Are there any other runners out there who take iron religiously but do not necessarily have an iron deficiency?
Are there any other runners out there who take iron religiously but do not necessarily have an iron deficiency?
I do. I run relatively high mileage and if I stop taking it for about a month, I start slipping into a slump. My iron isn't really low, but it's usually on the low end of the healthy range, so not optimal, but I feel the difference when I start taking it again regularly
What iron supplement do you take? And when? How much as well? I feel like I’m iron deficient but have not really been tested. Feel sluggish, not all the time but I do, and I run relatively high mileage. Plenty of weeks at 100 or so 80s mainly now.
SlowFE is the best. I take it in the morning. 4x a week I take it on an empty stomach. After I finish my AM easy run I pop the iron, do core, mobility, shower and eat an hour or so later.
The other 3 days I take it closer to breakfast just due to timing/scheduling.
First, I am a firm believer that you should have your iron tested before supplementing. One is that a common genetic disorder is hemachromatosis where iron is not shed from the body so it builds up in the liver.
Also, testing establishes a baseline. If one is at the low end of the healthy range (those ranges are lab ranges and are for everyone in your age and sex category), then supplementing is not the worst idea.
I also highly recommend getting tested again in 6 weeks to see 1) about the above issue and 2) to see if the iron status is improving. (PS: make sure your are getting tested for ferritin as well. This is not normally in the lab panels).
If there is no improvement continue for another 6 weeks and get tested. If no improvement, you need to decide (assuming there are no harmful side effects for you) if you want to keep spending the money and the time on supplements.
Also, if you are just feeling tired and then start to take iron and in a couple of days your energy levels are back, iron was not the issue. Iron is not something that you feel that immediate of an impact of.
Also, follow the protocols to optimize absorption. Remember heme iron (found in meats) is absorbed better than plant based heme and better than most pills. So maybe try increasing meat intake (many do not want to do that for a myriad of reasons). Iron should be taken on an empty stomach since it competes with other minerals for absorption in the small intestine so it could be not absorbed and then pass through and out your poop.
I take just a CVS supplement. It is 65mg, but I split them in half. I was told that it is a good idea to take iron by multiple high level collegiate runners. I myself am also a collegiate runner.