“Having a normal hemoglobin value is primarily a matter of good nutrition and consuming foods that have iron in them. Typical normal hemoglobin values are between 12 and 18 grams per deciliter of blood (depending on age and gender). People are often considered anemic when they have hemoglobin values below 13.5 (for men) or 12 (women), and from a running performance point of view, the difference between a 12 and 13 in hemoglobin could be about 30 to 40 seconds in a 5K run. Again, it is not desirable to try driving that number up high, however.”