Blood donation before a big ride?

So this might be one of the dumbest questions to grace the forum, but I'd like some additional thoughts.

I'm a regular blood donor and I scheduled an appointment to donate this Friday even though I'll be particpating in my first metric century this Sunday (I'm pretty excited and nervous! :) ). The woman I spoke with assured me that I should be fine provided I drink plenty of fluids before the donation and afterwards, and that it's only recommended not to lift heavy things...

What do you all think, should I reschedule for after the ride on Sunday? I'm starting to have some second thoughts :rolleyes: and would appreciate any opinions out there.

Thanks!

I wouldn't donate blood a day and a half before my first century.

but that's just me....

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Originally Posted by Rumblefish

The woman I spoke with assured me that I should be fine provided I drink plenty of fluids before the donation and afterwards, and that it's only recommended not to lift heavy things...

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I've found that most health-care professionals who do not cycle have no concept of what's involved in a 62-mile bike ride. 'Sure, you can exercise after donating," but they don't realize what type and the length of exercise you plan.

First, yay for you, and congrats on heading into your first metric! And equally, yay for being a blood donor!

If you're a regular donor, then you probably have a pretty good idea how your body handles donating.

In the past, how have you felt the next day? Have you ridden? Do you tend to have good energy? (I think the lifting heavy things restriction is mostly about reducing the likelihood of re-opening the vein under the skin and making a bigger bruise/sore area. But I'm not sure.)

The other side is how you feel biking and how far you've been going and so forth. If you've been biking 50 miles with ease, then the metric probably isn't going to be that hard for you. If you've been riding lots less, then the metric is probably going to be harder for you.

Like you, I donate regularly, and I've learned over the years that I don't have any problems with exercise the next day, so long as it's exercise I'm pretty used to. Add another day, and I'd be good for whatever. But that's me.

So I'd do the donation and the metric, using both as an "excuse" to drink lots of water and eat good food. For me, my first metric was more psychologically than physically hard; I just couldn't quite believe I could bike that far, and then I did. But I'm like that with new goals sometimes. The next long ride (75) was way easier for me than the metric because I didn't have the same big goal thing in mind. (I'm a beginner, and still working up to a regular century; my first metric was earlier this summer.)

As you mention, though, you can always reschedule your donation for the week after your metric. The blood bank folks will still be happy to see you.

Good luck with your metric!

PS. This is a great question! I'm interested in the different responses.

I'd reschedule the donation. Why take the chance on ruining what you've worked for? If you reschedule, it's a sure thing that one won't affect the other.

Karen

I rode with one of my regular ride buddies on Sunday. He had donated blood on Friday. He is usually quite a bit stronger than I am, but I could tell he was lagging. It could have been a physical result, or it could have been psychological. But his performance was definitely not what it normally is.

You say you are a regular blood donor. How do you usually feel after donating? You know your body best. But unless there is a specific reason you need to or want to donate on that day, I'd recommend that you reschedule until after your metric.

Thanks, Ladies!

Part of the reason I am hesitant is because my last donation in February was actually before I began riding more heavily. I tried to donate at the end of March but my iron was too low and they made me wait three months to build it back up before I could donate again. So unfortunately, I don't know how well my body will handle the donation and then the ride two days later. Generally, when I've donated I've felt fine afterwards....but I wasn't riding much then....

I'll reschedule I think and they'll just have to wait a few more days before they can stick me and drain my blood! :eek: :)

It's good that you're rescheduling.

According to Wikipedia,

Blood doping is the practice of illicitly boosting the number of red blood cells in the circulation in order to enhance athletic performance. Because they carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, more RBCs in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and stamina.

What you'd be doing in effect is reverse blood doping, decreasing the number of RBCs in your bloodstream. Which would not be good idea just before a big ride. :cool:

Reverse blood doping....so it'd be like giving myself a handicap if it were a race, right?? ;)

Turns out the Red Cross is going to get more blood because of my rescheduling...my brother is going to come with me next week and donate as well (I've been trying to get people to come with me and donate as well...and not too many people take me up on it :( ). So they should be even happier now! They'll get two pints instead of one now!! :D

Glad you have made the decision to wait til after the big ride... and a great bonus that you can take an extra with you for extra blood

Enjoy your first metric! I have only ridden that distance once as a training ride - took me 4 hours even but three hours of that was on flat roads.

Its a loooong time on a bike and I admire all of you who attempt cemtruies - metric or imperial.

Let us know how you get on :)

I'm glad you asked this question. I've been toying with trying to donate blood again. I have donated in the past, but I haven't in a very long time. I usually get physically sick after donating. It lasts weeks. I think it kills my immune system or something. It just zaps me, so I stopped donating.

That said, I'm much healthier now and I want to give it another try. BUT, I'm currently training for a half-marathon and I can't afford to get sick and be down for a few weeks.

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Originally Posted by RoadRaven

Glad you have made the decision to wait til after the big ride... and a great bonus that you can take an extra with you for extra blood

Enjoy your first metric! I have only ridden that distance once as a training ride - took me 4 hours even but three hours of that was on flat roads.

Its a loooong time on a bike and I admire all of you who attempt cemtruies - metric or imperial.

Let us know how you get on :)

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Road Raven: What is an imperial?

metric is 100 kilometers, imperial aka English aka Standard in the US is 100 miles.

-T, currently spending time with my Dutch relatives who expressed surprise we haven't gone to the metric system yet...

Cheers Ty...
:)
Rave

Hi everybody.

Just 1 hour ago, I did my every 10 weeks blood donation.
The rule is everybody needs to get weighed before donating - and as usual I'm in the 72-74Kg range.
My blood preasure was fine, but my iron count isn't that high - me thinks it has something to do with my "monthlies" due soon.
It took around 9mins to fill the "blood bag", not my fastest time. Oh well, next time I'll be faster.

Each time I keep doing it, the easier it seems to get. I can watch the bag fill up with blood & not get quesey.:)

Would I do long ride tomorrow? - Probably not. But i should be okay for Friday.

Happy riding

Way to go, Enzed!

Thanks for that - it's nothing special really. My left arm just happens to be a "good bleeder" when it comes to giving blood.

This time around I was that close to failing the iron count test. I was tested 3 times (106/116/124). If the iron count is below 120, you get banned from donating for 3 months.
And to top it all off, my left arm is still a bit sore - that would have something to do with the fact that it took 2 tries to hit the blood vessel with the needle.

I've even managed to get a freind to start doing it. I went with them their first time & they ended up getting light-headed & nearly fainted.

Happy blood donating

And to help your (our) iron count, don't forget to eat raisins and/or green leafy vegetables. There are other food sources, but those two are my favorites, ones I'll actually eat.

I'll be donating tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by bmccasland

And to help your (our) iron count, don't forget to eat raisins and/or green leafy vegetables.

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I love spinach, and it's my best friend before donation time.....I skimped on it the one time and my iron was too low and was banned from donating for 3 months like Enzed said they do to you. (I was super disappointed too :( I seem to get a bizarre pleasure out of donating :D )

It's great to hear about all of you who donate as well!

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Originally Posted by Rumblefish

The woman I spoke with assured me that I should be fine provided I drink plenty of fluids before the donation and afterwards, and that it's only recommended not to lift heavy things.

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She's got that incredibly backwards! By donating blood, you are removing red blood cells (duh, I know), which severely limits the body's ability to transport oxygen. Your VO2 max (amount of oxygen your body can use) will be lower, as well as your lactate threshold (more likely to be a limiting factor, especially if there are hills or a headwind involved). Why do you think that blood doping is rampant? You ADD red blood cells, and you get increased performance... it works both ways!

As for lifting heavy things, the worst that could happen is some bruising. Your ability to perform one or two repetitions of a heavy lift would not, physiologically speaking, be affected by blood loss.

Reading this thread makes me feel so guilty. :(

I am a *terrible* bleeder (sounds odd, but it's true). They usually have a heck of a time finding a vein - they usually end up poking both arms :p - and even then, I have to squeeze the tennis ball or whatever for dear life to get the bag to fill up.

The last time I donated, at our company's blood drive almost a year ago, I explained to the tech how it's sometimes hard to find a vein and he called over the nurse, explaining, "she's great at this". Well... several pokes later she acknowleged I was a challenge. :p And since I was one of the last appointments, they had to stay late because I took so doggone long to fill up the bag. :o

So I haven't participated in our company's blood drive since then. Oh, but I should! One thing the nurse suggested to me was that I drink lots of water several days beforehand.

OK, you folks have motivated me.