Tampa/Bradenton Trip Report

 A trip with my Mom.  This was the weekend of my Dad's would be birthday.  Mom really needed this and so did I.  

5/22- Worked a full day then drove to Atlanta.  I took my time due to a flight delay but arrived about 20 minutes before Mom landed.  I booked a hotel connected to the airport and just took the sky train to baggage claim, where I met Mom right on time.  We went to the lounge for a drink then hit the sack.

5/23- 10 AM flight and a 45 minute line at security but we had plenty of time.  I am not a fan of Frontier Airlines but this was the only flight with a reasonable arrival time.  It looks like a great deal but because of the outrageous bag fees, it's really not.  They said that they would hold the plane for 20 minutes to accommodate passengers who were delayed on a prior flight.  That turned into more than an hour.  

Lunch was fast food at the airport then we got the rental car and did not arrive at the hotel in Clearwater until after 3.  I took a dip then we got some delicious Grouper at a restaurant on the beach.  We then saw a beautiful sunset over the water then went out for a drink.  

I didn't bring my board because the surf forecast showed 0-1 foot waves all week.  Bad call there.  Surf was surprisingly decent and better than expected.  3 out of 4 sessions had rideable waves.  I still enjoyed it even if I was only body surfing.

  As far as the weather, it turned out pretty good.  We are right at the transition between the dry season and the rainy season.  That means a guaranteed high temperature in the low 90s but a risk of scattered storms in the afternoon and evening.  We got some thunder but no significant rainfall.  Water temp was about 82.  Just about perfect.  

5/24- Morning beach session then checked out and attended church.  From Clearwater, it was a little over an hour south to Bradenton.  Our first stop was Pirates City, the Spring Training site of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  There was no museum but we did get to tour their practice fields and took a walk around the bases.  

From Bradenton, it was about 20 minutes to Anna Maria Island, specifically Holmes Beach.  We chose to stay inland because beach hotels are outrageously expensive ($600+ per night).  Parking can be hard to come by but because we arrived late, it wasn't too hard.  Dinner was nice but the beach session was cut short due to a threat of storms that never came.  

5/25- Another 30 minutes south to Siesta Key.  Despite a 9:30 arrival, parking was a nightmare.  Fortunately, we got lucky at a small public lot with no bathroom.  We had to sneak in a hotel but it was a success.  This was the most beautiful beach with the best surf.  It is often ranked as the number 1 beach in the country and I can see why.  

From Siesta Key, it was about an hour and 15 minutes north to Tampa.  We spent about an hour touring the Aquarium then checked into our hotel in Ybor City.  This is the party section of Tampa.  I just wanted to check it out.  Dinner was a steak at a Spanish restaurant then I went out for an uneventful drink at the bar.  Nevertheless, I found Ybor City to be interesting and worth a visit.  

5/26- Uneventful.  Smooth ride to the Tampa airport.  On time flight to Atlanta and the drive back to Birmingham wasn't too bad.  

Glutamine Issues Again

 5/18- NOT A V-SHAPED RECOVERY!  ANOTHER COLLAPSE.  Quit after just a half mile with a pace over 12.  In bed by 7:00 and slept the next 10 hours.  Any way out of this vicious cycle of slow climbs out of the pit followed by another collapse?  Don't try any new pills and if I get a reaction, DON'T TOUCH ENERGY DRINKS to be functional at work.  Take a sick day if necessary.

Distance-0.5

5/19- As expected.  Slow climb out of the pit.  Did 1.5 miles in 16:25 (10:57 pace).  The strong negative split (8:25-8:00) suggests better days ahead.  No cause for celebration.

Distance-1.5

My need for Glutamine increased this week then I became completely intolerant.  I have no words.

Training 5/11-5/17

 5/11- 1 Mile in 11:48.  Believe it or not, this was better than my feeble attempt last weekend.  Splits were 6:02-5:46, which suggests better days ahead.

Distance-1.0

5/12- Extra sleep with vivid dreams last night.  Hoped to run 2 miles but cut it short at 1.5 in a time of 15:29 (10:19 pace).  Splits were 7:49-7:40.  Very over-stimulated but a LOT BETTER than yesterday.  I will stick with the current formula and won't mess with any other pills.

Distance-1.5

5/13- More vivid dreams and this time, it was a nightmare.  Showed progress in the workout.  2 miles in 19:44 (9:52 pace) with splits of 9:55-9:49.  I'll take it.  Still awfully over-stimulated and I need to temporarily increase my dosage.

Distance-2.0

5/14- COLLAPSE!  Quit after just a half mile at a pace well over 11.  Lack of methylation was the culprit.  I am not surprised or disappointed by this development.  I had to try to go without it.  Turns out that I need it occasionally just like the Malic Acid.  I can go 5-7 days without it but no more.  

Felt better after taking the Methyl Folate but it was not an instant fix.  Had to pee several times within just an hour, which could be a sign of detox.  I'll be better tomorrow.

Distance-0.5

5/15- 2 miles in 19:28 (9:44 pace).  A 1 day blip with a V-shaped recovery?  I can deal with that.  What really pisses me off is a collapse followed by a gradual recovery then another collapse then repeat In this case, I am back to where I was on Wednesday plus a tad more.  

Felt about the same as usual.  Decent leg power but easily winded.  Blood donation may ease the adrenal spike and I may consider it down the road but I am DONE messing with the pills.  I'm sticking with this formula for better or worse.

Distance-2.0

5/16- Not overstimulated at all this morning.  Instead, I was sluggish and lethargic.  Attempted 3 miles and had to quit at 1.5 in 15:08 (10:05 pace)  Passed the 1 Mile mark in 9:30 then had nothing left after that.  Next half mile was over 11 pace. 

 Culprit is either lack of NAC or B-6.  I thought B6 would be tolerated with better Cal/Mag balance but I'm not ready for it yet.  B6 is part of my methylation support but should not be needed.

NAC was not a factor and neither was B-12.  The culprit was B-6.  Thought it would be tolerated as part of the methylation support but it's not.  Good news is that it's water soluble and should clear quickly.  Simply peeing brought my interval time down from 2:02-1:53.  3 Paramin lowered it to 1:37 (9:42 pace).  Is it tolerated if I take mega Paramin?  Probably not, but it may get me there faster.  I'm not taking it until further notice.  I'm hoping for another V-shaped recovery but I have a feeling that it will be a slow climb out of this pit.

Distance-2.0

5/17- Back to over-stimulation.  I think the B6 has cleared.  2 miles in 21:16 (10:38 pace).  Splits were 10:43-10:33.  Not a V-shaped recovery but not as bad as expected.  I should be back to Friday's pace in another day or so.  

Distance-2.0

11 miles on the week.

Training 5/4-5/10

 If I had to guess, the ingredient in the tanning gummies that I cannot tolerate is beta carotene because it produces too much Vitamin A.  Last weekend, I tried low dose Glutamine and neither it nor Thym Adren was tolerated after taking the last of the gummies on Friday.  Is there a way to get the Vitamin A out faster?  Maybe.  The antidote is Vitamin D-3.  That's plain D-3 without Calcium or Magnesium.

5/4- Hated interval tests.

Opener-98

2 Thym Adren-80

Vitamin D-3 -92

Glutamine-68

Distance-0.5

Wow!  How do I process this?  After 36 hours off Glutamine, Thym Adren was needed again.  That was expected.  Though I felt worse on D, it did the job.  It depleted the excess A that I suspect was the source of my recent ills and triggered the need for Glutamine.  After taking that, I was a LOT BETTER.

Do I stay on the D long-term?  I don't know.  Even if the tanning gummies are tolerable on D, I'm still not taking them.  I may be open to plain Astaxanthin down the road.

  I have one off the wall theory:  Accutane flooded my system with toxic doses of Vitamin A, which may never have fully cleared.   Could D be the antidote?  I'm willing to try it.  Worst case is that it doesn't work and I endure a few horrible days.

5/5- Opener in a poor 1:45 (10:30 pace).  Hit the track in Vestavia for the real workout.  Clocked an 8:56 in the Mile, which is about what I expected. Added a 1 lap cool on the outside lane.

Very little running in the last 4 weeks and no Thym Adren for the past few days will take a toll.  Extra D didn't make much difference. Popped an extra pill at the halfway point.  Back half was marginally faster (4:30-4:26) but didn't feel any difference.  I will probably finish the bottle and be done with it unless something dramatic happens tomorrow.  Good news is that both Thym Adren and Glutamine are tolerated again.

Distance-1.5

5/6- Opened with a 1:41, which was a modest improvement over yesterday.  Popped 2 D-3 pills and got WORSE (1:58).  This time, Glutamine didn't help.  Neither did Thym Adren.  I will pitch the D but this was a risk that I was willing to take.

PM- Thought I could handle D if I took it with Paramin.  I thought wrong!  If this was going to happen, I am glad it happened now.  Not after 2 weeks of tolerance!  I am back to the starting line.

Distance-0.5

5/7- Lakeshore 1.5 in 17:31 (11:41 pace).  This was about what I expected as the D hasn't fully cleared.  Best guess is that it works similarly to stand alone Cal by depleting Potassium.  I think I'm on the right path now.  Negative split (8:53-8:38) suggests better days ahead.

Distance-1.5

5/8- 2 miles in 21:47 (10:53 pace).  Satisfactory.  Significant improvement over yesterday but was hoping for a little better.  Even pace with a little bit of a push at the end.  Splits were 10:56-10:51.  Very sore and short of breath, which is a double whammy.  

Distance-2.0

5/9- Crashed again.  Taurine is likely the culprit and it cannot be taken with Glutamine 

Distance-1.0

Tanning Gummies Review

 I've always been able to get and maintain a pretty good tan.  I was once told that blond guys with southern accents are sexy especially with tanned skin and white teeth.  It's mostly natural though I do spend a good amount of time at the beach and my condo pool.  I've never used tanning machines though I might try it in moderation down the road.  

I have tried Nu Skin's tanning gel and have mixed reviews.  It gives you a nice bronze glow but you've got to be careful with it.  Don't overdo it or it looks unnatural and be careful too.  It can burn if it gets in your eyes and you need to wash it off before exercising.  If you wipe your sweaty face with a shirt, it could be ruined.  

Tanning gummies contain ingredients such as Astaxanthin (spelling?), beta carotene and Lycopene to support natural melanin production.  Given my history of inexplicable reactions, I was hesitant but decided to give it a shot after seeing lots of ads and research that showed it could benefit gut health and balance the oxidation rate.

I went with Savanna Skin.  The first few days, it was a nothing burger.  No immediate effect on my skin tone but the ingredients seemed to be tolerated.  I was actually marginally faster on my interval tests after taking it.  That's to be expected.  Within 2-4 weeks, you should see subtle changes but it takes more like 6-8 weeks for the full effects to kick in.  

After maybe 10-14 days, I began to have BIG trouble with Glutamine, one of the key pills for my gut health.  Energy was totally sapped and my knees were killing me too.  It took me a few days to realize that the tanning gummies and other Sulfur containing amino acids such as NAC were also a problem.  

After 2 days off the gummies, I tried Glutamine again and still couldn't tolerate it.  I tried the gummies again and had an immediate negative response.  4 days later, I tried Glutamine again and actually improved.  By this time, I had a pretty good notion that the gummies were the culprit.  I took one gummy and once again, my muscles tightened up immediately and extra Glutamine made things worse.

Verdict:

There is some ingredient in the gummies that triggered an intolerance to Glutamine, one of my key pills.  Eventually, it will clear and Glutamine will be needed again.  It might be good for some people but it's CLEARLY NOT FOR ME.  Maybe a different product could be tolerated but I won't mess with it at least until Winter.

  Any change in my skin tone?  Maybe a subtle darkening on my face and forearms but that's probably because I went to the beach for 2 days.  I saw little to no change on my legs and upper arms.  

Glutamine Intolerance

 I've done little to no running in the last 3 weeks partly due to travel but mostly due to the Glutamine Intolerance.  I didn't just have the usual fatigue and abnormal sore muscles.  My knees were killing me.  It got so bad that I couldn't run at all but never really thought that I was injured.  

It took several days to find the culprit but it was most definitely Glutamine.  Not very long ago, I could not function without it and endured a horrible day because I did NOT take it.  Needless to say, I am pissed off!  

Also, I began having problems with tanning gummies, which like Glutamine can be beneficial for gut health.  I thought perhaps I overshot the balance and might still need it at low doses.  I took one pill at night in Savannah after laying off both the Glutamine and tanning gummies for a few days.  I didn't get an immediate negative response but I felt it the next morning.  I got home and tried 2 tanning gummies.  Immediate bad reaction.  Also, Thym Adren makes things worse when Glutamine is in my system but I need it again when it clears.

Source of the problem:

Most probably the CBS mutation.  A bad reaction to NAC confirmed this.  Anything that contains Sulfur is bad.  I am unclear if the tanning gummies have anything to do with the CBS mutation but I'm not taking anything that causes a reaction.  

Plan of Attack:

All I can do for now is to lay off the Glutamine.  Maybe the intolerance will fade in time.  Perhaps Yucca or other specific CBS treatments will allow tolerance again.

Savannah Road Trip Report

 Of the 3 trips I've taken with Cynthia, this was probably my favorite.  

4/25- It's slightly less than 6 hours driving time from Birmingham but figure with stops and the time change, it's a pretty long haul.  It was a smooth ride into town with relatively light traffic even in Atlanta.  We arrived by mid-afternoon and chilled at the hotel pool before dinner.  

Dinner was seafood and we took a stroll down River Street, browsed some shops.  Savannah is an open alcohol city, at least in the entertainment district, so I got a strawberry Pina colada for the walk.  

 

4/26-

Breakfast at the hotel then attended church together.  After lunch, we got on a trolley tour and made stops at a cathedral and Forsyth Park.  Dinner was pizza then we did a Ghost tour at night.  A lot of paranormal activity has been reported in Savannah.

4/27- An unexpected cold front hit overnight.  It was supposed to be sunny and 75 today with decent surf.  Instead, it was cloudy and 65.  With the wind, it felt even cooler.  I took a brisk walk in the morning, then we went to Bonaventure Cemetery then Wormsloe Plantation.  Both were beautiful.  We were hoping that the weather would clear by the afternoon but it never did.  We still went to Tybee Island.

With a water temperature of 71, it was actually more comfortable in the surf than on the beach.  I caught a few good rides on the board.  Back to Savannah for dinner, where we met a real nice couple from Michigan.  

4/28- Morning beach session this time across the South Carolina border at Hilton Head.  Not much surf today but still an enjoyable experience.  My parents did take me on vacation there and I still recognized some of the landmarks.  The drive home was not fun.  We hit Atlanta traffic and a bad storm approaching Birmingham.  Still, with the time change, we got home at a decent hour.