Race Reflections and Why Knowledge is Power when it Comes to Your Health
In the middle of the 800m race where I forgot to put on my bib beforehand.
A couple weeks ago I participated in my team’s (DWRunning) intra-squad track meet. I was excited to compete in the mile, 800 and 4x400 even though short distances have never and will never be my strength. Earlier in the summer I raced the mile twice - once with the same crew as well as at the CARA Chi-Town Mile event on one of the hottest days of the year. Since those races I had put in some mile-specific work and gotten out on the track far more than I have ever done before and I was really hoping to see an improvement—maybe even a PR.
Well - if you follow me on social - you know that didn’t happen. To say I was a little disappointed is an understatement. When I reflect on the day I laugh about it now - but immediately following the race I definitely threw myself a pity party. And man was I a hot mess during this race! I forgot stuff I needed and had way too many things I didn’t (3 pairs of socks and snacks for days). I almost didn’t put on my bib for the mile and instead put it on upside down. I completely forgot to put the bib on for the 800 and then somehow got myself together for the 4x400 which subsequently was my worst race of the day. My legs literally felt like a 1,000 pounds of bricks moving through mud. At the end of the day I know this doesn’t matter but in the moment I felt like my body was betraying me.
Realistically though, I guess I should’ve seen it coming. I felt off all week leading up to the meet. Which makes sense for a few reasons:
The week prior to the race my husband and I took a much needed vacation. It was a very relaxed week at a cabin up in northern Minnesota. We did a lot of outdoorsy things like golfing, hiking, and running. I didn’t take the week off from training, and actually had one of my best workouts in months while there. But I did drink and eat a bit more than I normally would and pretty much skipped my daily strength, flexibility, and mobility routine (oops!). The week afterwards my legs weren’t happy and every run felt like a struggle bus.
I was in the luteal (high hormone) phase of my menstrual cycle hence exercise - especially high intensity bouts of it like all out mile efforts - felt much harder than usual. I should have known this going in to the track meet but I didn’t really take it into account until after. Be on the lookout for a future post on women’s health - specifically how our monthly cycle impacts our training and what you can do about it.
Last but probably the most relevant and important indicator for why I had been feeling unshakeable fatigue: my iron (ferritin) and vitamin B12 levels were sub optimal. How did I know this? About 3 weeks prior to the race I had some bloodwork done to check out the InsideTracker platform. I wasn’t concerned about anything in particular. I was actually trying out the test because I have been looking for something similar to recommend for the clients I work with. For those unfamiliar with InsideTracker, it’s a service that analyzes your blood for various biomarkers as well as your DNA and lifestyle information to provide personalized recommendations for improving your health. I choose it for it’s science-based algorithm (developed by scientists from Harvard, MIT and my alma mater - Tufts) and for the variety of testing services it offers.
It’s not that uncommon for endurance athletes to have sub-optimal levels of these two biomarkers - especially women - because we actually need more than the average person given we’re putting added stress on our bodies day in and day out. But sup-optimal is not optimal and it’s something I definitely was surprised to see and that helps explain the recent fatigue.
So what am I doing about it? First - to improve my ferritin (iron) I've added an iron supplement and am making a concerted effort to include more iron-fortified foods in addition to at least 1 serving per week of lean red meat. I also try to pair iron rich foods with vitamin-C rich foods to enhance absorption and limit consumption of several foods that may inhibit iron absorption when I’m eating foods rich in it like coffee, some dairy products, eggs, and chocolate.
To improve my vitamin B12 I’ve added a multi vitamin that includes it, I’m making a concerted effort to reduce my alcohol intake - especially during the week - and I’ve added in more fortified grains (since quarantine started, I’ve been doing a lot of scratch cooking so we eat a lot of homemade bread/grains and unfortified cereals) as well as nutritional yeast as a topper to salads, veggies, soups and sauces (tastes like parmesan cheese and has over 100% of the daily value of vitamin B12 in one serving).
It’s been about 2 weeks since I’ve made these changes and I already can tell a difference. I’m looking forward to retesting in December to see if the markers have improved.
Why share this? Because I think it’s important to know that sometimes we can think we’re doing everything right with our nutrition/training and still fall short - even dietitians. Knowledge is power when it comes to your health and well being and to optimize your performance as an athlete. If you are interested in trying InsideTracker, use my code “RUNNINGRDN” for 20% off any of the services/plans that they offer. I did the Vitality Plan which is really geared towards athletes. Have questions? Feel free to reach out to me!
Last, but certainly not least, is learning from this experience and moving on. I think it’s important to reflect on races - the good and the bad. And it’s not uncommon to dwell on a race for far too long — especially the bad ones. I have thought about this race a bunch over the last few weeks. It was a struggle to recover for multiple reasons and mentally I felt fried. My coach and I agreed that some down time was necessary to not lose my joy for running and completely burn out. And to be honest, it’s working. I’m putting less stress on myself to hit paces, enjoying the cooler temps and even offered to pace a 10k intra-squad race that’s planned for this upcoming weekend. I’m actually really excited as I haven’t had the chance to pace a race in 2020 (typically I pace more races than I actually race). Wish me luck!
Struggling with any of the issues I’ve mentioned above? Let’s chat! Set up a free discovery session with me today!