Donating Blood

I was planning on donating blood next week, and every other time I have taken 24 hours of exercise as advised. This time I was planning on donating about 11am, before a club interval run session at 7pm and then the club swim session at 8:30pm. Is this advisable, and has anybody done this before and felt bad?

Comments

  • try it and report back

    bet you won't enjoy the training session

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  • If anything... it's a mild form of blood doping surely? I'll be flying by the weekend if I train all week with less blood

    ...no need for Spanish beef!! image

  • Surely you'll struggle? You'll have less blood carrying all the oxygen you need to the muscles?

    Of course if you re-inject that blood back into you in a week or so when your body has replenished its own stock naturally, THEN you'll be flying. I think that's a well trodden doping route?
  • It's effectively anti-doping, you'll lose a portion of your red blood corpuscles so your ability to carry oxygen to the muscles will be compromised (so your VO2 max will go down)- from what I recall the volume of blood is replaced relatively quickly (within 48 hours), but it will take some weeks to restore your red blood cell count to regular levels (36 days if wiki is to be believed).

    Edit: x-post with Gladys, yes transfusion was popular back in the day but I'm guessing less now with haematocrit levels being monitored and biological passports.

  • Wonder if I'll get funny looks if I ask them to take two bags worth... one to donate, and one to keep in the fridge for a few weeks image 

    I just want to make sure it's not going to nearly kill me if I have two tough sessions later that evening, they usually advise about not doing any exercise for about 24 hours but that's a bit generic as its the same for a 55 year old couch potato or somebody in their twenties used to training several times per day... if you don't hear from me on Tuesday night then it didnt go well!!

  • I've done it before - donated and trained at night - but just steady running - not intervals.

    Some times I'm fine - I don't notice the difference. Once it was as if I just couldn't get enough air down me - weird feeling.

    I don't do it if I'm racing the following weekend - I find it does slow me down by a minute or two over a 10k.

    Give it a go - you won't die, but I'd be impressed if you managed the intervals as normal.
  • As Cougie says - I tend to try and time it for a quiet week where I'm not racing and train in the day before an evening donation, then I'm okay to train again the next day.  I wouldn't attempt back to back sessions after a donation.

    I may be wrong but isn't also part of the reason for taking it easy that you can open up the donation site and find yourself bleeding badly??

  • I did it once and the tiny little puncture would in my arm turned into a huge purpley black and green smeary bruise all up the inside of my arm. Pretty! image
  • yeah but you are a sensitive delicate girly person not a roughie toughie bloke like innit,,,, image
  • i personally wouldn't do a hard session like intervals.....i would change it was an easy run.......
    i would be worried that by overdoing it on that day you might have an impact on the training sessions over the next few days as well..........whereas if you had an easy sessions you should be up and running like normal for the weekend sessions..........

    Like Cougie I wouldn't give if I was racing that week...I would delay the donation by a week.......
  • Hmmm - I was worried about not being able to make the most from a double session which already leaves me shattered... I hadn't even thought about the open wound.

    Looks like I will give the donation a miss and try and get along to a clinic on the day before a rest day after a good session

    Cheers guys... great advice to a problem... that's what this forum is for!  image

  • I have to say that when I could give blood (can no longer do so due to the cancer episode) I became rather selfish with my donations and didn't give if it interfered with my training/race plans. but my view was that they'd had over 40 donations from me over the years, so I felt a bit of payback wasn't a bad thing.....

    bugger not being able to give - I was well on my way to the gold badge
  • I didn't last year due to training for IMW but always planned to afterwards at the end of the year... then had a bit of a personal rough patch that started just a week after and was selfish with everything in my life as I had to put myself first... but now I regret not fitting at least one donation in then

    Oh well... off to the sperm bank on tuesday then perhaps! image

  • I would give soon as its early in the training programme and then you can wait until after the big day..........

    I can't give at the moment annoyingly as I am awaiting a hospital appointment and that discludes me...........I have managed about 80 donations so far...so
  • Putting me to shame... I'm only on a handful... unfortunately selflessly donating blood was on the top of my agenda whilst at university so often only did it once a year
  • I'm on the Anthony Nolan register for a few years and have just been asked to donate at the one time I can't. I hope I'll be able to donate again in the future.

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