5/30- Cut the MF from 1800 to 1600 and was more aggressive with the CBS/NOS pills. I got about what I expected today. Slept in for Memorial Day and ran at Gold's rather than face the heat. Did 5 miles in 37:19 (7:28 pace). I was on pace for a low-36 early but faded to a pair of 7:38s to finish and had very little left in the tank. Tomorrow, I plan to run the same thing on 1400 and am hoping for a low-mid 36. I believe 1200 is the sweet spot but 1400 with CBS support is worth a shot. CBS appears to be only somewhat helpful, not a miracle cure. Still, that beats the complete intolerance to it that I had before the methylation support.
Distance=5.0
5/31- Down to 1400 as planned. Felt a bit jittery during the day especially in the morning. When it was time to run, I was slightly better than expected. Gold's 5 in 35:49 (7:10 pace). MINUS 18. I believe this is a post-35 PR. If I can manage a MINUS 10 tomorrow, I've got the sub-35 though I may shoot for the sub-21 5K instead. MF will go down to 1200 tomorrow with the same CBS support. I know that 1000 is not enough and 1600 is too much so I am closing in on the sweet spot. Unlike in the past, there's a real chance that this sweet spot will remain constant. Passed 500 miles on the year so I'm on pace for 1200 on the year. I didn't even make 1000 last year.
Distance=5.0
6/1- Mild disappointment. Did 3 miles (not the full 5K) in 20:39 (6:53 pace). That's equivalent to 21:25 for the full distance so I was 8 seconds/mile short of the target. Felt pretty much the same as yesterday and performed accordingly. Ugly splits (6:36-6:54-7:09). I was on pace through the first half then it was sharply downhill from there. I'm sticking with 1200 for the time being though it's possible that both 1200 and 1400 will work about the same. Took the last of the glutamine pills tonight and I'm NOT re-ordering it. I felt slightly worse after taking it.
Distance=3.0
6/2- Just an easy 3 on Lakeshore to pad the weekly mileage. It was done in nasty humid conditions. The sun came out after a brief shower and I could fog rising from the ground. That's THE worst conditions in which to run. I still did okay out there. Finished in 23:24 (7:48 pace) but I did dial back the effort considerably and was shooting for that type of pace. I'll take it. I may see modest improvement when the glutamine clears tomorrow.
Distance=3.0
6/3- Brownell-Caterbury 4 mile loop through Mountain Brook in 29:57 (7:29 pace). Solid performance. Temps were pushing 90 but the relatively low humidity made it manageable. The hills and heat got to me in the 2nd half. Splits were 15:02-14:55 but the back half is mostly downhill so a stronger negative split is to be expected. Still doing okay on the current formula and I see no reason why I can't finish tomorrow's long run. This time of year, 10-12 miles is doing just fine. I don't know how anyone can do serious marathon training in Alabama from June-August.
Distance=4.0
6/4- FAILED again. The culprit was CBS/RNA drops. The CBS/NOS still appears to be okay. An extra dose confirmed it when I got home and I may have to endure another rough day tomorrow. Did 4 miles with the BTC group and embarrassed myself again by going out with the lead pack then turned around and walk/jogged home. Time for 4 miles was 35:27 (8:52 pace). I passed 2 miles in a solid 15:20 and held it together for another half mile before collapsing. Pace on the last 1.5 miles was approaching 11:00/mile. This had better be a 1 or 2 day blip or else forget what I posted about being stable.
Distance=4.0
6/5- AM- I do believe this is just a 2 day blip. 3 miles at Gold's in 25:44 (8:35 pace). Looks only marginally better than yesterday but this time, I never did have a good pace and basically held it all the way. Most likely, the confirmation dose has yet to clear and I should be a little better this afternoon.
PM- Got the incremental improvement as expected. 3 miles in 23:52 (7:57 pace) MINUS 38. It's clearing out now. I should be near normal by tomorrow. Splits were very even (7:56-8:00-7:56).
Distance=6.0
Weekly summary:
I found the sweet spot with the methyl folate but still need to experiment with CBS issues as well as B-2 and B-12. Hit 30 miles despite the hiccup over the weekend.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
Intolerance to Methyl Folate
EDIT: I AM BETTING THAT THE TEMPORARY INTOLERANCE WAS DUE TO EXCESS CAFFEINE AFTER KC. I AM OFF CAFFEINE AND ONCE AGAIN NEED METHYL FOLATE!
I feel like my need/tolerance for Methyl Folate has been diminishing for the past 10-14 days. As it is, I did okay in Kansas City but I most likely would have been better (1:40-1:42) if I had reduced the dose on race morning. Only 7 days after race day, it quickly became apparent that MF was giving me problems. I crashed just 2 miles into a long run and found that an extra dose made it WORSE. Today, I cut the dose significantly and came through half mile at 3:40 (7:20 pace) but fading. I popped only 50 mcg (1/8 pill) and slowed all the way to 5:26 (10:52 pace) on the back half.
I feel like my need/tolerance for Methyl Folate has been diminishing for the past 10-14 days. As it is, I did okay in Kansas City but I most likely would have been better (1:40-1:42) if I had reduced the dose on race morning. Only 7 days after race day, it quickly became apparent that MF was giving me problems. I crashed just 2 miles into a long run and found that an extra dose made it WORSE. Today, I cut the dose significantly and came through half mile at 3:40 (7:20 pace) but fading. I popped only 50 mcg (1/8 pill) and slowed all the way to 5:26 (10:52 pace) on the back half.
Implications:
I feared that I would no longer be able to tolerate the Methyl Mate without the MF but fortunately, that does NOT appear to be the case (so far). I was no worse after taking another one of those suckers. However, my need for ADHS (adrenal modulator) has definitely ticked up. 3 of those pills were not enough on Sunday and I improved after taking 3 more.
Discovery:
I know now that the cause of my insatiable need for adrenal supplements is 2 fold. The sulfur toxicity increased my cortisol and caused runaway adrenal function but when I started on the B-12+ molybdenum plan, it quickly became apparent that the Thym-Adren (suppressant) was too strong and I had to go with the modulator (ADHS). The 2nd reason is the up-regulation of the GNMT enzyme, which is slowed by methyl folate. When on MF, yes I still needed the ADHS to function but I could get by on a much lower dose. When my supply was running low leading up to KC, I twice managed 5@ sub-8 pace without too much effort despite taking only 1 pill. Now, I can’t manage that on 3 of those pills and need 6 once again for optimal results.
Expectations:
I believe the intolerance is only temporary. I am homo on the MTHFR 677 gene so I clearly have a need for it. I developed an intolerance to Lithium back in early March of this year but come mid-April, I needed it again. I believe the same will happen with MF. Why is it happening? It could be sulfur related and I’ve ordered CBS/NOS caps as well as the RNA drops from Yasko. It’s possible but not likely that those help. Extra B-12 and moly did nothing except give me diarrhea. It’s also possible that I am releasing too many toxic metals, which does make sense. If that’s true, a break from MF will be all I need. I will send out a new hair and amino acid test by the end of the week and should get answers before Alaska.
Flashback:
Back in 2005, the only thing that came back abnormal on a standard blood test was an elevated homocysteine level, which my Mineral Denialist wrote off as no big deal. If my SAM-e was low (wasn't tested), it would have been a sure sign of a methylation disturbance. As it was, given my descriptions of sensitivity to pills, he SHOULD have known it. Instead, I got anti-depressants and a referral to a quack psychologist. If you read this blog, you should know that there is NOTHING psychological about my sensitivity issues. Simply popping 1 pill can cause a reaction within minutes. I know it's hard to believe but I swear it's true and those who have seen it happen will vouch for me.
Any Mainstream Options Out There?
There is a drug call Depsin (I think that's its name) that CONTAINS methyl folate. That's how I SHOULD have been treated in mainstream medicine. If there were a couple prescriptions that would restore 90% of my abilities, would I take it? HELL YEAH (with a southern accent). I'd probably not even mess with the natural supps. Unfortunately, no such drugs exist. The prescription Depsin contains LOTS of artificial stuff and I bet I'd be ultra sensitive to it as well. Moreover, large doses of MF without B-12 would lead to B-12 deficiency and sulfur toxicity. At that time, I had no idea that not just any B-12 would do so I'm nearly certain that if given that prescription back then, it would have failed.
Future:
I'm staying on my current path and I'll get some more answers from the hair and amino acid test results. I do have the option to see a functional medicine doctor in Nashville who has experience with methylation and can give me professional advice. The first visit would cost $450 and I really don't know if he'd tell me anything that I did not already know. No thanks.
Training 5/23-5/29
5/23- I am officially intolerant to Methyl Folate. 1 Mile in 9:06. 1st half in 3:40 then popped just 50 mg. of MF and slipped to 5:26 on the back half. I expect to be better tomorrow.
Distance=1.0
5/24-AM- ZERO methyl folate in the morning and was only marginally better than yesterday. 3 miles in 26:45 (8:55 pace). Despite mega doses of ADHS, I felt very overstimulated. Clearly need the methyl folate after all but how much can I tolerate?
PM- Went with 50 mcg. and clearly improved. Down to 7:40 for the 1 Mile then popped another 50 and improved to 6:57 (MINUS 43). That's still not nearly good enough. Just 1 week ago, I finished with a 6:57 after 4 @ sub-7:30. Let's hope that the temporary intolerance was due to overdosing early and I can gradually jack it back up. If 100 isn't enough but 200 is too much, I'm no better off than with the Lithium/B-12 sensitivity. PLEASE GOD NO! That must not happen. I'm going back up to 200 tomorrow but believe at least 400 is necessary to slow down the GNMT enzyme defect, which I believe is causing the insatiable need for adrenal supps. I'll never reach balance unless I can fix that defect and methyl folate is the only way to do it.
Distance=5.0
5/25- AM- Good news. 200 mcg was tolerated and it was NOT enough. I remain very over-stimulated despite taking 6 ADHS. I'm going up to 400 tomorrow. Workout was 3 miles at Gold's at tempo effort in a time of 22:24 (7:28 pace). Very even splits and did not need a kick for the sub-7:30 pace. Still, this was not nearly good enough. I should be at least 1 minute faster at tempo effort even on an "off day"
PM- Felt worse as the day progressed. Feels like more methyl folate is needed. Trak Shak 3 route naked (no watch). Pace was very slow. Starting with 400 tomorrow but won't hesitate to increase it.
Distance= 6.0
5/26- Jumped the methyl folate up to 800. 400 was clearly not enough. Still needed 6 ADHS so I likely need 1200 MF. If I take 1200 tomorrow, I should only need 3 ADHS and may feel slightly worse on 6. As it is, despite feeling a bit overstimulated, it was a pretty solid performance. Gold's 5 in 37:25 (7:29 pace). Even pace with splits of 18:45-18:40. Effort was moderate but not tempo level but did turn up the heat slightly in Mile 5 with a 7:20 split.
Distance=5.0
5/27- Upped it to 1200 with good results. Easy 4 in 29:52 (7:28 pace). Even splits and did not need to rally to get the sub-7:30. As expected, I got by just fine on only 3 ADHS and another 3 actually made me feel slightly worse. I'm still not sure exactly how much MF I truly need and I'll do a little experimentation. I know I need at least 1000 but 1600 may or may not be better than 1200.
Distance=4.0
5/28- FAIL! 4 miles at the BTC and got dropped early and it ended with the walk of shame. Covered 4 miles in 38:20 (9:35 pace) with splits of 16:50-21:30. The culprit was too much Methyl Mate. I thought I could handle 2 now that I'm on more Methyl Folate but I was wrong.
Distance=4.0
Update:
One piece of good news. I could not tolerate CBS drops or CBS/NOS caps at all before starting the methyls but now I CAN. It remains to be seen if I really need them but at least it's an option on the table. I'm sending out both my hair test and my UAA test early next week. I may not get the results before Alaska but either way, no changes will be made so close to race day.
5/29- AM- Back down to 1 Methyl Mate and yesterday's excess seems to have cleared. Cut the Methyl Folate down to 1000 mcg and the lowered dose wasn't enough. I felt over-stimulated and clearly need 1200+. If I get a sulfur toxicity reaction, I can mitigate it with the new CBS stuff. That's why it was so important that I tolerated it yesterday. As for the workout, it wasn't pretty but I managed. Finished 5 miles on Lakeshore in sunny and warm conditions in a time of 39:49 (7:58 pace). Splits were pretty even at 19:51-19:58. Mile 4 was the slowest at 8:07 but rallied for a 7:45 to secure the sub-8.
PM- Experimental Mile reps at Gold's. I already knew what I could do on 1000 MF
Mile 1 @ 1400- 6:50 at tempo effort. Felt much more free and easy but felt like I was held back by too much sulfur. The target is 3.1 @6:45 (21-flat 5K) and I would not have managed that on this formula even if I was fresh and running all out. I'd guess a 5 miler would have been around 37 so clearly an improvement over the morning.
Mile 2 @1800- 7:35 (PLUS 45). I expected this and was not disappointed. Clearly more sluggish after taking another MF pill and I did not need to run to find out. I still salvaged it and likely would have performed similarly (maybe slightly worse) to what I did this morning on 1000 and a collapse to 10 minute pace would NOT have happened as it did yesterday.
Mile 3 @ 1800 w/ CBS/NOS cap- 7:10 (MINUS 25). Clearly improved after the CBS/NOS pill but still not as good as I was without the extra MF. Maybe I would have been better on multiple CBS/NOS caps but the incremental improvement would have been less. I'd expect only a MINUS 10 (15 tops) if I took another which would still be short of what I did without extra MF.
Reaction:
I know my sweet spot with the MF is greater than 1000 but less than 1800. I think 1200 is the best dose without the CBS support and could very well be with it. I'm going down in increments of 200 starting tomorrow and will be more aggressive with the CBS stuff.
Weekly summary:
I really believe that I finally have reason for optimism going forward. I started on the genetics back in April of last year and at long last, I believe that I am better off than I was a year ago.
Distance this week was 33 miles (492 YTD) and I have averaged over 30 MPW since I re-started the training log in early February.
Distance=1.0
5/24-AM- ZERO methyl folate in the morning and was only marginally better than yesterday. 3 miles in 26:45 (8:55 pace). Despite mega doses of ADHS, I felt very overstimulated. Clearly need the methyl folate after all but how much can I tolerate?
PM- Went with 50 mcg. and clearly improved. Down to 7:40 for the 1 Mile then popped another 50 and improved to 6:57 (MINUS 43). That's still not nearly good enough. Just 1 week ago, I finished with a 6:57 after 4 @ sub-7:30. Let's hope that the temporary intolerance was due to overdosing early and I can gradually jack it back up. If 100 isn't enough but 200 is too much, I'm no better off than with the Lithium/B-12 sensitivity. PLEASE GOD NO! That must not happen. I'm going back up to 200 tomorrow but believe at least 400 is necessary to slow down the GNMT enzyme defect, which I believe is causing the insatiable need for adrenal supps. I'll never reach balance unless I can fix that defect and methyl folate is the only way to do it.
Distance=5.0
5/25- AM- Good news. 200 mcg was tolerated and it was NOT enough. I remain very over-stimulated despite taking 6 ADHS. I'm going up to 400 tomorrow. Workout was 3 miles at Gold's at tempo effort in a time of 22:24 (7:28 pace). Very even splits and did not need a kick for the sub-7:30 pace. Still, this was not nearly good enough. I should be at least 1 minute faster at tempo effort even on an "off day"
PM- Felt worse as the day progressed. Feels like more methyl folate is needed. Trak Shak 3 route naked (no watch). Pace was very slow. Starting with 400 tomorrow but won't hesitate to increase it.
Distance= 6.0
5/26- Jumped the methyl folate up to 800. 400 was clearly not enough. Still needed 6 ADHS so I likely need 1200 MF. If I take 1200 tomorrow, I should only need 3 ADHS and may feel slightly worse on 6. As it is, despite feeling a bit overstimulated, it was a pretty solid performance. Gold's 5 in 37:25 (7:29 pace). Even pace with splits of 18:45-18:40. Effort was moderate but not tempo level but did turn up the heat slightly in Mile 5 with a 7:20 split.
Distance=5.0
5/27- Upped it to 1200 with good results. Easy 4 in 29:52 (7:28 pace). Even splits and did not need to rally to get the sub-7:30. As expected, I got by just fine on only 3 ADHS and another 3 actually made me feel slightly worse. I'm still not sure exactly how much MF I truly need and I'll do a little experimentation. I know I need at least 1000 but 1600 may or may not be better than 1200.
Distance=4.0
5/28- FAIL! 4 miles at the BTC and got dropped early and it ended with the walk of shame. Covered 4 miles in 38:20 (9:35 pace) with splits of 16:50-21:30. The culprit was too much Methyl Mate. I thought I could handle 2 now that I'm on more Methyl Folate but I was wrong.
Distance=4.0
Update:
One piece of good news. I could not tolerate CBS drops or CBS/NOS caps at all before starting the methyls but now I CAN. It remains to be seen if I really need them but at least it's an option on the table. I'm sending out both my hair test and my UAA test early next week. I may not get the results before Alaska but either way, no changes will be made so close to race day.
5/29- AM- Back down to 1 Methyl Mate and yesterday's excess seems to have cleared. Cut the Methyl Folate down to 1000 mcg and the lowered dose wasn't enough. I felt over-stimulated and clearly need 1200+. If I get a sulfur toxicity reaction, I can mitigate it with the new CBS stuff. That's why it was so important that I tolerated it yesterday. As for the workout, it wasn't pretty but I managed. Finished 5 miles on Lakeshore in sunny and warm conditions in a time of 39:49 (7:58 pace). Splits were pretty even at 19:51-19:58. Mile 4 was the slowest at 8:07 but rallied for a 7:45 to secure the sub-8.
PM- Experimental Mile reps at Gold's. I already knew what I could do on 1000 MF
Mile 1 @ 1400- 6:50 at tempo effort. Felt much more free and easy but felt like I was held back by too much sulfur. The target is 3.1 @6:45 (21-flat 5K) and I would not have managed that on this formula even if I was fresh and running all out. I'd guess a 5 miler would have been around 37 so clearly an improvement over the morning.
Mile 2 @1800- 7:35 (PLUS 45). I expected this and was not disappointed. Clearly more sluggish after taking another MF pill and I did not need to run to find out. I still salvaged it and likely would have performed similarly (maybe slightly worse) to what I did this morning on 1000 and a collapse to 10 minute pace would NOT have happened as it did yesterday.
Mile 3 @ 1800 w/ CBS/NOS cap- 7:10 (MINUS 25). Clearly improved after the CBS/NOS pill but still not as good as I was without the extra MF. Maybe I would have been better on multiple CBS/NOS caps but the incremental improvement would have been less. I'd expect only a MINUS 10 (15 tops) if I took another which would still be short of what I did without extra MF.
Reaction:
I know my sweet spot with the MF is greater than 1000 but less than 1800. I think 1200 is the best dose without the CBS support and could very well be with it. I'm going down in increments of 200 starting tomorrow and will be more aggressive with the CBS stuff.
Weekly summary:
I really believe that I finally have reason for optimism going forward. I started on the genetics back in April of last year and at long last, I believe that I am better off than I was a year ago.
Distance this week was 33 miles (492 YTD) and I have averaged over 30 MPW since I re-started the training log in early February.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Methylation update
I have now gone 19 days without a collapse! Excellent news. I did make it close to 30 back in November of last year so I'm not getting too excited yet. Here's where I stand:
-Methyl Mate IS THE KEY!
-It must be taken with Methyl Folate
-Methyl Folate must be taken with Lithium, B-12 and molybdenum.
If I miss even one of those pills, I will be AWFUL!
The good news however is that if I take a few too many pills, I will feel it but I will NOT be awful whereas in the past, I needed both a specific amount and specific ratio of minerals. For example, I needed about 4 mg Lithium for every 1 mg B-12 and could not tolerate any deviation from that ratio. An 8:2 ratio was okay but not a 9:2 nor an 8:3 and the further I got from 4:1, the worse it got. Now, imagine having to deal with all that while shooting at a moving target.
It appears that the methylation support HAS KNOCKED OUT the extreme sensitivity.
The ADHS (adrenal support) is still needed and 3 pills is probably optimal but I can get by with any dosage between 1-5 and still do okay.
I am still taking the Jigsaw Cal/Mag but nothing will happen if I miss a single dose.
How do I feel lately?
2 years ago, I could literally turn a 9:xx pace upside down to 6:xx with no additional effort within minutes of taking a pill. The problem was that the magic never lasted. I don't want any more of that. I'd rather have a permanent limp than have to deal with that and I'm dead serious too.
Nowadays, I feel pretty much the same every day. I do have mild fatigue and a bit of heaviness in my legs during workouts but it's manageable. I had a day when my pills were clearly off but still managed 6 miles @ 8:20. If that's as bad as it gets due to pills being off, I'll can deal with that.
If the plan is working properly, you should not feel any real difference from one day to the next. Rather, progress will become evident within 3-4 weeks. It's like watching the hour hand on a clock. You won't notice it's moving unless you are looking very closely for several minutes but if you look again 30 minutes later, you'll see it's nudged ahead. Within 6 hours, it's all the way on the other side. I did a 1:45 in Kansas City. I've got Alaska in 4 weeks and I think I can hope for a 1:42ish which would be my best time since 2014.
I'm sending my next hair test around the first of June. I'm not sure what to expect but high levels of toxic metals are possible. That's okay because it means that they are finally being eliminated. I have noticed that I am sweating more and my body odor has increased. That is often a sign of detox.
-Methyl Mate IS THE KEY!
-It must be taken with Methyl Folate
-Methyl Folate must be taken with Lithium, B-12 and molybdenum.
If I miss even one of those pills, I will be AWFUL!
The good news however is that if I take a few too many pills, I will feel it but I will NOT be awful whereas in the past, I needed both a specific amount and specific ratio of minerals. For example, I needed about 4 mg Lithium for every 1 mg B-12 and could not tolerate any deviation from that ratio. An 8:2 ratio was okay but not a 9:2 nor an 8:3 and the further I got from 4:1, the worse it got. Now, imagine having to deal with all that while shooting at a moving target.
It appears that the methylation support HAS KNOCKED OUT the extreme sensitivity.
The ADHS (adrenal support) is still needed and 3 pills is probably optimal but I can get by with any dosage between 1-5 and still do okay.
I am still taking the Jigsaw Cal/Mag but nothing will happen if I miss a single dose.
How do I feel lately?
2 years ago, I could literally turn a 9:xx pace upside down to 6:xx with no additional effort within minutes of taking a pill. The problem was that the magic never lasted. I don't want any more of that. I'd rather have a permanent limp than have to deal with that and I'm dead serious too.
Nowadays, I feel pretty much the same every day. I do have mild fatigue and a bit of heaviness in my legs during workouts but it's manageable. I had a day when my pills were clearly off but still managed 6 miles @ 8:20. If that's as bad as it gets due to pills being off, I'll can deal with that.
If the plan is working properly, you should not feel any real difference from one day to the next. Rather, progress will become evident within 3-4 weeks. It's like watching the hour hand on a clock. You won't notice it's moving unless you are looking very closely for several minutes but if you look again 30 minutes later, you'll see it's nudged ahead. Within 6 hours, it's all the way on the other side. I did a 1:45 in Kansas City. I've got Alaska in 4 weeks and I think I can hope for a 1:42ish which would be my best time since 2014.
I'm sending my next hair test around the first of June. I'm not sure what to expect but high levels of toxic metals are possible. That's okay because it means that they are finally being eliminated. I have noticed that I am sweating more and my body odor has increased. That is often a sign of detox.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Kansas City Road Trip Report
Trip:
State #26 on the Kansas side of the border. I did not make the “go” decision until a week before race day so that means airfares would be sky high so I made the 11-12 hour drive a 2 day trip on both ends. There is no true direct route but 2 ways of getting there that are about the same amount of driving time. The Western route goes through Miss’ Sippy to Memphis then into NE Arkansas to Springfield, MO partly via 2 lane roads. From Springfield, I took a slight detour to see some of the Kansas countryside. I had been to Kansas before but only for a few brief minutes. Now, I can truly count it among my states visited. The Eastern route is longer but all interstate. It goes through Nashville, western KY and southern Illinois before heading due west from St. Louis. I took this route going back and covered nearly 1500 miles all told.
I found that there is no clear line where the South ends and the Midwest begins. The southern quadrant of Missouri up to at least the Springfield area is more Southern than Midwestern. The southern tip of Illinois is only 1.5 hours north of the Tennessee border so you’ll hear southern accents at least as far north as Carbondale, which is over an hour north of the Kentucky border. However, the I-70 corridor, which includes Kansas City and St. Louis is purely Midwestern.
I worked half a day on Thursday and made it past Jonesboro, Arkansas for the night. The terrain became quite hilly as I entered the edge of the Ozarks but flattened near Springfield. I stopped for lunch the next day in Ft. Scott, Kansas then it was 2 hours due north into Kansas City. I arrived by mid-afternoon, scored a hotel within walking distance of the start at the Legends Outlet mall. Dinner was a prime rib at an independent restaurant.
Course
It started and ended at the Kansas Speedway about 15 miles west of downtown KCMO. It was advertised as a “challenging course” but I figured it’s Kansas. How hilly could it be? As expected, the first and last 1.5 miles were pancake flat on the speedway but the middle 10 were constantly up and down with no flat spots. The inclines and declines were all about a half mile long and some were pretty steep too. The methylation support has resulted in more consistency in my training but I still have mild fatigue every day plus lost fitness. My realistic goal was a sub-1:45 (8:00 pace).
Race:
I took off feeling strong and despite aiming for a pace just south of 8:00, I found I was holding back to stay in the 7:30 range early. That was a good sign but I knew it was too fast and by Mile 2, the pace became more sensible. By mile 3, I ran into a fierce headwind outside the speedway and it was becoming apparent that the course was going to be tougher than expected. I was beginning to fear the worst. Here are the early splits:
7:26- 7:26
7:45- 15:11
7:53- 23:04
8:05- 31:09
Normally, if I can make it through Mile 5 without a complete meltdown, it’s going to be okay the rest of the way. I was hurting and abnormally sore in the groin but in control and settled into a sustainable pace. The wind seemed to die down a bit too. Early in Mile 6, we turned off a nondescript highway into a park. This was the most enjoyable part of the race with the hills a bit more gentle in this section.
8:05-39:14
8:05-47:19
7:56-55:15
I passed the halfway point just a hair under 52 minutes so I was still 30+ seconds ahead of pace and figured I could afford to go 10-15 in the red and be able to make it up in the last mile. Unfortunately, the hills kicked back up a notch back on the highway heading back. I walked through an aid station in Mile 9 and found that I had slipped behind pace by Mile 10.
8:15-64:30
8:29-71:59
8:10-80:09
The speedway was coming back in view by the end of Mile 10 and after a downhill, I still believed that I could make it. The optimism was short lived as the headwind kicked back in with a vengeance in Mile 11, which was almost all slightly uphill. Though the final distance was accurate, the Mile markers were consistently short, which meant the last mile was too long. I could not muster any kick on the Speedway to the finish but pride kicked in when I knew I needed to hustle to break 1:46 and squeaked in with 2 ticks to spare.
8:25-88:34
8:10-1:36:44
8:08-1:44:52
1:06-1:45:58 (last .17)
Pace per mile: 8:05. AG: 5th/18- 72nd percentile.
Final thought:
I’ll take it. This was nearly 21 minutes faster than my rock bottom race last September. It won’t be a disaster if my pills are a little off but I can still feel a difference. If everything was perfect and the course was flat, I think I can run 1:42, which would be my best time in 2 years. If I can just get back under 1:40 and stay there until I’m 40, I’ll be satisfied.
Aftermath:
This was a destination event with the race being just a part of the fun. I hoped to meet up with a childhood friend for lunch but she was out of town. I did get a good recommendation for a post-race BBQ at a place called Jack’s Stack in downtown KCMO, which was extremely hilly. I was glad the race was on the Kansas side. From there, it was on to Independence just a few miles east for the Truman presidential library. I’d rank him as a near-great president between 6th-10th in history.
Next up was a baseball game between the Royals and Braves which resulted in a rare Braves victory. I enjoyed talking with a man from Nebraska who is a lifelong Braves fan since the mid-‘80s. The next morning, I stopped at a place called the International House of Prayer, which holds 24/7 intercessory prayer and worship music but no formal worship service. I stayed there for a while and just took in the Presence before heading home. The trip back went without a hitch though St. Louis was a bit nerve-wracking. I spent Sunday night just south of Nashville and had an easy drive Monday morning. I worked a half day.
Training 5/16-5/22
5/16- AM. Easy drive back from Nashville. My eating was BAD on the road as it usually is. Time to get back on track now. I will probably do something relatively easy this evening.
PM- Mountain Brook/Canterbury 5 in 37:22 (7:28 pace). Good job. I would not call this an easy effort but it was NOT tempo either. I cut the ADHS down to 4 and the methyl folate down to 1. I liked how I felt and I'm going with it until further notice.
Distance=5.0
5/17- Same 5 mile distance this time at Gold's with a fast finish. Came through 4 in 29:48 (7:27 pace) then burned a 6:57 to finish in 36:45 (7:21 overall). Plenty left in the tank at the end. Good job. Added a mile cool.
Distance=6.0
5/18- AM- Gold's 3 in 22:36 (7:32 pace). Slight fade but fairly even overall. No tempo in me today due to this week's workouts. That's okay. Added a half mile cool
PM- Trak Shak 7.5 loop in 59:36 (7:57 pace). I'm fine with this one. It's a hilly route and I held the pace well again. I slipped a bit on the hill that sucks but that's understandable. Upped the ADHS to 5 and it may have been a bad call. I'm thinking about cutting that down to 3. I've got a chance to hit 45 miles on the week.
Distance=11.0
5/19- Should have taken a rest day but forced my tired body to go today. Hoped to go 5 miles @sub-8 without much effort and nearly made it. Settled for 4 miles in 31:52 (7:58 pace). Stopped a mile early to finish with a sub-8 pace. Pills are okay. I am over-reaching with the training. I am dazed and dreamy rather than sore and depressed.
Distance=4.0
5/20- Planned rest day.
5/21- AM- FAILURE! BTC social run. 4 miles in 38:16 (9:34 pace). Came through 2 miles in a respectable 15:32 but collapsed to a 22:48 on the back half then quit. Got home to try to find the source of the suckage. It was methyl folate. Let's hope I can still take the Methyl Mate or I could stay on the MF and up the MM. This had better be a 1 day blip.
PM- Took a single dose of all of my pills and got no reaction until the last one, which was methyl folate. Extra B-12 and moly did little to knock out the symptoms. An extra Methyl Mate made it a little better so I hit Gold's for another attempt. It was only a marginal improvement early. Passed 1 Mile in 8:44 then popped another Methyl Mate and slipped to 10:08 for an overall time of 18:52 for 2 miles (9:26 pace).
Distance=6.0
Reaction:
Clearly, the Methyl Folate needs to be cut out entirely. Upping the Methyl Mate to a point may be helpful but it won't be as good as without the MF. My dose of Jigsaw Mag does contain the equivalent of a half pill (200 mcg), which I should tolerate. A small amount of MF may be necessary to tolerate the Methyl Mate. Again, without any Methyl Mate, the sensitivity to B-12 and Lithium will kick in WITH A VENGEANCE! That scenario must be avoided at all costs.
5/22- AM. An improvement over yesterday but not good enough for a long run. Finished 5 miles on Lakeshore in 40:57 (8:11 pace) and needed a late rally to break 41. 1st half: 20:02, 2nd half: 20:55 but the pace was pretty steady from Mile 3 on. Took no MF with the exception of the small amount in Jigsaw Mag and cut the MM down to 1. Felt over-stimulated and felt like perhaps the need for ADHS has ticked up. I'll be at Gold's for 3 more this afternoon.
PM- Gold's 3 in 22:42 (7:34 pace). That's better but not good enough. I should be in the 21s at least even on slightly tired legs. Faded badly after a 7:10 1st mile to a 15;32 on the last 2 though the pace never went much over 7:45. I am feeling uneasy about the intolerance to Methyl folate. I'm afraid the source could be sulfur toxicity related.
Distance=8.0
-40 miles on the week.
PM- Mountain Brook/Canterbury 5 in 37:22 (7:28 pace). Good job. I would not call this an easy effort but it was NOT tempo either. I cut the ADHS down to 4 and the methyl folate down to 1. I liked how I felt and I'm going with it until further notice.
Distance=5.0
5/17- Same 5 mile distance this time at Gold's with a fast finish. Came through 4 in 29:48 (7:27 pace) then burned a 6:57 to finish in 36:45 (7:21 overall). Plenty left in the tank at the end. Good job. Added a mile cool.
Distance=6.0
5/18- AM- Gold's 3 in 22:36 (7:32 pace). Slight fade but fairly even overall. No tempo in me today due to this week's workouts. That's okay. Added a half mile cool
PM- Trak Shak 7.5 loop in 59:36 (7:57 pace). I'm fine with this one. It's a hilly route and I held the pace well again. I slipped a bit on the hill that sucks but that's understandable. Upped the ADHS to 5 and it may have been a bad call. I'm thinking about cutting that down to 3. I've got a chance to hit 45 miles on the week.
Distance=11.0
5/19- Should have taken a rest day but forced my tired body to go today. Hoped to go 5 miles @sub-8 without much effort and nearly made it. Settled for 4 miles in 31:52 (7:58 pace). Stopped a mile early to finish with a sub-8 pace. Pills are okay. I am over-reaching with the training. I am dazed and dreamy rather than sore and depressed.
Distance=4.0
5/20- Planned rest day.
5/21- AM- FAILURE! BTC social run. 4 miles in 38:16 (9:34 pace). Came through 2 miles in a respectable 15:32 but collapsed to a 22:48 on the back half then quit. Got home to try to find the source of the suckage. It was methyl folate. Let's hope I can still take the Methyl Mate or I could stay on the MF and up the MM. This had better be a 1 day blip.
PM- Took a single dose of all of my pills and got no reaction until the last one, which was methyl folate. Extra B-12 and moly did little to knock out the symptoms. An extra Methyl Mate made it a little better so I hit Gold's for another attempt. It was only a marginal improvement early. Passed 1 Mile in 8:44 then popped another Methyl Mate and slipped to 10:08 for an overall time of 18:52 for 2 miles (9:26 pace).
Distance=6.0
Reaction:
Clearly, the Methyl Folate needs to be cut out entirely. Upping the Methyl Mate to a point may be helpful but it won't be as good as without the MF. My dose of Jigsaw Mag does contain the equivalent of a half pill (200 mcg), which I should tolerate. A small amount of MF may be necessary to tolerate the Methyl Mate. Again, without any Methyl Mate, the sensitivity to B-12 and Lithium will kick in WITH A VENGEANCE! That scenario must be avoided at all costs.
5/22- AM. An improvement over yesterday but not good enough for a long run. Finished 5 miles on Lakeshore in 40:57 (8:11 pace) and needed a late rally to break 41. 1st half: 20:02, 2nd half: 20:55 but the pace was pretty steady from Mile 3 on. Took no MF with the exception of the small amount in Jigsaw Mag and cut the MM down to 1. Felt over-stimulated and felt like perhaps the need for ADHS has ticked up. I'll be at Gold's for 3 more this afternoon.
PM- Gold's 3 in 22:42 (7:34 pace). That's better but not good enough. I should be in the 21s at least even on slightly tired legs. Faded badly after a 7:10 1st mile to a 15;32 on the last 2 though the pace never went much over 7:45. I am feeling uneasy about the intolerance to Methyl folate. I'm afraid the source could be sulfur toxicity related.
Distance=8.0
-40 miles on the week.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Training 5/9-5/15 (race week)
I've done most of my experiments already so I have a good idea of what's going to work and what won't. I have a pretty good idea of how much B-12 is necessary (probably around 4 mg). Again, I won't be horrible if I'm a little off. There are only 2 questions that I'd like to answer:
1) Do I still need the ADHS (adrenal modulator)? I feel safer taking it but I'd like to see how I do after a couple days off it. My stock should be replenished before I leave but I need to go low so that if I do need it and my new shipment does not arrive, I'll have enough left on race day.
2) How much molybdenum? Just once, I want to load to see what happens. I know I need it to control the sulfates but it appears that I may do best on a low dose. If I add Mitoforce, which contains glutathione, more may be needed. That won't happen until after race day.
Training plan:
Low volume this week but I want a couple good quality sessions. I'd like to get a fast 3 or 5 miler in and I'm not worried about being slightly less than fresh. Time is not all that important at this stage.
Travel:
I'm leaving after lunch on Thursday and I'll go halfway. After the race, I'm leaning towards staying in KC Saturday night rather than heading home. If I do that, I won't be able to make it back in 1 day and will have to take at least half a day off Monday as well. I've got enough leave at work.
5/9- Question #1 has been answered and it is a YES. I do need ADHS. I did not need to run to find out either. Went with only 2 pills and it wasn't enough to perform well but it did keep me afloat. 3 miles on Lakeshore/Brookwood in 22:36 (7:32 pace) with very even splits (7:32-7:34-7:30) though I was working a little harder than I would have liked at the end. Moderate effort overall. I ordered the new bottle on 5/4 so it certainly SHOULD arrive by the 12th but until it does, I've got to conserve.
Distance=3.0
5/10- AM-Took just 1 ADHS and got by okay. Easy 5 miles in 39:44 (7:57 pace). Comfortable all the way with very even splits (19:50-19:54). No doubt that I can hold this pace for another 5 miles and even if I slip to 8:30 on the last 3.1, I'll still manage a 1:46, which is 10 minutes better than last time. Taking the full ADHS dose on race day will only improve my speed and stamina.
Distance= 5.0
5/11- The new shipment of ADHS still has not arrived. No panic even if it doesn't arrive tomorrow before I leave. I still have 9 pills left, which will last me through the weekend. Workout was the Trak Shak 5 in 85 degree weather. Again, I took 1 ADHS and performed marginally better than yesterday. Finished in 38:55 (7:47 pace) with relatively even splits. 1st half: 19:20, 2nd half: 19:35 with every mile at sub-8 pace. I did cut the methyl folate from 3 pills to 2 but upped my Jigsaw so I'm getting the equivalent of 2.5 (1000 mg/day). This is not a statistically significant improvement and I really cannot attempt a quality session without the full dose.
Distance=5.0
5/12- Pills did arrive today so I took the full dose before I left. Hit Gold's for 2 miles fast and controlled. Felt a clear difference from the normal dose. Finished the distance in 13:26 (6:43 pace) with splits of 6:41-6:45. Tempo effort. I had more in me than this but a sub-20 3 miler would not have happened today. I do think I'm in low-21 shape for 5K though. Hit the road after a late lunch and made it to Hardy, ARK. That's a small town just over an hour NW of Jonesboro close to the Missouri line.
Distance=2.0
5/13- Planned rest day. Made it to Kansas City by mid-afternoon. The expo was nothing more than a packet pick up in a shopping center but I scored a hotel within walking distance of the start/finish. I've got a full day planned for tomorrow so I need a good rest tonight.
5/14- Scout Challenge Half marathon in 1:45:58 officially (8:05 pace). Course was tougher than expected and pills were a little off but thanks to methylation, it was not a disaster. Added a warm and cool.
Distance=15.0
5/15- Planned rest day. Drove back to Nashville and stopped there for the night.
-30 miles on the week.
1) Do I still need the ADHS (adrenal modulator)? I feel safer taking it but I'd like to see how I do after a couple days off it. My stock should be replenished before I leave but I need to go low so that if I do need it and my new shipment does not arrive, I'll have enough left on race day.
2) How much molybdenum? Just once, I want to load to see what happens. I know I need it to control the sulfates but it appears that I may do best on a low dose. If I add Mitoforce, which contains glutathione, more may be needed. That won't happen until after race day.
Training plan:
Low volume this week but I want a couple good quality sessions. I'd like to get a fast 3 or 5 miler in and I'm not worried about being slightly less than fresh. Time is not all that important at this stage.
Travel:
I'm leaving after lunch on Thursday and I'll go halfway. After the race, I'm leaning towards staying in KC Saturday night rather than heading home. If I do that, I won't be able to make it back in 1 day and will have to take at least half a day off Monday as well. I've got enough leave at work.
5/9- Question #1 has been answered and it is a YES. I do need ADHS. I did not need to run to find out either. Went with only 2 pills and it wasn't enough to perform well but it did keep me afloat. 3 miles on Lakeshore/Brookwood in 22:36 (7:32 pace) with very even splits (7:32-7:34-7:30) though I was working a little harder than I would have liked at the end. Moderate effort overall. I ordered the new bottle on 5/4 so it certainly SHOULD arrive by the 12th but until it does, I've got to conserve.
Distance=3.0
5/10- AM-Took just 1 ADHS and got by okay. Easy 5 miles in 39:44 (7:57 pace). Comfortable all the way with very even splits (19:50-19:54). No doubt that I can hold this pace for another 5 miles and even if I slip to 8:30 on the last 3.1, I'll still manage a 1:46, which is 10 minutes better than last time. Taking the full ADHS dose on race day will only improve my speed and stamina.
Distance= 5.0
5/11- The new shipment of ADHS still has not arrived. No panic even if it doesn't arrive tomorrow before I leave. I still have 9 pills left, which will last me through the weekend. Workout was the Trak Shak 5 in 85 degree weather. Again, I took 1 ADHS and performed marginally better than yesterday. Finished in 38:55 (7:47 pace) with relatively even splits. 1st half: 19:20, 2nd half: 19:35 with every mile at sub-8 pace. I did cut the methyl folate from 3 pills to 2 but upped my Jigsaw so I'm getting the equivalent of 2.5 (1000 mg/day). This is not a statistically significant improvement and I really cannot attempt a quality session without the full dose.
Distance=5.0
5/12- Pills did arrive today so I took the full dose before I left. Hit Gold's for 2 miles fast and controlled. Felt a clear difference from the normal dose. Finished the distance in 13:26 (6:43 pace) with splits of 6:41-6:45. Tempo effort. I had more in me than this but a sub-20 3 miler would not have happened today. I do think I'm in low-21 shape for 5K though. Hit the road after a late lunch and made it to Hardy, ARK. That's a small town just over an hour NW of Jonesboro close to the Missouri line.
Distance=2.0
5/13- Planned rest day. Made it to Kansas City by mid-afternoon. The expo was nothing more than a packet pick up in a shopping center but I scored a hotel within walking distance of the start/finish. I've got a full day planned for tomorrow so I need a good rest tonight.
5/14- Scout Challenge Half marathon in 1:45:58 officially (8:05 pace). Course was tougher than expected and pills were a little off but thanks to methylation, it was not a disaster. Added a warm and cool.
Distance=15.0
5/15- Planned rest day. Drove back to Nashville and stopped there for the night.
-30 miles on the week.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Training 5/2-5/8
5/2- AM. Took the formula that I thought would minimize the symptoms (6 ADHS, 1.5 mg B-12 and 5 mg Lithium). Running nearly all out, I was unable to break 7:00 for 1 mile. Came through 2/3 in 4:45 (7:07 pace) and fading. Took almost half a Methyl Mate pill to test whether I am better with more or less than the small amount I took yesterday. Slammed the last 1/3 in 1:50 (5:30 pace) so the answer is clearly more rather than less. I would have run longer but it was getting late.
PM- Gold's 5 in 37:24 (7:29 pace). Tempo effort. Hard but fairly comfortable all the way. Pretty solid overall. Splits were 18:34-18:50 so I held the pace pretty well. On a day like today, a casual observer would NOT know that I am sick. Those who do know would think I am cured. If you read this blog, you know that I am FAR from being in the clear.
Distance=6.0
5/3- Another interesting day but not in a bad way.
AM- I was bold and took a full Methyl Mate pill. At this point, it was a little too much. I'll stick to half-3/4 for the rest of the week. I was shooting for 3 miles and got off to a great start but started fading before the 1 Mile mark. I was 6:36 then faded to a painful 7:10 then quit. Overall time was 13:46 for 2 miles (6:54 avg) but I would NOT have broken 21 for 3 miles.
PM- Popped some extra methyl folate and 1 pill seemed to help but another was too much and the sulfur burden was the culprit. Struggled at work but got home and popped some more B-12 and moly. It was successful. Brownell-Trak Shak 4 mile loop plus an extension on Jemison trail. Finished 5 miles in 38:51 (7:46 pace). Approximate splits were 19:16-19:35. I was laboring at times but overall not too bad.
Distance=7.0
Reaction:
Minor tweaks are necessary but it does SEEM like I am on the right track now. Methyl folate is required if I am to tolerate the Methyl Mate. I require more moly + B-12 if I am to take extra MF.
5/4- Tried a new B-12+ moly product with a few extra ingredients. Bad call and the supp went in the trash. Still, I was able to do a real workout. Trak Shak 6 mile loop on a hilly route through Mountain Brook in a time of 49:53 (8:19 pace). If this is as bad as it gets due to pills being off, I'm okay with it. Without the protection of methylation, I don't think I could have gone 2 miles at this pace and would have been doing 10:00 pace at the end. As it is, I think that even off form, I can break 2 hours in a half mary and may be sub-1:45 on my best day. Kansas City is 10 days out and I am leaning towards going.
Distance=6.0
Tomorrow's plan:
I'm interested to see what if any effect extra B-12 has on my tolerance for Methyl Mate. I know it increases my need for methyl folate.
5/5- AM- Without any B-12, I was horrible. 6 laps at Gold's in 5:54 (8:51 pace) then popped just 1 B-12 pill and improved all the way down to 2:15 for the next 3 (6:45 pace).
PM- Took a TON of B-12 and really did want to see what would happen if I overshot the balance point. The answer was that my energy wasn't all that bad but my stomach was jacked up something awful Did 3 miles on Lakeshore in 23:30 (7:50 pace). I had enough energy to keep going but the stomach had other ideas. I'm not sure about the optimal amount of B-12 but if I am slightly off, I won't be horrible. That's all I really want out of this.
Distance=4.0
5/6- Planned rest day. Feeling a bit sluggish today. Perhaps the methyl folate needs to be reduced. I need to finish tomorrow or Sunday to go to KC.
5/7- 3rd successful long run of the year. 13 mile BTC route that was tough but fair in a time of 1:43:56 (7:59 pace). Tried to get by on 2 Methyl Folate but it wasn't quite enough. The 3rd pill helped but it wasn't a radical difference, which is good. My B-12 may have been a little high as I did require 1 emergency stop. The pace varied a bit depending on the terrain but for the most part, I kept it around 8:00 give or take about 15 seconds. I remained fairly comfortable through 10 but those last 3 hurt. Rallied from 13 ticks down in the last mile to get the sub-8. Pace was 15 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago. Added a mile cool at glacial pace.
Distance=14.0
5/8- 3 mile recovery run at Veteran's Park. I was not totally spent after the hard effort yesterday. Finished the distance in 23:27 (7:49 pace) on a slow gravel trail. An interesting development occurred. I went without ADHS (adrenal modulator) early because my supply is running low and did okay without it. Popped 2 pills after the first mile and got slightly worse. Splits were 7:35-7:47-8:05 though I think the slow down had more to do with the heat (sunny and 80) than the pills. It is not advisable to run between 9 AM-3 PM from May-September here. I feel safer taking adrenal support but it's encouraging that I can get by without it.
Distance=3.0
Weekly summary:
Hit 40 miles on the week for the first time all year. No collapses. Even when my pills were a little off, I salvaged a workout. All I want out of this is to be restored to 90% of my pre-crash fitness(sub-21/45/1:40) with NO collapses due to taking too many pills. I am going to Kansas City next weekend.
PM- Gold's 5 in 37:24 (7:29 pace). Tempo effort. Hard but fairly comfortable all the way. Pretty solid overall. Splits were 18:34-18:50 so I held the pace pretty well. On a day like today, a casual observer would NOT know that I am sick. Those who do know would think I am cured. If you read this blog, you know that I am FAR from being in the clear.
Distance=6.0
5/3- Another interesting day but not in a bad way.
AM- I was bold and took a full Methyl Mate pill. At this point, it was a little too much. I'll stick to half-3/4 for the rest of the week. I was shooting for 3 miles and got off to a great start but started fading before the 1 Mile mark. I was 6:36 then faded to a painful 7:10 then quit. Overall time was 13:46 for 2 miles (6:54 avg) but I would NOT have broken 21 for 3 miles.
PM- Popped some extra methyl folate and 1 pill seemed to help but another was too much and the sulfur burden was the culprit. Struggled at work but got home and popped some more B-12 and moly. It was successful. Brownell-Trak Shak 4 mile loop plus an extension on Jemison trail. Finished 5 miles in 38:51 (7:46 pace). Approximate splits were 19:16-19:35. I was laboring at times but overall not too bad.
Distance=7.0
Reaction:
Minor tweaks are necessary but it does SEEM like I am on the right track now. Methyl folate is required if I am to tolerate the Methyl Mate. I require more moly + B-12 if I am to take extra MF.
5/4- Tried a new B-12+ moly product with a few extra ingredients. Bad call and the supp went in the trash. Still, I was able to do a real workout. Trak Shak 6 mile loop on a hilly route through Mountain Brook in a time of 49:53 (8:19 pace). If this is as bad as it gets due to pills being off, I'm okay with it. Without the protection of methylation, I don't think I could have gone 2 miles at this pace and would have been doing 10:00 pace at the end. As it is, I think that even off form, I can break 2 hours in a half mary and may be sub-1:45 on my best day. Kansas City is 10 days out and I am leaning towards going.
Distance=6.0
Tomorrow's plan:
I'm interested to see what if any effect extra B-12 has on my tolerance for Methyl Mate. I know it increases my need for methyl folate.
5/5- AM- Without any B-12, I was horrible. 6 laps at Gold's in 5:54 (8:51 pace) then popped just 1 B-12 pill and improved all the way down to 2:15 for the next 3 (6:45 pace).
PM- Took a TON of B-12 and really did want to see what would happen if I overshot the balance point. The answer was that my energy wasn't all that bad but my stomach was jacked up something awful Did 3 miles on Lakeshore in 23:30 (7:50 pace). I had enough energy to keep going but the stomach had other ideas. I'm not sure about the optimal amount of B-12 but if I am slightly off, I won't be horrible. That's all I really want out of this.
Distance=4.0
5/6- Planned rest day. Feeling a bit sluggish today. Perhaps the methyl folate needs to be reduced. I need to finish tomorrow or Sunday to go to KC.
5/7- 3rd successful long run of the year. 13 mile BTC route that was tough but fair in a time of 1:43:56 (7:59 pace). Tried to get by on 2 Methyl Folate but it wasn't quite enough. The 3rd pill helped but it wasn't a radical difference, which is good. My B-12 may have been a little high as I did require 1 emergency stop. The pace varied a bit depending on the terrain but for the most part, I kept it around 8:00 give or take about 15 seconds. I remained fairly comfortable through 10 but those last 3 hurt. Rallied from 13 ticks down in the last mile to get the sub-8. Pace was 15 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago. Added a mile cool at glacial pace.
Distance=14.0
5/8- 3 mile recovery run at Veteran's Park. I was not totally spent after the hard effort yesterday. Finished the distance in 23:27 (7:49 pace) on a slow gravel trail. An interesting development occurred. I went without ADHS (adrenal modulator) early because my supply is running low and did okay without it. Popped 2 pills after the first mile and got slightly worse. Splits were 7:35-7:47-8:05 though I think the slow down had more to do with the heat (sunny and 80) than the pills. It is not advisable to run between 9 AM-3 PM from May-September here. I feel safer taking adrenal support but it's encouraging that I can get by without it.
Distance=3.0
Weekly summary:
Hit 40 miles on the week for the first time all year. No collapses. Even when my pills were a little off, I salvaged a workout. All I want out of this is to be restored to 90% of my pre-crash fitness(sub-21/45/1:40) with NO collapses due to taking too many pills. I am going to Kansas City next weekend.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Generation X or Y?
Most demographers can agree on the starting and ending birth dates for the Silent Generation (1928-1945) and the Baby Boomers (1946-1964). In both cases, there was a defining historical event, which was the end of World War 2 in the former category and the Civil Rights Act in the latter. When it comes to the division between Generation X and the Millennials, it is not as clear cut. I’ve seen the end of Generation X defined as early as 1977 and as late as 1984. I was born in ’80 so that puts me right in the middle of that range but I identify much more strongly with Generation X. Though we were not particularly close growing up and did not have mutual friends, I do have an older sister (born in ’76) and hung around mostly with a slightly older crowd in high school. I am more likely to find common ground with someone born in 1975 rather than 1985.
I would personally set Generation X at 1965-82 and Millennials at 1983-2000 with the new generation currently being born, which is likely to be called the iGeneration, starting in 2001. That way, it’s consistent at 18 years each. IMO, '80-'81 are clearly X because we graduated HS in 1999. '82 could go either way but if you graduated in 2001, I'd label you a Millennial. Some demographers end the Millennial generation sometime in the mid ’90s so it’s a 15 year group instead of 18 for both X and Y. Other people my age who have younger siblings or hung around with a younger crowd may identify more as Millennial and I will not dispute whatever you claim to be.
Now let’s take a look at different life experiences-
Older Gen.X- born late ‘60s-early ‘70s:
-Little-no memory of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War (diff w/ Boomers). Only the oldest remember the end of the Nixon administration and Watergate. Those born after 1970 probably don’t remember much of Ford.
-Grew up during economic stagflation in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s but came of age during the more prosperous Reagan years and thus tend to be more politically conservative.
-Grew up without personal computers, CD players, VCRs and video game consoles though that technology did become available when they were in high school
Later Gen.X- Carter babies (Me)
-Remember the end of the Reagan administration, the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War with a fair amount of clarity. Clearly remember Bush-41 and the first Gulf War.
-Grew up mostly during the Clinton administration and came of age at a time of peace and prosperity. As a whole, my age group is not as conservative as older X’ers but not as liberal as Millennials.
-Grew up with VCRs, Walkmans, portable CD players and video game consoles but usually old enough to remember life without them. Some had access to personal computers at a young age but no internet until high school.
As a whole, there were different experiences but enough common ground to be considered the same generation.
As a 2nd year MBA student at Clemson, freshmen students were born in 1985-86 (definitely Millennial) and I was beginning to find it difficult to relate not just because of the age difference (24 vs. 18 is big) but I also felt that the young undergrads were clearly different than I was at that age.
Let’s consider life experiences of someone born in 1985 vs 1980 and see how much generation gap exists.
-No memory of the Reagan administration and only faint memories of Bush-41.
-I was a college junior 3 days shy of 21 on 9/11 whereas they were 15 and high school sophomores who came of age during the War on Terror and the Bush-43 administration.
- Got the internet near the end of elementary school and downloaded songs from Napster in high school. Overall much more at ease with technology than I am. No memory of life without video game consoles and probably too young for 8-bit Nintendo.
- In terms of Pop culture, they largely missed out on Seinfeld, Seattle grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Instead, they turned 13 at the height of nu metal and bands such as Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and POD. I appreciated both genres but prefer the former group. Cassettes were being phased out and mp3s were coming along.
I’m sure that a person born in the mid ‘90s will be different from an older Millennial but again, there should be enough common ground to be considered the same generation.
I’ve recently gotten hooked on Youtube videos in which today’s teens and tweens react to technology from my generation. I found it quite amusing that they had no idea what a Walkman is or how to use a VCR. I also saw them playing some of my old favorite video games. My reaction is that this age group is clearly different from Millennials that I know and I had a little trouble picking up their slang terms but I liked how they interacted with one another. I hope to be a mentor or stepfather to someone in the iGeneration someday.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Training 4/25-5/1
4/25- AM- HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! Trak Shak workout. I was hoping for 9ish but had to settle for 3. I was sluggish from the get go but hoped to hold a respectable pace. Crashed after about 1.7 miles and finished the distance in 25:02 (8:21 pace). Mile 3 was 9:10 and I was spent.
PM- Extra Probiotics seemed to help but this workout confirmed that the culprit was indeed MethylMate. Gold's workout in which I got off to a 3:48 start (7:36 pace) then popped half a Methyl Mate pill and slipped to 5-flat for the back half for an overall time of 8:48 for 1 Mile. Took some Glutamine and ATP afterwards and felt some benefit. Without Methyl, I cannot tolerate a speck of either pill.
Distance=4.0
Reaction:
I clearly have a methylation block. The Methyl Mate WILL DEFINITELY knock out the sensitivity and allow me to take whatever I need without fear of a reaction but I cannot tolerate it because of the sulfate toxicity. Extra molybdenum is apparently not enough. The only way forward right now is to take micro doses of Methyl Mate and hope it's enough to knock out the sensitivity without aggravating the sulfate toxicity.
4/26- Another one of those days. Began with a 9:26 Mile without Methyl Mate. Painfully obvious that this pill is necessary. Took about a quarter of a pill and felt better immediately. Came through 2/3 of a mile in 4:12 (6:18 pace) but fading so I took a few more specks and got much worse. The next 1/3 of a mile took me 2:37 (7:51 pace) for an overall time of 6:49.
Distance=2.0
Reaction:
If I am evolving toward a complete intolerance to Methyl Mate, I'm afraid I'm doomed. Perhaps my tolerance went down because I took too much yesterday.
4/27- It was clear before I ran that I needed Methyl Mate but it didn't help much and too much made things worse. It's looking bleak. I'm giving it until the end of the week and if it's still not working, I will have to accept the extreme sensitivity to Lithium and B-12. Workout was 2 miles at Gold's in a time of 17:20 (8:40 pace).
PM- Better. Improved to 15:56 (7:58 pace). MINUS 42. I don't know if my tolerance is improving or some of it has cleared. As a last ditch effort, I am cutting out ALL sugared drinks, not just caffeinated. I feel there is a chance, albeit slim, that the sugars are interfering with methylation. If this doesn't work, I'll have to manage the sensitivity as best as I can, which is not very well.
Distance=4.0
4/28- 2nd day off sugar. No improvement at all in my tolerance to Methyl Mate and I fear that I am headed towards complete intolerance. Strangely, I CAN tolerate extra methyl folate and on a whim, I tried Betaine and seemed to benefit from it. Betaine is very similar to TMG, which I could not tolerate. I'm not getting excited. I'll post more about the differences between the two products later. Another thing that must be cut out of my diet is protein bars, which are bad for CBS issues and may be contributing to the sulfates. My workout was done at Lakeshore. As planned, I only ran 2 miles but my pace was surprisingly good. Time was 14:54 (7:27 pace) MINUS 31. Splits were 7:23-7:31.
Distance=2.0
Reaction:
Tomorrow will be interesting. I will take ATP and glutamine to the point of intolerance, which should not be very much. Then, I will take Betaine and hope it knocks out the sensitivity. If it's ineffective, I'll add more folate. I need to take a decent amount of B-12 to tolerate Methyl folate.
4/29- Day 3. Immediate negative reaction to glutamine and ATP but Betaine Hcl DID KNOCK IT OUT! I got off to a good start but over-stimulation kicked in early. Still, the pace never slipped below the 7:15 range. Finished 2 miles in a time of 14:12 (7:06 pace) with splits of 7:03-7:09. MINUS 21 and I'll take that any day. I will reduce to dose as it seems that I only need 1 pill. Tried just a trace of Methyl Mate and I tightened up almost immediately so I have evolved to complete intolerance. I fear the same thing could happen with the Betaine.
Reaction:
My diagnosis is a methylation block in between the conversion of SAH to SAM so that means no product with SAM-e can be tolerated. As long as this block exists, I will struggle with sensitivity to supplements. Yasko does NOT recommend Betaine Hcl (different from TMG) but right now it's my only choice. As for the sulfates, perhaps those test strips are not accurate. If I can tolerate methyl folate and Phospho-Serine, I'm going with it.
Distance=2.0
4/30- AM-FAILURE! Felt somewhat off warming up but did not expect it to be THIS bad. 2 miles in 17:48 (8:54 pace). Splits were 8:00-9:48. Guess what? The culprit was Betaine, The same stuff that was the miracle yesterday. My only remaining option is to load on methyl folate and try the stuff again at a later date.
PM- Go figure. I was better on the methyl folate. After just 1 pill, I ran the same 2 mile distance this time at Gold's in a time of 15:28 (7:44 pace) MINUS 70. Popped another and improved to 14:16 (7:08 pace) MINUS 36. Overall time was 29:44 (7:26 pace) for 4 miles. I will load on Methyl folate and be judicious with the Lithium, ADHS and B-12. Maybe next week, I can try again to take micro doses of Methyl Mate.
Distance=6.0
5/1- Another one of those "go figure" type of days.
AM- Without the Methyl Mate or the Betaine, the EXTREME SENSITIVITY CAME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE! Took 5 mg Lithium, 1.5 mg B-12 and 3 ADHS pills. Came through 2 miles fading in 16:22 (7:50-8:32) so I took an extra 1 mg. B-12 and slipped to 10:00 pace for the next half mile. Popped 3 more ADHS (contains an unspecified amount of Lithium) and improved to around 8:45 pace for the next 1.5 miles. Finished with an overall time of 34:33 (8:38 pace). Tolerated methyl folate and phospho-serine but NEITHER helped the sensitivity. The best option is probably 5 mg. Lithium, 1 mg B-12 and the full 6 pills of ADHS. That holds true for today only. By next week, it is likely to shift again.
PM- Tried about 1/8 of a MethylMate pill and much to my relief, I IMPROVED. Ran the same 4 mile distance in a respectable 31:03 (7:46 pace). MINUS 52 BECAUSE I TOOK 1/8 OF A PILL!!! Faded in Mile 2 but kept the pace under 8 all the way. Still, I felt well off and am unsure if I would have been better or worse with a bit more Methyl Mate. I'll find that out tomorrow.
Distance=8.0
-28 miles on the week.
PM- Extra Probiotics seemed to help but this workout confirmed that the culprit was indeed MethylMate. Gold's workout in which I got off to a 3:48 start (7:36 pace) then popped half a Methyl Mate pill and slipped to 5-flat for the back half for an overall time of 8:48 for 1 Mile. Took some Glutamine and ATP afterwards and felt some benefit. Without Methyl, I cannot tolerate a speck of either pill.
Distance=4.0
Reaction:
I clearly have a methylation block. The Methyl Mate WILL DEFINITELY knock out the sensitivity and allow me to take whatever I need without fear of a reaction but I cannot tolerate it because of the sulfate toxicity. Extra molybdenum is apparently not enough. The only way forward right now is to take micro doses of Methyl Mate and hope it's enough to knock out the sensitivity without aggravating the sulfate toxicity.
4/26- Another one of those days. Began with a 9:26 Mile without Methyl Mate. Painfully obvious that this pill is necessary. Took about a quarter of a pill and felt better immediately. Came through 2/3 of a mile in 4:12 (6:18 pace) but fading so I took a few more specks and got much worse. The next 1/3 of a mile took me 2:37 (7:51 pace) for an overall time of 6:49.
Distance=2.0
Reaction:
If I am evolving toward a complete intolerance to Methyl Mate, I'm afraid I'm doomed. Perhaps my tolerance went down because I took too much yesterday.
4/27- It was clear before I ran that I needed Methyl Mate but it didn't help much and too much made things worse. It's looking bleak. I'm giving it until the end of the week and if it's still not working, I will have to accept the extreme sensitivity to Lithium and B-12. Workout was 2 miles at Gold's in a time of 17:20 (8:40 pace).
PM- Better. Improved to 15:56 (7:58 pace). MINUS 42. I don't know if my tolerance is improving or some of it has cleared. As a last ditch effort, I am cutting out ALL sugared drinks, not just caffeinated. I feel there is a chance, albeit slim, that the sugars are interfering with methylation. If this doesn't work, I'll have to manage the sensitivity as best as I can, which is not very well.
Distance=4.0
4/28- 2nd day off sugar. No improvement at all in my tolerance to Methyl Mate and I fear that I am headed towards complete intolerance. Strangely, I CAN tolerate extra methyl folate and on a whim, I tried Betaine and seemed to benefit from it. Betaine is very similar to TMG, which I could not tolerate. I'm not getting excited. I'll post more about the differences between the two products later. Another thing that must be cut out of my diet is protein bars, which are bad for CBS issues and may be contributing to the sulfates. My workout was done at Lakeshore. As planned, I only ran 2 miles but my pace was surprisingly good. Time was 14:54 (7:27 pace) MINUS 31. Splits were 7:23-7:31.
Distance=2.0
Reaction:
Tomorrow will be interesting. I will take ATP and glutamine to the point of intolerance, which should not be very much. Then, I will take Betaine and hope it knocks out the sensitivity. If it's ineffective, I'll add more folate. I need to take a decent amount of B-12 to tolerate Methyl folate.
4/29- Day 3. Immediate negative reaction to glutamine and ATP but Betaine Hcl DID KNOCK IT OUT! I got off to a good start but over-stimulation kicked in early. Still, the pace never slipped below the 7:15 range. Finished 2 miles in a time of 14:12 (7:06 pace) with splits of 7:03-7:09. MINUS 21 and I'll take that any day. I will reduce to dose as it seems that I only need 1 pill. Tried just a trace of Methyl Mate and I tightened up almost immediately so I have evolved to complete intolerance. I fear the same thing could happen with the Betaine.
Reaction:
My diagnosis is a methylation block in between the conversion of SAH to SAM so that means no product with SAM-e can be tolerated. As long as this block exists, I will struggle with sensitivity to supplements. Yasko does NOT recommend Betaine Hcl (different from TMG) but right now it's my only choice. As for the sulfates, perhaps those test strips are not accurate. If I can tolerate methyl folate and Phospho-Serine, I'm going with it.
Distance=2.0
4/30- AM-FAILURE! Felt somewhat off warming up but did not expect it to be THIS bad. 2 miles in 17:48 (8:54 pace). Splits were 8:00-9:48. Guess what? The culprit was Betaine, The same stuff that was the miracle yesterday. My only remaining option is to load on methyl folate and try the stuff again at a later date.
PM- Go figure. I was better on the methyl folate. After just 1 pill, I ran the same 2 mile distance this time at Gold's in a time of 15:28 (7:44 pace) MINUS 70. Popped another and improved to 14:16 (7:08 pace) MINUS 36. Overall time was 29:44 (7:26 pace) for 4 miles. I will load on Methyl folate and be judicious with the Lithium, ADHS and B-12. Maybe next week, I can try again to take micro doses of Methyl Mate.
Distance=6.0
5/1- Another one of those "go figure" type of days.
AM- Without the Methyl Mate or the Betaine, the EXTREME SENSITIVITY CAME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE! Took 5 mg Lithium, 1.5 mg B-12 and 3 ADHS pills. Came through 2 miles fading in 16:22 (7:50-8:32) so I took an extra 1 mg. B-12 and slipped to 10:00 pace for the next half mile. Popped 3 more ADHS (contains an unspecified amount of Lithium) and improved to around 8:45 pace for the next 1.5 miles. Finished with an overall time of 34:33 (8:38 pace). Tolerated methyl folate and phospho-serine but NEITHER helped the sensitivity. The best option is probably 5 mg. Lithium, 1 mg B-12 and the full 6 pills of ADHS. That holds true for today only. By next week, it is likely to shift again.
PM- Tried about 1/8 of a MethylMate pill and much to my relief, I IMPROVED. Ran the same 4 mile distance in a respectable 31:03 (7:46 pace). MINUS 52 BECAUSE I TOOK 1/8 OF A PILL!!! Faded in Mile 2 but kept the pace under 8 all the way. Still, I felt well off and am unsure if I would have been better or worse with a bit more Methyl Mate. I'll find that out tomorrow.
Distance=8.0
-28 miles on the week.
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