Believe to Achieve

April 24, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Pleasant Grove,UT,USA

Member Since:

Aug 04, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

PRs: Fleet Feet Turkey Trot 5k- 19:46; St. George Marathon 3:07:11(2013-- coming back from the dead) Utah Valley Marathon 2011- 3:09:13 : D 1st place Master Division, 7th Overall; Mt. Nebo 1/2 Marathon 2011- 1:19:35- 2nd Overall, first master. Ogden Marathon 3:14 (2010); 10K 2011 Speedy Spaniard 40:47. I have run 33 marathons: 15 St. George (1995, 2006-2019). Utah Valley (2011, 2014), Eiluj (2011), Deseret News (2015, 3:40 pacer), Ogden (2009, 2010), Boston (1996,2012,2014,2018)Top of Utah (1999, 2011 pacer), and SLC (2006,2015), Pocatello (3:40 pacer 2012),park city marathon 3:41:53 (2013), and Big Cottonwood pacer (2017,2018)and three Ultras-Squaw Peak 51.25 miler 2010 in 12:05:27 (9th woman) and Antelope Island (32 miler) in March, 2011 (4th overall in 5:10:25) and in 2009.

Short-Term Running Goals:

2020 Marathon Madness

April Salt Lake City Marathon April 18

May Ogden Marathon May 16

June Utah Valley Marathon June 6

July Deseret News Marathon July 24

August Top of Utah Aug 22

September Big Cottonwood Sept 12

October Saint George Marathon Oct 3

November New York City Marathon Nov 1

Long-Term Running Goals:

Marathon-- PR (3:06 or better)

10k-- PR (under 40:47)

5K-- PR (under 19:46)

RUN FOREVER!!!

Personal:

Married to Troy since 1997. We have three daughters- Courtney 21, Brooke 19, and Amber 16 and one dog-Cocoa (15). Troy works and cook lots of yummy dinners and desserts. Courtney is back as of Aug 2019 from 18 months in England. Now working as a CNA and going to BYU. Brooke graduated from PGHS IN MAY 2019. Attending UVU in Fall. Called to serve in the Michigan Landing LDS church mission. Leaves Jan22, 2020. Amber plays for Olympic Montreux Premier 1 soccer team. And is a junior this Fall 2019. I work full time (27 years in June 2019) as a registered nurse. Currently working in the special care nursery at American Fork Hospital. Our family loves to camp and go to Disneyland.

Click to donate

to Ukraine's Armed Forces

Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	39.47	Year:	532.59
Brooks Pureflow Lifetime Miles:						309.19
Altras Zero Drop (lt. Blue) Lifetime Miles:						366.29
Mizuno Precision 11 (orange) Lifetime Miles:						610.05
Saucony Mirage 2 Grey Lifetime Miles:						223.70
Nike Pegasus Charc/lime Lifetime Miles:						487.77
Nike Pegasus Grey/blue Lifetime Miles:						428.92
Mizuno Precision Pink Lifetime Miles:						479.56
Nike Lunar Flyknits RED Lifetime Miles:						893.47
Nike Lunar Flyknits MULTI GREY Lifetime Miles:						369.20
Mizuno Sayanaras Lifetime Miles:						292.58
Asics Gel Lyte 33-2 (blue) Lifetime Miles:						163.09
Altra Intuition 1.5 Grey Lifetime Miles:						55.31
Altras Pink Intuition 1.5 Lifetime Miles:						79.00
Kinvara 5s Peach Lifetime Miles:						576.20
Kinvara 5s YELLOW Lifetime Miles:						346.56
Kinvara Blue/lime Lifetime Miles:						578.77
Kinvara 5s Green Lifetime Miles:						47.31
Kinvara 6 Turquoise Lifetime Miles:						531.20

Wed, Oct 05, 2011

Slow miles	Fast miles	Total Distance
8.20	0.00	8.20

8.2 very slow miles all about the same pace, no variation really-- AP 9:07. It was cold, windy and snowed an hour after my run. Seriously!!! But time to take care of myself. Renewed hope. Apparently my ferritn level is lower than last year and that I was near death in the marathon for a good reason. I fit all the symptoms I am about to post from a site on the internet. Ferritin carries iron which carries hemoglobin to your tissues (oxygen). Ferritn level is directly related to iron level in the body. Since I was bleeding for over three weeks from the end of August to the week before the marathon I was not ready for my further running (heel strike hemolysis) to take me under and spit me out. I am TEXTBOOK to what happened. I can't tell you how much pain ALL of my muscles were in during the marathon. You can tell by my picture taken by the photographers in the marathon. It was excruciating. I was in oxygen deprivation in a big way. I was SOOOOOO SORE all over the top half of my body after the race and for three days later like I had run that marathon ONLY with my upper body but really it was the lack of hemogobin to my muscles and chest and heart (myoglobin). Here is part of the article. (YUP more IV iron therapy for me. I can be REBUILT : D). Even this run was hard for me. Same as last year. That is why I had to run super slow for me with absolutlely no picking it up. My pelvis is ailing and feeling like it is going to crumble again. As soon as I was transfused all these symptoms went away. Alleluyah!!

Photo Credit blood sample image by Glenn Jenkinson from Fotolia.com

Overview

Ferritin, a protein in the body, stores iron and releases it when needed, and acts as a mediator and a transporter for iron. The amount of ferritin in the body is directly related to the amount of iron in the body. Ferritin works harder in the body when threatened with infection, stress and cancer. However, ferritin levels can decrease if the body bleeds. This is because iron attaches to blood. Side effects result with low ferritin levels.

Low Oxygen Levels

Low ferritin levels correlate with low iron levels in the blood. Iron carries oxygen via the red blood cells. When iron levels drop, less oxygen travels through the body. Initially, you will experience shortness of breath, perspiration and fatigue. Prolonged oxygen deprivation results in difficulty catching your breath and fainting. The skin becomes pale and the heart and lungs will be affected. This can be a life-threatening event.

Skeletal Muscle Fatigue

Much like hemoglobin, myoglobin relies on iron and ferritin for proper function. When skeletal muscles are damaged in injury or exercise, myoglobin is released into the bloodstream and travels to the muscle site for repair. Myoglobin carries the needed oxygen and nutrients. However, if myoglobin levels are low because of low ferritin, muscle repair will be delayed. Symptoms include increased muscle pain for a longer duration. Increased pain elevates the blood pressure and heart rate.

Irregular Heartbeat

An irregular heartbeat can result with low ferritin levels. The heart muscle is fueled by both hemoglobin and myoglobin. This compounded condition results in inadequate heart beats and poor quality heart contractions. The heart normally pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The body as a whole will be compromised. Some people can feel when there is an irregular heartbeat. It can be associated with faintness and chest pain. Over time, an irregular heartbeat puts stress on the heart. **** I guess my mind did do all the work in the marathon since my body was failing me. This all makes sense to me. This is what I was thinking when I was recuperating that somehow I was oxygen deprived because I had never felt that much muscle pain (since last year when I was first diagnosed with iron def. anemia) in my upper body/arms, torso, spine, back, you name it I felt like bubble wrap. OUCH.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 0.00

Comments

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 16:29:53 from 155.100.226.53

Very interesting Julie. I have to say that I am not surprised b/c your training was so good all summer, it seemed like something else just had to be wrong. Luckily you know what the problem is and can get it taken care of, and monitor it going forward. Andrea struggled w/ low iron levels last year, and getting those back on track have been crucial for her success this year. It happens to so many female runners who train hard. I often think that I should get some baseline bloodwork data on myself... its probably the reason behind some guys going into a "slump" but they don't recognize it.

From JulieC on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 17:44:58 from 71.35.251.100

totally agree with you there Jake--- about guys getting checked out. I should talk to Tyler too who I moaned and groaned to in the 23rd mile. We both couldn't catch our breaths and our heartrates were soaring. We were like asking each other "what in the heck?" Tyler being a previous 2:54 marathoner. Problems like this slowly sneak up on you. I noticed about two weeks ago similar symptoms (difficulty breathing uphill running and an irratic heartbeat) coming on but I took for granted that my body could "pull through it" because it was doing so well all summer. I stopped taking my iron regularly three months ago and thought by eating a hamburger a week and some cream of wheat would do the trick. But not when you are that low apparently. My Dr. said last year that I would probably need transfusions every year because she didn't think I absorbed the iron. I blew that off and felt like superwoman after the transfusions last fall so obviously I didn't need to do anything but eat some hamburgers right? so weird. I am kind of a minimalist. Eat right. No need for medical assistance. So the IV thing was strange for me. Although, ironically I am a nurse. But before that I am a runner.

From Andrea on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 18:02:03 from 72.37.244.100

It's really good that you got this checked out. I bet there are so many runners that have low iron levels and don't even know it.

So do you know why you aren't absorbing iron? I haven't been to a doctor since last year and now I'm thinking it might be a good idea to make sure I'm on track now.

P.S. Iron IV therapy sounds terrible! Ouch!

From Tara on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 18:07:46 from 75.169.156.55

Wow, good information. Hope you get better soon Julie:)

From seeaprilrun on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 19:02:44 from 72.205.227.206

I sent you a pm but this is definitely a good read and I'm glad you got on top of getting it checked back out!

From JulieC on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 20:02:41 from 207.108.176.103

Andrea, not sure why the poor absorption...perhaps she could figure more about that this time. I was also very low in vitamin D so I made sure to run without sunscreen and take some vitamin d. So again absorption problems. YES keep in check. Since you are so on track with your fitness you want to stay on top of it and not tank like I did. Lesson learned. I have told bloggers over the last year to check their ferritin level if they experience lots of fatigue, muscle aches and breathless. It is not always easy to get into the Dr. but for women runners it is so important. Hindsight is always 20/20 but this time I am going to regularly see a Dr. two months before an important marathon just to make sure levels are in check.

From MCKENZIE on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 23:24:58 from 67.2.196.161

I began taking Ferrous sulfate elixir, 1-2 tsp a morning and felt a difference. My ferritin was low after UVM and decided to give it a try but it sure tasted like a mouth full on Nickles.

From JulieC on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 13:07:52 from 207.108.176.103

McKenzie, do you remember what your level was? Last year mine was 5, the lowest the dietician for NICU had ever heard. She is very particular about how much iron babies on the NICU get. I sadly never took iron when I was pregnant or any other time because I got so sick on it. I found the german brand floradix to be the best for me. I had just stopped taking it. Still had some symptoms but if I took it less often I had less, of course. Apparently I should have just kept taking it every day not once a week or so. Red meat has the best iron source as the heme iron is well absorbed but nonheme iron from plants is not. So much for eating meat sparingly I guess I will start that regimen again. A greasy hamburger probably had more grease than iron. Going to the meat market for better quality. BTW performance drops when ferritin levels drop below 20-25. There are lots of articles on this about women runners and injuries/performance dwindling.

From MCKENZIE on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 13:45:53 from 174.253.166.190

Mine was 15 and I was feeling awful but much better now

From MCKENZIE on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 13:50:03 from 174.253.166.190

I have a great article, whats your email and I will send it to u.... U can private msg it

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