I had a complete physical last week. It's been about 3 years since the last. It turns out that I have iron deficiency anemia. In fact, I had this 3 years ago, but this time my doctor recommended I take an iron supplement. (I wonder why she didn't recommend this last time?)
It comes as no big surprise to me. I used to be a regular blood donor, but having been turned down the last 5 or 6 times due to my blood drop not sinking in the iron test, I was expecting this result. Coincidently, I started running regularly about 4 years ago.
What I wonder is, how does (has) this effected my training? I don't know how long I have to be on the iron supplements to see any real effect -- probably not in the next 6 weeks -- but when I train for a fall marathon it will be interesting to see how this effects my endurance. I do seem to really lose steam towards the end of the long runs, which is a huge frustration to me. When I read about other people finishing their long runs and feeling like they could have gone further, well, I can't even imagine it.
Pete Pfitzinger's website has an interesting article regarding the runner's need for iron. Even The Flying Pig Marathon includes the need for adequate iron in the top 10 tips for running a marathon. I'm continuing to watch what I eat and have added a new supplement to the handful that I already take.
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