I got my iron tested and the numbers are clinically fine, ferritin is 35. I’m feeling absolutely no energy in my legs and just feeling blah in general. My coach suggested I’d feel better with a ferritin level of 50 and ideally 80 because athletes do better with higher ferritin.
Has anyone supplemented with a high dosage to get levels up quickly? I have a marathon in just over a week and cannot get my legs moving. How long did it take before you felt better?
I’m also taking a close look at my diet, sleep, hydration, etc. I’ve taken extra rest days and still I’m slowing down and feel like I’m running through mud.
Everything I’m reading says it takes several weeks for the levels to come up and to feel better. I was hoping I could make a good improvement before my marathon but I might have started too late to help with this one.
My doc put me on 325mg Ferrous Sulfate taken 3x/day (so 975mg daily).
I drank orange juice (to aid iron absorption) with pill and avoided other foods/drinks (caffeine!) for an hour or two before/after to maximize effect.
I certainly felt much much better within a week, tho I’d say it took longer than that before I felt 100% again.
I had dug a pretty deep hole before I figured it out, tho. I was clinically low w/ symptoms.
I had no issues with constipation, but I did add a few prunes daily to my diet. And running pretty much keeps me regular so to speak.
Good luck.
I’m a vegan and eat lentils. Lately because I’ve been worried about my iron (no real reason) so I have been cooking dark leafies in a cast iron frying pan. Toward the end of cooking, hit the greens with a little lemon juice and that increases the bioavailablity of the iron. I also cook lentils with garlic, oregano and then add ribbon-cut kale the last 5 minutes of cooking. Kinda a lentil mash with green stuff, but really good.
Phytic acid (found in non fermented soy) can inhibit the absorption of minerals so I almost always eat tempeh over tofu and limit soy milk to just a little bit steamed in morning beverage if I have it at all.
Floradix got me going fairly quicky - I started to feel better in a week, but I was in a VERY BIG HOLE so I didn’t feel good until about 3-4 weeks in.
Floradix is a liquid, and it was suggested to me to put it in OJ and drink 30 mins before a meal, 2x a day. It’s veggie, too.
I also definitely suggest Floradix. My ferritin came back at 5 (no wonder I felt like total crap) but after a few months it was up to 40. I think it takes more than a couple weeks to replenish the iron stores, but it still might make you feel better. I also take a B12 supplement (dissolves under the tongue) when I head out for a run. I think the key is watching what you eat and drink around the time you take the iron-- no coffee or dairy, and take with vitamin C.
I just got my #s back from blood work. Definitely seeing an improvement since November all around, though they’re still generally, particularly Ferritin, are on the low end of the spectrum. I’ve been taking Blood Builder since ~ January and trying to have more red meat. Gotta say, it’s probably the supplements that are helping. Stoked to see an improvement (particularly while ramping up training for IMLT), but will be adding some Floradix for this last month out. Appreciate the recommendations on this forum! Thank you
Just Sunday??? HAHAHA. I took my medicine seriously, like 2x per week.
Drop some Floradix in a shot of OJ. It goes down much better.
If you have not yet, you might lay off the coffee and red wine. Heresy, I know, but they tend to leech iron. Never drink either of them within an hour of the iron.
Floradix w/OJ down the hatch this morning - good tip.
Yes, been trying to stay away from coffee around when I take iron supplements. Fortunately, I usually take vitamins in the AM, so the red wine hasn’t been an issue. Thank goodness beer and burgers are a good pairing!
Thanks everyone! I’ve been supplementing w/100mg a day. I drink OJ or take a Vit C with it. I also avoid caffeine for an hour afterwards. I’ve been feeling a bit better. Had a bad day at my marathon on Sunday but not related to energy levels.
I’m continuing with the supplements and will get retested in a couple months. I have a pill container for the week now and pre-load it with my vitamins so I don’t forget. I’ve never been good about supplements so hopefully this will help.
Wow! Just read this post and I think I might have low iron too. I have been having very tired legs and when I ride or do any hard workout it takes forever to recover. My legs just feel drained and tired. Is this what you feel too? Heavy tired legs that do not recover fast enough for next day workout?
So strange to read so much about iron. I’ve never given it much thought, but earlier this summer I was having a terrible time running. It felt like I had never run before. I’d go out on a weekday morning for a short run and have to turn around at half a mile. Just had heavy legs and no oomph. For completely unrelated reasons I got a blood test and my ferritin came back at 11.
I took Now Foods ferrochel 2-3x per day, and it only got to 26 by the end of August. But I can already feel a huge difference. But I wish I had done something more potent, as I slogged through a huge race in August.
And I too believe cheeseburgers are part of the cure!
Thank goodness beer and burgers are a good pairing!