Tag: Anemia

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Iron Infusion for Anemia: Hoping for More Energy and Better Runs

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Yesterday, I had another hematology appointment. It was just as long and boring as expected, but at least I managed to finish most of my chores before bed.

My doctor believes I don’t have enough available iron to produce the hemoglobin my body needs, and my hemoglobin has gradually been declining. So, I received another IV iron infusion at the hematology office.

By the time I got home, I was quite tired. Unfortunately, the chores still hadn’t been done and were waiting for me. I finished what I needed to do and went to bed later than usual.

I hoped the iron infusion would give me an immediate boost for this morning’s run. Apparently, that’s not how it works. Sadly, I did not wake up with a newly installed high-performance blood supply. My run was still difficult, and my pace didn’t magically improve overnight. It will take time for my body to use the additional iron, so I’m hoping I’ll start noticing a difference over the next several days.

I certainly wouldn’t mind having fewer medical appointments. They take a significant amount of time and can leave me exhausted afterward. Still, they’re important, and improving my hemoglobin should ultimately help both my health and my running.

So, for now, I’ll keep going to the appointments and practicing patience. Hopefully, next week’s legs will appreciate this week’s IV.

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Anemia and Running Performance, and Understanding What Affects My Pace

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

After several days of intense heat, Nashville finally received some relief. Naturally, I expected my running pace to improve with the cooler weather. My legs apparently didn’t get the forecast.

This morning was cooler than Monday, yet I still couldn’t reach my target pace. Frustratingly, if I could simply exchange Monday’s run with today’s, I would have recorded two successful runs this week. Unfortunately, my running app doesn’t offer a retroactive pace-exchange program.

For weeks, I assumed Nashville’s heat and humidity were primarily responsible for slowing me down. But with cooler weather, I’ve realized there is another factor. I’m tired.

At my latest doctor’s visit, I learned that my iron and hemoglobin levels have dropped again. My hematology visits have become more frequent while my doctors monitor and treat the problem, which may explain why running has felt harder lately. I remember how much easier running felt this spring when my hemoglobin improved. I had more energy, and maintaining a faster pace was noticeably easier.

Still, today’s run wasn’t terrible. I nearly matched Monday’s target pace and finished close enough that Friday’s goal feels achievable. Fitness doesn’t exist in isolation. Weather changes. Health changes. Energy changes.

For now, I simply have to work with the energy my body gives me and keep trying. On Friday, I’ll head out again, find my pace, and hopefully hold onto it. Maybe my legs will finally check the weather forecast first.

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Running in a Nashville Heat Wave

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Nashville is in the middle of another heat wave, but my weather app says it should finally break tomorrow. The heat may linger for another day or two, but I’ll be happy to see the worst of it leave.

Running in extreme weather is particularly challenging for me. I already have difficulty maintaining my weight when my activity level increases, and even my early morning runs have been noticeably slower.

The heat is bad enough, but Nashville also provides plenty of humidity. On some mornings, the air feels so heavy that running is less like outdoor exercise and more like using a treadmill inside a sauna.

Unfortunately, nobody provides the fluffy towels afterward. I’ve struggled to reach my target pace lately, but I know fitness isn’t the only factor. Weather and health both affect performance.

Fortunately, the forecast looks much better by the end of the week, with cooler early mornings that should be much more comfortable for running.

My iron levels have also dropped again, and I’m scheduled for another iron infusion the week after next. I’m hopeful that treatment will improve my energy and endurance as it has before. So, despite a frustrating start to the month, I’m optimistic about the second half. Sometimes progress isn’t about forcing yourself to perform better under increasingly difficult conditions.

Cooler mornings are coming, my iron will be treated, and I’ll keep running. The heat wave can win a few rounds.

It doesn’t get the entire month.

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Running with Anemia: Learning Patience One Kilometer at a Time

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

My run this morning ended in disappointment, which is unfortunate because for most of the journey, success seemed perfectly happy to accompany me.

I was either meeting or slightly ahead of my target pace almost the entire way. Then, during the final quarter kilometer, something happened. I slipped twenty seconds behind. I never felt as though I had slowed down, but the stopwatch is a brutally honest companion and apparently disagreed with my assessment.

Still, despite the disappointing finish, victory was clearly within reach. That alone is encouraging.

I have dealt with anemia since childhood. After receiving treatment for my kidney condition, my doctor reminded me that anemia also needed attention. I was treated for it after my brain stroke years ago, and once again I began treatment in February 2026.

What surprised me was just how much anemia affected my running.

Until this year, I had accepted many things as normal. Since beginning treatment, I have noticed that I have more energy during my runs. Gradually, my pace has improved. Of course, now that I have tasted improvement, I naturally want more. Human beings are wonderfully unreasonable in that way. Give us progress, and we immediately ask whether there is a faster version available.

Although my current pace is significantly better than before treatment, improvement has become more difficult. That is hardly surprising. Running, much like life, refuses to cooperate with our desire for perfectly straight lines. Progress is more like the stock market than an elevator. There are ups and downs, good days and bad days, and occasionally days when one wonders whether gravity has become stronger overnight.

Summer has also brought additional physical activity. Lawn mowing, for example, turns out to be an excellent way to discover muscles one never knew existed. It is entirely possible that I was simply more tired than I realized.

Fortunately, patience is one of the most important lessons that running teaches. Progress never arrives in a perfectly orderly fashion. Internal factors, external conditions, and simple fatigue all play their part.

So, despite this morning’s disappointment, I remain optimistic.

The next run offers another opportunity.

And next time, I intend to remember that a race is not finished until the finish line actually appears. The final quarter kilometer, as I discovered this morning, apparently has a mischievous sense of humor.

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Running Faster After Anemia Treatment

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Spring has technically arrived, though someone forgot to send the temperature memo. My personal policy is firm: shorts come out when it hits 65°F. This morning it was just a hair below that threshold, and I pulled them on anyway. Sometimes principles are more of a guideline.

And I’m glad I did, because today’s run was something special. For the second time this week, I beat my target pace. Twice. In one week. That’s not nothing. That’s something worth writing home about.

Here’s the secret ingredient: anemia treatment. I’ve been receiving treatment recently, and I can genuinely feel the difference. More hemoglobin means more oxygen, and more oxygen means my legs don’t feel like they’re churning through wet cement. I finally understand why some competitive runners go to such extreme lengths to gain an edge in their blood. I’m not endorsing anything sketchy, just saying: the oxygen, it matters enormously.

The funniest part? My wife pointed out that I had been running in “hard mode” this whole time, and I had absolutely no idea. How would I? The last time I was treated for anemia, I was still learning how to walk. My entire running life has been lived at low hemoglobin levels. That was just my normal. Turns out, my normal was secretly heroic.

One more 5k run this week, and if I match today’s pace, I’ll earn another success that puts me within striking distance of my end-of-year goal. Yes, summer is coming, and yes, the heat will slow me down, the laws of physics apparently still apply. But fall will come around, and I’ll claw back more successes then. Right now, I’m just going to savor this rare and golden alignment of being close to my goal and making rapid progress at the same time.

It’s a good day to be a runner with working red blood cells.

Until next time, may your oxygen levels be plentiful and your pace be swift.

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Managing Potassium, Kidney Health, and Anemia Step by Step

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

After my recent visit to the nephrologist, I learned a few important things about my current health. One of the biggest concerns was how to maintain my kidney health and anemia.

First, the good news: my latest blood panel showed that my potassium levels have returned to normal. That was a relief. The dietary changes I’ve been following seem to be working, so I plan to continue them carefully. With kidney conditions, consistency matters more than enthusiasm. One good result does not mean I can suddenly negotiate with potassium again.

However, the appointment also revealed that I have become anemic.

This part was not entirely surprising. I have a genetic blood condition called thalassemia, which often makes me appear anemic on lab results. My nephrologist already knows this, but the lab report suggests that this time the anemia relates more directly to my kidney condition rather than genetics alone. Because of that, I received a referral to a hematologist.

Hearing the word “anemia” brought back memories of the year I had my brain stroke. At that time, I lost a significant amount of blood, and my kidneys were in stage 5 condition. The combination made the anemia much worse, and I had to receive injections to stabilize my blood levels.

Compared to that period, my situation now is far more stable.

It is possible that my current blood count needs support again, likely through a hormone injection such as Epogen. I took this treatment shortly after my stroke, and it was manageable, even if not particularly enjoyable. Today, the hematologist’s office contacted me to schedule an appointment for next week, which means the next step is already in motion. I may not be excited about it, but it is necessary, and I prefer to address issues early rather than wait for them to worsen.

On days like this, I remind myself to move forward one step at a time.

Objectively, my condition has improved compared to the past. After the stroke, my kidneys were near stage 5. Now they are closer to stage 3, which is meaningful progress. Yes, I am slightly anemic, but many of my other health markers have improved over the past few months.

When I compare the present to where I once was, the difference is clear.
This is not a decline. This is management.

And for chronic health conditions, steady improvement—however gradual—is a victory worth acknowledging.

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