Note: If you are going to have you iron checked, ask for your ferritin numbers.

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Low ferritin levels can have profound consequences on your running. Are you unusually tired? Having trouble keeping up in workouts? Seeing your performances plateau? Getting hurt a lot? All these and more can result from lack of ferritin in your system.

Oftentimes, injuries and lack of motivation are attributed to “overtraining” or perhaps structural issues like poor posture that contribute to fatigue. But the real reason could be iron depletion.

Ferritin and iron are two pieces of the same pie. Ferritin is a protein containing iron. The primary role of ferritin is to store iron in the bone marrow, liver and other organs. Ferritin is like a support system, helping to form hemoglobin in the red blood cells, which carry crucial oxygen to the working muscles. Like muscle glycogen, another primary energy source, ferritin is a reserve — a bank account, if you will — that can be reduced or used up. Lack of ferritin results in lack of red blood cells and, in turn, lack of oxygen. Try running your next 5K without enough oxygen!

... “If a girl has running experience from middle school, she should get a ferritin test prior to the start of freshman cross country,” he recommends. “If a girl has never run before high school, she should be tested after freshman cross country, when she has a season under her belt.”

What is ‘normal’?

For the average person, normal ferritin levels are quantified as 12-300 nanograms per milliter (ng/ml) for men and 12-150 ng/ml for women. To put it bluntly, an athlete running with a 12 ng/ml ferritin level will be feeling the effects of anemia and their training will be suffering. Runners need to be much higher on that scale.

“Every athlete is different in terms of levels,” says McDonald. “I’ve seen athletes build their ferritin level to above 20 and they feel great, while others don’t perform well until 40.” Still others elite athletes will aim for levels upwards of 70 or 100 ng/ml. Part of figuring out what your ideal ferritin level is involves getting your blood work checked regularly throughout your training phases. “As an athlete I liked to get checked prior to each season and also after, to see if my levels increased or decreased,” McDonald said.

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Iron Rich foods: liver, lentils, DARK CHOCOLATE, spinach, beef, chicken, ham, tuna, black beans, pistachios, raisins

• Please do your own research on this common problem, and please consult your physician and ask questions before taking any medications or radically changing your diet.