Welcome back to All Things Running with Sonja & Jen. Today Jen is going to talk about a common assumption that runners make when they feel tired.
Are you feeling tired?
Back in October I shared a valuable blog article going through the many nutrients that are essential to running performance. Two of those nutrients stand out above all others and the ones that are so easy to remedy. A simple blood draw checking for serum ferritin & vitamin d are easy in ruling out deficiency that are common when runners experience fatigue. Most often deficiency in both are found together.
You can have a great diet where you eat all the right things and you can still be deficient in these two nutrients.
Serum Ferritin
This represents the iron storage in your body. The normal range for non-runners can be as low as 11 but that is not sufficient for runners. The ideal range is above 60 for runners. Iron carries oxygen and is needed for all aerobic running. Less stores means less oxygen being transported. It is rare that an athlete has too much but it is always important to know your numbers.
Vitamin D
This is also known as the happy vitamin. Your body can synthesize it from the sun from cholesterol in your skin but when you protect yourself from the sun, are indoors a lot or you live in an area with low sunlight, then you might not be getting enough. In addition to this vitamin making you happy it is also an essential component in bone regeneration which happens daily.
Running also breaks down bone or damages it but the body restores the damaged bone with new bone making it stronger. If you do not have enough calcium, hormones and vitamin D then you will not be able to repair your bones and you will be more prone to stress reactions & fractures. Unfortunately, this is not just a result of high mileage. Even low mileage runners can suffer.
If you have hormone disruption male or female then this can also impact production. If training volume or intensity is too much or your body increases the stress hormone cortisol, it will decrease natural hormones. As we age we also produce less hormones but this typically starts at age 40 for both men & women.
Here is a full explanation of these nutrients and more from my previous blog post.
https://www.jensaintjean.com/all-things-running/2023/10/30/athletes-and-nutrition
It is such an easy check in with yourself. Try to get these numbers 2-4 times per year to stay on top of it.
Sonja and Jennifer are sharing their personal experiences. This is being provided for informational purposes only. We are not giving medical advice and you should always consult your own doctor for advice related to your own health.