9/10- Vestavia Mile in 6:41.1 (MINUS 49) plus a half mile cool. Best time of the year and 6 seconds better than last week's best. Got out a little faster today but once again slipped into a rut early. From 200-1200, I was only slightly better than 7:00 pace but finished in 91 (6:04 pace) on the last go round. There is still room for improvement but the rate will be much slower once I get down around 6:20. Then, I'll just chip away a few seconds at a time BARRING MORE RELAPSES!!
PM- Canterbury 4 in 31:19 (7:50 pace) plus a half mile cool. Even splits despite hilly route but since the back half is mostly down, I should see negative splits. Still, not bad. This was significantly better than yesterday at both distances. I'd say this translates to about 39 flat if not better on the mostly level Lakeshore 5 route.
Distance=6.0
UPDATE on DC:
I keep going back and forth. As of now, I think I've got about a 50/50 chance of finishing under 2 hours but the last 5 miles will be VERY TOUGH even with an ultraconservative start. I do think I have a chance at improvement in the next 5 days so if I am to go, I will suck it up and run the half. The race does offer a deferral for just $30 but I've booked a non-refundable flight and hotel and really don't want to eat that loss. As for the weather, it could still go either way. There's a chance if the hurricane hits South Carolina, it won't be so bad in DC and it might clear out by Sunday. If it hits in Virginia, we could see Tropical Storm force winds on Saturday and the flight in will probably be cancelled anyway. I've got another 3 days to decide and hopefully, the forecast will be known by then.
9/11- No Mountain Dew today for the first time in 4 days. Withdrawal was not as severe as Red Bull but unpleasant nonetheless. I was wired/tired much of the afternoon. When it was time to run, I kept it respectable for 2 miles then died. I would have been better if I drank a can but that would have only delayed the symptoms. I can handle an occasional Dew on.a cheat day but don't make a habit of it or I face withdrawal. That's what I figured but I had to know. Red Bull or Rockstar? I'm never touching that stuff again.
Distance=3.0
Weather Update:
At least for DC, the forecast has taken a turn for the better. It appears that NC will get the worst of it then it will turn northwest towards West Virginia. There's just a chance of scattered showers over the weekend. I'm going. I'm still intending to try the half because if nothing else, it will be good training for Nebraska and Detroit. If I'm hurting, I can still downgrade at the expo the day before.
9/12- Planned rest day
9/13- CRASH. Didn't know what was wrong but figured out I needed extra Paramin. That's right. Just a few days ago, I could not tolerate more than 2 pills. Now, I NEED more.
Distance=1.0
9/14- Intervals. Quarter miles at the track.
1 Paramin- 2:16
2 Paramin- 2:08
3 Paramin- 1:58
6 Paramin- 1:28
I really do not think it was any worse on 7.5 pills so my tolerance could be unlimited. That's good news. I will take mega doses for as long as needed and eventually, my dose will go back down.
Distance=1.5
9/15- More intervals. Not sure of the exact distance but I'm guessing it was about 0.3 miles. Definitely more than a quarter but less than a third.
3 Paramin- 2:34
4 Paramin- 2:23
5 Paramin- 2:18
6 Paramin- 2:19
Not a huge difference between 4 and 5 then fared no better on 6 but essentially no worse either. I bet if I upped it further, yes, I would have faded. This one felt WORSE than yesterday. I will be downgrading. Most likely, the citrates have depleted ceruloplasmin and I need the Liver Beef, which I did not pack in my bag. Unless I can find it in DC, even the 5 Mile race will SUCK.
Distance=1.5
9/16- Navy 5 Miler in 47:31 (9:30 pace). Yes, that sucks but I actually feared worse based on how I felt. Managed a rare negative split in a race.
Distance=5.0
Monday, September 10, 2018
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Colorado and Nebraska Road Trip Plan
Out of the 49 states that I have visited, Nebraska is the only one that I have yet to do something significant. In all of my other non-race states, I have stopped at a tourist attraction and in most cases, I have spent at least one night. In Nebraska, I took a short detour from Cheyenne, Wyoming to the town of Kimball. All told, I spent about 30 minutes in the state and all but 5 were in the car. I did stop at a grocery store and made a small purchase. It counts for the lenient standards but definitely not for the strict. I had planned to make it a double with Iowa but there are a few issues with that plan. There's too much dead time between races. It's too much driving and it will cost an arm and a leg to rent from O'Hare in Chicago. This year, I've got an opportunity to race in Nebraska and make a nice trip out of it without missing any time at work.
Saturday 10/6- Fly out of Birmingham to Denver first thing in the morning. It's very important to get in at a decent hour because I've got to get to North Platte, Nebraska (3.5-4 hours) by the end of the day. Part of me is thinking to take a Friday flight to be safe. If there is a long delay, I'll miss the race. Upon further review, yes I will take the Friday afternoon flight. At any rate, the drive into Nebraska will not be very exciting but I expect the people will be very nice.
Sunday 10/7- Small race in North Platte, Nebraska. They have a 5K and half marathon with essentially no time limit so even if I am very sick and have to walk, I can get credit for a finish. From there, it will be back to Colorado. I'll stay in Estes Park, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park and gain an hour going back to Mountain Time Zone. Figure, if I can get out of North Platte by 10 AM Central, I can get in by 2 PM Mountain even with a lunch stop. I can be flexible here. If it's good weather, I'll take Trail Ridge Road, one of the most scenic in the country that goes up to 12,000 feet elevation. Only 1-2 weeks later, the road will be closed for the winter. I was here back in 2010 and loved it but I didn't have a good camera phone at the time so I have no pictures. If it's a cloudy day or I am running late, I'll go to Denver instead. I've been there twice and really like the city.
Monday 10/8- I'll have the day off work for Columbus Day so I will do whatever I do not do the previous day. It will either be Trail Ridge at dawn or I sleep in a bit and chill in Denver before my flight back. Aside from the money, I don't see a downside to this trip so I'm leaning towards doing it. It will be 2 weeks prior to Detroit and 3 weeks after DC so it's a heavy schedule but not terribly taxing. I really want to do Nebraska sooner rather than later so I can shore up state #49. Again, Hawaii is state number 50 and it will wait until race state number 50.
Saturday 10/6- Fly out of Birmingham to Denver first thing in the morning. It's very important to get in at a decent hour because I've got to get to North Platte, Nebraska (3.5-4 hours) by the end of the day. Part of me is thinking to take a Friday flight to be safe. If there is a long delay, I'll miss the race. Upon further review, yes I will take the Friday afternoon flight. At any rate, the drive into Nebraska will not be very exciting but I expect the people will be very nice.
Sunday 10/7- Small race in North Platte, Nebraska. They have a 5K and half marathon with essentially no time limit so even if I am very sick and have to walk, I can get credit for a finish. From there, it will be back to Colorado. I'll stay in Estes Park, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park and gain an hour going back to Mountain Time Zone. Figure, if I can get out of North Platte by 10 AM Central, I can get in by 2 PM Mountain even with a lunch stop. I can be flexible here. If it's good weather, I'll take Trail Ridge Road, one of the most scenic in the country that goes up to 12,000 feet elevation. Only 1-2 weeks later, the road will be closed for the winter. I was here back in 2010 and loved it but I didn't have a good camera phone at the time so I have no pictures. If it's a cloudy day or I am running late, I'll go to Denver instead. I've been there twice and really like the city.
Monday 10/8- I'll have the day off work for Columbus Day so I will do whatever I do not do the previous day. It will either be Trail Ridge at dawn or I sleep in a bit and chill in Denver before my flight back. Aside from the money, I don't see a downside to this trip so I'm leaning towards doing it. It will be 2 weeks prior to Detroit and 3 weeks after DC so it's a heavy schedule but not terribly taxing. I really want to do Nebraska sooner rather than later so I can shore up state #49. Again, Hawaii is state number 50 and it will wait until race state number 50.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
High Oxalates Revisited
Oxalates
I looked into this 2 years ago because I read it could be a
reason for sensitivity to supplements. I’ve
read that in cases of high oxalates, there are toxins in your organs that are
chemically similar to anti-freeze (YUCK)!
Effective treatments are Cal/Mag citrate (Paramin) and IP-6. The former is something that is known to be
effective because it worked temporarily in the past. The latter is untested in this regard but may
raise ceruloplasmin and improve Iron mobilization while the former is known to worsen
both areas. If I am to go with the
Paramin, I may just raise my Liver Beef dosage to mitigate the damage. Whole Food C must be cut out because it
increases oxalates. I took Paramin until
2013 and was a much better and consistent performer when I was on it. I stopped because it wasn’t raising
Magnesium. I tried going back on it a
couple times but could not tolerate it.
That issue should be resolved now.
I did have brief success with Cal Citrate 2 years ago but
eventually developed a complete intolerance because of the glycine conjugation
issues. Then, a urine test revealed that
oxalates were not high after all. The
markers were only slightly higher than the 50th percentile and not
nearly high enough to be flagged.
Why am I so sure now that oxalates are the culprit?
1)
Taking glycine will raise oxalates.
The Sarcosine (N-methyl glycine)
is the one treatment that I absolutely cannot do without. If I don’t take it, I will become intolerant
to almost all my other necessary supplements and I will be screwed. It is quite possible that I always did have
high oxalates, which were masked by the glycine conjugation issues and may have
worsened the sensitivity issues.
2)
Sudden sensitivity to adrenal supplements.
Very recently, neither the adrenal
stimulant nor the suppressant had much of an effect at least at one dose. I still think I could be balanced now in that
area. However, last week, I had a
terrible reaction to just a half pill of both.
For the last time, even if a single pill takes my chemistry in the wrong
direction, there is NO WAY that it should trigger a severe reaction. After taking the Calcium citrate, the
sensitivity was gone again. I had a
similar reaction to Whole Food C but Liver was tolerated whereas it was not
prior to the Sarcosine.
3)
Calcium Citrate is effective.
I had an episode last week in
which I was struggling for a 9 minute pace for just a half mile then after
popping a single Cal Citrate pill, I felt better. I managed a sub-8 for 2 miles just a few
minutes later. I’ve also had nasty
diarrhea along with itching and foul smelling urine that leaves me feeling
better afterwards. Lastly, if I
overshoot by taking too much Cal Citrate, I will end up worse off due to
detox. All are symptoms of oxalate dumping.
I think Paramin is my best chance
of improvement. I have no choice but to
keep fighting because the alternative is being disabled.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Training 9/3-9/9
9/3-AM- Vestavia Mile in 9:45
PM- Vestavia Mile in 9:11
Distance=2.0
9/4- AM. Painfully obvious that Cal citrate is needed. I would have been over 10 without it. With it, tolerance seems to be improving. Managed an 8:44 today for a MINUS 61 in less than 24 hours. I was on 9 minute pace for the first 3 laps then finished with a 2:00 last lap despite holding in a diarrhea dump (detox). Popped another pill shortly thereafter and felt a little better. Paramin should arrive in another 2-3 days, which should be more effective at detoxing the oxalates.
PM- Another Mile this time at Hoover's forbidden track. I sneaked in through an open gate. In a very pleasant surprise, I was all the way down to 6:58.8 this time. 1st half: 3:31, 2nd half: 3:27 with a 1:38 last go round. The extra Cal citrate was clearly the difference. I expected to be under 8 but never expected to be close to 7 let alone break it. I might still run the half in DC if I can finish my long run @ sub-9 pace this weekend.
Distance=2.0
9/5- 2 Cal citrates worked well yesterday. 3 of them caused too much of a detox reaction today. Morning was really bad but I did get a little better as the day progressed. Still struggled in the workout. 3 miles at Gold's in 26:43 (8:54 pace). The Paramin may not arrive until after the weekend so I am uncertain about trying it.
Distance=3.0
9/6- AM Vestavia Mile in 6:47.1 (MINUS 11) and it all came on the back half. Added a half mile cool. First 3 laps were even at 1:44-1:45 then found another gear with a 92 second finish. I believe this is my best time of the year at this distance by 3 seconds but I was hoping for a little better. The rate of improvement is slowing and that is to be expected but I suspect that because of the detox, I'll be better if I take the citrates in the evening. I'll do that tonight even though I may endure a rough day tomorrow.
PM- Decided to take the afternoon off.
Distance=2.0
9/7- Unplanned rest day. Tried IP-6 and it was a disaster. Unclear if the pill is bad for me or it's a detox reaction. Whole Food C is still BAD even with the citrates controlling the oxalates. Gut feeling is to downgrade in DC even if by some miracle the long run goes well this weekend. DC is not a state so anything I do there is a bonus anyway.
PM- Decided to run a junk mile at Gold's and sucked as expected. Time was 9:25. Paramin arrived this evening so I took it at night. Maybe it was my imagination but I thought I felt a tingle in my legs and felt less heavy. I figure 2 Paramin is about the same as 2 Cal citrates.
9/8- No sudden miracle. Improved to 8:23 at Vestavia but knew within 50 meters that I didn't have it and just did the best I could. Pace was fairly even but did manage to dip under 2:00 in the last lap. Popped a 3rd citrate when I got home and was clearly worse immediately. I don't know if I am still detoxing the C and IP-6 or I can only take 1 Paramin not 2.
I looked at some of my old posts from early 2013 before I stopped the Paramin. Even when I was winning, it was NOT all smooth sailing. I had brutal sensitivity to copper and C BUT I was a lot better and more consistent overall. Horrible days were few and far between and even on an off day, I could usually get through 6-7 miles at a respectable pace. An off day back then would be a great day today. Again, it would NOT have made a difference if I had stayed on Paramin because as the glycine conjugation got worse, I would have soon been forced off anyway. I really don't think there is anything that I could have done to prevent this nightmare, which is extremely maddening.
PM- Interesting. As expected, I was worse after the 3rd Paramin (2:22 for 400) but I was actually slightly BETTER (2:13) after drinking a forbidden Kickstart Energy. No doubt that sugar and caffeine are still BAD but I may be able to get away with an occasional can of Surge or Kickstart. Red Bull or Rockstar? Forget it! Added a half mile cool. We'll see if I face withdrawal symptoms after stopping tomorrow. I am officially downgrading in DC.
Regarding Paramin, according to my log, I did NOT stop it by choice due to ineffectiveness. I was FORCED OFF due to intolerance. Yes, I've had to endure a few more rough days due to use of energy drinks over the years but nothing could have made much of a difference over the long haul.
Distance=2.0
9/9- Half-assed attempt to run long. It was clear that 2 Paramin are better than 1 but it was not a night and day difference. The sweet spot could be 1.5 right now but the tolerance will improve with time. I'm sure of it. I came through the first Mile in 8:40 but my pace was already slowing to the 9 minute range and I knew it was unsustainable over the long distance. Walked a lap then with great effort, I managed a 7:30.0 in a Mile time trial (MINUS 53) I bet it would have been under 7:20 if fully fresh so it's been another slow climb. Tacked on a cool for a 3 mile session.
PM- 5 miles on Lakeshore in 42:50 (8:34 pace). About as expected. VERY STRANGELY, drinks such as Surge and Mountain Dew are well tolerated and maybe even marginally beneficial for the time being. The reason is that since they are citrus based, they actually help detox the oxalates. I don't think I have experienced any withdrawal symptoms either but I won't be in the clear until tomorrow in that regard.
As for the DC race, I'd need to last 8.1 miles longer at a pace 34 seconds slower. for a sub-2 finish Not there yet but I don't want to give up hope. Then again, the hurricane could make that decision for me. As of now, there is a chance of tropical storm force winds and rain next weekend. I AIN'T going at all if the weather is going to be that bad. I'll focus on Nebraska instead.
Distance=8.0
PM- Vestavia Mile in 9:11
Distance=2.0
9/4- AM. Painfully obvious that Cal citrate is needed. I would have been over 10 without it. With it, tolerance seems to be improving. Managed an 8:44 today for a MINUS 61 in less than 24 hours. I was on 9 minute pace for the first 3 laps then finished with a 2:00 last lap despite holding in a diarrhea dump (detox). Popped another pill shortly thereafter and felt a little better. Paramin should arrive in another 2-3 days, which should be more effective at detoxing the oxalates.
PM- Another Mile this time at Hoover's forbidden track. I sneaked in through an open gate. In a very pleasant surprise, I was all the way down to 6:58.8 this time. 1st half: 3:31, 2nd half: 3:27 with a 1:38 last go round. The extra Cal citrate was clearly the difference. I expected to be under 8 but never expected to be close to 7 let alone break it. I might still run the half in DC if I can finish my long run @ sub-9 pace this weekend.
Distance=2.0
9/5- 2 Cal citrates worked well yesterday. 3 of them caused too much of a detox reaction today. Morning was really bad but I did get a little better as the day progressed. Still struggled in the workout. 3 miles at Gold's in 26:43 (8:54 pace). The Paramin may not arrive until after the weekend so I am uncertain about trying it.
Distance=3.0
9/6- AM Vestavia Mile in 6:47.1 (MINUS 11) and it all came on the back half. Added a half mile cool. First 3 laps were even at 1:44-1:45 then found another gear with a 92 second finish. I believe this is my best time of the year at this distance by 3 seconds but I was hoping for a little better. The rate of improvement is slowing and that is to be expected but I suspect that because of the detox, I'll be better if I take the citrates in the evening. I'll do that tonight even though I may endure a rough day tomorrow.
PM- Decided to take the afternoon off.
Distance=2.0
9/7- Unplanned rest day. Tried IP-6 and it was a disaster. Unclear if the pill is bad for me or it's a detox reaction. Whole Food C is still BAD even with the citrates controlling the oxalates. Gut feeling is to downgrade in DC even if by some miracle the long run goes well this weekend. DC is not a state so anything I do there is a bonus anyway.
PM- Decided to run a junk mile at Gold's and sucked as expected. Time was 9:25. Paramin arrived this evening so I took it at night. Maybe it was my imagination but I thought I felt a tingle in my legs and felt less heavy. I figure 2 Paramin is about the same as 2 Cal citrates.
9/8- No sudden miracle. Improved to 8:23 at Vestavia but knew within 50 meters that I didn't have it and just did the best I could. Pace was fairly even but did manage to dip under 2:00 in the last lap. Popped a 3rd citrate when I got home and was clearly worse immediately. I don't know if I am still detoxing the C and IP-6 or I can only take 1 Paramin not 2.
I looked at some of my old posts from early 2013 before I stopped the Paramin. Even when I was winning, it was NOT all smooth sailing. I had brutal sensitivity to copper and C BUT I was a lot better and more consistent overall. Horrible days were few and far between and even on an off day, I could usually get through 6-7 miles at a respectable pace. An off day back then would be a great day today. Again, it would NOT have made a difference if I had stayed on Paramin because as the glycine conjugation got worse, I would have soon been forced off anyway. I really don't think there is anything that I could have done to prevent this nightmare, which is extremely maddening.
PM- Interesting. As expected, I was worse after the 3rd Paramin (2:22 for 400) but I was actually slightly BETTER (2:13) after drinking a forbidden Kickstart Energy. No doubt that sugar and caffeine are still BAD but I may be able to get away with an occasional can of Surge or Kickstart. Red Bull or Rockstar? Forget it! Added a half mile cool. We'll see if I face withdrawal symptoms after stopping tomorrow. I am officially downgrading in DC.
Regarding Paramin, according to my log, I did NOT stop it by choice due to ineffectiveness. I was FORCED OFF due to intolerance. Yes, I've had to endure a few more rough days due to use of energy drinks over the years but nothing could have made much of a difference over the long haul.
Distance=2.0
9/9- Half-assed attempt to run long. It was clear that 2 Paramin are better than 1 but it was not a night and day difference. The sweet spot could be 1.5 right now but the tolerance will improve with time. I'm sure of it. I came through the first Mile in 8:40 but my pace was already slowing to the 9 minute range and I knew it was unsustainable over the long distance. Walked a lap then with great effort, I managed a 7:30.0 in a Mile time trial (MINUS 53) I bet it would have been under 7:20 if fully fresh so it's been another slow climb. Tacked on a cool for a 3 mile session.
PM- 5 miles on Lakeshore in 42:50 (8:34 pace). About as expected. VERY STRANGELY, drinks such as Surge and Mountain Dew are well tolerated and maybe even marginally beneficial for the time being. The reason is that since they are citrus based, they actually help detox the oxalates. I don't think I have experienced any withdrawal symptoms either but I won't be in the clear until tomorrow in that regard.
As for the DC race, I'd need to last 8.1 miles longer at a pace 34 seconds slower. for a sub-2 finish Not there yet but I don't want to give up hope. Then again, the hurricane could make that decision for me. As of now, there is a chance of tropical storm force winds and rain next weekend. I AIN'T going at all if the weather is going to be that bad. I'll focus on Nebraska instead.
Distance=8.0
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
So-Cal Road Trip Plan
Okay, this one is a repeat state and won’t be done until at
least next summer or possibly not until 2-3 years down the road but when I do
it, it will be EPIC so here it is. I
think I’d do this one before San Antonio/Corpus Christi/Acuna. I was in Venice Beach 5 years ago and did
drive along Santa Monica and Sunset Blvd but just didn’t have time to do it
justice. I didn’t even get a taste of
San Diego at all, so I’ve got to go back.
Day 1- Fly into San Diego and get in by early
afternoon. I’ll have time to do at least
a walking tour of downtown and/or Old Town.
There are several good race options throughout the year but the one I’d
choose is America’s Finest City (AFC) in August because it will be warm enough
to swim in the ocean without a wet suit.
Day 2- Race day.
Drive to Los Angeles mostly via Freeways but on a weekend day, the
traffic should not be too bad. I’ll pass
through Compton but probably won’t leave the Freeway. Two possible detours include the Nixon presidential
library (I saw Reagan’s last time) and Kenneth Hahn Park, which offers an
amazing view of the LA skyline with the San Gabriel Mountains in the
background. If I do stop at the latter
option, I’ll probably take Wilshire into town rather than a Freeway. I hope to get in before dark and my hotel
will be in downtown LA. The plan for the
evening is a 73rd floor rooftop bar downtown. I do have several friends and acquaintances
in the LA area, so it would be cool to meet up with someone.
Day 3- Brief walking
tour of downtown LA. I definitely want
to see the top of the US Bank tower in the daylight and go on the glass
slide. By the time I’m done, the worst
of rush hour should be over, so I’ll take 101 up to Hollywood Blvd and the Walk
of Fame. I’d like to see Griffith Park
and the Bowl on Mulholland but may not have the time. From Hollywood, I’ll take the Sunset strip
into Beverly Hills and see a few mansions before going down Rodeo. I’ll probably take either Santa Monica Blvd
or Wilshire to the coast. I’d like to
get there by sunset so I can view it over the Santa Monica pier. There are some affordable hotels in the area
on Lincoln Blvd.
Day 4- Early start then hit the Pacific Coast Hwy to San
Diego. La Jolla is a must see but I have
several beach options. La Jolla Shores
and Ocean Beach are probably the most appealing. Sunset ought to be beautiful
here as well. I’ll stay a few blocks
from the beach itself so I won’t break the bank.
Day 5- Morning and early afternoon on the beach in San Diego
then I’ll head south to the border. The
plan is to get a hotel within walking distance of the border crossing. I’ll just leave my car there then take the
foot bridge into Tijuana. I’ll stroll
down Revolucion and probably have dinner with a drink or two then get back to
the USA before it’s too late.
Day 6- Back to San Diego and I’ll take an evening red eye
back home, so I’ll have plenty of time.
I’ll want to see the San Diego Zoo and/or more of downtown. Can’t see everything that So-Cal has to offer
but I’d say this is a good plan.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Training 8/27-9/2
8/27- 3 miles at Gold's in 26:52 (8:57 pace) with a hard fade. Concerned now. Perhaps the long run hit me 2 days later. If I am not better tomorrow, it's panic time. I want 1 Mile time trial this week and I'm shooting for at least 6:40 but the principle goal is 35 miles.
Distance=3.0
8/28- Repeated the 3 mile and my time is down to 25:11 (8:24 pace). Within 30 seconds of the new normal and clearly feeling better. No need to panic. I should be up for an easy 5 by tomorrow. The Mile time trial will be postponed until Friday but I hope to be down around 6:30.
Distance=3.5
8/29- 5 miles on Lakeshore in a time of 40:50 (8:10 pace) plus a cool. Back to the new normal but still not real pleased with how I felt. Faded in Mile 4 and didn't have much of a rebound at the end. Sore legs with low energy. I'm doing everything right with the pills and diet so I should have no excuses. Let's hope I see improvement in my Mile time.
Distance=5.5
8/30- MAD AS HELL! Tried an adrenal stimulant to give myself a jump start and it was a disaster. It's my fault for trying it but the Sarcosine is SUPPOSED TO PREVENT THIS!! As it is, I am becoming more and more intolerant to adrenal stimulants AND suppressants. The only thing adrenal support that is tolerable is the modulator and it doesn't make much difference. I attempted a Mile time trial and saw it was going to be ugly within 200 meters. Came through 400 at 1:48 running all out and rapidly slowing. Turned it into a 2 mile junk run. Again, just 2 doses should NOT hurt me this badly!! I'll probably struggle tomorrow as well and have to postpone the LR until Sunday. Is there another missing piece? I don't think so. I've tried EVERYTHING!! Nothing more can be done. I've just got to accept the results but I fear the worst. I fear a degenerative condition that will eventually leave me unable to function let alone train.
Distance=2.0
8/31- Tried to reduce the Sarcosine and it was immediately apparent that the sensitivity to Vitamin C kicked back in with a vengeance so it's still needed. Also tried to go without the MF and DMG. Didn't feel too bad in the morning but it was sharply downhill after noon. Did not have to run to know that won't work. Took the normal dosage of everything before the workout but fared no better than yesterday early. If anything, I was probably slightly worse. Came through half mile on Lakeshore in 4:25 (8:50 pace). Based on my research, oxalates are the most likely culprit. Took 1 Cal Citrate pill and was clearly better. Next 2 miles were done in 15:54 (7:57 pace) with a slight negative split. Tacked on a half mile cool.
Distance=3.0
9/1- Overshot the balance point with the oxalates and must endure detox reaction.
Distance=1.0
9/2- Unplanned rest day
Distance=3.0
8/28- Repeated the 3 mile and my time is down to 25:11 (8:24 pace). Within 30 seconds of the new normal and clearly feeling better. No need to panic. I should be up for an easy 5 by tomorrow. The Mile time trial will be postponed until Friday but I hope to be down around 6:30.
Distance=3.5
8/29- 5 miles on Lakeshore in a time of 40:50 (8:10 pace) plus a cool. Back to the new normal but still not real pleased with how I felt. Faded in Mile 4 and didn't have much of a rebound at the end. Sore legs with low energy. I'm doing everything right with the pills and diet so I should have no excuses. Let's hope I see improvement in my Mile time.
Distance=5.5
8/30- MAD AS HELL! Tried an adrenal stimulant to give myself a jump start and it was a disaster. It's my fault for trying it but the Sarcosine is SUPPOSED TO PREVENT THIS!! As it is, I am becoming more and more intolerant to adrenal stimulants AND suppressants. The only thing adrenal support that is tolerable is the modulator and it doesn't make much difference. I attempted a Mile time trial and saw it was going to be ugly within 200 meters. Came through 400 at 1:48 running all out and rapidly slowing. Turned it into a 2 mile junk run. Again, just 2 doses should NOT hurt me this badly!! I'll probably struggle tomorrow as well and have to postpone the LR until Sunday. Is there another missing piece? I don't think so. I've tried EVERYTHING!! Nothing more can be done. I've just got to accept the results but I fear the worst. I fear a degenerative condition that will eventually leave me unable to function let alone train.
Distance=2.0
8/31- Tried to reduce the Sarcosine and it was immediately apparent that the sensitivity to Vitamin C kicked back in with a vengeance so it's still needed. Also tried to go without the MF and DMG. Didn't feel too bad in the morning but it was sharply downhill after noon. Did not have to run to know that won't work. Took the normal dosage of everything before the workout but fared no better than yesterday early. If anything, I was probably slightly worse. Came through half mile on Lakeshore in 4:25 (8:50 pace). Based on my research, oxalates are the most likely culprit. Took 1 Cal Citrate pill and was clearly better. Next 2 miles were done in 15:54 (7:57 pace) with a slight negative split. Tacked on a half mile cool.
Distance=3.0
9/1- Overshot the balance point with the oxalates and must endure detox reaction.
Distance=1.0
9/2- Unplanned rest day
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Training in Every State?
Upon further review, I'm not sure I can count Minnesota for a half marathon. Although I did cover the full distance, only 6.7 miles were done in a race setting. The official distance was cut short due to heat and humidity. I most definitely cannot count a 15K race plus a 3K warm and 3K cool but this one was originally scheduled as a 13.1 so it remains debatable. If my body does hold up, I'll be back to Fergus Falls (outside of Fargo) and take a road trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Hell, I may even do it just for a 5K or 10K so I have an excuse to go to Manitoba. There is one other state in which I have done an organized race that was not a half marathon. That was New Jersey and the race was a Steeplechase on the track. Any other states that I have trained but not raced? Yes.
Washington- Centennial Trail in Spokane just a few days before the Coeur D'Alene half.
Maine- Run on the State University track in Bangor on the way back from Nova Scotia.
Maryland- Many training runs in Salisbury as well as a few on Ocean City's boardwalk. I've also run in the National Wildlife Refuge near Assateague Island.
Utah- 3 mile run through Zion National Park at over 8,000 foot elevation. That one was beautiful but it hurt.
Alberta- 3 mile run through Prince Island Park in Calgary. Stanley Park is a must run in Vancouver, BC.
Prince Edward Island- Junk run on the boardwalk at Victoria Park in Charlottetown.
That leaves only 9 states in which I have not trained or raced:
Hawaii, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Michigan, Iowa, South Dakota, Delaware
I'll list a few other memorable training runs away from home:
- Nice beach runs in Charleston, South Carolina and South Padre Island, Texas
Anchorage, Alaska- It was just a junk run from the hotel but it was done at midnight and in mid-June, it was still daylight.
Dallas, Texas- White Rock Lake with million dollar homes.
Denver, Colorado- Cherry Creek trail with views of the skyline plus City Park. I also ran a half mile at the top of Pike's Peak and actually managed a semi-respectable pace at 14,000 feet but it did give me a bit of a headache. Edit: I almost forgot that I also did a 6 miler at the Garden of the Gods.
Louisville, Kentucky- Nice MLR along the Riverwalk
Little Rock, Arkansas- Another nice trail overlooking the river near the heart of town.
Washington- Centennial Trail in Spokane just a few days before the Coeur D'Alene half.
Maine- Run on the State University track in Bangor on the way back from Nova Scotia.
Maryland- Many training runs in Salisbury as well as a few on Ocean City's boardwalk. I've also run in the National Wildlife Refuge near Assateague Island.
Utah- 3 mile run through Zion National Park at over 8,000 foot elevation. That one was beautiful but it hurt.
Alberta- 3 mile run through Prince Island Park in Calgary. Stanley Park is a must run in Vancouver, BC.
Prince Edward Island- Junk run on the boardwalk at Victoria Park in Charlottetown.
That leaves only 9 states in which I have not trained or raced:
Hawaii, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Michigan, Iowa, South Dakota, Delaware
I'll list a few other memorable training runs away from home:
- Nice beach runs in Charleston, South Carolina and South Padre Island, Texas
Anchorage, Alaska- It was just a junk run from the hotel but it was done at midnight and in mid-June, it was still daylight.
Dallas, Texas- White Rock Lake with million dollar homes.
Denver, Colorado- Cherry Creek trail with views of the skyline plus City Park. I also ran a half mile at the top of Pike's Peak and actually managed a semi-respectable pace at 14,000 feet but it did give me a bit of a headache. Edit: I almost forgot that I also did a 6 miler at the Garden of the Gods.
Louisville, Kentucky- Nice MLR along the Riverwalk
Little Rock, Arkansas- Another nice trail overlooking the river near the heart of town.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Training 8/20-8/26
8/20- AM. 1 mile quickie at Vestavia. Time is down to 7:15 with a last lap in 1:40. That's MINUS 33 versus last time I ran that distance last Friday. Starting to feel a little different too. That's what I want. Steady and gradual improvement with no more relapses. Probably back out this evening.
PM- 3 miles at Gold's. Again, I felt noticeably better and my time is down to 24:15 (8:05 pace). MINUS 22. I was shooting for the Mendoza line and came up short but I'm fine with that. I actually DON'T want to see big numbers in the MINUS column at this stage. If the program is working well, you should NOT notice much difference from one day to the next but rather improvement becomes evident over the course of several weeks. Added a half mile cool.
Distance=4.5
8/21- 4 miles on Lakeshore in 31:32 (7:53 pace). MINUS 12 over an extra mile. Good job today. That's a solid improvement but not like night and day just like I wanted. I opened with back to back 7:46s then dialed it back on purpose. The 8-flat pace that I maintained felt quite comfortable and I felt good enough to go another 2-3 miles. Added half mile cool. So far everything is going as planned the last 7 days or so. The plan is to dial back the effort and hope to increase my distance.
Distance=4.5
8/22- AM- Woke up early for an impromptu Vestavia Mile. Time is down to 6:50 (MINUS 25). Splits were 1:40-1:46-1:46-1:38 so I had a negative split on the back half. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me later in the week. If I am to run this evening, it will be a very easy 3 probably at the Shak. Foot is a bit sore but other than that, I feel noticeably better than just a few days ago.
PM- Trak Shak 1 and 3 route in 32:40 (8:10 pace). Slower than yesterday but I meant to be. Foot held up okay but I need a day off either tomorrow or Friday. No more doubles or time trials. Pace varied considerably (7:50-8:30) depending on the terrain. That's curious but most likely due to leg fatigue. Hills hurt a little more when you are not fully fresh. Overall not too bad.
Distance=5.0
8/23- Jemison 3 mile in 23:44 (7:55 pace). No complaints about this one. I was leaning towards a rest day but the weather was absolutely beautiful (mid 80s with low humidity). Even pace on a relatively flat route. I could have gone longer but it's probably a smart call not to push the mileage at this stage. Assuming a long run, I'll be in the low 30s this week and that's about what I should do. Not a good idea to jump into the 40+ range.
Distance=3.0
8/24- Planned rest day. Aiming for 12 miles tomorrow at a pace around 9.
8/25- Last week's long run was 10@ 9:42 pace. Today, I managed 12 miles in 1:53:45 (9:29 pace). That's considerably better than last week but short of expectations. The rate of improvement is slowing and that is to be expected. Perhaps a better way to look at it is this way: I came through 10 in 93:49 (9:23 avg) without a kick. Figure, that's a MINUS 20-22 over the same distance then I tacked on 2 more at 10 minute pace. Still, a half mary race would have been in the 2:05 range today, which is quite poor even with the relaxed standards. I must be in sub-2 shape if I am to race the full distance in 3 weeks. Otherwise, I will downgrade to the 5 Miler.
Went out at 9:00 pace, which was too hard over the long distance but I kept the pace semi-respectable for a bit longer this time. I crashed hard after 7.5 last time. Today, I held it together for 9.
Distance=12.0
8/26- Naked 3 miler as a recovery jog from the Trak Shak. Very slow pace but I meant it to be.
Distance=3.0
-32 miles on the week. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a good week by any stretch but I made it through without a relapse. No real problem with the mileage so I'll shoot for 35 next week.
PM- 3 miles at Gold's. Again, I felt noticeably better and my time is down to 24:15 (8:05 pace). MINUS 22. I was shooting for the Mendoza line and came up short but I'm fine with that. I actually DON'T want to see big numbers in the MINUS column at this stage. If the program is working well, you should NOT notice much difference from one day to the next but rather improvement becomes evident over the course of several weeks. Added a half mile cool.
Distance=4.5
8/21- 4 miles on Lakeshore in 31:32 (7:53 pace). MINUS 12 over an extra mile. Good job today. That's a solid improvement but not like night and day just like I wanted. I opened with back to back 7:46s then dialed it back on purpose. The 8-flat pace that I maintained felt quite comfortable and I felt good enough to go another 2-3 miles. Added half mile cool. So far everything is going as planned the last 7 days or so. The plan is to dial back the effort and hope to increase my distance.
Distance=4.5
8/22- AM- Woke up early for an impromptu Vestavia Mile. Time is down to 6:50 (MINUS 25). Splits were 1:40-1:46-1:46-1:38 so I had a negative split on the back half. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me later in the week. If I am to run this evening, it will be a very easy 3 probably at the Shak. Foot is a bit sore but other than that, I feel noticeably better than just a few days ago.
PM- Trak Shak 1 and 3 route in 32:40 (8:10 pace). Slower than yesterday but I meant to be. Foot held up okay but I need a day off either tomorrow or Friday. No more doubles or time trials. Pace varied considerably (7:50-8:30) depending on the terrain. That's curious but most likely due to leg fatigue. Hills hurt a little more when you are not fully fresh. Overall not too bad.
Distance=5.0
8/23- Jemison 3 mile in 23:44 (7:55 pace). No complaints about this one. I was leaning towards a rest day but the weather was absolutely beautiful (mid 80s with low humidity). Even pace on a relatively flat route. I could have gone longer but it's probably a smart call not to push the mileage at this stage. Assuming a long run, I'll be in the low 30s this week and that's about what I should do. Not a good idea to jump into the 40+ range.
Distance=3.0
8/24- Planned rest day. Aiming for 12 miles tomorrow at a pace around 9.
8/25- Last week's long run was 10@ 9:42 pace. Today, I managed 12 miles in 1:53:45 (9:29 pace). That's considerably better than last week but short of expectations. The rate of improvement is slowing and that is to be expected. Perhaps a better way to look at it is this way: I came through 10 in 93:49 (9:23 avg) without a kick. Figure, that's a MINUS 20-22 over the same distance then I tacked on 2 more at 10 minute pace. Still, a half mary race would have been in the 2:05 range today, which is quite poor even with the relaxed standards. I must be in sub-2 shape if I am to race the full distance in 3 weeks. Otherwise, I will downgrade to the 5 Miler.
Went out at 9:00 pace, which was too hard over the long distance but I kept the pace semi-respectable for a bit longer this time. I crashed hard after 7.5 last time. Today, I held it together for 9.
Distance=12.0
8/26- Naked 3 miler as a recovery jog from the Trak Shak. Very slow pace but I meant it to be.
Distance=3.0
-32 miles on the week. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a good week by any stretch but I made it through without a relapse. No real problem with the mileage so I'll shoot for 35 next week.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Training 8/13-8/19
8/13- VERY INTERESTING. 2x1 Mile at Gold's. I attempted to run without any adrenal support and not surprisingly I struggled. Finished in 7:51 and had to work at the end to maintain the pace. I then popped the adrenal support (ADHS) and felt NO discernible difference. I fared no better on my 2nd interval and actually finished 1 tick slower at 7:52. Popped a Taurine at lunchtime and got WORSE.
Reaction:
Adrenals COULD VERY WELL BE BALANCED! The Sulfur is the culprit for sure. I NEED that CBS/NOS product so it's a good thing I did not toss it when it became a problem. I MUST go slow with it. I'll start at a quarter of a pill.
PM- INTERESTING AGAIN! 2x800 at Gold's. I was "worser" after taking the sulfur containing Taurine, which was tolerated when I was on CBS/NOS the first time. I opened with a 4:51 for a HALF mile (9:42 pace). Then I took roughly 1/6 of a CBS/NOS pill and the impact was YUGE! I improved all the way down to a 3:43 (7:26 pace) with no additional effort. MINUS 2:16 on ONE SIXTH of a pill. Yes, you read that correctly. I called it a day after that. I'm sure I could have improved further if I had taken a bit more but I also know that if a full pill is taken every day, it will turn disastrous. I'll try going with a half pill for the rest of the week.
If I ignore the sulfur problems and go with the "stable formula", I'm just going to go backwards in terms of times and overall energy. That's not an acceptable outcome. I must fight the sulfur.
Distance=3.0
8/14- Planned rest day. I have a theory that the CBS/NOS pills only work if I take caffeine. Possible but it seems unlikely. In any event, I'll find out by the weekend.
8/15- 1 mile junk run on Wisteria in 10:31. It's becoming increasing clear that CBS/NOS has become a critical need. Still, I need to go slow with this stuff. Took less than half a pill today and I will go only slightly higher tomorrow.
Distance=1.0
8/16- AM- Another 1 mile junk run on Wisteria but improved to 9:19 (MINUS 72). I attribute that to upping the CBS/NOS.
PM- Lakeshore 3 in 26:33 (8:51 pace) MINUS 28. Triple the distance. I predict that I will not be much better tomorrow unless I take more CBS/NOS.
Distance=4.0
8/17- AM- 2x1 mile at Gold's. Took half a CBS/NOS pill and opened with an 8:14 then took the rest of the pill and improved to a 7:47 (MINUS 27). That's it for today. Need a long run tomorrow.
Distance=2.0
8/18- Labored through a 10 miler at Vestavia track in 96:57 (9:42 pace). Only goal was to finish and I barely made it. I stopped every 10 laps to drink on a humid but overcast morning. Did not even try to run on less than 1 pill but did take an extra at 2.5 miles and at 5 miles. It answered all questions. Here are the splits: 23:48-23:32-24:20-26:17. I was slightly better on 2 pills versus 1 but not enough to be considered significant. Then I was slightly worse on 3 but did not collapse. I think that was due as much to poor conditioning as the pills. I did not take a 4th after 7.5 miles yet slowed considerably after that but did manage a small rally in the last lap to get under 97.
Distance=10.0
Reaction:
I'm sticking with 1 CBS/NOS pill. No significant benefit on 2 and it presents risk of overdose. I'll just have to hope for gradual improvements from here with NO MORE RELAPSES! As of now, I cannot finish a 13.1 so I may run DC in 4 weeks but unless I see significant improvements, I will downgrade to the 5 mile. This doesn't count towards a state anyway so I will not plan on going back after I finish the challenge.
8/19- 3 miles also at Vestavia. Finished in 25:21 (8:27 pace). That's just about what I expected. Even pace. Slipped a bit in lap 10 and 11 but rebounded somewhat in the last lap. Heavy legs and no energy but that's nothing new. I was pleased that I could run at all after yesterday's effort.
Got some bad news later in the day. I tried some Yucca and it was NOT tolerated. That means CBS/NOS caps is my only option and it's hardly working like a charm. I can only hope for gradual improvement from this point. I'm probably looking at a rough day tomorrow as well because of the Yucca experiment.
Reaction:
Adrenals COULD VERY WELL BE BALANCED! The Sulfur is the culprit for sure. I NEED that CBS/NOS product so it's a good thing I did not toss it when it became a problem. I MUST go slow with it. I'll start at a quarter of a pill.
PM- INTERESTING AGAIN! 2x800 at Gold's. I was "worser" after taking the sulfur containing Taurine, which was tolerated when I was on CBS/NOS the first time. I opened with a 4:51 for a HALF mile (9:42 pace). Then I took roughly 1/6 of a CBS/NOS pill and the impact was YUGE! I improved all the way down to a 3:43 (7:26 pace) with no additional effort. MINUS 2:16 on ONE SIXTH of a pill. Yes, you read that correctly. I called it a day after that. I'm sure I could have improved further if I had taken a bit more but I also know that if a full pill is taken every day, it will turn disastrous. I'll try going with a half pill for the rest of the week.
If I ignore the sulfur problems and go with the "stable formula", I'm just going to go backwards in terms of times and overall energy. That's not an acceptable outcome. I must fight the sulfur.
Distance=3.0
8/14- Planned rest day. I have a theory that the CBS/NOS pills only work if I take caffeine. Possible but it seems unlikely. In any event, I'll find out by the weekend.
8/15- 1 mile junk run on Wisteria in 10:31. It's becoming increasing clear that CBS/NOS has become a critical need. Still, I need to go slow with this stuff. Took less than half a pill today and I will go only slightly higher tomorrow.
Distance=1.0
8/16- AM- Another 1 mile junk run on Wisteria but improved to 9:19 (MINUS 72). I attribute that to upping the CBS/NOS.
PM- Lakeshore 3 in 26:33 (8:51 pace) MINUS 28. Triple the distance. I predict that I will not be much better tomorrow unless I take more CBS/NOS.
Distance=4.0
8/17- AM- 2x1 mile at Gold's. Took half a CBS/NOS pill and opened with an 8:14 then took the rest of the pill and improved to a 7:47 (MINUS 27). That's it for today. Need a long run tomorrow.
Distance=2.0
8/18- Labored through a 10 miler at Vestavia track in 96:57 (9:42 pace). Only goal was to finish and I barely made it. I stopped every 10 laps to drink on a humid but overcast morning. Did not even try to run on less than 1 pill but did take an extra at 2.5 miles and at 5 miles. It answered all questions. Here are the splits: 23:48-23:32-24:20-26:17. I was slightly better on 2 pills versus 1 but not enough to be considered significant. Then I was slightly worse on 3 but did not collapse. I think that was due as much to poor conditioning as the pills. I did not take a 4th after 7.5 miles yet slowed considerably after that but did manage a small rally in the last lap to get under 97.
Distance=10.0
Reaction:
I'm sticking with 1 CBS/NOS pill. No significant benefit on 2 and it presents risk of overdose. I'll just have to hope for gradual improvements from here with NO MORE RELAPSES! As of now, I cannot finish a 13.1 so I may run DC in 4 weeks but unless I see significant improvements, I will downgrade to the 5 mile. This doesn't count towards a state anyway so I will not plan on going back after I finish the challenge.
8/19- 3 miles also at Vestavia. Finished in 25:21 (8:27 pace). That's just about what I expected. Even pace. Slipped a bit in lap 10 and 11 but rebounded somewhat in the last lap. Heavy legs and no energy but that's nothing new. I was pleased that I could run at all after yesterday's effort.
Got some bad news later in the day. I tried some Yucca and it was NOT tolerated. That means CBS/NOS caps is my only option and it's hardly working like a charm. I can only hope for gradual improvement from this point. I'm probably looking at a rough day tomorrow as well because of the Yucca experiment.
Myth of the Big Switch in Politics
Dinesh D'Souza's latest movie Death of a Nation has been universally panned by the critics. In fact, it has a Zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, the same site reveals that 90% of the audience liked the film. As for me, I already knew that actual fascism has very little in common with mainstream conservatism as well as the fact that most Republican voters are not anti-Civil Rights. However, I did not know that Mussolini spoke very highly of FDR until the outbreak of WW2 and many of today's so-called alt-right actually believe in big government state-ism, not Reagan or Trump style conservatism.
If you buy into the liberal narrative, Trump and his supporters are "literally Hitler" and while the Democratic party may have been the party of slavery and Jim Crow, there was a "big switch" in the 1960s after the Civil Rights Act in which the Democrats became the good guys and the Republicans became the party of racism. In the words of Mike Gundy, THAT AIN'T TRUE! Strom Thurmond was the only prominent racist Southern Democrat who switched to the Republicans. The rest remained Democrats.
Nixon actually campaigned AGAINST segregationist George Wallace. His message of law and order had strong popular appeal nationwide, not just in the South. While in office, Nixon supported Civil Rights and actually implemented the first affirmative action program. He did start the War on Drugs however, which has had a disproportionate effect on blacks. While I personally believe that low level drug offenses ought to be decriminalized, there is a simple way to avoid imprisonment. Just say NO! Overall, I don't think Nixon was a very good president notwithstanding Watergate but he was certainly not a racist. By contrast, LBJ allegedly said that his Great Society welfare programs would have "those n_______ voting Democrat for the next 200 years" and was caught on tape many times using the n-word. You can look it up on YouTube.
The black vote actually began going Democratic at a rate of 70% in the 1930s because of the promises of the New Deal. It was not 90+% because many were hesitant to vote against the party of Lincoln and embrace the party of the KKK and Jim Crow. It is well known that Jesse Owens was snubbed by Adolf Hitler but most people don't know that he was also snubbed by FDR, who only invited white medalists to the White House. Republican Dwight Eisenhower won 3 states in the peripheral South in 1952 then added 3 more in 1956 AFTER sending troops to enforce school de-segregation. I will concede that opposition to Civil Rights was a major factor in 1964 but The South was already trending Republican before that.
Let's take a look at Alabama in the 1976 election, just 12 years after the landmark Civil Rights bill. Statewide, it was a 13 point win for Democrat Jimmy Carter, who pretty much swept the rural counties with very few exceptions. However, metropolitan counties of Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham went to Republican Gerald Ford, who ran very well in the more affluent suburban areas. This tells me that higher income and most educated Southerners, who were the least racist, were the FIRST to go Republican.
I want to focus on 1 Alabama county to demonstrate the evolution of voting patterns. Jackson County is between Huntsville and Chattanooga. It is a predominantly white working class area with lots of jobs in the manufacturing sector. I know it well because I've had job interviews there in the mid 2000s. In 1976, Jackson County was 72-26 for Carter. It was economics that explained the difference. Higher income suburban voters went Republican because of lower taxes and limited government while lower income workers wanted bigger government.
Now, let's move ahead to 1988. Statewide, it was a 20 point win for Republican Bush-41 over Democrat Michael Dukakis. By this time, almost all white majority rural counties had also gone Republican but racism was not a factor. From 1980 onward, every social survey indicated that white southerners overwhelmingly accepted integration and felt that it had a POSITIVE impact on society. Don't give me that crap about how the Republicans want to bring back Jim Crow because that's garbage and offensive to me as a Southerner.
Social issues became a greater factor with the rise of the Moral Majority. Unrestricted abortion on demand doesn't sell here. Voters want candidates who are pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, lower taxes and limited government. Still in spite of the contrast in values, economic issues kept working class whites loyal to Democrats. Jackson County was 54-45 Dukakis. Again, this was a state that went +20 Republican so it seems pretty close but it's WAY more D than the rest of the state.
Even as recently as 2000, Jackson County went for Gore over Bush-43 by 3 points. It wasn't until 2004 that Republicans really started picking up working class voters and things changed in a hurry. In 2004, Jackson County swung Red by 17 points in 4 years as it was carried by Bush-43 over Kerry 56-42. I believe the War on Terror was a big factor as support for the military is very strong. By 2016, the once Democratic stronghold went to Trump in a 79-17 blowout. Again, if this was a backlash against Civil Rights, what took so long for it to flip? They say things move slower in the South but not that slowly. If you look at West Virginia and Kentucky, the story is similar. The most economically depressed areas of Appalachia actually voted for Obama in 2008 and did not go Republican until 2012.
Election Atlas
Prager University Video on the Subject
If you buy into the liberal narrative, Trump and his supporters are "literally Hitler" and while the Democratic party may have been the party of slavery and Jim Crow, there was a "big switch" in the 1960s after the Civil Rights Act in which the Democrats became the good guys and the Republicans became the party of racism. In the words of Mike Gundy, THAT AIN'T TRUE! Strom Thurmond was the only prominent racist Southern Democrat who switched to the Republicans. The rest remained Democrats.
Nixon actually campaigned AGAINST segregationist George Wallace. His message of law and order had strong popular appeal nationwide, not just in the South. While in office, Nixon supported Civil Rights and actually implemented the first affirmative action program. He did start the War on Drugs however, which has had a disproportionate effect on blacks. While I personally believe that low level drug offenses ought to be decriminalized, there is a simple way to avoid imprisonment. Just say NO! Overall, I don't think Nixon was a very good president notwithstanding Watergate but he was certainly not a racist. By contrast, LBJ allegedly said that his Great Society welfare programs would have "those n_______ voting Democrat for the next 200 years" and was caught on tape many times using the n-word. You can look it up on YouTube.
The black vote actually began going Democratic at a rate of 70% in the 1930s because of the promises of the New Deal. It was not 90+% because many were hesitant to vote against the party of Lincoln and embrace the party of the KKK and Jim Crow. It is well known that Jesse Owens was snubbed by Adolf Hitler but most people don't know that he was also snubbed by FDR, who only invited white medalists to the White House. Republican Dwight Eisenhower won 3 states in the peripheral South in 1952 then added 3 more in 1956 AFTER sending troops to enforce school de-segregation. I will concede that opposition to Civil Rights was a major factor in 1964 but The South was already trending Republican before that.
Let's take a look at Alabama in the 1976 election, just 12 years after the landmark Civil Rights bill. Statewide, it was a 13 point win for Democrat Jimmy Carter, who pretty much swept the rural counties with very few exceptions. However, metropolitan counties of Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham went to Republican Gerald Ford, who ran very well in the more affluent suburban areas. This tells me that higher income and most educated Southerners, who were the least racist, were the FIRST to go Republican.
I want to focus on 1 Alabama county to demonstrate the evolution of voting patterns. Jackson County is between Huntsville and Chattanooga. It is a predominantly white working class area with lots of jobs in the manufacturing sector. I know it well because I've had job interviews there in the mid 2000s. In 1976, Jackson County was 72-26 for Carter. It was economics that explained the difference. Higher income suburban voters went Republican because of lower taxes and limited government while lower income workers wanted bigger government.
Now, let's move ahead to 1988. Statewide, it was a 20 point win for Republican Bush-41 over Democrat Michael Dukakis. By this time, almost all white majority rural counties had also gone Republican but racism was not a factor. From 1980 onward, every social survey indicated that white southerners overwhelmingly accepted integration and felt that it had a POSITIVE impact on society. Don't give me that crap about how the Republicans want to bring back Jim Crow because that's garbage and offensive to me as a Southerner.
Social issues became a greater factor with the rise of the Moral Majority. Unrestricted abortion on demand doesn't sell here. Voters want candidates who are pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, lower taxes and limited government. Still in spite of the contrast in values, economic issues kept working class whites loyal to Democrats. Jackson County was 54-45 Dukakis. Again, this was a state that went +20 Republican so it seems pretty close but it's WAY more D than the rest of the state.
Even as recently as 2000, Jackson County went for Gore over Bush-43 by 3 points. It wasn't until 2004 that Republicans really started picking up working class voters and things changed in a hurry. In 2004, Jackson County swung Red by 17 points in 4 years as it was carried by Bush-43 over Kerry 56-42. I believe the War on Terror was a big factor as support for the military is very strong. By 2016, the once Democratic stronghold went to Trump in a 79-17 blowout. Again, if this was a backlash against Civil Rights, what took so long for it to flip? They say things move slower in the South but not that slowly. If you look at West Virginia and Kentucky, the story is similar. The most economically depressed areas of Appalachia actually voted for Obama in 2008 and did not go Republican until 2012.
Election Atlas
Prager University Video on the Subject
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