Reading the Results — What the Numbers Mean Key Takeaway Lab reports show "normal" ranges designed for sedentary people. A ferritin of 15 μg/L is flagged as "normal" on most lab reports — but for a distance runner, it means their aerobic engine is running on fumes. You need to know the athlete-specific ranges to catch problems early. --- The Three Stages of Iron Depletion Iron deficiency doesn't happen overnight. It progresses through three stages, and the performance impact sta...

Reading the Results — What the Numbers Mean Key Takeaway Lab reports show "normal" ranges designed for sedentary people. A ferritin of 15 μg/L is flagged as "normal" on most lab reports — but for a distance runner, it means their aerobic engine is running on fumes. You need to know the athlete-specific ranges to catch problems early. --- The Three Stages of Iron Depletion Iron deficiency doesn't happen overnight. It progresses through three stages, and the performance impact sta...