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Lane 5 Tempo

February 7, 2019 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: mid 40s, crap air but OK

Comments:
No AM workout - I forgot to set my alarm so I didn't wake up 'til 6:20! Got lucky.

Weird, busy day:

* two patients
* Heavy Metal Chelation treatment: While I'm better, I'm still not feeling consistently great AND my lab values still aren't normal: white blood count is low, some inflam markers are high...vitamin D is off...and my testosterone is still low (more on that, below). So as a shot-in-the-dark, we did a heavy metals test. Turns out I'm HIGH in: lead, mercury and thallium. Fucking weird.

So the treatment is an IV drip of a metal-binding solution, which I have to do weekly for like six weeks. Annoying, but at this point, I'll do whatever it takes to feel normal. (Even more on this)

* After that, I had to hustle back to treat another patient, then BACK again for a scheduled office visit with Stiegler.
* What we found out: from October to mid-January, my testosterone hasn't budged. Normal is like 150-800 (with athletic people being like, at least 200-600+). My values:

* July '18: 50
* October '18: 100
* January '19: 100

She mentioned supplementation, initially, but I wanted to try more natural. We did this DHEA (a hormonal precursor) in the fall, but by September, it was making me wake up, boiling hot and itching, at 3 or 4AM every day so I had to stop.

So...we've decided to go supplemental: "THE CREAM". Seriously. Like, legit doping-caliber testosterone. (The same shit that Bonds and Marion Jones took, and the shit that Salazar was playing with).

I have extremely mixed feelings about it:

- Medically, I don't like the idea of taking something so artificial. I'm not sure that if I take it, will I need to keep taking it, forever?
- Ethically, it sucks. I don't wanna be someone who's "not clean". From the guy who boasts about 30-mile runs without food, the idea of having to hormone supplement is embarassing.
- But...I'm sick of feeling like shit. And it extends far beyond running and into daily life (TMI, but my and Callie's sex life...sucks. My "hungz" has been, like a fraction of normal, for YEARS - correlating with giardia, two years ago). I think it also has to due with my shitty healing, as well.

So, we're going to give it a go. I'm just hoping something - or a bit of all these efforts - will inch me closer to getting back to normal.

Moving on. Here's the rest of the day:

* After that visit, I had a two hour window to run. CA did a workout this morning: 5x800m, and 4x200m. 800s were tempo-style (1:00 rest). She expressed interest in "coaching me" this afternoon, so rather than do 8s, I decided to do "Lane 5 tempo".

Normally this is done in Lane 8: Run tempo for the 400m, then walk/jog the stagger (usually 20-25s). I last did this in the spring of 2017 and crushed it multiple times, running under 80s/lap!

Today, there were three older guys walking in lanes 6-8, so I ran in Lane 5, going clockwise.

I was tired...or weirdly hungover from the IV treatment. That said, the workout was solid, and CA was there to help with encouragement and form cues.

The splits (rest):

84.9 (16)
87.5 (14)
86.6 (15)
86.4 (14)
88.0 (16)
85.0 (17)
84.2 (16)
85.4 (17)
86.0 (17)
86.1 (~17)
~86 (17) (missed the button on my watch)
85.0 (--)

Worked a few things:

1. Posture: pelvis posterior, but repeated relaxed chest downward.
2. Pawback.
3. SHOULDER BLADE SWING. Using the blades for both pawback and cadence

Felt decent. Not peppy, but still strong. The paces didn't feel hard, but they didn't feel easy, nor did I feel at all like going faster.

OK effort. With the breaks, even, this is an 18:30 5K (20:30 for 3.33 miles).

Ankle was OK, but a little tight on the cooldown.

Rest of the day:
* got some manual treatment by Deborah on my ankles (still crazy painful)
* couple errands
* home for early dinner. CA wanted to watch a "rom-com" and she picked "Sweet Home Alabama". Yikes...not terrible, but...not great.