Giving Blood

[mr brightside]

Interesting subject and one that in these days of blossoming blame culture people's decision one way or the other will be judged all the more harshly. I've got a fear of needles, numerous things such as having my eyelid anaesthetised and sewn back together have meant i'll never give blood as long as i live and if i die in the back of an ambulance through loss of blood those who think me selfish can consider it come-uppance and dance on my grave.

[Hes]

Giving blood also gives you a good excuse to eat a bit more and drink Guiness. However, having been to Bolivia I've been told I'm never allowed to give blood again just in case I'm carrying some strange undetectable parasitic disease :-(. We didn't even go down into the jungle where the disease exists but "rules is rules".

I have travelled extensively too and have given blood in Cambodia at the childrens hospital there so I am now considered to be blacklisted for donating here. It is so daft as I have had a full screening and am clear so why they can't allow me to donate again I don't know. Back to the point, I wouldn't give blood before the race, you need to take care of your own health and well-being, but definitely make the effort afterwards. I think it is our duty to and it isn't so hard to take it a bit more gently for the week after donating is it? I am going to try again and see if they'll have me back.

[Brummy John]

Day 8 - Fartlek - running much stronger and only a little off pace on the efforts, helped a lot by the recovery periods between efforts.

Day 9 - tempo run - more uncomfortable for me than for my running partner of very similar ability. Tiring later in run. Think endurance has been affected more than speed, but now well on road to recovery.

[eLBee!]

I don't give whole blood any more. Got recruited to give plasma by virtue of being male and the universal donor blood group for plasma.

Means I can donate every 4 weeks, and I get all my oxygen carrying Red fellas back. So training is not affected! :-)

[Nathaniel Lee]

Wish i could give blood but not allowed to by doctors.

[lantern rouge]

Well I'll be giving blood on Sunday. If it makes me run crap at the Kinder Downfall a week later, then so be it. I might have saved somebody's life in the meantime.

Thanks for that Geoff... fate means that I had to be on the receiving end of quite a few pints a few years back. The reason for me needing it means I am no longer a suitable donor (previously had given 10 or 15 units myself).

So when I say thanks, I mean it...

...giving blood is a good thing!

[Brummy John]

Final installment:

Day 12 - Noon Stone - maybe 30 sec/mile off pace, but reasonable happy. The ascent really exaggerates any fitness drop.

Day 13 - 8.25 miles hilly - fading on clims a bit earlier than expected but ran reasonably OK.

Day 20 - 19.7 miles very hilly - back to normal, happy with run.

Conclusion: Giving blood affected me more dramatically than I expected, especially on climbs and endurance. Took just under 3 weeks to fully recover.