I started taking the heme supplements, and I am (so far) tolerating them much better. Super pleased. Too bad they’re more expensive 
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4/1
Pull-ups 9,9,8,7
Push-ups 3x11
BPA 2x25
Front squat 85x5, 95x5, 105x5, 85x3x7
Easy four-mile run
Will do the push presses later this week and maybe deadlift again or something. Starting to feel some anxiety and fear about my trip, but besides that, I’m feeling better each day. Makes me think about how long I spent feeling like I was before… and how I thought it was normal. Just got used to it.
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Returned to my apartment late Friday night after ~30 hours of traveling. That was rough. I’m slowly starting to reacclimate to life here. I’m exhausted but relieved to be back in my own space.
4/27
Pull-ups 3x5
Goblet squat 20kgx3x15
BPA 3x20
Press 50x3x8
4/28
Slow eight-mile run.
I am weak and out of shape, but it’s good to get back to training, and I know I’ll be back to where I was in a couple of weeks. It was difficult to eat enough protein during the trip. I’ll write about my experience when I have more energy. It was definitely life-changing and good for my spirits. For now, I’ll need to also get used to training and my regular diet again before I get back onto a program. I am very sore today and still exhausted from the journey home. I’m close to falling asleep while writing this.
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Welcome back! I can’t wait to hear about your adventures!
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That sounds like my nightmare and I would probably need horse tranquilizers or a big dose of valium…
In June I’ll have a 12 hour overnight train ride to Sweden and I’m already anxious.
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Happy to hear this and glad you made it back. Rest up then share all the awesomeness!
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Excited for the write up!
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Been lifting, biking, and running a bit since I got back. Lots of DOMS. Obviously haven’t felt like logging anything. Besides, I have a mild sinus infection and potentially pink eye 
I’m going to the doctor on campus to get a referral to a hematologist, but now I need something for my eyes 
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I feel like this log isn’t even about training anymore just a place for me to dump my thoughts about iron things and not do any actual work.
I am feeling okayish, but I did go to the doctor today just to get the referral I have been looking for. And she was much more understanding and gave me the referral, said that my symptoms align with iron deficiency. I don’t know if I will use it because she was honest and said that they’d probably turn me away because my most recent blood test indicated that I’m not anemic. I believe her, but it’s good for me to have it.
She did leave me with more questions than answers though as she looked through my previous results. For some reason I didn’t think to dig through some very old stats, but she did: It turns out that my hemoglobin levels have been in the 11s/12s for a couple of years… so, my baseline has been slightly or borderline anemic.
In fact, the hemoglobin measured in March at the ER when I had the wacky symptoms was the highest it had ever been since I moved here in 2019: 13.6. Unfortunately I don’t have any old ferritin measurements to establish a baseline there, and I do think that that is what’s causing my symptoms.
I did tell her about the increased running last year, and she did of course ask me about my periods, but she actually didn’t pry into it too much. She thought it was very weird that my MCV is very normal, which usually tanks with iron deficiency. She asked if I’ve ever checked my B12, which affects red blood cell production, and I said no because I eat a lot of meat. Still, she recommended testing it because it could be an absorption issue.
So I just got more bloodwork done for B12, hemoglobin, and ferritin. I’d still be surprised if my B12 were low. Still, it makes me wonder if there is something else going on that I haven’t figured out yet.
And to bring things further back on topic, I wonder how much better I might perform in both lifting and running as I continue to improve my levels. Just so weird.
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Uhhh, that’s what a training log is.
Ohhhh
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A friend of mine has pernicious anemia. He just doesn’t absorb it.
So he had injections as a kid, then grew up, life got crazy, and he kinda forgot or thought he outgrew it or something.
Until he ended up in the hospital. Doctors didn’t know what was goi g on. They thought like bone marrow cancer or leukemia or who knows what.
Then his sister came to visit and reminded him & the nurse on duty at the time about his b-12 thing. He did an amazing turn around in just a matter of days.
I hope that you find some answers. 
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Decided that I need to resume my log, or else I never will. Planning to start a lifting program again on Monday, probably something 5/3/1.
This week I have felt like a 12-year-old more than usual because I not only got pink eye but also spilled water on my computer and broke it
But everything else seems to be going well. I found out yesterday that my main project at work is seems to be working out, so I am somewhat prematurely beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus I have some fun professional development things lined up for this summer and maybe fall.
I got my bloodwork back, and neither my B12 nor my folate are low. My hemoglobin dipped back into the 12s, but my ferritin is up to 71! Some of that may be due to infection-induced inflammation though. Still, I’m pleased with that, and I think that reflects how I feel. I have a lot more energy to, like, do things… taking a much-needed vacation certainly contributes too, but my hair is doing much better and actually growing, and I don’t feel like I’m dragging myself through tasks anymore.
I will keep supplementing albeit less aggressively. To be honest, some of the side effects I’ve experienced were sometimes worse than the issue itself, and some side effects are still slowly wearing off for me. Maybe I’m just very sensitive to iron, who knows. It’s been a roller coaster dealing with this over the past several months, but I’m glad I’ve pinpointed the issue. Plus it did bring one good thing into my life: my bike! As I’ve said, it has boosted my quality of life. And cycling is just fun. I imagine swapping running for biking on some days has helped me replenish my iron stores as well.
Anyway, back to logging. I have to catch up on a lot of logs here too.
5/8
Six miles of run-commuting, then:
Dips 15,13,12
SA BB row +45x3x10
Kneeling ab wheel 2x20
5/9
Around 40 km of hilly biking over the course of the day.
5/10
Pull-ups 3x6
BPA 3x20
Bench 
85x4x6
5/11
11 miles of somewhat run-commuting with four hill sprints sprinkled in.
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5/13
40 pull-ups
2x25 BPA
Standing ab wheel 3x4
Press 47.5x14,40x15
2x10 push-ups
Six miles of run-commuting
5/14
30 km biking
5/15
Six miles of run-commuting
Deadlift 170x10
RDL 90x2x15
T-bar row +35x2x20
BB curl 35x27,17
2x25 BPA
5/16
Walked the dog six miles
5/17
Six-mile tempo run
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5/18
50 pull-ups
Push press 60x12, 55x12
Standing ab wheel 6,6,4
BPA 2x25
Dips 12,10,9 supersetted with lots of lateral raises
5/19
Biked 71 km
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5/21
Seven miles of run-commuting
5/22
20 pull-ups
Press 50x13, 40x20
Kneeling ab wheel 30,25
BB curl 40x21,15
Biked 62 km
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5/24
Seven-mile run
5/25
40 pull-ups
50 push-ups
Deadlift 180x6, 145x11,9
BPA
Really bad deadlift day. I blame it on my aching hands that wrestled with my bike yesterday… with the tube, to be more precise. I got my first flat a couple days ago and still haven’t managed to entirely remove the tube from my tire to then hopefully patch it. After a few hours of much cussing and some tears, I gave up. I guess I will try again later today. I know I need to learn to do all of this myself. Super frustrating, especially because today would have been such a nice day to go biking, and now my work commute is ruined.
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Your output is absolutely phenomenal.
Best luck with the bike!
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The first couple of times the tire comes off the rim is the worst! Good luck and use long, strong, tire levers!
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