I cannot seem to jump out of bed eagerly these days, especially for those early scheduled runs in dreary drizzly weather. Maybe it’s winter’s lack of light, maybe it’s recent family stress, maybe it’s the grueling limbo of job-hunting, or maybe it’s waning personal motivation which saps my enthusiasm. Oh, the arduous task of springing out of the soft, warm cocoon of my fabulous bed!
Perhaps my fatigue and lack-luster-ness may spawn from a medical condition that has previously rendered my early-bird morning ambition moot.

Looking at the most recent weeks in my training log and calendar’s to-do lists, I realize how effectively I invite iron deficiency and/or its advanced stage, anemia, into my life. When I forget to stock up on whole-foods based iron pills, when my red-meat aficionado boyfriend heads back to med school, or when I increase my intensity and mileage, I might notice increased weakness and decreased concentration. These symptoms mirror, to some degree, those I experienced when my iron and ferritin levels were deemed insufficient by blood tests back in the day.
Considering how iron plays a significant role in oxygen utilization, and how a runner’s performance is determined by his or her VO2 max (a measure of how much oxygen he or she burns for a specified period), it is readily apparent that decreased dietary intake and/or loss of iron via blood and other body fluids affects the athlete’s ability to do his or her thing. For both women and men who train and compete consistently, low iron levels are common for a variety of reasons; one centers on the “gastrointestinal blood loss after running and a greater turnover of red blood cells,” reports the National Institute of Health. Perhaps you’ve thought about how the repeated pounding of our feet against trails and pavement can rupture red blood cells – where most of the iron in our bodies is found, in hemoglobin. Obviously, “the need for iron may be thirty percent greater in those who engage in regular intense exercise.”

Add a child-bearing female’s monthly loss of iron to the above facts, and it is readily apparent why female distance runners maintain a high risk of iron depletion and deficiency. Although I am not a doctor or nutritionist, through experience and research I learned the importance of the woman runner’s attention to her levels and intake of iron. For those who’ve been feeling some extreme fatigue and/or other symptoms, getting one needle prick to test (a) iron and (b) ferritin – a protein that facilitates iron storage and transport – levels can be revealing.

While overloading on iron intake can lead to egregious toxicity and even death, a multi-vitamin and iron supplement, when coupled with whole food intake, can boost up those important stores. Want to stock up foodie-style? Try chicken liver (12.8 mg per serving)…Or perhaps red meat (lean chuck and tenderloin have 3.2 and 3.0 mg per serving respectively) sounds more appetizing.

And while those heavily-fortified cereals that are oft-on sale may contain as much as 18 mg of iron per serving, effective absorption of the mineral is hindered by cereal’s life partner, milk. Turns out that calcium, another mineral madly essential to runners’ health, significantly harshes iron’s groove. Try consuming both good animal and veggie sources – red meat, dark poultry meet, beans, peas, seeds, clams, spinach and other dark leafy greens – with vitamin C and citrus or acidic produce, such as tomatoes, to optimize iron absorption.
Finally, know that different iron supplements can act differently within different bodies. Good luck to whoever’s digestive system is in the process of trying out a new iron pill. After much intestinal distress, I discovered my favorite supplement, New Chapter Every Woman’s Iron. For those who like to throw intense liquids back, chlorophyll is a stellar plant-based supplement, which is close to human blood on the molecular level.

PS. I bought some more of my whole-food probiotic pills and had two hamburgers last week; only time -- and maybe some more sleep -- shall tell whether my pre-dawn psyche is rallied.