Donating Blood

[water_bugg]

I donated blood last week. I have a century ride this weekend and I'm a little nervous about my performance since I'm down a pint. Has anyone else given blood in the middle of biking season? How long did it take to get back to normal?

[jessmarimba]

I think it takes 4-6 weeks to replenish red blood cells, but how you feel in the meantime is really individualized. Your height/weight and your normal iron levels will determine how much it affects you. I imagine you might feel a little sluggish but the worst side effects should be over by then.

[badger]

I donated blood 3 weeks ago, and went swimming the next day. I haven't donated in 10 years, so it never occured to me that I may actually feel like a snail swimming in molasses.

I swam again 4 days later and while I felt somewhat better, I still felt sluggish.

I started feeling "normal" in the pool a week later. Obviously I can't speak for you, but I would suspect you'll be fine, aside from maybe feeling a bit more tired than you might otherwise.

[Aquila]

I donate regularly, biking season or no. But I don't race, so my riding isn't highly pressured.

I try not to ride the day I donate (before would be fine, but not after), but do an easy ride the next day. And after that, I feel pretty much up to snuff. Your iron has to be pretty high to donate, so your body is able to use iron appropriately. (That is, you're not anemic and so if you take some extra iron, that should be good.) You probably won't have replaced all the blood cells, but your volume should return to normal quickly, and you'll be well on your way to being full up within a week or so.

I doubt you need to be told, but here goes: drink lots of water (or your other beverage of choice) and eat well. (I like to think there are no calories in post-donation cookies!)

And finally: Thanks for donating! You know it's important and helps people lots. Thank you!

[jobob]

I prefer to donate platelets, partly because I lose few if any red blood cells that way.

I last gave platelets on Tuesday July 27 and I rode a hilly metric century at Mt Shasta the following Sunday. I felt fine throughout.

I doubt you need to be told, but here goes: drink lots of water (or your other beverage of choice) and eat well.

Quite true; you definitely want to drink plenty of water before and after you donate.

(I like to think there are no calories in post-donation cookies!)

Particularly Oreo cookies

[malaholic]

I donated about a week before riding RSVP last year. My speed/performance definitely suffered but I was still capable of finishing the ride. I just finished it more slowly than I would have otherwise. As long as your century is a recreational ride, rather than a race, I bet you'll do just fine. Just pay attention to how you're feeling, make sure to eat/drink plenty, and slow down a bit if you feel yourself getting winded, so as to conserve energy to make the full distance.

[Zen]

"Whole blood donors may give once every 56 days in order to allow plenty of time to replenish their red cells. Apheresis platelet donors can donate more frequently, as much as every seven days, up to 24 times per year, because the platelet and plasma components are replaced in the body more quickly than red cells."

That said, I wouldn't worry about it.

[water_bugg]

Thanks for all your input - it made me a little less anxious about riding. I did finish the ride. The ride was much hillier than my past centuries, so I'm not sure which issues I can attribute to donating and which to the terrain, but I did notice a few things: 1. my pace was a bit slower for this century than others 2. my legs ached earlier in the ride than I'm used to (although I did get a 2nd wind and finished strong)

I think in the future I'll shy away from giving so close to an event, but definitely wont hesitate to give during biking season.

[Aquila]

Great to hear that you finished the ride!

And yay to you for donating. The Red Cross folks here say that a single donation can help up to 3 people. So that's way cool.

Ride safe