Enough with Corona

My Maine/New Hampshire trip is most probably OFF due to corona.  I’ve had ENOUGH of this!  What started out as a 2-4 week lockdown to “flatten the curve” and prevent overwhelming the health care system has dragged on into its 5^th month with no end in sight.  In Maine, any visitor who is not a resident of a New England state must self-quarantine for 14 days or provide proof of a negative test that is less than 3 days old.  Essentially, I’d have to get tested 3 days out and run the risk of a false positive, then leave the day that I get the result.  I may be required to present proof of the negative test to get a hotel room with an Alabama ID.  If I get pulled over with a rental car, I could really be in trouble if disobey.  That leaves South Dakota as the only chance to pick up a new state for the rest of the year.   

The mask requirement in a grocery store, airplane or even a shopping mall is understandable.  A convenience store when it’s just myself and the clerk, who is behind plexiglass? Not so much.   At Domino’s Pizza, you have to pay by credit card over the phone.  The employee brings the pizza out, puts it on your hood and leaves.  Customers are not allowed to enter the store and employees cannot even touch credit cards even if they are wearing gloves.  The most ridiculous rule of all is for restaurants and bars.  All customers who enter must wear a mask but as soon as your drinks come, you can take it off.  Technically, you are supposed to put it back on in between bites and sips but that’s not enforced.  

As for work, I am still not allowed in the office nor can I meet with clients or even pick up records to bring back home.  I do answer an occasional phone call from a taxpayer with a question about rules and laws but outside of that, I just sit on my ass and look at a blank computer screen.  I cannot blow it off because my boss could announce a conference call on short notice.  E-mails are sent with read receipts attached and are expected to be read within 15 minutes.  I will confess to a couple of transgressions in which I took slightly more than 1 hour for lunch. 

All of this is over a virus with a survival rate of 99.6% with 40% of cases being completely asymptomatic.  For a person who is under 50 and still paper healthy as I am, it’s more like 99.95%.  I’m NOT saying that it is a hoax, nor do I deny that people are really getting sick and dying.  I’m certainly not going to do anything stupid to put myself or others at risk.  I’ve heard of a crowded house party in which the host was known to be infected in Tuscaloosa.  That is STUPID!  Still, fears are WAY overblown and IMO, it’s long past the time to re-open pretty much everything.  My only exceptions would be spectator sports and live concerts.  Protests and riots have been allowed to continue for going on 2 months and in some cases, it’s actually encouraged by Leftist leaders.  Cancelling a small-mid sized race while allowing the violent protests is LUDICRIOUS!   Sweden went through a couple rough months in April and May because they did NOT lock down but now, the deaths have pretty much stopped.  Herd immunity has kicked in.

  

I’ve heard lots of conflicting reports about hydroxychloroquine.  A lot of fake news sources say it’s ineffective and potentially harmful.  Others say it’s a life saver.  The truth is that it must be combined with Z-pak and Zinc to be effective.  When used properly and taken during early onset, outcomes tend to be very favorable.  It is also safe to prescribe on an out-patient basis too so there’s no worry about overwhelming the system.  If the media reported that, it would vindicate Trump and we can’t have that.  I’ve also heard a promising report of a cholesterol drug that reduces symptoms to that of a bad common cold.  If treated effectively, the survival rate could increase to 99.8%.  When will things begin to get back to normal?  If Biden wins, I predict the news coverage will suddenly stop and we’ll be back to normal by January 2021.  There is talk about a mandatory vaccine, which could be both ineffective and unsafe especially for me with the defective enzymes.  I believe I have a FAR greater risk of long-term complications from the vaccine than the virus itself.  What happens if I refuse it?  I probably won’t be thrown in jail, but I could lose my job and may be barred from international travel.  Again, all of this over a virus with a 99.6% survival rate.    

I tried to point some of this out on a Congressman’s FB page.  Predictably, I was attacked by leftist trolls.  In a textbook example of the regressive left, I was called an inbred hick because I live in Alabama and was told to go back to my trailer and stop screwing my sister.  This person is probably ultra-sensitive to political correctness but will stereotype southerners without a second thought.  I’ve dealt with their ilk many times before.    I was asked how could I be cool with 140K deaths?  I’m not okay with that at all.  If Cuomo and others protected the most vulnerable in nursing homes, the death count would not be nearly that high.  I also believe that the death count is greatly inflated as is the current spike in cases.  A study in Palm Beach, Florida concluded that among corona labeled deaths, just 30 percent died exclusively of the virus.  The rest died of unrelated issues such as a motorcycle wreck or co-morbidity.  I’ve also heard that a fruit tested positive because of a contaminated test kit.  Baseball player Joey Gallo was tested 4 times in 7 days and twice alternated between positive and negative.  Incredibly, I’ve heard several reports of people who signed up for a test but backed out because of the long line yet were informed of a positive test that they never took.  There is clearly a hidden agenda and I’m afraid it will take a miracle for Trump to win re-election.

MAJOR UPDATE:
A large panel of doctors just touted the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine when combined with Z-pak and Zinc.  Wouldn't it be great if there was a simple and relatively inexpensive cocktail of drugs that would sharply reduce the already low mortality rate?  Suppose the mortality rate dropped from 0.4% to less than 0.1% with very little need for hospital stays.  Science can explain how it works.  In that case, open up the whole damn economy as well as international travel!  I'm sure that you don't want it but if this is true, the virus would be no big deal.   Just take the prescriptions and rest at home for a week or two if need be.  There will be no need for a vaccine under this scenario. 

Instead, leftists who claim to believe in science, are pulling out all the stops to discredit these doctors and calling it fake news.  While I have not had good luck with doctors myself, I trust their evidence a lot more than that of politicians.  Should we not be rooting for a drug that is effective and eliminates the danger as well as the need for a vaccine?  The same people who are working feverishly to discredit these doctors insist that a vaccine is the only way to re-open America.  How do you not see a hidden agenda here?  I predict that doctors who speak out will get death threats.  Please DO NOT BE SILENCED!  

Training 7/27-8/2

7/27- Repeated the Lakeshore 6.5 and my time improved from 75:03 to 69:33 (10:42 pace).  No cause for celebration but a significant improvement thanks to probiotics.  Now, let's keep up the steady progress.  I don't have to see noticeable improvement from day to day.  Only week to week with no relapses.
Distance=6.5

7/28- Not up for steady 6 milers at this stage so I backed down on the distance.  Did 3 miles at Crestline.  Hoping for a low-9 pace, I actually broke it with a time of 26:42 (8:54 pace).  Figure that if I repeated yesterday's run, it would have been another 30-45 seconds faster per mile.  Keep chipping away.  Added a half mile cool.
Distance=3.5

7/29- Repeated the 3 mile distance this time on Lakeshore.  My time was down to 26:12 (8:44 pace).  I was hoping for a little better than this but I'll take it.  Cut off another 30 seconds in just 1 day.  Can't be too upset with that.  Keep chipping away.  Long term goal is a sub-21 5K.
Distance=3.0

7/30- Lakeshore 5 in 48:46 (9:45 pace).  Not real pleased with this one but at least I finished.  Probably would have been around 10:00 pace for 6.5, which is still a lot better than 3 days ago.    Dialed back the effort but still hoped for a 9:15 ish pace.  I held it for the first half (23:21) but slipped to a 25:25 on the back half.  Interestingly, I was WORSE after popping an extra probiotic pill.  Was it the pill or the lack of fitness for the 5 mile distance?  I confirmed it to be the former when I got home but was noticeably better after taking extra Taurine.  Hmm.  I may need some sort of ratio to feel best.  I don't like that.
Distance=5.0

7/31- Dreaded intervals at Montreat.  I was very poor in the opener.  Worse on Glutathione alone but MUCH better on both Glutathione and probiotics.  Also, I confirmed that the more I take of each, the worse it gets.  2 of each probably won't be much different than 1 but any more than that and I'll really struggle.
Distance=1.0

8/1- Junk run at Charleston harbor.  Same pattern.  Weak opener, worse on Probiotics alone.  Better on both together. 
Distance=1.0

8/2- Elective rest day.  No running on the beach.

-20 miles on the week.  I'm okay with that number.  I don't want to increase too quickly.

Revised Maine Trip Plan

There will be no epic North Atlantic road trip due to restrictions in New York and New Jersey.  That’s okay.  I’ve got a friend in Philly that I’d like to meet and though I’ve toured Yankee Stadium, it would be cool to see an actual game there.  Instead, it will be two long weekends instead of a single epic trip.  Trip number 1 will be Maine on the weekend of 8/28-9/2 (Friday-Tuesday)

There are two direct flights from Atlanta to Portland, Maine.  One departs at 2PM and the other at 7PM.  That’s cool with me.  I won’t have to spend the night in Atlanta, nor will I have to leave super early to make the flight.  I’ll take the 2PM option and arrive around 5:00.  That’s too late to go to beach or mountains so the best plan is to start driving towards Acadia NP (3 hours).  I won’t have to make it all the way there. 

Saturday- Tour Acadia NP via Park Loop Road.  One day should be sufficient.  There are really only 3 must see landmarks: Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach and Thunder Hole over the 27-mile loop.  I’m sure I’ll stop to check out some hiking trails as well.  I’ll head back towards Portland that night but don’t have to make it all the way.  It could be really cool to catch a sunrise the next morning over a rocky coast.   

Sunday and Monday- New Hampshire beach day and Mount Washington.  It will pose no real logistical problems as the NH coast is just 1 hour from Portland and Mount Washington is 2 hours away.  As far as the swimming, I hope to check off Maine at Acadia NP but if it’s too cold, I have other chances.  I’ll play it by ear depending on the weather forecast but Monday should be decidedly LESS crowded at the beach.  I’ll need to be in Portland on Sunday night for a Monday race at 6AM.  Average air temp is around 75F with a water temp of 65F.  If it’s sunny, that would make it more tolerable.  If I wear a long sleeve tech shirt for protection from cold, it still counts.    

Tuesday- A 6AM flight out of Portland is my only direct option. 

Coronavirus?

At some point, the panic needs to end.  I probably would not have done this between March and May but in late August, it’s time.  The survival rate is 99.5% and the race will have less than 100 participants spread out on the course.  I’m under 40 and still “paper healthy” so my risk is almost nil.  The only real risk of getting sick is if my airplane seat mate is a pre-symptomatic case.  Asymptomatic carriers are very rare. 

Rant or Rave: Opposite Sex Friendship

As painful as it can be, I still believe that I am making the right decision by not pursuing a dating relationship until I get my health at least under control.  I don’t have to be totally free from relapses, but I do need a stable cocktail with bad days limited to maybe 1 or 2 days per month, preferably due to stupid decisions rather than an adjustment to the formula.  A crash absolutely cannot happen every week.  That’s simply not good for either party.  What I would like to have is an occasional female companion that will join me for meals or even day trips.  A weekend or overnight trip would be over the line even if we stayed in different hotel rooms.  This can be a tricky situation and the ideal case would be a situation in which there is no romantic interest on either side.  I may have found someone who can fit this bill. 

Like everyone else, I’ve had my share of crushes on girls who were out of my league.  In most cases, I was able to become friends, but it never went beyond hanging out in a group.  I’m sure that some of them knew or suspected that I had deeper feelings, but I didn’t make it too obvious and it did not affect the friendship.  I’ve been on the other side of this issue as well.    A lesson that I learned in eighth grade is that if the person is simply not interested, there is NOTHING that you can say or do that will change their mind.  If you keep pushing for it when it is clearly unwanted, you could lose the friendship.

How to proceed?

IMO, it takes 3 dates before you can tell for sure if the person is relationship material.  It is of utmost importance to be honest about how you feel or do not feel.  There may be some hurt feelings involved but it is ten times worse if you lead them on when you don’t really mean it.  I had a few dates with a woman who had a bit of a crush on me.  I did enjoy her company but didn’t see any compatibility.  She worked nights and weekends in a hotel and was a bit of a home body.  That’s not going to work with somebody who travels so much and is always on the go.  We’d hardly ever see each other.  I put her in the friend zone hoping that she could be an occasional lunch or movie companion.  She didn’t like it and decided that she would rather not see me at all.  I didn’t like it either, but I can see her point of view.  She’d want me to return her love and affection and would be saddened when it doesn’t happen.   You run the risk of losing the friendship if one party has feelings and the other does not.

If I had the chance to go to lunch with one of my crushes, sure I’d take it.  Friendships can blossom into something more down the road.  I may find after hanging out a couple times that we are not compatible, but I still enjoy her company.  If I still do have feelings, I would hope that I’d be brave enough to tell her.  Unfortunately, I would have to advise against a close friendship with someone who does not share your feelings for the same reason stated above.  I don’t think I could take being continually disappointed that my love is not returned. 

I’ve got a few women that flirt with me on Facebook.  Unfortunately, none of them live locally and I don’t do long distance relationships, especially not with foreigners.  Who knows about their intentions?  They could be using me to gain US citizenship and indeed I do know someone who got burned.  If you want to send me a Good morning or How is your day, that’s fine.  I had one who wanted to chat with me every time I browsed my news feed.  That’s a problem even if we were actually dating.  I don’t like to be disturbed at work so if you send me texts every hour and become upset when I don’t answer right away, that’s being too clingy.  I will break up.  I told her not to message me on a day that I would be on the road driving back from Florida.  I checked my phone when I got back to find 3 missed video calls from her.  She even talked about wanting to marry me after a couple of chats and dug up pictures from 6 years ago.  I responded by muting her and ignoring her messages until she backed off.  I had to block somebody else from Messenger because they called me every single day even though I never answered.  Psycho!    

One thing that is clear about the heath protocol and the detox is that my outward appearance has improved considerably.  Even if I do say so myself, I am much more attractive now at age 39 than I was at age 25.  I have no doubt that if I post my current picture on dating sites, I will draw interest and get dates.  Can I find someone who is compatible?  That will not be so easy.

Age 25

Age 39

One thing that the Church needs to improve upon is its attitude towards those who have never been married.  There are all sorts of support groups for people who are divorced with kids, but people who have never been married face different challenges and have different needs.  These needs are often neglected.  With the exception of mega churches in which most group members are unchurched, once you age out of College and Career or Young Professionals, it’s all couples and families.  The attitude is that if you are much over 30 and not married, something must be wrong with you.  Well, in many cases that’s true.  In my experience, many people who are my age and not married are suffering from mental health issues.  That is no joke.  As I’ve said repeatedly, when chemicals get too far out of whack, YOU WILL BE DEPRESSED.  The imbalances exist independent of your attitude and external circumstances.  If there is ever a segment of the population that needs encouraging fellowship rather than isolation, it’s us.

Epic North Atlantic Road Trip Plan

Epic North Atlantic Road Trip Plan

EDIT:
No can do on this trip for 2020.  As an Alabama resident, I am required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entry to New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.  I cannot count on these restrictions being lifted within 5 weeks.  I can still swim in Maine and New Hampshire though, at least for now.  That means I fly out of Atlanta to Portland, Maine.  I can still do a Philly/NJ/NY trip at some point.  At least according to Mapquest, it appears to be a fairly smooth drive into Rockaway from NJ.  It also appears that parking is available nearby for up to 7 days.  I've seen enough of Manhattan but I'd like to see a Yankee game in the Bronx and go a bit off the beaten path.  I could leave my car in Rockaway and pick it up the next day.  That would be cool.     

Day 1- Fly to Philadelphia from Birmingham.  I looked into Atlantic City from Atlanta but there are no direct flights. I’ll try to catch the earliest flight of the day so I can maximize my beach time.  I will rent a car and drive to the Jersey Shore.  Which beach?  Probably Wildwood even though it’s 30 minutes longer.  I want some Laura’s Fudge so I can mess with some HS teammates (inside joke).  I can stay until sunset because the drive will be short.  I’ll spend the night in North Jersey. 

Day 2- Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York.  The drive time is slightly less than 3 hours from Wildwood and about 2.5 from Atlantic City.  As usual, I’ll go part way and stay in a flea bag motel.  I’ll aim to get as close as I can.  The drive will take me through Staten Island but not Manhattan.  Still, I’ll want to get there early so I can beat the rush hour.  This beach session may be abbreviated a bit because the next day’s drive could be tough. 

Day 3- This day’s destination is Coastal New Hampshire.  It’s roughly 4.5 hours from Rockaway Beach.  It will be all interstate, but I will have to drive through Queens and Bronx.  I’ll pass through Connecticut and probably stop somewhere in Massachusetts the previous night.  That way, I’ll only have a little over 2 hours to go the next day.  I need to get there early because it can be awfully crowded on the weekends in late summer.  Hampton will be nuts but further north in Rye will probably be less crowded.  In any event, I’ll hop across the border to Maine for my afternoon beach session.  For the record, I hit the coasts of CT, RI and MA last summer.

Day 4- Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert Island, Maine.  It’s 3.5 hours from the southern part of Maine.  I want to get as close as I can.  I’ll have all day to tour Acadia NP.  I may be able to steal another swim session here at Sand Beach if it’s warm enough.  From here, it's back south.  It’s 3 hours to my next destination in Portland but I MUST arrive that night.  The race is at 6 AM.  I can scope out the race course on the way up.  

Day 5- Race day in Portland.  A 6AM start has its advantages.  Even with the expected slow time, I should be showered and ready to go by 10.  It’s only 2 hours to Mount Washington, New Hampshire.  The weather there can be very unpredictable and it’s out of the way so if I have to skip anything, this is it.  I'll check the weather forecast before I go.  At any rate, I’m 8 hours away from Philly if I go to the mountains but only 6.5 if I skip it.  If I choose the latter option, I could actually make an evening flight back.  Still. I'll take 2 days to get back.  I could probably steal another swim session along the way.  New York will be the most convenient stop but if my New Hampshire day is rained out, I have a chance to make it up here.

Top Priorities on this trip:
-Finish the half mary in Maine.  I don't care how slow it is.
-Swim in the ocean in New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Maine.  In late August, water temps should still be in the low-mid-70s in South Jersey.  It will be a touch cooler in New York but even in Maine, it should be at least 65F.  That's tolerable.  Currently, the water temp is 76F in New Jersey and 67F in Maine.  This is according to Magic Seaweed.  Water temps typically peak in early-mid August then gradually fall.  Figure that 5 weeks from now, the temps will be about the same.

Training 7/20-7/26

7/20- Seeing continued improvements with Glutathione.  Opener in 70, closer in 57.  The gap has been closed to 78 seconds/mile.  My best time on the half lap is 48 seconds so I am 9 away (54 per mile).  The goal is a sub-50 opener and sub-50 closer.

Real workout was better as well.  Repeated the Lakeshore 2.5 and my time is down to 20:34 (8:14 pace).  1st half- 10:29, 2nd half- 10:05.  Dipped below 8:00 pace on the last half mile.  That's down from 22:15 yesterday, which is a 40 second improvement per mile.
Distance=3.0

7/21- STUPID calls today.
AM- Tried to run without any pills and I was crap.  Lasted just 1.5 miles.  There is a big difference between being able to hold a respectable pace in a sprint versus a longer distance.

PM- As the gap with Glutathione diminishes, I thought I could handle a little probiotics.  Did not feel any immediate ill-effects but could not hack in a workout.  Too bad.  It was a rare overcast evening but I managed just 1 mile in 11:02.  I was 4:58 at the half then finished with a 6:04.  OUCH!  Confirmed that it was indeed probiotics when I got home.  I'll be crap tomorrow morning too but a bit less crap by the evening.  Most probably, it is NOT a reflex action that will trigger a need by tomorrow.  If that happens, I'll know it by the afternoon.
Distance=2.5

7/22- As expected, I was crap in the morning and less crappy by the afternoon with NO probiotics.  Did 1 mile in 8:50 on Montreat then hit the road.
Distance=1.0

7/23- Planned rest day.  Impromptu beach trip.

7/24-AM.  I was 70/57 4 days ago.  My splits are down to 60/52.  Working my way towards the goal of 50/48.

PM- CRAP again.  1 mile junk run untimed.  Too tired from the beach trip?  Surf was rough.
Distance=1.5

7/25- Crestline 1.5 in 15:39 (10:26 pace).  Total crap.  Slightly better on the back half but not significant.  Added some more junk later in the day.
Distance=3.0

7/26- Determined to finish a quarter marathon on Lakeshore and I did it in 75:03 (roughly 11:30 pace).  I bet I could have finished a half mary within the 3 hour time limit but it would have been close.  Only positive was that the back half was only slightly worse than the front half (36:50-38:03).  This time the culprit was a LACK of probiotics.  The need has kicked back in with a vengeance, which is no big surprise.  Only 5 days earlier, I could not tolerate it.  Good news is that WITH probiotics, Taurine and Glutathione are tolerated.  Neither were tolerated without probiotics.
Distance=7.0
-18 miles on the week (3 better than last week)

Fall Racing?

Any chance to salvage a Fall racing season?  Maybe.  Obviously, my planned races in Maryland (April), Minnesota (April), Maine (June) and South Dakota (July) were all cancelled.  If there was ever a time for this to happen, now is as good as any.  I doubt that I could have finished any of them without a lot of walking.  If the cut off was 3 hours, I’m not sure I would have made it.

  I have a couple of replacement options.  If the race is a go, I could run a very small low-key race in Portland, Maine as part of the New England Challenge at the tail end of August.  I picked up Vermont on the same series back in 2017 or 2018.  IIRC, the race had less than 100 participants and there is no time limit.  Physical distancing should be easy to observe in a race that small.  If need be, runners can even start in waves of 10, a couple minutes apart.  The original plan for Maine was something in Bar Harbor or Acadia NP but I can still go there as part of the trip assuming there is no 14-day quarantine requirement and the park is actually open.  If that is not the case, the race is obviously off as well. 

Late August is within the very small window of time in which swimming in the cold ocean waters of Maine and New Hampshire could be tolerable for at least an hour.   If I can do that, all I need is New York and New Jersey for the ocean challenge.   I could also see Mount Washington in New Hampshire.  Late summer is definitely the best chance of tolerable weather there as well.  Beach, mountains and a National Park?  That sounds like it could be a great trip.  Too far to drive but yes, I would get on a plane.  The only thing that I would have to skip would be Quebec City because the border is closed.  That’s okay.  It’s pretty far out of the way and I’ve already been to Montreal, so Quebec is checked. 

The second replacement option is the Crazy Horse half in South Dakota in early October.  This one is a fairly large event but not a mega race.  I believe it has a time limit, but the course is almost all downhill.  During this trip, I would see the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and Badlands NP.  All are within easy reach of Rapid City and the race location.  As far as I know, the race is still on but that could change 4-6 weeks out.  Fargo in late August is still on and the fact that South Dakota never did impose serious lockdowns does bode well for this event to go off as planned.  I’m still not signing up until at least early September.  A so-called virtual event even if done within the state borders, does not count towards the challenge.  South Dakota is special to me because I was taken there as a child and was old enough to remember it but have not been back as an adult.  This is the only state of the 49 that I have visited in which this is the case. 

If I can complete these two, that would take me up to 47 with only Maryland, Minnesota and Hawaii remaining.  It’s possible that I could complete this by May of 2021.  If either one fall through, I must wait until November and hope there is no family conflict.  I’m pretty much dead set on finishing the challenge in Hawaii as it is the only state that I have yet to visit.  Time is of the essence.  As it stands now, I may have to downgrade my distance from the half mary to the 5K but one way or another, I will race in all 50 states plus DC.     

Current state of Health:

Not good at all.  I’ve recently developed a STRONG need for Taurine and a complete intolerance for probiotics.  The latter seems to reduce sulfur so that does make some sense.  Believe it or not, I discovered the need for Taurine after feeling significantly better on forbidden energy drinks.  I thought it might be the caffeine but in pill form, caffeine is ineffective.  Too much is harmful.  Also, Taurine must be taken TOGETHER with the TRS.  If taken even an hour apart, too much Taurine will be harmful.  That tells me that the detox spray and the sulfur cleaner are working together to eliminate some awfully nasty stuff that has been lurking in my body for years.   I will not be the least bit surprised if the pendulum swings in the other direction before too long.  Taurine will not be tolerated, and probiotics will be essential.  What if I can’t find the next missing piece even after a hair or urine test? 

On the positive side, sensitivity to all other pills has GREATLY diminished.  Not very long ago, if I even missed one day of B-12 or the TMG/MF combo, I could not function.  Now, I won’t even notice unless I skip the pill for about 5 days straight.  I once was in a position in which I needed an exact 1:1 ratio of Cal/Mag and even a couple extra sprays of Mag oil would leave me weakened significantly.  It appears that those days are behind me forever.   However, even when going through this extreme sensitivity, I was still capable of a strong performance if I could get everything working properly.  Not so now.

There is always one pill in my formula that gives me fits.  Now, it’s the Taurine.  Before that, it was CoQ10.  Before that, it was NADH.  Before that, it was ATP/Lithium.  I just can’t find any sustained stability with my formula.  Why is it happening?  I’ve been told that I am peeling off layers of toxins.  If the body cannot eliminate a toxin, it has a way of storing and sequestering it to an area where it does the least damage.  Now, the theory is that the toxins are coming up to the surface, so it does make sense that I am getting worse at least initially.  I would assume that the most harmful toxins are buried the deepest and thus will be the last to be eliminated.  Therefore, it is to be expected that things will get worse before they get better.  The detox process supposedly lasts 2 years and I’ve been on it for about 15 months.  If I’m not better by next Spring, it’s pretty much hopeless.

My demands are hardly unreasonable.  All I want is a stable cocktail of pills that give me decent-adequate energy every day.  A nice bonus would be a steady group of running friends.  It really would not matter if their pace was 7:00 per mile or 10+.  The latter is simply not possible now because my performances are so unpredictable.  I often feel reasonably well through the first mile or two then collapse and have to walk/jog home.  That’s not going to win me many friends in the running community.  If they didn’t know better, they’d think I was a showboat or a “pansy” or both. 

Suppose that any of the following were to happen:

-Serious injury in a car accident

-Need for major surgery that makes it clear that running is out for life.

-Grim diagnosis of a degenerative disease.

Of course, I would not like it but at least in the first 2 cases, I could learn to accept it IF I was otherwise healthy.  All these false hopes are psychological torture.  How is my faith in God?  Not the same as it once was and it seems unlikely that it will ever be that close again.  For this to happen after I already went through the ringer with adrenal fatigue, wrote devotionals on healing and enjoyed a few months symptom free without pills just plain SUCKS!  Part of me feels guilty knowing that there are people worse off than I am but I know how much talent that I have and to see it stolen for so many years is awful.  Probably the biggest misconception about me is that I cannot be happy unless I am running well and if I could just get over that, I’d be okay.  NOT TRUE!  On my worst days, I’m in bed 15 hours a day forced to take several naps.  The fatigue and malaise is comparable to a low-grade flu minus the fever and congestion and is present every day to varying degrees.  Lately, I’ve had significant joint pain especially in the groin, which spreads to private areas.  Don’t ever suggest to me that this is nothing serious or all in my head. 

Training 7/13-7/19

7/13-AM- Crestline 1.5 miler in 18:15 (12:10 pace) plus a half mile cool.  The culprit was Probiotics.  More detail to come in a later post.

PM- Repeated the same loop and my time was down to 13:23 (8:56 pace) plus another half mile cool.  My system has simply cleared out the probiotics and allowed my sulfur cleanse the toxins.
Distance=4.0

7/14- AM-Split decision.  An improvement over yesterday but I was hoping for better.  Bumped the distance up to 2.5 miles out and back on Lakeshore.  I was hoping for around 20:30 but had to settle for a 21:33 (8:37 pace).  Even pace but it took a late rally to do that and I don't think I could have held this pace much longer.  Added a half mile cool.  That's it for today.
Distance= 3.0

7/15-AM- Opened with a lap at Montreat in 3:26 (10:18 pace).  Improved to 2:38 (7:54 pace) with Taurine plus TRS.  MINUS 2:24 because of ONE EFFING PILL!!!  Who knows how long it will work?  Added a 1 lap cool.  I know the drill.  The gap will diminish.  Both the floor and ceiling will rise but the floor will rise faster.  Then, when the gap is almost closed, another issue will spring up.
That's it for today.
Distance=1.0

7/16- Dissatisfied with the progress on Taurine, I opted for a stronger sulfur based cleaner in Glutathione.  I felt nothing at first then WHAM!  Within about 3 hours, it felt like I got hit by a truck.  Forced my way through 1 mile on Lakeshore in a time over 12 minutes.  Confirmed that Glutathione was the culprit when I got home.
Distance=1.0

7/17-Glutathione will become necessary.  This was just the usual reflex action.  Today, I opened with a 4:00 lap on Montreat.  Just a pinch of Glutathione brought me all the way down to 3:02.  Not surprisingly, I could not tolerate the full pill yet.  I slipped to 3:48 and this was after several hours.  It would have been worse if I had run immediately thereafter.

7/18- Full blown dependence has hit.  Did half lappers.  Opened with a 2:04 (12:24 pace) then improved to a 1:15 (7:30 pace).  MINUS 4:54 because of 1 EFFING PILL!  Similar stuff has happened before.  I swear that I did not put out any more effort.  Interesting, after adding Taurine, I was no better.  In fact, it was marginally worse at 1:16.  Call it essentially the same.  I know the drill going forward.  Any chance at all that this is the last such episode?  Doubtful.

If I can't hold a 7:30 pace for a sixth of a mile, I'm not doing well in a real workout.  I knew that but had to try.  Called it quits at 1.5 miles in 14:30 (9:40 pace).  Another interesting development, I took another pill at the halfway point.  I got a boost and could feel clearly better but it was not a night and day difference.  I managed a 7-flat on the back half (40 ticks better per mile).

PM- No running but I clearly needed another pill by the afternoon and evening.  Taurine helped a little but it wasn't enough.  Odds are that Taurine is no longer needed.  Glutathione it is.  That's better because it's a stronger cleaner and will get the toxins out faster.
Distance=2.0

7/19-AM- Opener in 95 (9:30 pace).  Closer in 65 (6:30 pace).  Gap was reduced from 4:54 to 3:00 while the floor rose nearly 3 times higher than the ceiling.  Just as expected.  I predict that tomorrow will be around 80/60.

The real workout was better too.  Lakeshore 2.5 in 22:15 (8:54 pace).  1st half was 11:25.  2nd half was 10:50.  Why the negative splits?  While the toxins come out mostly in the urine and feces, I believe the lungs are doing the job as well.  That's part of the reason why I am not a fan of the mask mandate.  I don't want to be breathing back in toxins that need to be eliminated.
Distance=3.0

-15 miles on the week

Latest Beach Hopping Trip

Disclaimer:
Florida is supposedly a hot spot for corona but I'm not endangering myself or others by swimming in the ocean especially if the waters are uncrowded.

This was pretty much a last minute decision to go.  I read on Magic seaweed that Clearwater Beach, just outside of Tampa would have some pretty decent waves (2-3 footers), which is rare especially in the summer.  Rain chances were relatively low as well.  It's about a 9 hour drive so I went part way on Thursday night and made it to Bainbridge, Georgia.  I actually went an hour further south to Sarasota so I could check out Siesta Key.  Here, the waves were minimal (1 foot) but the beach itself was stunning.  It's consistently voted as among, if not the best in the continental US.  Although it is only about an hour south of Tampa, it definitely has a more tropical vibe with some coconut palm trees.  I stayed until sunset then stopped in Bradenton for the night.

The next day was my Clearwater day and it did not disappoint.  Aptly named, I found a long stretch of brilliant white sand that almost looked like snow along with crystal clear water.  I stayed here until 4 PM.  From here, it was about 7 hours to my next destination, which was Fort Walton Beach.  I broke it up with a stop roughly halfway in Perry, where I was treated to nice live oak trees in addition to palms.

The next day dawned dreary and rainy but the sun came out later and it was a decent day out there in Fort Walton.  Not crowded at all.  Once again, I was treated to beautiful white sand and clear emerald water.  This is the midsection of the Emerald Coast, which probably has the clearest water anywhere from Panama City to Gulf Shores.

Final Thought:
A little too much driving even for me but I still enjoyed myself.  I checked off a bucket list item to catch waves in the South Gulf Coast.  I had to check out Sarasota because of the rave reviews but I am unlikely to return there.  It's just too far.  I'd consider Tampa again.  I would have liked to have gone out on the town but no, I won't do anything stupid to put myself at risk of the virus.  Perry is a good midway stop but there are really no good swimming beaches in Big Bend Florida.  Both Cedar Key and Horseshoe Beach can be skipped.

Options for the Future:
1) Drive to Treasure Island, just south of Clearwater but not as far as Sarasota.  Spend a night on the town in Tampa then hit Clearwater.  From there, go to Panama City (just under 6 hours) then hit Destin or Fort Walton the next day.  The closest beach to home is Pensacola, just under 4 hours.  I suppose it can be done in a 1 day trip if I really pushed it.  I did Clemson to Charleston and back many times but that was in my early 20s.

2) Fly into Tampa direct and hop to Miami and back.  That's only 4 hours.  That could be fun around April.  I could do Treasure Island, Clearwater, Palm Beach and Sunny Isles with Okeechobee as midway point.