A girl that feels like shit! HELP!!!!!!!

Feeling like shit? Then join the Shithouse 5K. There were a couple of threads about that race if you need more info.

Seriously though, just back off on the mileage and intensity for a week, and you should be fine. If that doesn't work, make sure that you're not too stressed out or sleep deprived.

i wonh't believe you're not anemic until i know what your ferritin number was. i refer kids fro testing constantly and they are told they are "normal" with readings in the teens. no lie, but i hada kid told he was normal with a ferritin of 6.

what was the number? or did they even tell you? i'm guessing they didn't.

I got it tested 2 weeks ago because it was almost impossible for me to stay awake, but my ferritin was at 12 or 13. I was severly anemic last fall but seemed to have recovered

please do a search for threads on serum ferritin and anemia. that number is WAY too low for serious training and you have no hope of running well until you get it straightened out. whoever told you you were not anemic needs a kick in the crotch.

you might also google the jeff hess article on this topic. it's floating around the internet somewhere.

now the ball is in your court. you can either deal with this correctly and get your running career back, or you can struggle indefinitely.

you're welcome.

Ok i did research it, and it was very low since the range is 10-200. My level of 12 seemed high compared to my ferritin level in the fall of 5. So thanks Ill keep taken my iron supplements.

Running in the heat of the day?

Not drinking enough water before, during or after a run?

Not getting 8-9 hours of sleep?

Is your schedule bouncing around so you're staying up late one night and yet expect to feel the same on your morning run the next day?

Running too fast?

Running on concrete?

Old worn out shoes?

Wearing tight rubber bicycle shorts?

Too much stress or other activities interfering with your focus on running?

Do you get bored if you can't run with an IPod?

When did you last race?

When will you race again?

Eating smart, healthy and often? With extra miles you need extra fuel.

These are all rookie mistakes that don't take a doctor to diagnose. You have 90 days to train for the Fall, relax, enjoy your runs. Plan the work, work the plan...yadda, yadda, yadda...

Burnt Out? wrote:

Ok i did research it, and it was very low since the range is 10-200. My level of 12 seemed high compared to my ferritin level in the fall of 5. So thanks Ill keep taken my iron supplements.

I think the normal values you're using may be a bit off. 12 is definitely lower than you should have--something more like 30-230 is probably a more accurate reflection of "normal."

Lets see, you ran on & off for 2-3 months.

Then 5 weeks ago you started at 50mpw at 6 days/week.

During those 5 weeks of steady running you`ve increased it up to 20-30%.

Maybe the increase has been too much too soon for you to handle. I don`t think you`re giving your body a chance to adapt to the increases you`ve been making.

5 weeks isn`t much after on /off running. While volume increases certainly improve fitness, the goal isn`t to jack in as much as possible in a short period time.

I would say on your next attempt give youself more time and do what your body allows you, don`t necessarily shoot for a prescribed distance.

You are not Burnt Out, Butnt Out. But you are training instead of running and that is causing you trouble. You need to let go and just find the joy of running. Can you go somewhere special by running rather than doing a workout? Go to the beach or fishing or something. Quit training and just get your 50-60 miles in doing things you like to do.

One of the girls I coached used to run to different malls and go shopping. She would have her mom/dad meet her at a mall to carry home anything she had bought cos after she was done she would run home. She had FUN and got so she enjoyed running again. Don't stand for that feeling; Learn to enjoy those long miles.

Mono

A good rule of thumb is to take 3 up weeks, followed by 1 down week. If you've been building, or staying put, for 5 weeks, go down for 1-2 weeks to the 35-40 range. Your body needs time to absorb/recover from the workload you have been doing.

Also, many people, including myself, tend to plateau a bit with their training this time of year. Odds are that the weather is warming up too, which can make you a bit flat. Don't read too much into it, or you'll drive yourself nuts.

Just go out, and enjoy running. Try running in a different place as often as possible. Get some of your friends to go out with you sometimes. Just make it fun!

Ok so I looked at my blood report and my ferritin level was actually 11(and of course the dr is a complete idiot, and said I was good to go) so I backed off my iron pills, not knowing that the range went up to the 200's. SO..then (not like yall really want to know) but Its been my time of the month, and its lasted about 10 days and was really heavy. I just got done with my run today planning on going 10-12 but was barely able to finish 6, and aferwards blacked out

I had a similar situation going into my senior year of high school. I had just come off a great spring track season where I PR-ed in all my events, ran 4:33 in the 1500 (I'm a girl). At that point I was running 30 something miles a week so I thought to myself that I could be amazing if I up-ed it to 60 in the summer. I made the jump way too quickly. I started out the summer feeling great, hitting 6:40 pace for all of my runs with ease, and by the middle of the summer I was struggling to run 7:30-40 pace. This stayed with me for all of my xc season. I felt dead at all my races and just could not move my legs. I had trouble running 19 minutes on a course that is flat as a pancake. I definitely did too much too soon and I regret it. Not only was I packing on the miles, but I also worked out twice a week in the summer, doing fartleks and tempos of over 6 miles. I literally felt dead day. After cross country, I bagged the miles and went back to doing 30 miles a week again and it was the best decision I ever made. I got All-American in the mile indoors and won states during spring track. Some people are just suited better for lower mileage. This is not to say you can't ever do higher mileage, it's just a process you need to build up to slowly and with caution. Don't do gutwrenching workouts in the summer, summer is all about building up base. You should be cruising on runs, maybe picking up the pace once or twice a week when you feel good. I would advise taking a week off and starting from scratch... it's still early where you have plenty of time, and it will only help you in the long run. Trust me

Good advice. If you do want to increase mileage and you are just going out and getting in the mileage, just get it in. You shouldn't feel like you are running briskly or dead. This is one of the biggest problems with increasing mileage at first. You are used to a certain pace, but when you increase it at that same pace your body needs time to adapt. I predominantly ran the 8/15 in college and it took all 4 years to figure it out. Be patient with the pace and let some runs be fun runs where pace is irrelevant. If you do what Been There suggests, run harder just 2x per week and strides on other days you will be fine. Cut back on intensity until you have at least 4-8 days where when you intend to run easy you actually do and feel good while doing it.

Good luck

holy crap you were good

im trying to get there. got two more years

Just run baby

Burnt Out? wrote:

Ok so I looked at my blood report and my ferritin level was actually 11(and of course the dr is a complete idiot, and said I was good to go) so I backed off my iron pills, not knowing that the range went up to the 200's. SO..then (not like yall really want to know) but Its been my time of the month, and its lasted about 10 days and was really heavy. I just got done with my run today planning on going 10-12 but was barely able to finish 6, and aferwards blacked out

YOUR LOW IRON IS THE PROBLEM. Dismiss all of this other bogus advice that you just need to "enjoy" running again or that you built up too fast. You are feeling like shit and burned out BECAUSE your serum ferritin should be something more along the lines of 30+. I should know. My ferritin was 12 at one point, and after a few months of serious iron supplementation and good training, I was dropping serious PRs AND enjoying training. Find a different doctor, one who has experience with athletes, blood (hematology) and sports medicine. Otherwise, you will get consistently bad advice.

I've had the same problem before as well. Even after taking heavy iron supplements and eating better for over a month I had a ferritin level in the teen's, which a regular primary care doctor told me was normal, and that mostly the problem was in my head. After researching on my own, I learned that as women runners we should have much higher ferritin levels, and that my doctor was just lumping my diagnosis in with acceptable levels for regular sededentary people.

Your ferritin level is very low, and even at low mileage would make you feel crappy. Add in the increase in your mileage, and the fact it is moderatly high, and the problem is just multiplied. Make sure you keep up with your iron supplementation, lower your miles while you recoperate, and stay your own best advocate. You will rebound, but running alot and trying to increase ferritin levels is a losing battle. You would do well to drop your mileage, help your body recover, and then be able to hammer at your usual level in the near future. Eat leafy greens, red meat etc. Also, make sure when you do feel better, you are running comfortably etc, to get your blood checked then as well, so you know what your levels are when you feel good for future comparison. I know it is so frusting, good luck, I hope you feel better.