Training 1/25-2/2

 1/25- Interval tests

Opener-84.0

Low dose Melatonin-85.4- Not a significant difference but I did feel just a tad more sluggish.

B-Complex-79.5- Significant improvement but not a game changer 

Thym Adren-75.0- Once again, significant improvement but not a game changer.

Methyl Folate- 50.8.  Yes, that's right.  FIFTY POINT EIGHT!  Definitely a game changer!

Quercetin and NAC- Noticeably weaker.  Treated it as a cool down.  Untimed.

Distance-1.0

Reaction:

I had trouble with Melatonin last week but found the solution.  I need a B-complex, which is not unexpected.  MF without the B-complex is usually not a good idea.  I won't need the complex every day.  Just don't go a week without it.

MF is still the key.  I am disturbed by just how much difference it did make.  That's more than a 3 minute gap.  That's got to shrink in the future.  Unfortunately, Melatonin is still needed at 5 mg or else the sensitivity will flare up again.

1/26- 3 miles on North Lakeshore in 26:48 (8:56 pace).  Very pleased especially with the splits.  9:08-8:58-8:42.  I did increase the effort in the last mile but I was far from all out.  This projects to about a 27:53 for 5K.  That's about a minute off my reset PR.

PM- Interval tests at base effort.

Opener-75.5 (7:33)

10 mg Melatonin-78.3 (7:50)

B-complex- 73.3 (7:20)

Not a severe reaction to Melatonin but if I hadn't been taking B-complex before this, it would have been a disaster.  As it is, the reaction was borderline insignificant.  I did gain after taking the B-complex but it was not a significant improvement over the opener.  Good news all around.  If for whatever reason, I need extra Melatonin, I won't react that badly to it and the B-complex will get me back to where I was before if not a hair better.

Distance-3.5

1/27- AM- Just 1 sprint.  Wanted to be under 80 or at least see an improvement from the 84 last opener.  Running all out, I managed a 70.5 on no pills.  Still a long way from the 50.8 ceiling but it's progress.

 PM- Planned on either 2 or 2.5 miles but called it at 1.33 for a total of 1.5 on the day.  Felt pretty good during the day and started off pretty well with a pace around 8:30 for the first quarter mile.  The power cut off after that.  The back half was approaching 12 minute pace.  Probably not enough MF.  I only took a low dose this morning.

Distance-1.5

1/28- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 17:58 (8:59 pace).  This is what I meant to do yesterday.  Looks okay on the surface but the splits were BAD (8:17-9:41).  I was doing sub-8 for most of the first half mile but felt the power fade after about 0.4. At least I didn't completely collapse this time and rallied in the last 0.1 to get the sub-18.  I have an INSATIABLE NEED FOR METHYL FOLATE.  Surely, this pattern won't last much longer.

Distance-2.0

1/29- Felt awful at work today even though I took plenty of MF.  It's obvious that I still need Intrinsic Factor.  Shortly after popping one of those pills, I was MUCH BETTER.  Workout was 1 Mile at Vestavia in 7:34.1 (3:44-3:50).  Just 4 seconds off my reset PR.  Good start, struggled in the middle but came back in the last 200.

Distance-1.0

1/30- Awful again.  Hoped for 3 miles this morning but settled for 1 in a time well over 10 minutes.  Never did have a good pace and it was worse in the back half.  Took plenty of MF and it didn't help.  My only conclusion is that I am seeing an increased need for Intrinsic Factor.  The new bottle should arrive today.

Distance-1.0

Update: Learned that MF increases the need for B12.  Intrinsic Factor is needed to absorb it.

1/31- Planned to rest today but needed a test at standard effort.  No sprinting.

Opener-92

Methyl Folate-88

Intrinsic Factor- 78

Extra MF-81

1 lap cool.

Confirmed that Intrinsic Factor is what I need.  Maybe I can reduce the MF.

Distance-1.0

2/1- It appears that the need for MF has diminished.  Not surprisingly, it has been replaced by an adrenal spike.  Did 1 Mile at Heardmont in 9:47 overall.  1st half in 5:18 then improved to 4:29 after I popped 2 more Thym Adren.

Distance-1.0

2/2- 5000 meters at Heardmont in 29:45 (9:33 pace).  An improvement over yesterday and hope to build on it.  The adrenal spike is not going to go down any time soon so it will be 6 Thym Adren until further notice.  

This wasn't good by any stretch but it ends on a note of hope.  Splits were 9:18-9:50-9:34-63.  I wasn't sure if I would even finish at the halfway point but showed surprising life at the end.  Passed 12 laps in 28:42 and planned to stop there but with the sub-30 in the bag, I kept going to make it legit.

Distance-3.1

-15 miles total 

Cartagena Colombia Trip Report

 Why here?

I got this question several times.  Prior to this year, Colombia had been on my bucket list but didn't rank very high.  The original plan was Maui, Hawaii in January then nothing until April.  Instead of that, I figured that I could take 2 smaller tropical trips for roughly the same price as Hawaii.  I just felt like it was the right fit for this year and was excited about my first foray into South America.  This is not the furthest south I've been.  That title belongs to Jaco, Costa Rica by a slim margin.   

Logistics:

Direct 4 hour flight from Atlanta or fly out of Birmingham with a connection in Miami.  I chose the former and there was some drama as I will explain later.  There was no need for a rental car.  It was only a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the airport to my hotel.  I chose to stay on the north side of Playa Boca Grande, which proved to be a good call.  I was right on the beach and the Centro Historico was not too far to walk.   I was warned about aggressive vendors but had no such problems.  I found that if you simply walk away, they won't follow you.

Language:

I've been to several other Latin American destinations.  This is the first time I've been in a situation in which knowledge of basic Spanish was necessary.  Most people that you encounter here have limited English skills.  For example, I found a Tex Mex bar that played American country music but the servers didn't speak English.  However, when I switched to broken Spanish, yes I was understood.  I'll need to actually speak Spanish more often to become conversationally fluent but Duolingo counts for something.  

Food:

Normally, this is not a priority for me on my trips but this time, I did get some more authentic Colombian cuisine.  I got a delicious seafood dish from a restaurant on the beach and grilled beef with fried bananas on the side from the mall.  The rest of my meals were nothing special.  I did eat my first empanada and it was pretty good.

1/18- Flight went off after a short delay and I was able to get a sit down breakfast.  That was necessary because there would be no lunch.  The flight landed at about 2:30 PM then it was a 2+ hour line at Immigration.  Because it was a holiday weekend, that should not have been a big surprise.  At any rate, there was no hassle when it was my turn.  I was simply asked where I was staying then my passport was stamped and I was in South America.

   

No big plans for the night.  I did catch the sunset over the water.  Dinner was a mediocre pizza but I liked my server and the views of the city were beautiful at night.  

1/19- Mostly a beach day.  If you are looking for snow white sand and clear turquoise water, this isn't the place.  The sand is dark and the water isn't clear but I wasn't about to complain.  Every day was at or near 90 degrees F with nary a cloud in the sky.  This is at a time when much of the USA was in deep freeze.  Water temperature was 85 with decent surf conditions.  Waves broke deep but did not take you all the way to the shore.  One blogger described it as being comparable to South Carolina in early August without the rain chances.  I'll go along with that.  You can take a day cruise to a beach with clear and calm waters but I elected not to do so.  

I'm leery about leaving stuff unattended on a beach while I am riding the waves.  Fortunately, the lifeguard stored it in a locked door so I didn't have to worry about it being stolen.  I only would have lost a ratty t-shirt but it would have been awkward to go into the hotel lobby without a shirt to explain why I needed a new room key.  

In the evening, I took a walk to the Centro Historico just to check out the Wall.  I would save the night out for the next day.  I did get a cheap burger for dinner and kinda wish I had tried my luck back in Boca Grande but I spoke nothing but Spanish during the meal.  On my way back, I checked out a shopping mall, where I would get my lunch the next day.  

1/20- Morning walk to scout out the Getsemani neighborhood and I determined that it was worth another night out.  In both Getsemani and Centro Historico, it's easy to get lost briefly but if you make enough turns, you will eventually see the famous clock tower.  Once I got back there, I knew where to go.  Got lunch at the mall then stayed at the beach until 4 PM.  

Changed clothes then headed to Centro Historico.  Dinner was a T-bone steak then a drink at the aforementioned Tex Mex bar.  I also got some delicious gelato for dessert.  Centro Historico reminded me a bit of St. Augustine but it was bigger and better.  

1/21- Checked out more of Boca Grande in the morning and it looked to have some fun restaurants and bars but most of the action was surely in Getsemani.  That proved to be a good call.  After another fun surf session, I got a beef and chicken combo for dinner then met a nice couple from Montreal.  

 

1/22- Had time to take a dip in the morning before my flight out.  I just took it all in with the cloudless sky and high rise buildings.  I wanted 3 hours in case of a long line at security and that proved to be a bad call.  Because of a freak snow storm the previous day in Atlanta, the flight was delayed 3 hours.  I was back in America at 10:30 PM.  Surprisingly, there was no line at Immigration here but I did have take a shuttle back to the Domestic terminal to get my car.  I was looking at a 1:15 AM arrival in Bham.  I probably could have done it but elected to get a cheap motel about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta.  Very good trip overall.  I'll certainly be back to South America.  

Training 1/13-1/19

 1/13- Opener is down to 2:40 (8:00 pace).  Cut off another 36 seconds per mile but I was pretty winded when I finished and didn't feel like another full lap would yield an accurate assessment. Did a half lap on NAC and Thym Adren in 71.1.  Figure that's worth a 2:30 give or take.  Helpful but not a game changer.  Very sore when I finished too.  

PM- Repeated the half lap on MF and improved to 58.6 (5:52 pace).  MINUS 75 due to MF alone plus about 30 from NAC and Thym Adren.  Figure that the gap is about 1:45 per mile from no pills to the stacked deck.  Felt pretty rough at work without the MF.  I will start taking it in divided doses and see how that works.

Distance-1.0

1/14- AM-Did a 68.8 opener on no pills (6:53 pace).  Not even NAC or Thym Adren. Probably at least 30 seconds per mile better than yesterday.  Soon, I will break 60 without pills.  Though it's a big step, I still have a long way to go.  A half lap is only a sixth of a mile or roughly 270 meters.  A good pace in a 5K or even 1 Mile is TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

  A bit sleepy at work.  Perhaps the divided Melatonin dosage was a problem.  I'll try a divided MF dosage but only take the Melatonin at night.  Will the MF remain effective?  We shall see.

PM- Much worse after the evening Melatonin dose.  I am fairly certain that I accidentally took a double dose this morning after a normal dose yesterday evening.  That explains it.  I should be better tomorrow.  Curious as to how I'd do on a day or 2 off the Melatonin.  I was okay in December but that was before I added the MF.  Did 1 untimed lap at junk pace.  

Distance-0.5

1/15- AM- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 15:52 (10:34 pace).  Very poor.  I hope I can chalk it up to excess Melatonin and I sure hope that I'm not becoming intolerant to it.  Only positive is that I was significantly better after popping 2 MF pills at the midway point.  Splits were 8:10-7:42.  That's probably all for today.

PM- Once again, a bad reaction to Melatonin and I only took 6 mg.  Very worried.  If I become intolerant to Melatonin, the sensitivity could be back with a VENGEANCE!

Distance-1.5

1/16- Unplanned rest day.  Still clearing out the Melatonin.  I will try to quit that stuff altogether and hope the sensitivity doesn't come back.  I don't think it was a Melatonin deficiency that caused these problems but rather toxic metals that Melatonin helped remove (hopefully).  I am still getting benefits from Thym Adren and NAC as well as Methyl Folate.

Even though it's unlikely that Fulvic Acid is the problem, I will lay off it for a few days just to see if the need for Melatonin kicks back in.  Also, am I completely intolerant to Melatonin or have I just taken too much and will tolerate occasional use?

1/17- Opener in 70.5 (7:03 pace).  Almost back to where I was before the problems with Melatonin.  

Took Thym Adren, NAC, MF plus 2 other formerly problematic pills.  Improved to 64.0 (6:24 pace) then added a cool.

Good news all around.  Sensitivity has not returned yet.  The gap in performance is down to 39 seconds.  That's significant but no longer in game changer territory.  Perhaps I can soon pass the test of no extreme dependency 

Distance-0.5

1/18- Planned rest day.  Flight to Cartagena 

1/19- Half mile junk run at Boca Grande.  Heat was tough even at 8 AM

Distance-0.5

Training 1/1-1/12

 1/1- I did intervals yesterday and my opener was AWFUL (2:07).  NAC was a game changer at 1:47 while a can of Rockstar was a bigger game changer at 1:20.  That said, I really don't want to rely on stimulants to speed up the detox.  Not good for me over the long haul.

Today, the opener was much better at 1:47.  Again, the NAC was a game changer at 1:30.  It's tempting to take more of that stuff and you would think I'd continue to improve but it doesn't work that way.  Instead of caffeine, I went with Thym Adren for the 3rd run.  I hoped that it would be a non factor like before Christmas.  Nope.  Significant negative reaction.  Slipped back to 1:45.  Finished with a half mile junk run and found that this time, stimulants didn't help.  

Eventually, the Thym Adren will be tolerated and then necessary.  Before the adrenal spike hits, I will increase the Methyl Folate, which will probably trigger more detox.  If the increased MF together with the Melatonin is tolerated, I am improving.

Distance-1.0

1/2- No intervals this morning.  Just a 1 Mile at Montreat in the evening.  Days are getting longer and it wasn't pitch black until after I finished.  Time was 10:50 (5:28-5:22) and it took a late rally to shore up the sub-11.  Better than yesterday and about what I expected.  I will look for steady improvement going forward.  

If my progress is stymied, I do have a couple options.  I thought perhaps NAC is causing excess Sulfur.  Yasko has a product for that, which I have ordered.  The second thought is further off the beaten path: Parasites.  I haven't ordered this one yet but one of the active ingredients is none other than Eye-Vermectin.

Distance-1.0

1/3- Interesting finding in the morning.  I was significantly better after taking a Probiotic.  That suggests that my limited tolerance for NAC may be Sulfur related.  I forgot to take NAC before work and endured a rough day.  

Repeated the Montreat Mile in the evening after NAC and improved nicely to a 9:54 (MINUS 56) plus a short cool.  Splits were 5:01-4:53 despite coasting in the final stretch.  Now, can I keep this streak going?  The rate of improvement will slow but it must be steady.

Distance-1.5

1/4- Interesting day.  Probiotics do help with the ill-effects of taking too much NAC but it's not enough and I get no additional benefit beyond the first pill.  

Opened with a 1:52 then improved significantly to 1:40.  Popped 2 more and clocked a 1:38.  Not good enough.  NAC must be limited to 2 pills in divided doses.  It's possible that Yasko's product may help.

Later on, I could feel the adrenals beginning to spike.  Last time, it was a slow process that started with mere tolerance to Thym Adren.  Today, I improved to 1:26 on 1 pill and had a strong feeling that I needed more.  

Added a 2nd MF pill with the Melatonin and this time, the detox reaction wasn't bad.  In fact, I improved again to a 1:11.  I don't know what to make of it.  I'm betting that Thym Adren would make it worse but I didn't try.

Distance-1.0

1/5- Woke up severely overstimulated.  Significantly better after 1 Thym Adren.  Added more MF and it was a game changer again in a positive way.  Took Thym Adren again after the extra MF and it was NOT TOLERATED!

Yes, that's right.  The same pill that helped me in the morning hurt me just a couple hours later.  WHAT A LIFE!  Good news is that I can definitely tolerate extra MF as long as I don't touch the Thym Adren.  I won't be shocked at all if even on the extra MF, I will again need the Thym Adren.  

Distance-1.0

1/6- Unplanned rest day.  Loading on MF didn't seem to hurt yesterday but this morning, it felt like I was hit by a truck.  I will cut that down to 2 pills until the adrenals spike again.

1/7- Opened with a 1:40 then down to 1:21 on NAC.

PM- Adrenals spiked BIGLY after lunch.  Upped the MF to 3 pills and it stopped the spike.  NAC had an even greater effect than usual (1:45-1:11).  I did not mess with Thym Adren.  If I had taken it, it would have been helpful before the MF but harmful after.  WHAT A LIFE!

UPDATE: Adrenals are still spiked despite increased MF.  I'll probably have to raise it again tomorrow.  How high do I go?  Unsure.  I think it's possible that Yasko's product could help and possible that Fulvic Acid could help.

Distance-1.0

1/8- Unplanned rest day.  Insatiable need for MF.  I don't even know how much I took but even a mega dose didn't stop the adrenal spike.  

1/9- Very interesting.  Need for MF has diminished and tomorrow, I will go back to 4 at night with the Melatonin.  

Opener-82.7

Extra Methyl Folate- 79.2

1 Thym Adren-75.1

NAC-73.0

3 Extra NAC-73.4

Reaction:

Taken together, I gained slightly less than 60 seconds per mile.  Certainly enough to be considered significant but not a game changer.  The only one that was significant on its own was the Thym Adren while the MF was borderline.  

I am VERY encouraged that the NAC really didn't move the needle.  The gain here was NOT significant and I was only fractionally slower on extra.  Yasko's product was ineffective in that regard but it's possible that the Fulvic Acid helped.  Just 2 days ago, 1 NAC was a game changer but 3 were not tolerated.  

Still feel a little sluggish and this was a far cry from the sub-60 that I did a few months ago.  I do have excess Melatonin in my system.  Cut that back down to 5 mg and I should do better.

Distance-1.0

1/10- Snow Day and a planned rest.  Woke up feeling pretty rotten.  Thym Adren did help a bit but the needle didn't really move until I took 4 MF in the evening.  I plan to stick with this formula.  Low dose Thym Adren and a high dose of MF with Melatonin and NAC.

1/11- Very interesting yet again. Still BAD in the morning but perhaps not as awful as yesterday.  Took 2 MF in the morning and got somewhat better.  In the afternoon I did 1 lap in 3:04 (9:12 pace) then popped 4 MF pills, which brought me all the way down to a 2:17 (6:51 pace).  Added a 1 lap cool down.

Distance-1.0

2 days ago, I got a reaction to extra MF but it was bordering on insignificant.  Probably because I had already taken a mega dose.  Today, it was MINUS 2:21.  I expect to follow the usual pattern.  Both the ceiling and the floor will improve but the floor will rise faster.  The gap will diminish and eventually become insignificant.  In theory, it will be squared away but something else will pop up 

1/12- Mostly pleased with today's outcome.

AM- 1 lap at Montreat without pills in 2:52 (8:36 pace).  Compared to yesterday, it's MINUS 36.  Did not attempt to run it with a stacked deck.  Merely added a half lap cool.  I figure that my ceiling would improve by 18-24 so the gap is still probably over 2 minutes per mile.  When it drops below 60, I feel like I am on the way.  Thym Adren and NAC are helpful but neither is a game changer.  Only the Methyl Folate is in that category.

PM- 2 miles on Lakeshore in 18:58 (9:29 pace).  Pacing wasn't great (9:20-9:38) but if I fell behind 19 pace, I bet I could have rallied.  My last real workout was barely under 10 for 1 Mile so this is a lot better.  This is 10 seconds faster than sub-60 pace for 10K.  I figure I could have held it for another half mile.  40 percent down.  60 to go.

Distance-2.5

-11 miles total 

Added Extra Methyl Folate

 Good news.  If I limit my NAC dosage to 2 pills per day in divided doses, I do NOT need mega doses of Melatonin.  5 mg is all I need and there will be no ill-effects on that dosage.  I can't tolerate mega doses of NAC but 2 pills are fine.  

The last time I checked in, I was having trouble with Endodren, which is what SHOULD happen based on my chemistry.  Even better, the Thym Adren didn't appear to move the needle one way or the other.  I was slightly slower the first time but on the last run before Christmas, I saw a small gain.  Still, it was not enough to be considered significant.

Things shifted on Christmas Eve and I didn't even have to run to tell that something was off.  I was able to determine that it was an adrenal spike and I was back on mega Thym Adren.  The spike didn't really go down after I got back home.  I made one feeble attempt to run, which was a 1 Mile in 9:45.  I faded down the stretch and was totally spent at the end.  Splits were 4:40-5:05.

I got the idea later on that day to try extra Methyl Folate in order to possibly trigger a detox reaction and eliminate the adrenal spike.  MF by itself really didn't do anything even at large doses.  BUT. As soon as I took it together with the Melatonin, WHAM!  It felt like I got hit by a truck.  

Endodren actually HELPED but I've decided not to rely on that stuff.  I finished the bottle and pitched it.  It must be NAC to manage the detox symptoms.  I was hoping that the extra MF would increase the tolerance to NAC.  Unfortunately, that's not happening.  I still have to limit it to 2 per day in divided doses.  That means that I can only take 1 extra MF pill or the detox symptoms will be unbearable.  WHAT A MESS!  

NAC and Melatonin

 More for my reference.  Writing this stuff down helps me get it straight.

Anyway, the plot has thickened again.  A mega dose of NAC is not the answer.  Opened with a 1:52 on 30 mg of Melatonin the previous night.  Almost certainly, that dose is too high and I would do better if I cut it.  How much of a cut will be allowed before the bad reactions to NAC kick in again?  10 mg may not be enough.  I'll drop it to 25 tonight then 20 and so on.  

Despite the ill-effects of too much Melatonin, it was effective as NAC was beneficial again.  Down to 1:38 after popping just 1 of those pills (MINUS 84), which is bordering on game changer territory.  I probably would have done better than that if I just took one more NAC pill but with 3 more, I crossed the line.  My next interval was 1:49 (PLUS 66).  5 mg extra Melatonin brought it down to 1:39, basically the same as with just 1 NAC pill.  To be more concise, this means that 30 mg of Melatonin the previous night was not enough to enough to tolerate mega NAC.  I needed at least 40 and am unwilling to go that high.  

Options:

1. Cut out the NAC and stick with the 5 mg Melatonin plus the MF.  It may still be effective for the detox process but it will probably take longer.  There are 2 big negatives with that approach.  First, if I still react badly to NAC, it means that Demand #1 is not met.  Second, I will probably need Endodren to manage the detox, which is bad for my chemistry in the long run and fails Demand #2.  

2. Stick with NAC at no more than 2 pills per day in divided doses.  I will need more than 5 mg Melatonin to tolerate it but should not require anywhere near 30 mg.  A surprising advantage to this approach is that I may not need either the Thym Adren or the Endodren.

  I was encouraged yesterday when the Thym Adren really didn't do anything.  I was marginally slower but it was not significant.  On the Endodren, I was slower and it was significant.  That's what SHOULD happen when a person with overactive adrenals takes a stimulant.  It is definitely possible that toxic metals played a significant role in my adrenal imbalance.  Go through the detox with NAC and maybe I won't need any adrenal support.

I lean towards option 2.  I just need to find out how much Melatonin is needed.

Update: On 20 mg Melatonin, the results are similar.  Very poor opener (1:51) but the NAC was a game changer (1:31).  Thym Adren didn't really move the needle much (1:33) and I may have matched it if I didn't slow down at the end.  If I had taken Endodren instead, I'm pretty sure it would have been much worse.  

It's tempting to add more NAC because I did so much better on 1 pill but remain so far below my peak.  I know what happens if I try mega doses.  I will require more Melatonin and won't get any better.

I will continue to gradually cut the Melatonin dose in hopes that 5 mg is enough to tolerate NAC at low doses.  I'll take 15 mg tonight and I should be better in the opener.  I do hope that the NAC gap will eventually diminish.

Caffeine has turned bad.  The ill-effects are not as dramatic as before the Melatonin but significant nonetheless.  Opened with an 81 then slipped to an 87 after a Red Bull.  NAC was still effective (75) but the positive effects were not as dramatic this evening.  I should be okay with an occasional Coke but it's time for Red Bull to go.

NAC and Detox

 I found this by accident.  I saw that I had about 30 NAC pills left in my bottle.  Just like the Liver, the plan was to take 2 or 3 per day until the bottle was empty.  I did not plan to re-order but did view it as a test for Demand #1.  I should not see a major reaction one way or the other.  A bad reaction to Liver pills is understandable but NAC should be well tolerated, right?

WRONG.  I was beyond awful last Friday morning and by the evening, I was also reacting badly to Taurine.  I never really thought to take Molybdenum for a Sulfur excess.  Even if that was the problem, it should not feel like this.  Moreover, a Sulfur excess should not develop after just a day or two.  My first thought was to increase the Melatonin.  Much to my relief, I was better after an extra 3 mg and the NAC was tolerated again.  I decided to double my dose to 10 mg that night.

The next morning, my opener was a pitiful 2:00 for a half lap.  I figured that I would need Endodren to get better but wanted to test out the NAC first.  I expected to be about the same, give or take a couple of ticks but nothing more than a marginal improvement.  Much to my surprise, I clocked a 1:45, 90 seconds faster per mile.  Enough to be considered a game changer.  In the real workout, the story was the same.  I was awful in the first half but popped a NAC at the turnaround.  The back half was still bad but much less horrible.  Unfortunately, by the evening, I was fading again and could sense that my system was demanding more Melatonin.  Again, it helped.

Next morning, the plot thickened again.  Despite the increased dose, I already needed more by the morning.

I saw no other way other than to load on Melatonin until the NAC was tolerated.  Even if the side effects were bad, it's still preferable to the inexplicable reactions.  The story was the same the next morning.  I opened with a 2:11 then fared no better on NAC.  Melatonin brought it down to a less horrible 1:48.  I took Melatonin until the side effects kicked in.  I don't even know how much I took (not recommended). But at least I knew that there was still a dose that shut off the inexplicable reactions.  

This morning was interesting as well.  Opened with a 2:05 on mega Melatonin the previous night.  Down to 1:58 on NAC.  Significant but not a game changer.  Then, surprisingly I was WORSE on Endodren.  In the evening, I was down to 1:52 then 1:41 on NAC.  In another surprise, I was just about the same on Thym Adren at 1:42.  So, I was significantly worse on adrenal stimulants while the suppressants did essentially nothing.  

This is heavy!  Still trying to process it.  It's clearly detox related as evidence by positive reactions to NAC (with sufficient Melatonin).  It's definitely better to use NAC for detox than Endodren.  The plan is to take as much Melatonin as I need to tolerate NAC but no more than necessary.  I don't know what that dose is just yet.  I will load on the NAC.  

Training 12/5-12/15

 12/5- AM- Opened with an 85 at Montreat and improved only to 83 after taking Endodren.  Not a significant improvement.  

PM- Able to squeeze in a daylight run at Millbrook following a training class at work.  Half mile in 4:00 then drank a Red Bull and walked a lap.  Improved to 3:58 but I'd actually rate the 2nd interval as slightly worse.  I had to turn up the effort quite a bit to break 4.  

Distance-1.5

Reaction:  If current trends continue, I no longer need stimulants to ease the detox symptoms.  It's possible but unlikely that Liver is messing with my chemistry.  I'm just finishing that bottle to get rid of it.  Tomorrow, I will go back to Thym Adren.  If that's tolerated, I'll quit the Liver for a few days to rule out its impact then finish the bottle and pitch it.

12/6- Opened with a 1:42 half lap at Montreat.  Popped a Thym Adren and improved to 1:32.  I expected to tolerate it.  Did not expect a significant improvement.  I could see a massive adrenal spike this weekend.

Distance-0.5

12/7- Adrenals have spiked BIGLY.  Opened with a 3:38 lap (10:54 pace).  Popped 3 Thym Adren and did the next 2 laps in 6:35 (9:52 pace) for an overall time of 10:13.  A single pill probably won't make a significant difference.  That's good and bad.  Maybe I will finally see steady improvement going forward.

PM- Taurine helped and caffeine didn't hurt.  Down to 83 for a half lap then 81 after a Red Bull.  I'm still planning to cut the caffeine.  I could be hurting badly by tomorrow evening.

Distance-1.5

12/8- Dipped under 90 on a half lap without pills.  Real workout went about as expected.  2 miles on Lakeshore in 19:16 (9:38 pace).  Very even splits.  This is sub-60 pace for 10K but I don't think I could have held it much longer.  I decided to taper off caffeine.  Next week could be rough.

Distance-2.5

12/9- Repeated the 2 mile distance at Lakeshore this time in the evening.  Improved to 18:32 (9:16 pace) with splits of 9;08-9:24.  Struggled a bit on the back half but the 9:24 is still faster than yesterday.  This was just about what I expected and hoped for.  A solid MINUS 22 versus yesterday but that's not a night and day difference.  Maybe extra Thym Adren or Taurine could have made a difference but I will take it.  Plan to stick with 3 Thym Adren.

Distance-2.0

12/10- Step backwards.  Hoped to make 3 miles but settled for 1 in 10:27.  Last week, I suspected that the Liver pills made the adrenal spike worse.  Looks like I was correct.  I will finish the bottle and not re-order.  Zinc may help with that.

Distance-1.0

12/11- Finished the bottle of Liver pills and chucked it.  It's confirmed to be the culprit.  It's a bit unnerving to have this reaction but it's probably not inexplicable.  It likely increased adrenal activity, which is not what I need at this point.  Moreover, I took 3 pills for several days to finish the bottle.  If I had taken just 1 occasionally?  Probably okay. 

 Opened with a 1:57 half lap (11:42 pace) and improved to 1:49 (10:54 pace) after 2 Thym Adren.  It helped but not nearly enough to get back to form.  I'll be okay once the Liver clears.  That's it for today.

Distance-0.5

12/12- Repeated the morning sprints.  Improved to a 1:38 (9:48 pace) on the opener and a 1:31 (9:06 pace) on the closer.  Still not even close to respectable and that's a larger gap than I would like to see but I'll take it.  I'll try to run in the evening.

PM- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 16 flat (10:40 pace).  About what I expected.  The Liver pills didn't mess me up overnight and the recovery won't be overnight either.  I am getting rid of the NAC now but I don't think that's an issue.

Distance-2.0

12/13- Quit after just a half mile in a time over 6 minutes.  The culprit is NAC.   The Melatonin was SUPPOSED TO STOP THIS SORT OF THING FROM HAPPENING!  A problem with Liver pills is understandable but I don't see why I would reject NAC.  This might be an inexplicable reaction.  If so, I have no words 

PM- Confirmed that the inexplicable reactions are back.  Fortunately, the Melatonin remains effective.  I just have to increase the dose.  Did a few strides and felt MUCH BETTER after increased Melatonin.

Distance-1.0

12/14- #1.  Intervals.  Opened with a pitiful 2:00 half lap.  Popped a NAC expecting it to do nothing, marginally faster at best.  Improved to 1:45, which is significant.  Endodren (not Thym Adren) brought me down to 1:24.  As it looks now, if I need Thym Adren, I'm not detoxing like I should be.

#2- 1.5 miles on Lakeshore in 15:24 (10:16 pace).  First half was 8:04 then popped a NAC and improved significantly again.  The back half was  decidedly LESS HORRIBLE at 7:20, faster by nearly 1 minute per mile.  The very same pill that I couldn't tolerate yesterday?  I needed it today.  What a life!

Distance-2.0

12/15- Junk intervals was all that I could do.  It is clear that more Melatonin is needed.

Distance-0.5

-Totaled 15 miles

Verdict on Melatonin

 HOPEFULLY MY LAST POST ON THIS;

5 mg is the sweet spot though a dose between 4-6 would probably work as well.  On 5 mg, I get no immediate negative reaction to Melatonin.  In fact, I am usually marginally faster after taking it.  The inexplicable reactions to other pills STOP COMPLETELY!  YUGE!  

Bump it up to 8 mg and I will feel stiff and lethargic after taking it in the evening.  I will struggle the next morning but get better in the afternoon.  Drop it down to 3 mg?  I'll be okay for the first couple of days.  In fact, I can get away with at least one skipped dose.  However, by the end of the week, even on 3 mg, the inexplicable reactions will suddenly return.  It affects the adrenal balance as well.  More on that later.  As long as I stick with 5 mg almost every day, I should be relatively free of complications.  

If I take Methyl Folate almost every day like I am supposed to do, I cannot tolerate the Thym Adren (adrenal suppressant).  I am 99 percent sure that it's a detox reaction.  I must take BOTH the 5 mg Melatonin AND the MF to trigger the detox.  If I skip the MF OR take the reduced 3 mg Melatonin for more than a couple of days, BAM!  Once again, I need the Thym Adren and at mega doses.  I don't think Glycine is a factor after all.  I still need it but it's not a critical pill.  I won't notice until I go 5 days without it.  

Again, there are no immediate ill-effects from the Melatonin but the the story with Methyl Folate is a little different.  I do feel a bit of a let down after taking it but the ill-effects are not severe.  On a test interval, I am usually 30-45 seconds slower per mile after taking MF.  I usually have to pee shortly thereafter and feel a bit better after doing so.  

With Endodren (adrenal stimulant), I am usually 45-60 seconds faster.  Same with Red Bull.  Helpful but not a game changer.  I've read that caffeine can aid in detox.  Speeding up the oxidation rate will get the toxins out faster. 

  I fully expect that this is only a temporary reaction and I won't have a permanent need for Endodren.  I may be left with BADLY UNBALANCED adrenals when this is over but maybe not.  I've read that toxic metals can trigger fast oxidation.  Perhaps that was the source all along.  Therefore, there is a chance that I won't be as dependent on the Thym Adren when it's over.  

I have no choice but to roll with the detox process and hope for gradual but steady improvement.  How long will it last?  Likely, at least a couple of months.  Maybe a year.  Endodren will speed up the process but I prefer not to rely on caffeine even if it improves my symptoms.  

Why might this be different than previous false hopes?  I've never reacted like this before.  It usually starts with an insatiable need for the pill.  The need gradually diminishes until it becomes ineffective and leaves me back where I started.  There is no insatiable need for Melatonin.  I don't think I get much gain from mega Endodren either.  For the last time, I don't need to be a competitive runner to be happy.  I only want enough energy to be productive and enjoy life.  That can only happen if I have no extreme reactions or extreme need for pills 

2024 Travel Stats

 Still a month left in the year but it seems unlikely that I will visit any new states in December.  Given the current cold snap, the Gulf Coast will probably be too cold for another swim until the end of March.  

22 points on the year, which is well short of last year's total of 31 but I got in more quality this year.  18 US states, 2 Canadian provinces and 2 other countries. I also completed a bucket list item by visiting my 10th and final Canadian province.

Last year, I had at least 3 states in which I didn't even drive through.  I simply walked across the border.  None of those in 2024 but I did have 3 drive through only states.  I also had an airport layover in Dallas, Texas but that doesn't count on any level.

Virginia 

West Virginia  

Kentucky 

I did stop for gas and/or a meal in all of these states.  In Virginia, I took a scenic detour but did not stop at the nearby state park.  If I had gone on a short hike (even 5 minutes), it counts for the next tier.  An overnight stay in West Virginia also only counts for the lenient standard.

Single day visit:

Mississippi- Day trip to Hattiesburg 

Tennessee- Day trip to Chattanooga

Georgia- Stop at Monticello to see My Cousin Vinny courthouse.  Walking tour of town.

New Jersey- Liberty Park in Jersey City.

Maryland- Deep Creek State Park 

Ohio- Cut a tire on the road north of Cincinnati.  Had to call the tow truck.  No tourism but I say this counts for the strict standard.

Multiple day visit-

Florida- Gulf and Atlantic coast 

South Carolina- 2 dips at Myrtle Beach.  A little weak but it counts because they were on different days.

North Carolina- Surf City, Carolina Beach, Ocean Isle.

Colorado- Denver, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs 

Nevada- Reno and Lake Tahoe 

California- Tahoe, San Francisco and Yosemite

New York- NYC.  Manhattan, Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.

Pennsylvania- visit family.  Steelers museum in Pittsburgh.  

Ontario- Toronto 

Newfoundland- St. John's 

Dominican Republic- Punta Cana and Saona Island.

Turks and Caicos- Beaches Resort

Lived-

Birmingham, Alabama 

Edit:

Saw 4 new baseball parks, which brings that total to 18.  

New York Yankees 

New York Mets

Toronto Blue Jays

San Francisco Giants