I started running 2 years ago and can't run faster then a 28 min 5k!! After months of feeling exhausted I got my blood checked. My ferritin is 5 and I also have low potassium and slightly low b12. I am now on supplements. How much are these numbers affecting my performance? How much can I except to inprove after getting these up?
Curious as well
A ferritin of 5 is insanely low. Take iron supplements. The ferritin is probably affecting your performance more than the other two. You can't expect improvement but it is pretty likely that you will be running better after a few months of taking iron daily.
Gotta find out why your iron is so low or taking supplements won't help. A lot of people are either Celiac or have gluten intolerance, which interferes with a lot of vitamin absorption. Iron is highly affected by gluten sensitivity, so it's best to be tested for Celiac. If negative, try going gluten free anyway for a short time and see if your numbers come back up. With a ferritin of 5, it might be a good idea to work with a hematologist and see if infusions along with checking for gluten intolerance is warranted.
My daughter was just like this last summer (ferritin was less than 10), went gluten free (her stomach was a mess when she ate gluten), she had 4 IV iron infusions, then supplemented with oral iron. Her ferritin got to over 200 and she was running so much better. Find a doc who understands the correlation between ferritin/iron levels and endurance sports. You'll be glad you did.
I went through this literally last week. I had an identical ferritin level of 5 and a hemoglobin of 6. I was feeling worse when I got my tests back and actually went into the ER and got a transfusion. Did you get a CBC? If not, I would do that as soon as possible and be careful in the meantime.
The good news is, I've been feeling a lot better already. The transfusion got me up to a hemoglobin of 7.2 but I think I've made significant progress since then just through some rest, iron supplementation, and easy runs on the treadmill (thinking that as lower impact, I might lose fewer RBCs through my footstrike).
In any case, I would get a CBC ASAP. My Dr. told me I was at risk of a heart attack when I got down to a hemoglobin of 6.
Check for H. Pylori. I had ferritin of 4 and low B12, tested positive for H. Pylori. I then took the prescribed antibiotics. H. Pylori feeds off of iron and B12.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710418/
http://www.irondisorders.org/Websites/idi/files/Content/854291/hpylori.pdf
You do not need a doctors prescription to get the h. pylori test. I ordered a test online. Search h. pylori stool antibody test. If you live near a quest diagnostics or someplace like that you can get a test there too. I would strongly suggest figuring out what the root cause is. 20% of people under age 40 have H. Pylori in the USA- it is considered a class 1 carcinogen for stomach cancer.
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RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
Running for Bowerman Track Club used to be cool now its embarrassing
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