Philadelphia/Watkins Glen Trip

 4/17-

My primary purpose was the Phillies vs Braves game this evening.  No issues on the direct flight from Birmingham.  In fact, there was virtually no line at security.  Lodging was a bit of a conundrum.  The stadium is located in South Philly.  If I didn't plan to leave town, I probably would have stayed in Center City and took the subway.  However, with a car, I opted to stay in South Philly.  It saved money on parking and allowed an easy exit out of town but I did have to do a lot of walking.  I was a little worried about a 1 Mile walk at night after the game but I didn't feel unsafe.  The skyline view from my room was worth it!

I took the subway up to the art museum to see the Rocky steps and statue.  I don't care that he's fictional.  Rocky Balboa is one of my heroes.  Next stop was the Reading Terminal Market for lunch.  I got some fried chicken and it was mid.  I took a stroll down Market Street with a stop outside of Independence Hall.  I've been there before but it's still cool to see it again especially in America's 250th year.  I was not yet born in 1976 and probably won't make it to 2076.  This time, I finally got a selfie at the Liberty Bell.  During COVID, I had to wear a mask.  LOL!  

I took the subway back to the hotel then had a little bit of down time before the game.  I believe this is the 10th straight game that I have seen a loss by the home team but this time, I was rooting for Atlanta so I went back happy.  The ballpark was well above average.  Definitely top 10, maybe top 5.  I have hit the 80 percent mark with 24/30 complete.  

 

4/18-

Left Philly.  I tried to take a toll free route but gave up when it took me through some depressed areas.  At any rate, it was roughly 4.5 hours to my destination of Watkins Glen, New York and it's a scenic ride through the Pocono Mountains.  I had not seen much of Eastern PA or Upstate NY before this trip.  My plan was to get to New York ASAP and save the Pennsylvania hikes for tomorrow.  That proved to be a bad call.  

Watkins Glen State Park was nice and so was  nearby Seneca Lake and roadside waterfalls.  I also caught a glimpse of the NASCAR track.  However, I was finished touring by 4:00 and had some downtime.  I could have made a couple stops in PA and finished before dark.  I had dinner on the lake.  The food was mid again but I had a real nice chat with the bartender (Angela).

4/19- 

A cold front swept through overnight.  I awoke to 40 degrees temps with light-moderate rain.  I couldn't stand to be outside for long so I had to skip the hiking.  It was still a scenic ride nonetheless through the Poconos.  I had a 4 hour wait until my flight home 

Training 4/13-4/26

 I'll have to write this first week off as a loss.  

4/13- Opener in 96.  Real workout was 1.5 miles in 16:21 (10:54 pace).  Added a 1/3 mile cool that might as well have been a walk.  Didn't expect to set the world on fire today but certainly expected better than this.  Culprit identified this evening.  Wait for it: Stand alone Cal.  That's right.  The very stuff that mitigated the ill- effects of B6.  PISSED!!

Distance-2.0

4/14- Forced rest day.  Confirmation dose made it worse.  Needed caffeine to be functional at work and now I will face withdrawal.

4/15AM- Opener in 1:42 but did a little better in the real workout.  1 Mile in 9:39 plus a cool.  May try for more this evening.

PM- 1.5 miles in 13:54 (9:16 pace).  Under the Mendoza line but I don't think I can hold it.  Decent leg power but easily winded.  Splits were 6:53-7:01 but I didn't slow down much after the first half mile.

Distance-3.0

4/16- Opened with a 96 and closed with an 80.  Better numbers than yesterday but something didn't feel right.  Got worse as I approached Lakeshore and had NOTHING!

Culprit was lack of Malic Acid.  I may not need methylation anymore but I can't get away with more than 5-7 days without this stuff.  Stupid on my part.  Got home and clocked a 69 despite sore muscles.  I'll see if I can quit methylation but I really should have known that I still need Malic Acid.

Distance-1.0

Training 4/6-4/12

 4/6- Did an opener in 87 (8:42 pace), which is a significant improvement over yesterday (93).  MINUS 36.  No closer but I'm betting that the gap is SLOWLY closing.  Figure probably around 70.

Hoped for a similar gain in the real workout but it didn't quite happen.  2 miles in 17:50 (8:55 pace) plus a short cool.  Almost exactly the same pace as yesterday but did tack on another 33 percent more distance.  If I maintained the same pace on an 8 miler as I did on a 6, I'd call that significant progress.  I'll take it.

Distance-2.5

4/7- BAD!  Aimed for 3 miles at a slower pace and succeeded only with the latter.  1 Mile in 10:55 with splits of 5:01-5:54.  Power cut off completely at 0.6 and just slow jogged it in.  Culprit is likely lack of methylation.  Though I am less dependent on those suckers, I still need occasional support.

PM- Took the afternoon off after finding the culprit.  It was NOT lack of methylation but rather stand alone B12.  Too much of a stimulant.   Confirmation dose made it worse so I expect to struggle again tomorrow.

Distance-1.0

4/8- 3x half lap at Montreat.  

Opened with a 1:51 (11:06 pace)

Zinc- 1:50 (11:00 pace)

Cal-1:47 (10:42 pace)

Zinc was insignificant and I may not even need it anymore.  Stand alone Cal was borderline.  I'll probably stick to Paramin.  

Ridiculous that just 2 doses of B12 threw me off THIS MUCH.  It's like all of last week's gains were wiped out and it probably won't be until early next week that I am back to where I was on Monday.

Distance-0.5

4/9- PISSED OFF!  On the full dose, 1 Mile in 11:46 (5:59-5:47) so at least I did run a negative split.  

Hit rock bottom last night and began feeling better by late morning but it will take a few more days until I even get back to the Mendoza line.  Then, if my history is any indication, something else will pop up next week.  

Questions: Do I even need Zinc?  What about methylation?  If I am to take it, B-Vitamins may need to be avoided for now.  

PM- Able to squeeze in another Mile this time at Montreat.  About 30 hours clean and my time is down to 10:16.  MINUS 90 from the morning.  I'll take it.

Distance-2.0

4/10- Opener in 1:45 (10:30 pace).  Better than 2 days ago but that's still BAAAUHD!  Popped 2 Zinc and improved to 1:36 (9:36 pace).  Significant gain and that's about what I expected on the opener today.  I can get away with an occasional missed dose but yes, I still need Zinc.  That answers the first question from yesterday.  

Moment of truth came with the B-complex.  It does contain B-12 but not a mega dose.  Gain from Zinc was wiped out.  Slipped to 1:46 (10:36 pace).  Not a killer but significantly weakened.  I may not fully recover until next week but that was a price that I was willing to pay to get an answer.  Plan to test the methylation this evening.

PM- Mostly good news.  After taking the usual Thym Adren, I was down to 86.3 with my opener.  Again, 20 seconds faster than after the B-complex so the gap remains constant.  Not thrilled about that. 

 Good news is that the Methyl Folate is tolerated.  In fact, I was marginally better at 84.8.  I was afraid of my reaction to Intrinsic Factor plus B12.  Again, I was marginally better at 84.3.  I will only take the methylation occasionally.  

Apparently, the B12 in this supplement isn't strong enough to hurt me.  I just need to avoid the B-complex and mega doses of B12.  There may be a specific B-Vitamin that is the problem (maybe B-6). This can flare up with a low Cal/Mag ratio.

Distance-1.0

4/11- Culprit is definitely B-6.  This has been known to flare up when my Cal/Mag ratio is low.  I will stay on Paramin but add some stand alone Cal and cut out the stand alone Mag. Did 1 Mile worth of intervals to confirm it.  Cal was a game changer today.  

Distance-1.0

4/12- Hoping that with Zinc and stand alone Cal, I may not be as dependent on the Thym Adren.  Ran a strong opener (83) but had NOTHING in the real workout.  Too much Thym Adren or caffeine withdrawal?

Distance-1.0

Measley 9 miles this week 

-118 on the year

Training 3/30-4/5

 3/30- Became completely intolerant to alcohol and caffeine last weekend though non-caffeinated sugared drinks appeared to be okay.  I was awful yesterday but somewhat better this morning.  Did 2 intervals.  1:40 without pills and 1:25 on the full dose plus a cool.  

Expected continued improvement through the day but I was noticeably worse by the afternoon.  I thought it might be lack of Glutamine.  I simply cut the dosage.  I didn't quit those pills.  Picked up a new bottle at the store and it was half mile intervals.  Opened with a 5:30.  Improved to 5:08 on 1 pill then 4:44 on 2.  Alcohol appears to be tolerated and I bet caffeine is too but I will still steer clear.

Distance-2.0

3/31- 2x400 at Vestavia.  Opened with a very poor 2:22.  Drank a small can of Red Bull and actually improved significantly to a 2:09.  Hmm.  Red Bull is not the answer but why did I improve?  Maybe I wasn't warmed up the first time.  1 lap cool then returned to Montreat.

Did a 74 interval, popped 2 extra Thym Adren and improved to 67.  Again, that's enough to be considered significant.  At least the caffeine intolerance is gone but I may face withdrawal tomorrow.  Odds are the adrenals have spiked and it will take time and lots of pills to get closer to balance.  The pills won't work unless the gut is healthy.  Probiotics and Glutamine are essential.

PM- Began feeling worse at lunchtime.  Went home and popped Zinc and Paramin, which I forgot to take last night.  Zinc did nothing but Paramin did.  It is also a critical need.  Not pleased but at least it's treatable.

Distance-1.0

4/1- 1 Mile in 11:00 and was fading fast.  Once again, I felt noticeable improvement AFTER caffeine though I didn't actually test it out today.  What I think is happening:  I am getting a temporary boost from caffeine but when it wears off, it's ugly.  It seems like the withdrawal peaks around 12 hours rather than 24-48.  Hmm.

Distance-1.0

4/2- Caffeine wore off in about 6 hours and the morning was ugly.  Did an opener in 1:55 (11:30 pace) and actually was expecting worse.  Afternoon was only slightly better.  Did 1 Mile in 9:45, which is a lot better than yesterday but I was heavy and easily winded.  Tacked on another 1/3 mile as a cool down.  Passed 24 hours off caffeine and I don't think I am melting down.

Distance-1.5

4/3- Lakeshore 2.5 in 23:48 (9:33 pace).  Solid improvement over yesterday but still sore and easily winded.  Decent pacing (11:49-11:59).  Under the Mendoza line and pretty sure I can hold on for a sub 30 5K 

Distance-2.5

4/4- Lakeshore 5.  Last week, I only managed a 54:46.  Today, my time is down to 52:21 (10:28 pace).  Nice improvement but still a LONG WAY TO GO!  Slow start the first quarter mile but found a nice groove through the first half.  Noticeably poorer after the turnaround however.  Splits were 25:30-26:51.

Distance-5.0

4/5- Opened with a 93 (9:18 pace) then improved to 74 (7:24 pace) with pills.  Opener was much better than last time but that's still a big gap and that pace was not sustainable.  Nearly 2 minute gap. 

 Real workout was 1.5 at Crestline.  Dexter loop.  Finished in 13:24 (8:56 pace).  Splits were 6:36-6:48 but the back half is tougher.  Added a short cool to make it legit distance.  Surprisingly decent and better than expected after yesterday.

Distance-2.0

15 miles for the 2nd straight week.  I'll shoot for 18-20 next week.

Nashville Trip Report

 

I know this city well but it's been 5 years since my last visit.  Cynthia hasn't been here since she was a child.  It was a good fit for this time of year.  Only one afternoon was a little on the warm side but the weather was good overall.

3/20-

Left work after lunch and was on the road by 1:30.  Traffic was a little rough but we made it by dinner.  There was a little bit of a SNAFU with the check in but it was no big deal.  We stuck to the hotel lounge for dinner then went out for drinks.  

Our first stop was a quieter bar that was off Broadway, which I actually prefer.  I don't like a total zoo scene that is loud and not conducive to conversation.  We connected with a couple from Toronto because I visited there in the summer of 24.  We then browsed a souvenir shop on Broadway and then hit Alan Jackson's bar.  That was a lot of fun because the band played a lot of my favorite songs.  We tried Hank Jr's next but found it too crowded.  We took a walk to the bridge then called it a night.  

3/21- Slept in a bit then had breakfast at the hotel where we met a really nice woman from California.  First stop was the Country Music HOF.  I did the tour the last time I was here but it was worth seeing again.  Exhibits were different this time around and I suppose they do a rotation.  

Next up was the Johnny Cash museum.  I'd wanted to see that many times but never made it.  It was smaller than expected but still worth it 

Lunch was a decent BBQ rib plate.  Cynthia needed a nap so I went out to the Capitol and Bicentennial Park.  The walk there was tough even for me.

  

I would have liked to have toured the Ryman Auditorium but the pool and hot tub was a good call as well.  We met a fun group of people from North Florida.  Broadway tonight was a total zoo scene and not a lot of fun.  Instead, we got mini bottles of Tangueray from the liquor store to pay tribute to my grandfather for his would be 106th birthday.  

3/22- Up with the sun.  Attended church together then checked out.  Unfortunately, the Parthenon was closed but it was still cool to see from the outside.  From there, we visited a few places of significance for Cynthia then headed back south to Birmingham.  

Successful trip and I think we are ready for a fly away this summer.