I've got myself a bit of a conundrum. I am quite new to running and ran a 1:27:30 HM in May off about 30 miles per week and cross-training. I wanted to try for a 3h marathon in Frankfurt, but despite increased mileage (50-60mpw) I was getting slower and slower. I couldn't even do a 4x1km "workout" at marathon pace!
I saw my doctor 2 and a half weeks ago, and found out that I have iron deficiency anemia, with a HGB of 11.2. I know that my HGB is normally around 15.5.
I have been taking iron tablets since then and yesterday I ran an badly paced 1:31 HM (went off at 1:25 pace and died a death!)
So with 6 weeks until Frankfurt marathon, should I aim for 3:15 or do I still have a chance of recovering further and getting close to 3h? How long does it take to recover from anemia when your HGB is 4 lower than normal?