Getting stronger!

Since the beginning of the semester, when we did our first physical fitness test, to today, when we did our follow-up final, I have made progress, especially with push-ups. I guess the main downside is my weight is lower, but it must have been abnormally high for me last time for whatever reason. I guess it's something I'll have to continue to work on, as well as abdominal strength.
1st of yr: 41 pushups (70th percentile), 1-minute crunches: 40 (40th percentile), Resting Pulse: 35, Weight: 118  Height: 69" Cardio Endurance (Step Test): Excellent, Flexibility: Above Average

Now: 68 pushups (>90th percentile), 1-minute crunches: 45(50th percentile), Resting Pulse: 31, Weight: 115Height: 69" Cardio Endurance (Step Test): Excellent, Flexibility: Above Average

11/28

Jog to campus rec, 5 miles indoor in 30:41, run back. First 4 miles in 24:21.
Pushups, dynamics, flexibility.
One of my best workouts in a long while. On a real track or faster course w/o all the constant turning, would have been well under  6:00 pace.

11/29

Jog to campus rec, 5 miles EZ @ 7:00 pace indoor, run back.
Jumping jacks, dynamics.

11/28

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 24:46 (6:09, 6:16, 6:15, 6:06), run back. Jumping jack day with dynamic drills.

11/27

7.1 mile n 54:49 on my old hard, hilly loop.Pushups, dynamics.
There is one one hill on this out and back where it's about 1/2 a mile each way where you can struggle to run @ 10-12 min/mile. I think this old loop of mine could be made into one of the hardest 12k courses imaginable. Last run back home b4 going back 2 school to finish out the semester.

11/26

5 miles: 4 mile TM 1% incline in 24:56 w/last mile in 5:40. ~1 mil cooldown outside. Pushups, jumping jacks, dynamics, flexibility.
Was gonna run another mile on the treadmill at top end speed, but the treadmill started bouncing or something weird so I just sped up more between miles 3.5-4 at called it quits. Don't really know what the issue was.

11/25

7+ miles on my old loop back home. Pushups & jumping jacks, dynamics, flexibility.
It's a hard, hilly run on a paved state access road. Lots of steep climbs. This is where I ran so many miles back in the summer, doing a double loop almost every morning, as well as pm runs, on my  way to some 100+ mile weeks. Rather cold this morning with a hard frost. Legs felt tight at first, but better as run progressed. Saw four doe in a field. As I ran by, they started to run parallel with me.

Thanksgiving '11

~40+ mins. ez run on trails, road, & thru fields back home.Frosty outside, legs a little stiff.
Pushups, dynamics.

11/23:

5 mile treadmill progression run @ 1% incline, progression from 9-11 mph, in 30:45.
Wasn't too hard.
Jumping jacks dynamic drills.
Glad to be back home for Thanksgiving break. Going to get more bloodwork today. Because of anemia, actually thinking about ditching all my brown rice for white, maybe grits instead of oatmeal, to further enhance iron absorption that the phytates in whole grains can inhibit.  Hope it doesn't screw with my blood sugar though. Also going to try to incorporate clams, other mollusks, liver, etc. into my diet as they are all low in fat (which I need for my pancreas issues) but very high in absorbable iron. Use Vitamin C with my high iron intake to promote absorption. I hate that I track and know that I get all my iron through diet, AND take a multivitamin, ANDan iron supplement, and still have to worry about this. But alas...

11/22

Jog to campus rec, 5 miles EZ indoor, run back.
Pushup day, dynamics.
Going back home today for Thanksgiving break.

11/21

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 24:49, run back.
Jumping jacks (100, 150, 150), dynamics.
Felt pretty good on my run. On almost any other track or surface, it woulda been sub-6 pace, and I didn't even have to really push at all. Seeing my reflection in the windows at campus rec., I can see my dynamic drills have really enhanced my knee lift and kickback, especially my kickback.

11/20

60 minute run
Pushup day (50, 50+25, 50+25), dynamics, flexibility.
Wasn't super cold out this morning. Body feeling pretty dang good.
Started Eragon yesterday. If I like it well enough, I might read all 4 of the Inheritance books.

11/19

60 minute run w/ some pushes
Jumping jacks (100, 150, 150), dynamic drills, flexibility.
Just finished "Run: The Mind Body Method of Running By Feel." Really enjoyed the book, and it really gave me some ideas to incorporate into my own training when I start really training again. One of the biggest things, toward the end of the book, is adding some yoga poses for strength, flexibility, stability, stress-relief, and being more "in touch" with the body. That last part is really what the whole book is about, and I believe that's why a lot of the priciples would be great for my OCD self. 

11/18

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 25:15, run back.
Pushup day, dynamic drills. Health class later.
Resting pulse at doctor's yesterday was 31. After a month of waiting for my appointment, and 3.5 hrs. between a waiting room and talking with a nurse practitioner, I found out the hematologist hadn't received most of my past tests, hadn't looked at the medical records he received, and that I have to get more tests ran and come back. Oh well I guess.

11/17

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 25:22, run back.
Although I took yesterday easy, this run was a lil tough for some reason. Knees a little sore.
400 jumping jacks (100, 150, 150), dynamic drills.
Going to meet with hematologist today to further delve into bloodwork. Hopefully I can get some more answers and move forward. Would like to vamp my training volume back up as well, but told myself I will hold back for now.

11/16

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles EZ indoor, run back.
Wasn't even sore, tight, or tired this morning. Just decided to take it easy.
Pushup day, dynamic drills.

11/15

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 25:15, run back.
Jumping jack day, dynamic drills. Gonna work on limbering my back up a little today, as it was kinda sore when I awoke.

A New Pursuit: Gaining body fat

We were talking about essential body fat today in health, which piqued my interest since the electronic machine wouldn’t read mine earlier when we did health testing. So I went to the fitness lab and they did the skin caliper test. The results were Biceps: 2mm, triceps: 3mm, Suprailiac: 3mm, and subscapular: 4mm. This gives me a %BF of 2.46%. This is barely enough for good health, and I therefore NEED to gain a little more bodyfat as I try to progress my running and my health.  I plan to just add some more calories to the diet prescribed by the doctors and nutritionist to do so.

11/14

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles indoor in 25:17, run back.
Pushups: (1X50, 6X25), dynamic drills.

11/13

60 minute run w/ a push near end.
4X100 jumping jacks, dynamic drills.

11/12

60 minute run @ ~19^o F… coldest so far.
Very cold run. My hip wasfeeling a lil' funky when i woke up but otherwise run and body seem to be doing rather well. Weight was down at 113 before my run in my shorts, which I can't really figure out because I have been running less and trying to eat a little extra. I have tried using EVOO instead of coconut oil this past week, so I'm hoping it doesn't have anything to do with my past lipase/fat indigestion issues. Gonna really carb up and have plenty of sodium today to see if it's just water weight and that remedies the problem. // I have pretty well decided that I am for sure going to go back home for next semester and
I am trying to get together a good plan when I start back hard again after exams. Going to make my plan where I can stay in pretty good shape all the time for anything 5k-HM using nonlinear periodization, focusing on the 10k. This would eliminate true phases of base, rest, sharpening and peaking. I will experiment with it and just see how it goes.
Pushup day, dynamic drills, flexibility.

11/11

Jog to campus rec, 4 miles EZ indoor (~7:15 pace), run back
4X100 Jumping jacks, dynamic drills.

11/10

Jog to campus rec, 3.125 miles on indoor in 19:20 (6:10, 6:16, 6:11 ,0:43), run back.
8X25 pushups, dynamic drills, flexibility.

11/09

Jog to campus rec, 3.125 miles on indoor in 19:35, run back.
4X100 Jumping Jacks, flexibility, dynamic drills.
Starting to think about a longterm rebuild at the start of the year.

11/08

Jog to campus rec, 3 mile treadmill progression @1% in 17:40, building to 10.2 mph over first 4 minutes, then to 11mph over remainder, run back. Wasn’t very difficult.
8X25 pushups, dynamics, flexibility.

11/07

Jog to campus rec, 3.125 miles on indoor in 19:26, run back (6:18, 6:15, 6:09, 0:44)
4X100 Jumping jacks, flexibility, dynamic drills.

11/06

60 minute run with pickups/pushes
8X25 pushups, dynamics & flexibility

11/05

60 minute steady state run. 30 degrees and VERY dense fog.
4X100 Jumping Jacks, flexibility, dynamic drills.

11/04

Jog to campus rec, 3.125 miles on indoor in 19:42, run back (6:23, 6:21, 6:16, 0:42)
8X25 pushups, dynamic drills, flexibility.

That  boot-shaped indoor track is sooo slow, sooo short, and has sooo many turns!

11/03

Run to campus rec warmup, 3 mile in 17:45 (1% incline treadmill proression run 9-11.3 mph), jog back for cooldown.
4X100 Jumping jacks, flexibility and dynamic drills.

11/02

Jog to campus rec, 3.125 miles on indoor in 19:47, run back.
Pushups, flexibility, and dynamic drills.

11/01

Jog to campus rec as warmup, 3.125 indoor in 19:54, run back.
4X100 Jumping jacks throughout day, dynamic and flexibility drills.
Doctor called last night and said WBC & neutrophils had risen somewhat, though were still quite low. She talked to the hematologist I am going to see later in the month, and he thought it looks more autoimmune than malignant based on my other symptoms and problems, and the fact that the counts are yo-yoing somewhat.