I have a feeling my issue is mostly medical in nature so might not get the answers I need directly from here.

I’ve noticed that I hike EXTREMELY slowly. I am overweight and have asthma, but so are/do a good deal of my friends, and they’re able to hike almost twice as fast as I can. It’s pretty bad, I find myself extremely winded and needing to take breaks every 5 minutes of hiking. Taking my inhaler beforehand/throughout doesn’t help (though I still do it every time), I can tell my breaths are full enough, and my trachea isn’t even inflamed or anything.

I also am otherwise very physically healthy, able to lift heavy weights and do Hotworx cardio workouts pretty regularly. The only thing I can think of that may be causing my extreme slowness is low iron. I am constantly anemic but everything else in my blood tests come back normal, even triglycerides surprisingly. Any cardio that involves being on solid ground is way easier for me. I’m wondering if having iron deficiency anemia is causing me to feel absolutely winded because my blood isn’t getting oxygenated enough by my breathing. Has anyone else experienced this? And if so, what helped?

For context, I mostly hike in New Hampshire and the trails are really rocky and extremely steep, like just a straight shot up the mountain for the most part.

TL/DR: I have iron deficiency anemia and am wondering if that makes it almost impossible for me to hike as fast as my friends.