Alternate Title: Blame it on the i-i-i-i-i-i-iron
BREAKING NEWS. THIS JUST IN. DROP EVERYTHING. This broad's got low iron levels.
Workout: 3 miles, 10:51 (moving pace)
So it's official: my wonky health is at least in part attributable to low iron. Not very exciting, but it was nice to hear it's not just me doing me. The doctor left me a cryptic message telling me she's going to "send instructions" with the results of my blood tests. I assume these instructions will be something to the effect of "Take more iron." She didn't tell me how deficient I am (in iron, not life skills), but I assume she would have been a bit more energetic if it were anything serious.
Maybe I'll start something similar to that WIAW thing you see everywhere, only I'll call it "WIATTIMIL" (What I Ate Today To Increase My Iron Levels). It will probably consist entirely of iron supplements and kale (kale has iron, right?).
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In other earth-shattering news, I started marathon training today! I was hoping to kick it off with a bang, but instead I kicked it off with a lackluster run around my neighborhood. The word "meh" sums it up pretty well.
It snowed! This constant thawing/snowing cycle needs to stop, please thank you.
I randomly felt sore this morning, peculiar given that I've hardly moved for the past week. I guess my body knew what it was in for. The goal was to keep a 10:52 average, and I'd say I nailed it.
10:51 total average. Full disclosure: my clock is still on East Coast time. I always forget whether it's three or four hours ahead and start flipping out when I think I'm going to be late to wherever I have to be that day.
Despite the slower-than-usual-pace, I really felt like I was dragging ass. Bailey also seemed to be struggling; like owner like dog? Because of the ass dragging, I limited my route to the very short, flat part of my neighborhood.
Again and again and again. Please don't hunt me down and kill me.
It wasn't the incredible, picturesque, life-changing run I was hoping for, but it works.
Thumbs up for working. And for a possibly receding hairline.
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A couple of administrative notes:
- Blogger won't let me access the comments on my last post so alas, it seems I'm going to leave y'all hanging. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them just as much (nay, more!) than any other time you've commented.
- I've been living a double life (cue dramatic music). I read blogs through my other Google account, which means I occasionally comment as that Jean and not this Jean. I finally got my act together and moved my subscriptions over to this account, so maybe that will stop happening. If you've been wondering why there seems to have been a recent proliferation of Jeans on the interblogs (you haven't), it's probably all me. Sorry.
I'll leave you here. If you need to find me, I'll be stuffing my face with iron supplements. How many is too many? Ten? Twenty? I like to excel in everything I do.
Questions galore!
- What do I eat to get my iron levels up? Kale? I like kale. I hate most other leafy greens.
- Is your place of residence also experiencing this melt-snow-melt-snow thing? The news seems to tell me this is happening everywhere.
- Send me some steak, please?
- WIATTIMIL is an incredible idea, right? Let's trademark it.
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oooh my mom dealt with low iron before so I'm always aware - I'm glad you know about it now!
ReplyDeleteYesss marathon training. nice!!
Yeah, I guess I'm not the first to have experienced this! In fact, I seem to be one of the last. I eat a lot of meat so never thought it would be a problem, but I guess I was wrong!
DeleteWhoot for some answers. Once you get your levels back up, you will feel awesome (I often call most post-iron time drop "the easiest speed I ever gained"). I suspect your doc will give you some iron info, but in case she doesn't:
ReplyDelete1. The iron problem is two-fold: First you have to ingest it, then you have to get your body to absorb it. The first part is easier, the second is harder.
2. Iron is most easily absorbed from meat...so that's a "go for it" on the steak (and other meats, and fish). Even if the overall amount of iron is low-ish, a lot of it will get absorbed.
3. Iron from leafy greens and cast iron cooking (no lie, I started after my anemia) is good, but a bit harder for the body to absorb. So is iron from fortified wheat products (cereals, etc.). Even if the amount of iron is very high in these products, your body may be unable to absorb a lot of it.
4. Supplements are good to help you get boosted back up (I still take a few a week) are good, but also not so easy to absorb. They can also make you constipated, so be aware. I've always been OK, as long as I've been running. When I busted my ankle and had to stop running for awhile, I also had to stop the iron. [Probably TMI, but heck - somebody had to say it.]
5. Vitamin C supposedly enhances iron absorption. So have some OJ with your kale...
I think that's all I've got for now. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. Been there, done that...
Wow, thanks for your thoughtful comment! I was just thinking about making a half-hearted attempt at researching this thing but now it seems I won't have to! I'll definitely keep all of this in mind as I attempt to bring my levels back up. And I'm excited to (maybe) gain some speed! Not that I'll be able to use it (the plan I'm following has me running very slow miles for the next five weeks or so)... Thanks again.
DeleteAnother good source of iron is blackstrap molasses. I've used it before, not my favorite thing ever, but I just treat it like medicine. Good for you for being proactive! I just found out my 9 year old is vitamin D deficient :( I guess even when you are doing everything *right* things can get wacky!
ReplyDeleteYay for marathon training! So exciting!
Aye, blackstrap molasses?! I think I'm hung up on the blackstrap part, because it makes me think of shoe polish or something. Hopefully iron supplements and a glass of orange juice does the trick!
DeleteI hear it's easy to become deficient in D during the winter-perhaps that's it? At least you know! I don't know that I was ever checked for vitamin deficiencies when I was that young.