A Runner’s Groundhog Day
The Importance of Understanding Your Bloodwork
If you’ve ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, live in the northern hemisphere, and are a runner, you can probably relate to Bill Murray’s experience. You’re lying in bed and are anticipating yet another treadmill run since the weather is ghastly, and, like Bill Murray, when the alarm clock goes off yet again, you realize your day is going to be a repeat of so many other winter days. Treadmill run, somber weather, repeat. Most likely, you want to pick up your alarm clock and slam it into the floor before rolling over and going back to sleep.
You may be wondering what on earth is Groundhog Day? The very concise definition provided by Google AI is such: “Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2nd that involves making predictions about the weather based on whether a groundhog sees its shadow.”
Real or Imaginary?
Anyway, I was feeling this way last February. Mentally and emotionally as well as the more obvious physically, things were “off.” Having a nasty bout of severe anemia while running collegiately, I feared a relapse. However, I am the person at the grocery store whom other customers always ask in the check-out line, “What are you going to do with all those collard greens and kale?” as I surreptitiously attempt to load my 8 bags of vegetables onto the conveyer belt. Along with eating copious amounts of meat (I’m not proud of this, I truly love animals and am always looking for ways to not be such a carnivore but, alas, always return to the most fully absorbed form of heme iron), I am diligent about iron. Thus, I was afraid my best efforts were to no avail and felt the need to seek medical help. So, I went online and stared into the gaping maw of medical disaster that is WebMD, fearing what my fatigue and mental fogginess could possibly mean.
This was frightening, so much so that I scheduled a real doctor’s appointment. And I will admit, in the evaluation room, when she started asking me questions, I started crying (!). I was so tired, and actually discussing it made me feel like it was real and could potentially be really bad. She seemed to be unperturbed, as if I’m not the only sad lady in her 30’s who is presenting these symptoms. My processing of what she was most likely processing was like positive reinforcement and made me cry harder.
Not Your Best Work, Mr. Murray
So, I got bloodwork, and within a few days the results revealed that I was low in Vitamin D. The normal range is 30.0 - 100.0 ng/mL, and I was sitting at 28.4. But still, that wasn’t lightyears away from the low end, so I was still confused.
My lab results also revealed that I had mildly elevated liver enzymes. My AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) value was 76, while the normal range is 14 - 36 U/L. The other key liver enzyme, ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) was 43, with the normal value being <35 U/L. Honestly, part of me thought that my body was using the big guns to metabolize all the meat I was eating, since these enzymes work to metabolize protein. My medical expert, however, said that these values were commonly seen in someone after they have run a marathon. Though I train a lot, I wasn’t running any marathons. But I was Bill Murray, getting up every day and jumping on the treadmill every morning, and feeling so blah that I most likely wasn’t fueling my efforts well enough. Like the legendary Mr. Murray, I had developed a blasé attitude about life. The groundhog had seen its shadow, and winter was never going to end. Being outside gives you an appetite, your senses are ignited, and you remember your purpose and running “why.”
Vitamin D vs. Winter in the Northern Hemisphere
Jumping back to Vitamin D, athletes need closer to the higher range since the impact of running necessitates greater intake of this nutrient for bone health. The sun, being the best source of Vitamin D, and life during winter in the northern hemisphere, just aren’t compatible for runners during this time. Along with bone and muscle health, Vitamin D also plays a huge role in mental health. Therefore, I started taking a supplement which combined Vitamin D and Calcium, which work synergistically for optimal absorption.
Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice…Aw Forget It
A year later, I will admit I am starting to feel like Bill Murray again. Writing this post has forced me to revisit last year’s bloodwork results and recognize that I need to get back on top of my supplement game. A trip to a tropical paradise couldn’t hurt either, but I have 4 cats and they don’t travel well.
If you’re feeling down and unmotivated, consider getting some bloodwork to see if there is a scientific reason for your symptoms. As runners, we often try to disconnect from discomfort because we know that pushing through those mental and physical barriers are part of the process of becoming more resilient and faster. However, self-awareness is imperative. I will admit, I am still not an expert at determining what is ok tired and what is perhaps some sort of deficiency, but it’s a skill that I will always try to develop. By the way, my iron was fine, so that counts for something, right?
If you found this informative or at least mildly entertaining, please keep checking this space for more 90s movie throwbacks and sly references to the running universe. Also, if you want to stop breaking alarm clocks like Old Bill and get back to running, consider working with me, or Maximum Mileage’s other hugely talented coaches, Nick Hancock and Faye Johnson. Don’t let a groundhog derail your running fitness journey!
