I'm unable to get into a good pace until i run for at least 15-20 mins. at a very slow pace and even then it depends on the day if my legs will decide they can go faster. While going extremely slow i get more and more tired, and out of breathe (9:30-10 min/mile pace). And im not out of shape....
Does this sound like anemia? I don't know, I can't hear it!
Do you stand up quickly and get very dizzy? also do you wake up extremely tired? if so, then it's likely.
For me the biggest things were declining motivation to run, normal length runs felt long, hills especially were hard and I could feel myself going into oxygen debt as soon as I started up a moderate hill, and I couldn't get anywhere near my normal paces during track workouts.
I didn't really feel tired the rest of the day, it was only really noticeable while running, but it was a pretty dramatic difference there.
i guess it hits people in different ways. when i became anemic last spring, my primary symptoms were sleepiness (wanting to go to bed very early) and running a slow pace for the effort. at the time, i was gearing up for the summer trail/ultra season. i had just run a 10K PR and was running roughly one trail race per week for my workout, along with long runs. the long runs felt fine, but then i started getting beat in races by folks i had always stayed ahead of easily. when i was four and a half minutes slower than the previous year on a trail course that takes less than an hour, i knew something was wrong. the following week blood tests showed me to be anemic; it was also the same week i incurred a stress fracture. it seems as though if i wasn't going to tone it down of my own volition, my body would see to it on its own!
to the OP, the best way to find out if you're anemic is to get a CBC and a serum ferritin test.