tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post9113697106318326546..comments2023-11-28T01:29:02.955-08:00Comments on Run Away Fast: The Heavy Metal BluesJaymeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-48276099112148258722013-05-23T22:17:09.977-07:002013-05-23T22:17:09.977-07:00Hi Teresa,
Glad you got it checked! That feeling ...Hi Teresa,<br /><br />Glad you got it checked! That feeling is so familiar to me. Luckily, you can turn it around pretty quickly with the liquid ferrous sulfate. I use the recommended amount, I think it's a teaspoon, mixed with my OJ. If I can handle it, digestively speaking, I do that twice per day. I am down to once per day now since I haven't been training hard. I'll bump it back up to 2x per day once I get int harder training in the summer. We lose iron in sweat, and Sactown is hot! Try to retest in a couple of months after you're feeling good again just so you have a sense of how you feel at different levels.<br /><br />Good luck!<br /> Jaymeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-21163886514978725262013-05-23T13:04:25.047-07:002013-05-23T13:04:25.047-07:00Jaymee,
This is so helpful. I just got my ferriti...Jaymee,<br />This is so helpful. I just got my ferritin checked after reading your post and a couple of others. It is a whopping 22. Funny because I had no injury leading up to and after Boston, but trying to start adding some miles in after recovery and I have a hip that just won't get better. I am taking elixir in OJ and was wondering how much you take, or if you could point me in the right direction. I want to do it safely, but I'm ready to start adding the miles! Thanks!Teresanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-7909415416241196692013-04-22T20:16:46.675-07:002013-04-22T20:16:46.675-07:00Hi Jaymee,
I've been a regular reader(very ins...Hi Jaymee,<br />I've been a regular reader(very inspiring) & am also running Eugene. I just wanted to wish you good luck on Sunday. I wish I could see you finish, but I'll be way behind you (hoping for a 3:30). I did get to see you run in Chicago when you qualified for the trials & cheered for you then. <br />Jen Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04776126949055672440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-85291869590892568712013-04-10T10:51:09.255-07:002013-04-10T10:51:09.255-07:00Thanks, Ewen. That was an interesting article. I h...Thanks, Ewen. That was an interesting article. I hadn't seen it before. I didn't read the actual scientific paper so I don't know how they characterized the results, but I am not surprised that their data, at least the way they presented it in the article in Runners World, didn't show a correlation between performance and ferritin levels. If you were to plot my ferritin levels against my marathon times, the chart would look similar. I continued to improve even with levels chronically in the low (<30) range. What seems to be most important is what your level is at the time of the individual performance. It would also be interesting to see a chart of ferritin levels and perceived effort for workouts and races. This seems to be a problem that varies a lot by individual. It's also one of those evidence-based sports medicine problems that is very real for those who experience it (and their coaches) but seems to have the scientists stumped as to mechanism. For me, I'm happy to conduct my own little experiment and strive to be smart about keeping my levels above 30. I know that works. Jaymeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-77043872036370471702013-04-10T10:42:53.134-07:002013-04-10T10:42:53.134-07:00Thanks for the reminders! I've done all of the...Thanks for the reminders! I've done all of these things and they can help mitigate the nastiness of the stuff. I guess I just like to complain. The only one that doesn't work for me is the fiber. For whatever reason, it doesn't free things up, if you will. But, I'd rather have all of those problems than deal with the sluggishness of low iron stores.Jaymeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-87154296812685158052013-04-10T10:41:16.962-07:002013-04-10T10:41:16.962-07:00Blogger caught on to you, did they? I'm glad t...Blogger caught on to you, did they? I'm glad they're letting you socialize again.<br /><br />It's more of an overall body fatigue including labored breathing. Just jogging up a short hill had me winded a couple of weeks ago. The heavy legs are definitely the most annoying symptom for me. My brain also seems ot be affected, or at least that's what I blame my forgetfulness and inability to concentrate on. <br /><br />The best way to find out is to get some iron in your body. I take the ferrous sulfate elixir with OJ 2x per day. It takes me several weeks to start to feel the effects, but can take over a month to really rebound. I'm hoping for just a few weeks. Jaymeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-863382617904305892013-04-10T10:38:05.232-07:002013-04-10T10:38:05.232-07:00Hi Amy, 10 seems low, but only you know what that ...Hi Amy, 10 seems low, but only you know what that means for your performance. Sounds like you're taking care of it, so it will be interesting to see how you feel once your levels are higher. I have heard of and know athletes who function fine with low ferritin levels (in the teens). I think the biggest risk is actually becoming clinically anemic once your body runs out of iron stores. That will absolutely affect performance and take a lot longer to recover from. Good luck in your races! Jaymeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680519617786773673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-39884396485826982732013-04-09T23:45:19.208-07:002013-04-09T23:45:19.208-07:00Great title!
Yes, good that you've had regula...Great title!<br /><br />Yes, good that you've had regular checks to come up with that chart. Interesting how individualised low iron stores are -- the different 'tipping points' of various runners. Don't know if you saw the twitter link to Steph Twell's low iron over a number of years? -- she still managed to improve in spite of that problem - http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/iron-levels-olympic-miler<br /><br />Anyway, hope you're feeling back to normal soon.Ewenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093209634556111656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-62793987431556568802013-04-09T18:59:35.247-07:002013-04-09T18:59:35.247-07:00(maybe none of the following is any news to you; g...(maybe none of the following is any news to you; good luck to your race in any case!)<br /><br /><br />a tip for taking liquid iron without it staining your teeth - use a drinking straw! that worked great for me when I had to take liquid iron. no problem with the teeth and I didn't even get to feel much of the nasty taste this way hehe :)<br /><br /><br />I also added vitamin C powder into the mix, that made it a more sour taste, less of the original nasty taste... vitamin C helps a lot with iron absorption, optimal if you add about 7mg vitamin C for each mg of iron. <br /><br /><br />as for "plumbing" - if you meant toilet issues, I found eating extra fiber helped me (when I got off that, I was still fine so I guess my system got used to the iron, whatever). of course I was not eating it the same time the iron is taken, or it will interfere with the absorption of iron.ctrli82noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-47709235516245510262013-04-09T00:12:34.294-07:002013-04-09T00:12:34.294-07:00Haven't commented in ages because blogger stop...Haven't commented in ages because blogger stopped letting me post anything - we'll see if this works! Just wanted to say hi, and great that you caught this before you ended up with an injury. The feeling you have that your legs won't move faster...do you feel like your lungs are fine and your heart could beat harder, but the legs just won't cooperate to let that happen? Because that's how I've been feeling lately and I wonder if it has anything to do with my ferritin level of 16. (Pregnancy: the gift that never stops giving!) heatherhttp://runharrietrun.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2668199593986982895.post-74373176284332997792013-04-08T09:14:34.276-07:002013-04-08T09:14:34.276-07:00Interesting. My ferritin level is at 10, and I fee...Interesting. My ferritin level is at 10, and I feel fine, or at least I think I do. I just got it checked as part of a routine check (well, not routine, bc I haven't had it checked in years, and it was low years ago when I had it checked). Interesting to read that levels in the teens cause sluggish performance in most. I'll be doing IV iron infusions to get mine up quickly, so hope I do feel a difference. I've got 2 50 milers the next 2 weekends and would rather not have this in the back of my head as an excuse. amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17331844957221069032noreply@blogger.com