On June 15th, I officially began the Amy Parkerson-Mitchell 5K Garmin Plan — with a time goal of 22 minutes on 5K.

Honestly? I did not expect this plan to be hard.
I assumed the real difficulty in running plans comes from volume, not intensity.
My intention for this year was to follow a similar structure to the 17-week adaptive plan I’d done before — lots of long runs, up to 17 km even in a 5K plan. And I was ready for that kind of grind.

But this? This started brutally:

• The benchmark had me flying at 95–100% HR for almost 4 minutes.
• The very next day? Speed repeats — six sprints of 1.5 minutes at redline.
• Then came the “tempo” workout, which I completely gave up on pacing-wise.
  I was supposed to run at my final goal pace, but I was already crushed. I ran it 30 seconds slower, keeping it in Zone 3 just to finish.

To make things worse, the benchmark revealed the truth:
3:44/km on 1K, a full 10 seconds off my PR.
I secretly hoped I’d hit a new record there.
I had zero chance.

This first week just wrecked me.

• Sleep dropped hard. From Garmin scores of 75–85 down to 65–74.
• HRV dipped to 112 (my range is 118–132).
• Resting heart rate climbed from 41 to 46.

I honestly thought about quitting.
But a few things held me back:

1. It’s a new stimulus — I’ve never trained like this.
2. Online reviews mention that many people drop out, but those who survive break their PRs. And looking at this brutality, I believe it.
3. I know I can grind through pain — I’ve done it before.

But here’s the worry:
Looking back at 2024, I wonder — will this just be another Pyrrhic victory? A new PR… but a broken body?

My strategy:
Don’t be super strict.
Listen to my body.
And try to stay in this game — not just finish it, but grow stronger through it.

On July 13th, I started a deliberate 8-week reset from the most culturally normalized psychoactive substance: caffeine.

For years, I’ve had two rounds of double espresso daily — six shots total — not because I liked the taste, but because it worked.
It got me into flow. It helped me stay focused.
But eventually, I asked myself:

“I cycle everything else — supplements, training, recovery…
Why not caffeine?”

🧠 Why I’m Doing This

Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, and while it improves alertness in the short term, it’s still a stimulant.
Over time, it subtly rewires brain chemistry. Nothing in biology is free — everything has a cost.

Even though coffee helps me sit down and grind, I’ve noticed something strange:

My best insights, creative bursts, and flashes of genius don’t happen because of caffeine —
They happen when I’m off it.

This reset is not about punishment or discipline theater.
It’s simply part of my long-term strategy for sustainable mental performance.

---

⚙️ My 8-Week Off-Ramp Plan

Week 1: 2x single espressos (down from 2x doubles)
Week 2: One double + one single
Week 3: One double (10:00 only)
Week 4: One single (10:00 only)
Week 5–6: One espresso every other day
Week 7: One espresso every third day
Week 8: None

No tea, no yerba, no synthetic replacements.
Just hot water with ginger, lemon, and chili — enough to wake the system up, not hijack it.

---

🛠️ Additional Stack Note

Also started creatine monohydrate (5 g daily) on this day —
for the next 2 months, as my training volume ramps up after a 2.5-month deload phase.