that proved to be a bad call. I just could not get started back up again and melted down badly from this point. This time, I did not fight on and merely slow jogged to the finish. Some people walked up hills but I was not gaining much on them. My finish time is not for you to know and I can only hope for better days ahead.
Aftermath:
Nick and I went down to the Arch area and admired it from the outside. It is certainly worth seeing and much more impressive than depicted in pictures. Unfortunately, there was too long of a line to go up and we elected that the Budweiser brewery tour was more important. That was a free 1.5 hour tour with sampling at the end. Very cool and certainly worth seeing. Too bad I felt like total crap and could not properly enjoy it. Finally, we got a mediocre burger for lunch and I dropped him back off at the airport before making the 8 hour drive back. I stopped only once more myself in Paducah, Kentucky and would have to show up for work the next day. State #17 is in the books but it is one that I would like to forget. The next possible ones are an Atlanta 5K in 3 weeks and a Pensacola 10K in 4 weeks.
My body is working totally differently after beginning to correct the magnesium deficiency. The Vitamin C had to be cut altogether and the Thym-Adren reduced from 8 pills to 3 pills but there were 2 other questions that needed to be resolved. How much calcium is necessary to prevent flipping to the other extreme? Second, B-vitamins (particuarly B-6) are needed for the cells to absorb the magnesium. Do I take B-6 alone, as part of a B-complex or with an amino acid? I had a decent training week coming in however but I was battling a bit of soreness in the groin and hamstring. Since it is not a PR course and I am not in PR shape, I chose to train through and take only 2 days to taper. I would treat this one as a glorifed training session. Unfortunately, the 2 days off did not reduce the hamstring soreness and I began to get a sense that the amino acid option was not the answer. I confirmed that after the race.
Trip:
I left work early on Friday and took the scenic route up through NW Alabama, a corner of Miss' Sippy and west TN. I stopped for dinner in Corinth, MS and spent the night in Jackson, TN about halfway to St. Louis. On Saturday, it was into Missouri with a stop in Cape Giradeau and I got to the airport to pick up Nick, who flew in from Atlanta, right on time. It was already mid-afternoon when we checked in so there was too little time to do anything except walk to the expo and stop at a Walgreens to pick up some fuel. The cashier asked us if we were racing and jokingly suggested a candy bar for fuel. I asked about some cigarettes instead because we were at the counter. Nick said that he would "disown me as a friend" if I ever did that. On the way home, I went back via the interstate, which took me through Illinois and western KY before picking up I-65 in Nashville. I was on the road until 11 PM but did make it back home in one day.
Course:
Fairly scenic route mostly on city streets with only a small residential portion. It was rolling all the way but for the most part, the hills were long and gradual. I'd rate this one as the 3rd toughest I've done behind Charlotte and Atlanta. I would have preferred more scenery along the river and near the Arch but this was still a quality event with good organization and fans along the way. Miles 1 and 2 were about 50% up and 50% down but Mile 3 was brutal. 4 went back down and 5 was fairly level. There was another tough section after Mile 5 then another small break. Mile 6.0-8.5 is referred to as "Holy Hill" so named for the large number of churches on that street. It was advertised as a gradual hill with less than 1% incline. In reality, it was a series of smaller hills that did include a few breaks and a few steeper sections. If you can get through that, you are in pretty good shape the rest of the way. There are a few ups and downs through Mile 12 but Mile 13 is all downhill before a bit of a rise to the finish line.
Race:
I knew I was off form but part of me had the irrational hope that the race day magic would carry me. I took off at a good pace and felt surprising comfortable through 2 miles, both of which were near 6:50. The last half of Mile 2 was mostly uphill then we turned up a side street for a much steeper section. From here, you could smell the hops and I wanted to quit right then and there and start drinking. I was surprised to see a respectable 7:10 split here but the damage had been done. I used Mile 4 to recover and turned in a split just under 7:00 but I was already in survival mode and basically punted from there. My hamstring and groin were stabbing at me and I just could not extend my stride. Add to that that my breathing was out of whack too. I was still doing a semi-respectable 7:15-7:30 early in Holy Hill but that turned to the upper 7s by the summit. In Mile 9, I stopped for a full cup of Gatorade and water. It was sunny and 60 degrees but that proved to be a bad call. I just could not get started back up again and melted down badly from this point. This time, I did not fight on and merely slow jogged to the finish. Some people walked up hills but I was not gaining much on them. My finish time is not for you to know and I can only hope for better days ahead.
Aftermath:
Nick and I went down to the Arch area and admired it from the outside. It is certainly worth seeing and much more impressive than depicted in pictures. Unfortunately, there was too long of a line to go up and we elected that the Budweiser brewery tour was more important. That was a free 1.5 hour tour with sampling at the end. Very cool and certainly worth seeing. Too bad I felt like total crap and could not properly enjoy it. Finally, we got a mediocre burger for lunch and I dropped him back off at the airport before making the 8 hour drive back. I stopped only once more myself in Paducah, Kentucky and would have to show up for work the next day. State #17 is in the books but it is one that I would like to forget. The next possible ones are an Atlanta 5K in 3 weeks and a Pensacola 10K in 4 weeks.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Training 4/1-4/7 (race week)
4/1- AM- Start of the 2nd quarter and I forgot to mention that I passed 500 miles on the year yesterday. I got up early and did a quickie this morning just as a small test. Finished 2 miles in 13:56 (6:58 pace) with splits of 7:09-6:47. Effort was moderate up until the last 200. I have cut the Thym-Adren to 4 pills and it still feels like I am taking a little bit too much. Again, going under 3 makes me feel uneasy because the medical report showed adrenal hyper-function that was bordering on severe. That ratio has not been under 15 since 2008, when I was still adrenaline deficient. The ideal is 4.17 but my target range is 6-8. Every time that I have gone off it, I went into hyperdrive.
PM- Lakeshore 6.5 at moderate effort. Time was 47:40 (7:20 pace). Solid workout but once again, I did not feel race sharp. Slight fade towards the end and was working harder than I should have been but I kept it under 7:30 all the way. Pace was on target but this is not an "A" because of the way that I felt. Added a half mile cool.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=9.0
4/2- Will's speed session. 1 mile warm, 5 sets of 200-400, 1 mile cool. Just the type of workout that I was looking for. 200s were all 36-37. 1st 4 400s were 78 or 79 then I burned a 67.7 to close it out. This workout was nothing special until the last 400. If I was in top form, I would have managed 75/35 but in fairness, I haven't done much speed work yet and I should get there by summer. I was very pleased to be well under 70 on the final and out-sprinted a 17:45 5K man. Still, I was usually a good 5+ ticks down on him on the previous 4 and need to stay with him in the future. Solid performance overall. I took only 3 Thym-Adren and it was a good call. My only questionable choice was a Sobe drink that contained more Vitamin C than OJ. More C when I got home made it worse. I am uneasy about not being able to tolerate C and the fact that a single Thym-Adren dose makes such a big difference.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.0
4/3- Another cold and rainy day. Below 50 with a steady rain so I stayed inside for a 5 mile tempo. I performed up to expectations on back to back quality days. Time was 32:54 (6:35 pace). I had to fight hard for the sub-33 and battled back from 10 seconds in the red. 1st half: 16:22, 2nd half: 16:32. Solid but not stellar. Good news is that it appears that I am stable at 3 Thym Adren. I may have to cut Paramin further. I'm running low on Fructosin and must conserve it as long as I can. I will likely run easy tomorrow then take 2 days off. I am not in PR shape and this is not a PR course either so that's why I'm going hard in race week.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=5.5
4/4- Run with Michael on Lakeshore. He said that he wanted to run 7:30 pace but it wound up at 6 miles in 43:15 (7:13 pace) plus a mile cool. Conditions were 50 degrees with wind and light mist. It was raw, man! A bit harder than I planned and I was working towards the end but still pretty strong overall. Last workout before St. Louis.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
4/5- Planned rest day. I'm leaving work early and hope to get about halfway there tonight. I'm aiming for Jackson, TN. I may not be able to post again until after the weekend.
4/6- If I do run anything today, it will be just a few strides. With the work I've done this week, I think a 2nd rest day will be better than a junk run. I need a "B-" or a sub-1:35 for a win this week.
4/7- Finished the GO St. Louis half and that's all I'm saying.
Grade:D-/3 credits/distance=13.5
Weekly summary:
I've lost 7 out of 10 now. No other comments needed.
Distance=39.0/ GPA= 22.3/9= 2.48
YTD: 540 miles, 7-7 with a 2.71 GPA.
PM- Lakeshore 6.5 at moderate effort. Time was 47:40 (7:20 pace). Solid workout but once again, I did not feel race sharp. Slight fade towards the end and was working harder than I should have been but I kept it under 7:30 all the way. Pace was on target but this is not an "A" because of the way that I felt. Added a half mile cool.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=9.0
4/2- Will's speed session. 1 mile warm, 5 sets of 200-400, 1 mile cool. Just the type of workout that I was looking for. 200s were all 36-37. 1st 4 400s were 78 or 79 then I burned a 67.7 to close it out. This workout was nothing special until the last 400. If I was in top form, I would have managed 75/35 but in fairness, I haven't done much speed work yet and I should get there by summer. I was very pleased to be well under 70 on the final and out-sprinted a 17:45 5K man. Still, I was usually a good 5+ ticks down on him on the previous 4 and need to stay with him in the future. Solid performance overall. I took only 3 Thym-Adren and it was a good call. My only questionable choice was a Sobe drink that contained more Vitamin C than OJ. More C when I got home made it worse. I am uneasy about not being able to tolerate C and the fact that a single Thym-Adren dose makes such a big difference.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=4.0
4/3- Another cold and rainy day. Below 50 with a steady rain so I stayed inside for a 5 mile tempo. I performed up to expectations on back to back quality days. Time was 32:54 (6:35 pace). I had to fight hard for the sub-33 and battled back from 10 seconds in the red. 1st half: 16:22, 2nd half: 16:32. Solid but not stellar. Good news is that it appears that I am stable at 3 Thym Adren. I may have to cut Paramin further. I'm running low on Fructosin and must conserve it as long as I can. I will likely run easy tomorrow then take 2 days off. I am not in PR shape and this is not a PR course either so that's why I'm going hard in race week.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=5.5
4/4- Run with Michael on Lakeshore. He said that he wanted to run 7:30 pace but it wound up at 6 miles in 43:15 (7:13 pace) plus a mile cool. Conditions were 50 degrees with wind and light mist. It was raw, man! A bit harder than I planned and I was working towards the end but still pretty strong overall. Last workout before St. Louis.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=7.0
4/5- Planned rest day. I'm leaving work early and hope to get about halfway there tonight. I'm aiming for Jackson, TN. I may not be able to post again until after the weekend.
4/6- If I do run anything today, it will be just a few strides. With the work I've done this week, I think a 2nd rest day will be better than a junk run. I need a "B-" or a sub-1:35 for a win this week.
4/7- Finished the GO St. Louis half and that's all I'm saying.
Grade:D-/3 credits/distance=13.5
Weekly summary:
I've lost 7 out of 10 now. No other comments needed.
Distance=39.0/ GPA= 22.3/9= 2.48
YTD: 540 miles, 7-7 with a 2.71 GPA.
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