[Arkuski]

I feel like this is the appropriate place to share this anecdote:

My gf has been running for about 2 years now. She did her first half-marathon last October and she's looking to do her first full marathon this October. She has been running about 40 miles/week until recently. About a month ago she started complaining that her runs were getting harder and she felt tired all the time. More recently, she said she would get lightheaded just from walking up stairs. In workouts, she would stop upwards of four times in a mile even though a few weeks ago she was running 10+ miles no problem. She did her research and decided to get a blood test. Her results came back today and were astounding. Normal ferritin levels in women range from 12-150 ng/mL. Her level was 2 ng/mL. Her blood pressure was 104/36. She is severely anemic and now has to take iron supplements for three months. It's crazy just to think about though; she said she felt like every day was leg day. If she wasn't getting enough oxygen during her runs, it must literally have felt like sprinting 400s all the time.

Anyway moral of the story is know your body and rest when you need it. No sense pounding your head against the wall!