The title says it all. I'm a junior in hs with a respectable 16:20 5k xc pr. My track season and my cross country season up until now have been horrible, and I didn't know why until I recently got back my blood test results. I've been taking iron supplements for a week now and have been eating red meat and spinach too. I have two options. One of them is to train through this and see if I can get my levels up within three weeks. The other one is to stop running and wait until it goes back up. I assume that my levels will rise more quickly if I choose the second option, but at the same time it won't happen overnight. If I choose the second option, approximately how long would it take for my levels to get to an optimal level? What about the first option? Anyone have any experiences with this type of issue, or had a friend who's had this. I understand that this is a fairly common problem, especially in girls. Any information would be helpful.