I struggle with depression (have for over 20 years) and running is one of the most important parts of my therapy. You and your channel is such an inspiration. Happy Holidays!
Honestly, hearing that you're taking a break makes me very happy, please continue to take good care of yourselves, and that goes to everyone else here as well ❤
I love your channel, because you document real feelings and all the things! I'm a casual cyclist, 50, have been a partner to various mental and physical "friends" my whole life. Cycling helps so much, and I still have times where I don't do it. Where I don't get up, don't leave and do what I need to do to feel better. And I watch you and amy cycling and all sorts of others and I find my way back. Over and over! I hope you feel better and better Phily!
Every tiny ray of light is worth celebrating! Glad you're back a bit. You're a great human with a bright future. Thanks for sharing your story with us.
I have been suffering from such a comedown after this season, finishing with my a-race at the end of October (IM Barcelona). Had norovirus, had injuries, had flu.... put on weight, missed training, lost fitness... It feels so demoralising... and when you pair that with the cold, dark conditions approaching the middle of winter it hits mental health like a sledgehammer... but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for sharing your reality when dealing with similar issues.
and yep, HRV dropping (in my case from like 90 average to about 70), sleep time and quality dropping, and resting HR jumping from 38 to 47 (percentage wise... like 30% jump... a lot!)... Sometimes the data is good to have... but at times it can be an overload because it makes it SO clear when issues are happening.
Currently dealing with long COVID fatigue for a month and completely understand what you’re going through Phily, also trying to remind myself I can be happy even if I’m not running but it’s hard to go from all to nothing
Hope you start feeling better soon, I'm in the same boat almost 3 months on! Went from 20 hours of triathlon training per week to barely 5 hours of easy bike rides and no running or swimming... covid sucks and its crazy to realise how much training (or not) affects life
Such great content here. I love your channel for the variety and authenticity and humour with Daniel! I hope those supplements help restore you. I ignored low iron for years as menstruating female (heavier side) and also had niggling injuries that were escalating past age 35. Now, 19 years after I started running, and at age 39, I finally succumbed to injury and have basically not seen a trail for a year... running flat routes instead and only at 30% of my former volume. Been a sad time. Rehab has helped with my incredible Physio but wanted to share I got an infusion recently after my ferritin level came back at 8 ug/L. Within a week my groin injury felt less aggravated and the post-workout pain is less. It gave me some hope I may heal one day. So, thanks for posting here to help younger runners avoid the mistakes I made in my early 30s. You and Daniel exemplify what loving the grind is all about!
I'm so grateful that you're sharing this. I coach HS Cross Country and anytime we have a new runner who is putting in the work, are not dealing with injury, and not improving, we immediately suggest that they get their iron checked. We do this with both girls and boys. As you said, it's such an easy fix if that's the issue. Personally, our daughters, both athletes take low dosage iron daily. Thanks for your channel and the very honest information you share!
I've been donating blood every other month and am a casual runner, the difference between runs pre and post donation are immense. Don't forget to take your iron supplements 😅
Different countries have different regulations for blood donations. Every other month lines up with the USSR rules for example if I remember correctly.
Thanks for sharing the lows as well as the highs. Phily (firkin relatable me) Bowden. Would love to see a sneek peek into your coaching side of life, could be a good promo. Love and respect to you both.
Omg I feel your pain. I got a virus, training was rubbish and I felt like I was going backwards - so yes emotionally/mentally was feeling rubbish. The virus ran on for 6 weeks. HRV was dropping and vo2 was dropping every day. Which made me really upset. I am only a recreational runner but I really need running to keep everything chugging along in a stressful job. I so feel you - when you want to run but it feels like you have a flat battery. Try and take it easy and have a holiday and come back refreshed. Love the grind Phily.
Glad you figured out what was ailing you, and you have a plan to return to your form. Listening to your body is one of the most important parts of being an athlete. The times I didn’t listen to my body during my competitive running days usually turned into a prolonged injury or illness. Ran a fast half marathon (for me) years ago and started having some pain on the bottom of my foot. Had already previously entered a marathon and wanted to take advantage of my fitness, despite my foot issue. No surprise at the 10K mark, my stubborn self was rewarded with a stabbing pain in the bottom of my foot and I dropped out. Took weeks off and physical therapy to fix it. Why I thought pounding on my foot for twice the distance would make it miraculously feel better is the danger of the runner mentality - push through the pain and the heck with the consequences. Happy you and Daniel are taking a breather to relax. We’ll be here to support you because we love you guys and the grind!
It's always great to find out that there is a reason you are feeling off and that there is a path forwards. Good on you for taking care of yourself, and prioritizing that care. On that note, YES TAKE TIME OFF. It's sad that content creators feel guilty about taking a few weeks or a month off. Most of us in the 9-5 standard job world get vacation time, content creators should be able to as well without worrying about losing subscribers. Any way, all that to say, have a wonderful time off! Happy Holidays 🎄
Take your time Phily, and also don’t worry about taking some time off. Why would you not be able to, you take time off in any other job too. Enjoy the holidays and then your time off too! And most importantly: thanks for sharing your journey with us, both the highs and lows. It is hugely beneficial and sometimes relatable for many others, as other comments already show. Thank you again, and love the grind!
Glad to see the highs and lows. As a casual runner it is actually encouraging to see those as I have them too. Yours are more important as it's your job and more intense at your level. It is also interesting that all of us have so much data on ourselves that it is easier to tell there is a problem if not exactly what is causing it.
As an average amateur runner I have been sick for 2 weeks with stomach flu and sinusitis. It's so hard to get back into shape after that so I can't imagine what it must be for you. Finger's crossed. Enjoy your break in January, you need it. Sometimes it's good to love the grind a bit less.
Very informative video Phily , glad you're starting to feel better 👌🏻 good decision having a few weeks off, you must both be flat out all the time 😮. Take care of yourselves have a fantastic festive season 🌲
Love your attitude and personality great you’re back on track with your health now. Hope the personality doesn’t change as you get more and more popular unlike other running UA-camrs.
Great to hear your improving and i hope the break is good for you. Maybe one for your next Q&A but Id love to hear how (or if at all) being a pro athlete changes your conversation with your GP given you are subject to doping testing
Thank you for being open about your problems and strugles. Been iron and folic acid deficiënt. Running at easy pace felt like an almost all out effort. Hope you will recover fully and can reach all your goals for 2025.
glad you're on the upswing! low iron is so frustrating as a runner. FYI another tip: iron supplements should be spaced out from tea/coffee by an hour because the tannins interfere with absorption.
Brilliant advice, it is very interesting to hear the impact of iron deficiency from someone who has also been through this experience. You are so informative and reassuring, thank you for this. Your honesty is so refreshing to hear on social media x
Recently subscribed, more of a trail/ultra runner than road runner, but love how your advice and race coverage is relatable for so many people despite being from the perspective of an elite athlete. Subscribed! Hope you recover well and look forward to following you in 2025, LFG!!
I can highly recommend Iron infusions. I was stubbornly at a Ferritin of 10 for years no matter how much I supplemented. I got an infusion (ordered by my doctor) and now its in the 90ies and I feel soooo much better. It will bump it up much much quicker than any supplement. I highly recommend it.
thank you so much for your wisdom phily. it’s weird timing you made this video because i am dealing with a health issue that has put me out of running, its been going on for months. unable to do a half marathon because of this - lots of scans, bloodwork, test, hospital visits. hoping i can get back to running in new year.. thanks for your video, hope you and daniel enjoy the holiday season and take care of yourselves!
I'm a pro runner with several autoimmune conditions. My stomach issues have meant that I chronically was unable to absorb iron and so I was constantly battling to keep my iron up. I have had to do infusions in the past since supplementing was useless. But it makes a huge difference in energy. Glad you are getting it sorted!
Great video Phily. Very inspiring and very well put advise to look after yourself and listen to the messages that your body is trying to tell you and resist the desire to push through. I had a back disc herniation last year and would have saved myself alot of time off running if i had paid more respect to the warning signs and acted sooner. Hope you are fully back on track and racing soon
So glad you've got a clear path to deal with this! How's the ankle doing, are left-turns any more bearable? Thanks for sharing - it's really important for the rest of us average runners to know we need to treat niggles and illness seriously and not just push through - speaking very much to myself here! Just been on a quick delve into Iron levels... Recommended 14.8mg for women who have periods, 8mg for men. Should be possible from a normal, balanced diet. However high intensity and endurance training deplete iron levels by up to 70%! I can see exactly why so many women trianing a lot can become iron-deficient!
Sorry to hear, but thanks for sharing. I struggle with low iron and start to notice pretty quickly if I go a while without supplements, while I am training. Hope things start to get better for 2025 💪
Thanks for sharing. Glad you are on the mend. Enjoy your break. I hope you can find ways to have more downtime, maybe there are things you can offload to others? Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025 xx
You got this Phily! One thing that I learnt too late was that both tea and coffee inhibit iron absorption by 40-60%. Disasterous for those of us who love a cuppa! Good to avoid them too soon before or after you take your supplements.
As an athlete, being sidelined is so hard physically and mentally. It took me years to realize that I would become clinically depressed when I had a serious physical injury, but once we figured that out it made managing injuries (and the time I spent sidelined) much easier.
Hope you get back to your best soon Philly. I've picked up my first running injury, and have been stupidly trying to run through it anyway. A physio diagnosed the issue today and has given me strict orders to stop running. It's just hard when my whole mood is so dependent on running. Have a good christmas, and happy training!
Hi Phily-- nowhere near a pro runner but I feel you! I was very chronically ill for over a decade (my teens and 20s) and finally got healthy two years ago with a zero carbohydrate diet. I started running again about a year ago, but all of 2024 I have been plagued by issues. First, an injury from my severe chronic pelvic torsion, something that my nervous system had developed over the course of my illness, put me down and out for three months. Then, after doing a specialized PT (called postural restoration), I got back in the saddle only to be struck down again with an aggressive detox protocol that I started in desperation to achieve the last bit of healing. I have had a chronic fungal overgrowth in my gut that even my diet change, probiotics, etc could not deal with. Since September I've been feeling like I got run over by a truck, which made it very very hard to run. I ended up taking almost a whole month completely off, even stopping going to the gym because I felt so depressed about how unwell I was. There was definitely an aspect of trauma involved, suddenly feeling super sick again after two years of feeling healthy, and not knowing when it would end, it was very frightening. It's been a super emotional couple of months for me, as I have found so much joy in returning to my running hobby as a healthy person that I was never able to experience when I ran in high school, so having it suddenly feel as bad physically and mentally as it did before was really hard to cope with. I'm happy to say that just last week I seem to have turned a corner, as I've been feeling really good. The detox fatigue is lifting and I'm able to go up stairs without my muscles getting tired (and the symptoms that prompted me to start the detox are also under control). I finally went on a few runs and I feel great, so I'm really optimistic now. You inspire me so much to keep running! Love the grind!! ❤
I have been iron deficient since I started my period as a upcoming teen. My lowest ferritin was 2, because I am an overachiever, but 7 always sucks, makes me feel like a bag of bones rather than something with muscle around em
taking time to get back to being healthy ,figuring out what is not going right , perseverance and patience , plus you do need to take time for your selves its called life , up's and downs are part of the journey , anyway happy to see you getting back to where you want to be ,video's from time to time is ok also
You owe us nothing, Phily. Your health is more important than anything else in your life. That's exactly how it should be. I'm so glad that you found the answer to your concerns, and that it is relatively easy to rectify, and I wish you a continued and full recovery.
Iron deficiency anemia can strike anyone. While I was diagnosed in the Summer of 2022, I did not get the "sludge". I made sure to cook more with cast iron pans and eat foods rich in iron. Make sure you are taking enough Vitamin C to help absorb the iron supplement.
Whether you like or not, you're a role model and you have a community. The simple fact or sharing difficulties and talking about mental health is so important (I'm very grateful that you "normalize" this behavior). Hope it gets better!
Perfectly normal not to want to film when you're feeling pants. I have stopped giving blood as age and COVID have done such a number on my fitness already I need to hang onto those red cells!
Wow after just one week of iron tablets you were feeling better! Amazeballs how different the supplementing is for normal people and athletes. As someone that works out on average 5 days a week and a blood donor I did find out about my iron deficiency soon enough but luckily I'm just an amateur and at that point I didn't really notice any differences on my training. After taking the tablets I did learn that if you menstruate, workout hard and are in your 30s or so iron tablets are a must! Cheering for you, Phily!
I was listening to you describe your symptoms and my mind immediately went, "that sounds like you're anemic". Then 10 seconds later you said that's what you thought as well. Glad it was the obvious answer with a simple solution.
Thanks for this video. There's lots we're still learning about HRV, but there are some interesting gender differences emerging from the research. For example, researchers compared tour de france and tour de femme riders, and the men's HRV consistently declined during the tour but the women's actually increased. I don't think researchers know why yet though!
Thanks for that and great closing message which my body took on board before my mind was ready to accept. You both deserve that break after all use have achieved in 2024!! Look forward to seeing more in 2025 🎉
I completely relate to this. My easy HR went up 10-15bpm overnight 2+ years ago, for no apparent reason, and has never come back down since. I’ve done bloods, ECGs, a Holter tape and an echo, and apparently there’s nothing wrong. I’m at a complete loss with it so I’ve just accepted that this is how it is now. Bodies suck!
This vid is so interesting! I donate blood every 4 months and take iron supplements after to get me back on track, I didn’t realise it’s better absorbed if you take it on your easy days! I’ve not long donated, I’ve decided to do my next one after the Manchester marathon and will use this advise about taking supplements on easy days then!
Dunno what to say in this situation other than hopefully your Iron levels improve. From what I heard, it takes a while to get Iron levels to improve You and Daniel deserve a break. We’ll miss you and looking forward to your content next year
thank you for highlighting this -i crawled through Manchester marathon feeling rank-then nearly collapsed at work ( i work in A & E )the ED doctor took my blood ( i finished my shift) and i had a ferritin of 2- im post menapause at 55 - its very misdiagnosed i feel - i had an iron infusion and was told iron is really hard to absorb - you need to take iron with vitamin C and not take it with caffiene - you can be iron difficient without anemia
Don't feel bad for not filming regularly when you're not feeling great- most runners running "form" tends to dictate how everything else goes... it's just the way we're wired lol... Glad to see you've pretty much figured out your issue- and hopefully your numbers will be fine in Jan'. If I may ask- in what form are you supplementing your iron ?
I found out that I had a lack of iron in my life at about 16. A few black band t-shirts and Number of the Beast put on daily rotation fixed the problem 🤘🏼
Think you are so amazing ,your steady pace is me going at close to full tilt 😂 Glad you have come through your doubts and challenges , they will return, but you will banish them once again. Sending lots of love from Monty ❤️🤍✌️🎄
I’m a 60 year old GFA runner and got ill with virus a few weeks ago… much harder when you’re older to recover… my training has been really off and my easy 5:45/k has felt like much harder effort… might need to consider supplements! What do you think about Greens drinks? Love your channel BTW
im a runner who has just started a marathon journey (just over a year training i have autoimmune conditions of : chronic pain + hypothyrodism. recent blood tests and modifcations have me strong rn, but it was tough for a few months prior to that.
The key thing with iron is to get your TFR tested aswell.. as ferritin is a measure of capacity and TFR is what is available in the muscle. Another thing to look at is the MCW of your red blood cells and haemoglobin. If the MCW is on the low end it means your RBC cannot develop / mature to carry O2 which results in a low Haemoglobin so basically no response to training because you body is chewing up RBCs in training hence you have less o2 capacity and have to slow down. Look at your EOS levels and bilirubin levels - when your body is suffering from low iron - the cells get chewed up and cause higher levels of bilirubin in the liver. EOS / BAS is normally higher in athletes because of this and most docs will say its because of infection or recent infection (not really true for runners). Iron supplements are toxic on the tummy - ferrous fumarate is more absorbable and the usual rules apply - no diary within an hour of consumption and should be taken with zinc and vit C. Your blood renews about every 12 weeks - so a test in 6 weeks will show elevated levels of iron but in 12 will show a dip in levels. Bio available Iron absorbs best but caffeine blocks absorption so keep an eye on that too. Altitude eats iron stores and some times causes hypoxia in the blood coupled with training it can manifest later in a training cycle. Doctors are very slow to give injections if TFR is ok but IMO they are the best way out of a low iron cycle. If ferritin and TFR are low then its a must because both muscle stores and capacity to produce iron binding molecules is diminished. its an up and down journey with low iron - sometimes one hard session every 10 days is the way to go with easy and long runs. Even then it has to be at 95% of normal threshold pace so not to stress the cells. Congrats on the marathon and hope 2025 brings more great results and content.
If your issues don't improve, PLEASE look into mild forms of ME/CFS! The main symptoms of this illness are fatigue, brain fog and "post exertional malaise" aka if you push yourself physically on a good day and feel fine, a day or two later you feel as if you had been hit by a truck. So you take it easy, improve, push a little and crash again. Low HRV, but blood tests looking normal is typical. I'm telling you because even though ME/CFS is quite common, not many doctors know about it. All the best. ❤
Thanks Phily for this. I'm in a similar situation (albeit without the elite athlete part!), low iron, don't qualify for an infusion, doctors don't believe the athletes need to be above 50 thing. Had to pull out of running my 50k and am still not back running yet. Oh the frustration and grumpiness! 😂 So nice to know I'm not alone and we're going to get through this, just another pothole in the road (that would have been nice to avoid!) 😊😂
Anaemia sucks. I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia 20 years ago - which means my dysfunctional immune system creates antibodies that prevent me absorbing vitamin B12 from food. So I have to have it injected, other wise _really_ bad stuff will happen. I also struggle to keep my ferritin and folate levels high, and also my vitamin D too. Which can make it incredibly hard to find the energy to train, and what I want to be training for is an ultramarathon. Best wishes for your recovery.
Remember, fatigue and malaise could also be symptoms of fighting a virus. You don’t have to be coughing, snotty, etc. 😊 I work in an urgent care. We are seeing a LOT of illness this time of year!
Thanks for sharing Philly! Im wondering if your taking over the counter supplements or prescription ones? I think ive seen you say before you take spatone iron? I take those, seems to just about keep my iron levels high enough to donate blood a few times a year but it really wipes me out after I donate. Hope your levels shoot up when you get retested in January ❤
Running initially feels good, thanks to the release of endorphins. However, it's crucial to understand that it's also a stressor, leading to high cortisol production. This can result in the loss of type 2 muscle fibers, causing significant muscle loss. As someone who was an endurance runner for many years, I ran to combat my depression, but in the long run, it had an adverse effect. Now, I've adopted a more holistic approach to fitness, incorporating a variety of training modalities and activities. The result? I'm stronger, have gained muscle, and have never felt or looked better.
My times have dropped off terribly in one year through headaches, can't find the problem, gone from 71min half to 79min and 79 feels harder, still searching for answer's one year later
I’m not sure what this 200 for the high end of ferritin is but it’s my understanding that anything above 60 is a red flag for possible doping and the blood gets dangerously thick. Might want to check on that again
Depression sucks. I'm in the same mess, that I havent been able to run and train properly for almost six (!) month. I've trained as I could... not much. Gained four Kg's in weight. I'm a runner and it hurts me when I can't run! Now I can start again, but I'm so slow and even a 5K feels bad and a 10K sucks. 12K is what I feel is my max at the moment. Have a 10K race on the 31'st, but is inclined to DNS, as I'm running slower than I want to (in reality = middle of the pack). I'm not happy and the way back will be long.
From the start of the video it seemed like you were iron deficient. Everything you were describing was me exactly how I felt before I went in to get things checked out...I've had multiple infusions, and still take iron daily. Have to ask, why not still take it on hard days? Even if you don't absorb it as well it can't hurt to at least give your body the chance to try and take some in 🤷♂️
I struggle with depression (have for over 20 years) and running is one of the most important parts of my therapy. You and your channel is such an inspiration. Happy Holidays!
Honestly, hearing that you're taking a break makes me very happy, please continue to take good care of yourselves, and that goes to everyone else here as well ❤
Thanks for sharing your journey with us, the highs and the lows. Take your time and enjoy your holidays, we'll be here when you get back!
Thanks Philly, this is not Instagram but real life. All the best.🤞
Thank you Phily, I'm glad you're feeling better now. It's always a positive feeling watching you. You're so inspiring, supportive, funny, and kind!
I love your channel, because you document real feelings and all the things! I'm a casual cyclist, 50, have been a partner to various mental and physical "friends" my whole life. Cycling helps so much, and I still have times where I don't do it. Where I don't get up, don't leave and do what I need to do to feel better. And I watch you and amy cycling and all sorts of others and I find my way back. Over and over! I hope you feel better and better Phily!
Thank you for this honest video!
Please take as much time off as you feel, we will be right here once you come back
I’ve had low iron in the past and I’ve felt the fatigue (and was far from training at your level) so I feel you. Hang in there !!
Every tiny ray of light is worth celebrating! Glad you're back a bit. You're a great human with a bright future. Thanks for sharing your story with us.
I have been suffering from such a comedown after this season, finishing with my a-race at the end of October (IM Barcelona). Had norovirus, had injuries, had flu.... put on weight, missed training, lost fitness... It feels so demoralising... and when you pair that with the cold, dark conditions approaching the middle of winter it hits mental health like a sledgehammer... but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for sharing your reality when dealing with similar issues.
and yep, HRV dropping (in my case from like 90 average to about 70), sleep time and quality dropping, and resting HR jumping from 38 to 47 (percentage wise... like 30% jump... a lot!)... Sometimes the data is good to have... but at times it can be an overload because it makes it SO clear when issues are happening.
Currently dealing with long COVID fatigue for a month and completely understand what you’re going through Phily, also trying to remind myself I can be happy even if I’m not running but it’s hard to go from all to nothing
Hope you start feeling better soon, I'm in the same boat almost 3 months on! Went from 20 hours of triathlon training per week to barely 5 hours of easy bike rides and no running or swimming... covid sucks and its crazy to realise how much training (or not) affects life
Such great content here. I love your channel for the variety and authenticity and humour with Daniel! I hope those supplements help restore you. I ignored low iron for years as menstruating female (heavier side) and also had niggling injuries that were escalating past age 35. Now, 19 years after I started running, and at age 39, I finally succumbed to injury and have basically not seen a trail for a year... running flat routes instead and only at 30% of my former volume. Been a sad time. Rehab has helped with my incredible Physio but wanted to share I got an infusion recently after my ferritin level came back at 8 ug/L. Within a week my groin injury felt less aggravated and the post-workout pain is less. It gave me some hope I may heal one day. So, thanks for posting here to help younger runners avoid the mistakes I made in my early 30s. You and Daniel exemplify what loving the grind is all about!
I'm so grateful that you're sharing this. I coach HS Cross Country and anytime we have a new runner who is putting in the work, are not dealing with injury, and not improving, we immediately suggest that they get their iron checked. We do this with both girls and boys. As you said, it's such an easy fix if that's the issue. Personally, our daughters, both athletes take low dosage iron daily. Thanks for your channel and the very honest information you share!
I've been donating blood every other month and am a casual runner, the difference between runs pre and post donation are immense. Don't forget to take your iron supplements 😅
You can't give blood every other month, it should be 12 weeks apart. Plasma you can do every 4 weeks
@pieter2236 for males in Poland you can give a full donation every 56 days. Plus hemoglobin contents are measured before every donation
Pieter is right, you can donate every 12 weeks for a man and every 16 for a woman.. in the uk at least
@@Sarah-LN i had no idea it was 16 for woman! Thanks for Educating me
Different countries have different regulations for blood donations. Every other month lines up with the USSR rules for example if I remember correctly.
Just found out I have an iron deficiency a few weeks ago. But once you find the problem it does get so much better! Wishing you the best Phily.
Thanks for sharing the lows as well as the highs. Phily (firkin relatable me) Bowden.
Would love to see a sneek peek into your coaching side of life, could be a good promo.
Love and respect to you both.
Thanks for sharing, thanks for being you. Authentic, honest and informative for people. Enjoy the break in Jan.
Omg I feel your pain. I got a virus, training was rubbish and I felt like I was going backwards - so yes emotionally/mentally was feeling rubbish. The virus ran on for 6 weeks. HRV was dropping and vo2 was dropping every day. Which made me really upset. I am only a recreational runner but I really need running to keep everything chugging along in a stressful job. I so feel you - when you want to run but it feels like you have a flat battery. Try and take it easy and have a holiday and come back refreshed. Love the grind Phily.
Glad you figured out what was ailing you, and you have a plan to return to your form. Listening to your body is one of the most important parts of being an athlete. The times I didn’t listen to my body during my competitive running days usually turned into a prolonged injury or illness. Ran a fast half marathon (for me) years ago and started having some pain on the bottom of my foot. Had already previously entered a marathon and wanted to take advantage of my fitness, despite my foot issue. No surprise at the 10K mark, my stubborn self was rewarded with a stabbing pain in the bottom of my foot and I dropped out. Took weeks off and physical therapy to fix it. Why I thought pounding on my foot for twice the distance would make it miraculously feel better is the danger of the runner mentality - push through the pain and the heck with the consequences. Happy you and Daniel are taking a breather to relax. We’ll be here to support you because we love you guys and the grind!
We all just want the best for you both. Happy holidays and happy new year!
It's always great to find out that there is a reason you are feeling off and that there is a path forwards. Good on you for taking care of yourself, and prioritizing that care. On that note, YES TAKE TIME OFF. It's sad that content creators feel guilty about taking a few weeks or a month off. Most of us in the 9-5 standard job world get vacation time, content creators should be able to as well without worrying about losing subscribers. Any way, all that to say, have a wonderful time off! Happy Holidays 🎄
Tough times don’t last tough people do 👍
Take your time Phily, and also don’t worry about taking some time off. Why would you not be able to, you take time off in any other job too. Enjoy the holidays and then your time off too!
And most importantly: thanks for sharing your journey with us, both the highs and lows. It is hugely beneficial and sometimes relatable for many others, as other comments already show.
Thank you again, and love the grind!
Glad to see the highs and lows. As a casual runner it is actually encouraging to see those as I have them too. Yours are more important as it's your job and more intense at your level. It is also interesting that all of us have so much data on ourselves that it is easier to tell there is a problem if not exactly what is causing it.
As an average amateur runner I have been sick for 2 weeks with stomach flu and sinusitis. It's so hard to get back into shape after that so I can't imagine what it must be for you. Finger's crossed. Enjoy your break in January, you need it. Sometimes it's good to love the grind a bit less.
Good reminder to keep my iron intake up! Thanks. Hope you feel good soon.
Very informative video Phily , glad you're starting to feel better 👌🏻 good decision having a few weeks off, you must both be flat out all the time 😮. Take care of yourselves have a fantastic festive season 🌲
Love your attitude and personality great you’re back on track with your health now. Hope the personality doesn’t change as you get more and more popular unlike other running UA-camrs.
That’s great that you’re taking a break, I know how hard it is as a self employed person myself. Have a good rest!
Great to hear your improving and i hope the break is good for you. Maybe one for your next Q&A but Id love to hear how (or if at all) being a pro athlete changes your conversation with your GP given you are subject to doping testing
Thank you for being open about your problems and strugles. Been iron and folic acid deficiënt. Running at easy pace felt like an almost all out effort. Hope you will recover fully and can reach all your goals for 2025.
glad you're on the upswing! low iron is so frustrating as a runner. FYI another tip: iron supplements should be spaced out from tea/coffee by an hour because the tannins interfere with absorption.
Brilliant advice, it is very interesting to hear the impact of iron deficiency from someone who has also been through this experience. You are so informative and reassuring, thank you for this. Your honesty is so refreshing to hear on social media x
We got you. Hope you are able to take that much needed break 🫶🏾
Recently subscribed, more of a trail/ultra runner than road runner, but love how your advice and race coverage is relatable for so many people despite being from the perspective of an elite athlete. Subscribed! Hope you recover well and look forward to following you in 2025, LFG!!
I can highly recommend Iron infusions. I was stubbornly at a Ferritin of 10 for years no matter how much I supplemented. I got an infusion (ordered by my doctor) and now its in the 90ies and I feel soooo much better. It will bump it up much much quicker than any supplement. I highly recommend it.
thank you so much for your wisdom phily. it’s weird timing you made this video because i am dealing with a health issue that has put me out of running, its been going on for months. unable to do a half marathon because of this - lots of scans, bloodwork, test, hospital visits. hoping i can get back to running in new year.. thanks for your video, hope you and daniel enjoy the holiday season and take care of yourselves!
Thanks for keeping it real. Your attitude is inspiring
I'm a pro runner with several autoimmune conditions. My stomach issues have meant that I chronically was unable to absorb iron and so I was constantly battling to keep my iron up. I have had to do infusions in the past since supplementing was useless. But it makes a huge difference in energy. Glad you are getting it sorted!
Great video Phily. Very inspiring and very well put advise to look after yourself and listen to the messages that your body is trying to tell you and resist the desire to push through. I had a back disc herniation last year and would have saved myself alot of time off running if i had paid more respect to the warning signs and acted sooner. Hope you are fully back on track and racing soon
This video is so valuable! I never would have thought about looking into iron deficiency so thank you so much for sharing!
Hope you continue to feel better and stronger and good luck into the new year! You got this
So glad you've got a clear path to deal with this! How's the ankle doing, are left-turns any more bearable?
Thanks for sharing - it's really important for the rest of us average runners to know we need to treat niggles and illness seriously and not just push through - speaking very much to myself here!
Just been on a quick delve into Iron levels... Recommended 14.8mg for women who have periods, 8mg for men. Should be possible from a normal, balanced diet. However high intensity and endurance training deplete iron levels by up to 70%!
I can see exactly why so many women trianing a lot can become iron-deficient!
Fab video, enjoy your break in January both!
Sorry to hear, but thanks for sharing. I struggle with low iron and start to notice pretty quickly if I go a while without supplements, while I am training. Hope things start to get better for 2025 💪
Philly just a tip from me: vitamin c helps the body to uptake and utilize iron! I went thru this too
Thanks for sharing. Glad you are on the mend. Enjoy your break. I hope you can find ways to have more downtime, maybe there are things you can offload to others? Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025 xx
Thank you for everything you do. Looking forward to seeing you back in January.
thanks for the honesty! Sending healthy vibes
You got this Phily! One thing that I learnt too late was that both tea and coffee inhibit iron absorption by 40-60%. Disasterous for those of us who love a cuppa! Good to avoid them too soon before or after you take your supplements.
There is an old PubMed article from the 1980’s about this, but have you found any recent studies? I don’t trust studies that old.
Decaf Yorkshire Tea is pretty good
@@seancampbell7884 It's not the caffeine, it's the tannins.
As an athlete, being sidelined is so hard physically and mentally. It took me years to realize that I would become clinically depressed when I had a serious physical injury, but once we figured that out it made managing injuries (and the time I spent sidelined) much easier.
Hope you get back to your best soon Philly.
I've picked up my first running injury, and have been stupidly trying to run through it anyway. A physio diagnosed the issue today and has given me strict orders to stop running.
It's just hard when my whole mood is so dependent on running.
Have a good christmas, and happy training!
Hi Phily-- nowhere near a pro runner but I feel you! I was very chronically ill for over a decade (my teens and 20s) and finally got healthy two years ago with a zero carbohydrate diet. I started running again about a year ago, but all of 2024 I have been plagued by issues. First, an injury from my severe chronic pelvic torsion, something that my nervous system had developed over the course of my illness, put me down and out for three months. Then, after doing a specialized PT (called postural restoration), I got back in the saddle only to be struck down again with an aggressive detox protocol that I started in desperation to achieve the last bit of healing. I have had a chronic fungal overgrowth in my gut that even my diet change, probiotics, etc could not deal with. Since September I've been feeling like I got run over by a truck, which made it very very hard to run. I ended up taking almost a whole month completely off, even stopping going to the gym because I felt so depressed about how unwell I was. There was definitely an aspect of trauma involved, suddenly feeling super sick again after two years of feeling healthy, and not knowing when it would end, it was very frightening. It's been a super emotional couple of months for me, as I have found so much joy in returning to my running hobby as a healthy person that I was never able to experience when I ran in high school, so having it suddenly feel as bad physically and mentally as it did before was really hard to cope with.
I'm happy to say that just last week I seem to have turned a corner, as I've been feeling really good. The detox fatigue is lifting and I'm able to go up stairs without my muscles getting tired (and the symptoms that prompted me to start the detox are also under control). I finally went on a few runs and I feel great, so I'm really optimistic now. You inspire me so much to keep running! Love the grind!! ❤
I have been iron deficient since I started my period as a upcoming teen. My lowest ferritin was 2, because I am an overachiever, but 7 always sucks, makes me feel like a bag of bones rather than something with muscle around em
taking time to get back to being healthy ,figuring out what is not going right , perseverance and patience , plus you do need to take time for your selves its called life , up's and downs are part of the journey , anyway happy to see you getting back to where you want to be ,video's from time to time is ok also
Happy you have a probable answer. So many feel like crap w/o answers.
You owe us nothing, Phily. Your health is more important than anything else in your life. That's exactly how it should be.
I'm so glad that you found the answer to your concerns, and that it is relatively easy to rectify, and I wish you a continued and full recovery.
Iron deficiency anemia can strike anyone. While I was diagnosed in the Summer of 2022, I did not get the "sludge". I made sure to cook more with cast iron pans and eat foods rich in iron. Make sure you are taking enough Vitamin C to help absorb the iron supplement.
Whether you like or not, you're a role model and you have a community.
The simple fact or sharing difficulties and talking about mental health is so important (I'm very grateful that you "normalize" this behavior).
Hope it gets better!
Perfectly normal not to want to film when you're feeling pants.
I have stopped giving blood as age and COVID have done such a number on my fitness already I need to hang onto those red cells!
Have an amazing break! And then maybe afterward you and Daniel can find a day to treat yourselves to the bare minimum (imo) of one day off a week!!
Wow after just one week of iron tablets you were feeling better! Amazeballs how different the supplementing is for normal people and athletes. As someone that works out on average 5 days a week and a blood donor I did find out about my iron deficiency soon enough but luckily I'm just an amateur and at that point I didn't really notice any differences on my training. After taking the tablets I did learn that if you menstruate, workout hard and are in your 30s or so iron tablets are a must! Cheering for you, Phily!
I was listening to you describe your symptoms and my mind immediately went, "that sounds like you're anemic". Then 10 seconds later you said that's what you thought as well. Glad it was the obvious answer with a simple solution.
Thanks for this video. There's lots we're still learning about HRV, but there are some interesting gender differences emerging from the research. For example, researchers compared tour de france and tour de femme riders, and the men's HRV consistently declined during the tour but the women's actually increased. I don't think researchers know why yet though!
Salt and straw is absolutely the best ice cream to die for 🍦I want one of those beanies!
Thanks for that and great closing message which my body took on board before my mind was ready to accept. You both deserve that break after all use have achieved in 2024!! Look forward to seeing more in 2025 🎉
I completely relate to this. My easy HR went up 10-15bpm overnight 2+ years ago, for no apparent reason, and has never come back down since. I’ve done bloods, ECGs, a Holter tape and an echo, and apparently there’s nothing wrong. I’m at a complete loss with it so I’ve just accepted that this is how it is now. Bodies suck!
This vid is so interesting! I donate blood every 4 months and take iron supplements after to get me back on track, I didn’t realise it’s better absorbed if you take it on your easy days! I’ve not long donated, I’ve decided to do my next one after the Manchester marathon and will use this advise about taking supplements on easy days then!
Missed yi, an gonna miss yi both. But have a chilled time and take it easy. See you on the other side.
Love you, thank you for inspiring us 💗
Breaks are important :) merry christmas.
Dunno what to say in this situation other than hopefully your Iron levels improve.
From what I heard, it takes a while to get Iron levels to improve
You and Daniel deserve a break. We’ll miss you and looking forward to your content next year
thank you for highlighting this -i crawled through Manchester marathon feeling rank-then nearly collapsed at work ( i work in A & E )the ED doctor took my blood ( i finished my shift) and i had a ferritin of 2- im post menapause at 55 - its very misdiagnosed i feel - i had an iron infusion and was told iron is really hard to absorb - you need to take iron with vitamin C and not take it with caffiene - you can be iron difficient without anemia
Take care of yourself, you deserve it💛💛
Take care of yourself, Phily
Don't feel bad for not filming regularly when you're not feeling great- most runners running "form" tends to dictate how everything else goes... it's just the way we're wired lol...
Glad to see you've pretty much figured out your issue- and hopefully your numbers will be fine in Jan'.
If I may ask- in what form are you supplementing your iron ?
I found out that I had a lack of iron in my life at about 16. A few black band t-shirts and Number of the Beast put on daily rotation fixed the problem 🤘🏼
Think you are so amazing ,your steady pace is me going at close to full tilt 😂
Glad you have come through your doubts and challenges , they will return, but you will banish them once again.
Sending lots of love from Monty ❤️🤍✌️🎄
I’m a 60 year old GFA runner and got ill with virus a few weeks ago… much harder when you’re older to recover… my training has been really off and my easy 5:45/k has felt like much harder effort… might need to consider supplements! What do you think about Greens drinks? Love your channel BTW
God bless Phily! ❤
im a runner who has just started a marathon journey (just over a year training i have autoimmune conditions of : chronic pain + hypothyrodism. recent blood tests and modifcations have me strong rn, but it was tough for a few months prior to that.
The key thing with iron is to get your TFR tested aswell.. as ferritin is a measure of capacity and TFR is what is available in the muscle. Another thing to look at is the MCW of your red blood cells and haemoglobin. If the MCW is on the low end it means your RBC cannot develop / mature to carry O2 which results in a low Haemoglobin so basically no response to training because you body is chewing up RBCs in training hence you have less o2 capacity and have to slow down. Look at your EOS levels and bilirubin levels - when your body is suffering from low iron - the cells get chewed up and cause higher levels of bilirubin in the liver. EOS / BAS is normally higher in athletes because of this and most docs will say its because of infection or recent infection (not really true for runners). Iron supplements are toxic on the tummy - ferrous fumarate is more absorbable and the usual rules apply - no diary within an hour of consumption and should be taken with zinc and vit C. Your blood renews about every 12 weeks - so a test in 6 weeks will show elevated levels of iron but in 12 will show a dip in levels. Bio available Iron absorbs best but caffeine blocks absorption so keep an eye on that too. Altitude eats iron stores and some times causes hypoxia in the blood coupled with training it can manifest later in a training cycle. Doctors are very slow to give injections if TFR is ok but IMO they are the best way out of a low iron cycle. If ferritin and TFR are low then its a must because both muscle stores and capacity to produce iron binding molecules is diminished. its an up and down journey with low iron - sometimes one hard session every 10 days is the way to go with easy and long runs. Even then it has to be at 95% of normal threshold pace so not to stress the cells. Congrats on the marathon and hope 2025 brings more great results and content.
If your issues don't improve, PLEASE look into mild forms of ME/CFS! The main symptoms of this illness are fatigue, brain fog and "post exertional malaise" aka if you push yourself physically on a good day and feel fine, a day or two later you feel as if you had been hit by a truck. So you take it easy, improve, push a little and crash again. Low HRV, but blood tests looking normal is typical.
I'm telling you because even though ME/CFS is quite common, not many doctors know about it. All the best. ❤
Thanks Phily for this. I'm in a similar situation (albeit without the elite athlete part!), low iron, don't qualify for an infusion, doctors don't believe the athletes need to be above 50 thing. Had to pull out of running my 50k and am still not back running yet. Oh the frustration and grumpiness! 😂 So nice to know I'm not alone and we're going to get through this, just another pothole in the road (that would have been nice to avoid!) 😊😂
Yep, it's so frustrating when doctors conflate WNL (Within Normal Limits) with "optimal," especially for patients who aren't feeling right.
Thanks for sharing.
Phily your so bright ! :)
Anaemia sucks. I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia 20 years ago - which means my dysfunctional immune system creates antibodies that prevent me absorbing vitamin B12 from food. So I have to have it injected, other wise _really_ bad stuff will happen. I also struggle to keep my ferritin and folate levels high, and also my vitamin D too. Which can make it incredibly hard to find the energy to train, and what I want to be training for is an ultramarathon. Best wishes for your recovery.
If there was any mention of your coach in this video, I missed it. It would have been helpful to hear how he was involved in addressing this issue.
Remember, fatigue and malaise could also be symptoms of fighting a virus. You don’t have to be coughing, snotty, etc. 😊 I work in an urgent care. We are seeing a LOT of illness this time of year!
Thanks for sharing Philly! Im wondering if your taking over the counter supplements or prescription ones? I think ive seen you say before you take spatone iron? I take those, seems to just about keep my iron levels high enough to donate blood a few times a year but it really wipes me out after I donate. Hope your levels shoot up when you get retested in January ❤
lets talk about that amazing jumper though...
thank you !
Running initially feels good, thanks to the release of endorphins. However, it's crucial to understand that it's also a stressor, leading to high cortisol production. This can result in the loss of type 2 muscle fibers, causing significant muscle loss. As someone who was an endurance runner for many years, I ran to combat my depression, but in the long run, it had an adverse effect. Now, I've adopted a more holistic approach to fitness, incorporating a variety of training modalities and activities. The result? I'm stronger, have gained muscle, and have never felt or looked better.
My times have dropped off terribly in one year through headaches, can't find the problem, gone from 71min half to 79min and 79 feels harder, still searching for answer's one year later
I’m not sure what this 200 for the high end of ferritin is but it’s my understanding that anything above 60 is a red flag for possible doping and the blood gets dangerously thick. Might want to check on that again
Depression sucks.
I'm in the same mess, that I havent been able to run and train properly for almost six (!) month.
I've trained as I could... not much.
Gained four Kg's in weight.
I'm a runner and it hurts me when I can't run!
Now I can start again, but I'm so slow and even a 5K feels bad and a 10K sucks.
12K is what I feel is my max at the moment.
Have a 10K race on the 31'st, but is inclined to DNS, as I'm running slower than I want to (in reality = middle of the pack).
I'm not happy and the way back will be long.
From the start of the video it seemed like you were iron deficient. Everything you were describing was me exactly how I felt before I went in to get things checked out...I've had multiple infusions, and still take iron daily. Have to ask, why not still take it on hard days? Even if you don't absorb it as well it can't hurt to at least give your body the chance to try and take some in 🤷♂️
How can I message you directly? I know an ex female Olympian marathoner who specialises in female athlete health. Did amazing things with my Daughter.
What kind of iron is best to take
Ha, the perfect vid to watch from my 'death bed'. Cough blueeghh splutter.