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I've been doing a lot of riding this year and over the last month have felt increasingly rubbish, so much so that I want to docs about my symptoms (breathlessness, reduced energy, overtired). From a riding perspective, I felt I was putting the effort in, but times were slow and not what I would have expected given the effort. Best way to describe it would be feeling like I was in the wrong gear all the time. Anyway it had got so bad I seriously considered not doing the GT7 last week, then decided I would do it just for fun, then of course once I was doing it, went for it big time. Afterwards I felt absolutely wrecked, even though I had rested for almost a full week before it and my times weren't consistent with the effort put in.
Got blood results back today - no doc overview yet, but:
RBC = 4.18 million/L (vs 4.5-6.5 normal range)
PCV = 0.375 (vs 0.40-0.52 normal range)
Haemoglobin 130 g/L (vs 135-180 normal range)
All other parameters for white cells, etc normal, so this all points to me being anaemic, right? Thing is I can't understand why - healthy diet, plenty rest between rides and no previous issues like this. Only thing I'm wondering is can all the riding I've done in last month account for this?
8 x hard 3 hour rides
4 x hard 5 hour rides
2 x hard 7 hour rides
? x pootles in between
assorted spinning classes and some running (2-3 x 10km)
I will be talking to doc later, but expect him not to be that switched on about exercise aspects of training beyond 'hmm, sounds like you should lay off for a while and see if it gets better', so wondering if anyone with a background in exercise and impact on physiology can comment on whether doing a lot of exercise can lead to anaemia?
Male, 55 yo if that has any bearing on it. Otherwise good health
Laying off for a while to see if it got better would be what I'd do.
I had similar results to you - nothing too drastic on haemoglobin / red blood cell issues but then I had a separate Ferritin test and that was rock bottom at a count of 6 versus 30+ for normal. I've been on Ferrous Fumarate tablets (Iron) for the last 6 weeks and have felt a million times better.
This was triggered from a letter from the blood donor service about having low Haemoglobin levels. I'd also been suffering in my training. My symptoms were no real energy generally - despite being able to do my normal trainign mileage, I never really felt that there tiger was in me. I almost gave up halfway through a long race, completely bombed out on a short.
Howeber my background is slightly different - I'd been giving blood every 3 months for the last year, I've been doing a lot of training (which can make you anaemic) and I drink a lot of tea / eat a lot of yoghurt. I've found out that dairy (especially milk) reduces your ability to absorb iron. I think combining a high training schedule, regular blood donations and a high consumption of dairy has resulted in my low levels.
I have another month or so to go taking these tablets and will go back to the doctors for a follow-up test. I'm going to think carefully about donating blood in the future.
Are you a veggie?
Not trolling, veggie myself, and have found iron supplementation helpful when laying it on a bit thick. Usually use the SpaTone sachets in orange juice, or that malty honey tasty stuff (feroglobin?) for about £3 a bottle.
Mrs B suffers more (obvs) and has also benefited.
Pieface - that's useful, your symptms sound exactly like mine. I too am a regular donor, have been for a few years now and was fine last time I went. Moderate to low consumer of milk (1 bowl cereal per day, 1 small yoghurt). Interested in your comments about a lot of training making you amaemic - got any info or links on that?
Brassneck - not a veggie.
Central scrutinizer, laying off is of course an option, but what I want to understand is why it's happened.
If you do take iron, get some of those mega dose vitamin C tablets too. The tablets didn't work on my wife until she did that.
Anyway - I'm sure I've read that lots of exercising requires a bit more iron in your diet.
My sources were googling 'running causing anaemia / training and iron levles' or similar variations. Brought some results to suggest its not unusual, but not common.
A colleague is a serious cyclist and she stopped giving blood as it knocked her training out of kilter for months at a time. A friend of mine was a competitive orienteer in her teens and had to have regular ferritin tests. This is probably more significant for women due to menstrual cycle.
FWIW I also had a blood test to see if I could donate platelets but again my levels were too low, but within the normal range.
There's nothing to stop you buying iron supplements over the counter, but it might be worth getting further tests just to get to the bottom of what's causing the problem.
Molgrips, Useful to know that about Vit C, thanks
Pieface, Thanks for the further comment.
🙂
Yes. Ask any grand tour veteran. Infusion on the second rest day for anaemia.
Sounds and looks like over training to me.
This is why a lot of people have coaches, its easier for someone looking in to see if you're doing too much, than if you just look at what you're doing yourself.
You say you have plenty rest between rides, but half your month are hard rides, and not very short hard rides either.
Also, some people idea of rest can be very different to what real rest actually is!
Do you train like that every month?
When was the last time you had a [b]proper[/b] easy/recovery week?
I have Pernicious Anemia and have quarterly B12 injections to restore the balance in my body.
Just had an injection earlier this morning.
A 25 mile ride off road yesterday left me feeling exhausted, dizzy and no real strength.
Get a blood test done just to check if you are anemic .
I dont know about the anaemia, or about your background as a rider, but thats a crazy amount of hard riding in a month, i'd be amazed if you weren't overtrained. Adding it up comes to around 14hrs a week going hard + your spin classes and running.
By all means go long, or go hard, but combining the two with that regularity is going to put you in a massive energy hole.
Thanks, guys. I usually don't do quite as much as last month (combination of keeping training and events) and probably haven't rested as much as I should have. No useful feedback from doc other than follow-up bloods in a week, so in the meantime will lighten the load a bit, take it easy in between rides and get as much iron rich food/drink down my neck as I can.
My (otherwise healthy) wife became anemic after doing an ironman (along with 9 months of training and racing in the buildup). She saw fairly quick and positive results with ferrous fumerate tablets.
I tried taking one a day when I felt a bit flat after a lot of heavy training and it perked me up to be fair!
Also worth noting that ferous fumerate is available over the counter, so even if your dr doesn't prescribe it its worth a try for a few quid based on those blood results!
So, a total of roughly 60hrs riding in a month.
What intensity are they at? Honestly.....
It's a good amount but not excessive - the question I would ask is how are you looking after yourself? Diet good? Sleeping ok? Any stress to speak of?
but thats a crazy amount of hard riding in a month
Not really. I've just finished a speed/power phase (4 wks) set by Torq with around 12hrs a week, you can definitely go harder than that! The thing to realise is that 1. you are going to feel pretty tired by the end - don't be surprised by that! 2. make sure you recover properly..
A few years ago started to feel tired, doing manual heavy lifting put it down to just hard work, get home and fall asleep in chair, sleep heavy in bed, people saying i looked a funny colour etc.
Got admitted to hospital for something else, blood tests showed i was anaemic and very badly so, 4 units of blood overnight, eg 4 bags and feeling better, told to take 3 iron tablets per day, now down to one, various diagnosis , ulcers, cancer, bone marrow biopsy planned, as well as having 2 x barium enemas, and 2 x picolax episodes, camera down throat, and refused one up rear passage,had a CT scan still get very tired some times, but avoiding gp till really ill.
Hg level was 4.8 and then went up to 5.6 a few days latter,should be 12 to 15 Hg numerous blood and other needle tests and they still dint know what caused me to be anaemic. and im not aveggie lettuce muncher either.
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Iron supplements should be taken with vitamin C or fresh orange juice and allow 4 hours before taking any other medications. There are alternatives to ferrous fumarate which can be rather harsh on the stomach.
Thanks for the feedback guys. Lots is useful and encouraging info.
To answer some of the queries, May was definitely a hard month in terms of duration and intensity, but it was on the back of months of easy, steady rides at sensible pace all through winter, with a few interval sessions a week (spinning or sufferfest on turbo). Months like this with no problem, also in previous years. Only difference this year was in March and April I cut back on longer rides and did a lot of hill sessions (~1800m in 2.5 hours off road).
Stress wise, probably also more of this in last month (kids & work) but sleeping like a baby. Always could enjoy more though!
I'd say my diet was good, balanced and healthy. Maybe I'm just getting old
Planning to ease off, back to steady rides - good opportunity to work on technical side of things - focus on diet and will get some supplements. No EPO planned though!
Yes. Ask any grand tour veteran. Infusion on the second rest day for anaemia
Quite ironic (ha) - presume the op doesn't have access to EPO.
My wife asks what your ferritin count is, your results are clearly low but ferritin is the iron stores which she had used up completely.
Get on the tablets and treat it as high altitude training camp (for a few months) then as your iron is replaced, you'll feel so much better. She has.
Interesting stuff this. Ive been feeling constantly tired for a good few months now, put it down to getting old/physical job/having CMT/riding a bit etc but now I'm wondering if I'm suffering an iron deficiency.
Last week I rode a fairly tough century (8305ft ascent) and felt sluggish all the way round, I know I need more recovery time than most due to my CMT but I'm constantly shattered.
I've been working hard this year in preparation for a few events and started feeling decidedly under the weather. We had some of those SpaTone sachets in the cupboard so took one of those each day with my normal fruit/fruit juice smoothie and quickly improved.
Not conclusive and not scientific but worked for me.
How much iron to balance training on a diet of tea and cheese sandwiches? I am feeling totally wiped out at the moment...
I'd also have your vitamin D levels checked. I started suffering with energy/overtiredness even when I'd had a long recovery period. Levels were at 'severe deficiency' when I was tested. Took about 6 months to fully recovery once on some Vit D tabs, which I take all year round. Low vit D can affect muscles therefore performance will also suffer.
Is it worth buying iron supplements from a shop or are they worthless?