Donating Blood

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!!

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  

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!!

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??

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! 

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!

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.