The local blood drive is Wednesday, Sept 29.
I have a triathlon (Kayak 7 miles downsteam, bike 14 miles, run 3) on Saturday, October 1.
I’m not asking medical advice exactly, but do you think this is doable / wise?
I’ve donated many times and haven’t had any issues.
I’ve probably have gone bike riding on the saturday after donation before, but I can’t say for certain. Though I was definitely not going for speed.
I’m not particulary concerned about my time.
Thoughts?
thanks
Brian
Fluid volume is replaced quickly, within a few days, assuming your fluid intake is adequate.
The red blood cells take longer, and are the reason for the 8 weeks between donations. You will be OK at the event, though I imagine your aerobic capacity will be somewhat dimished, and your times will suffer accordingly.
Seconding Machine Elf.
Not so noticeable on an easy effort but your butt will be kicked when you start pushing your limits.
Nitpick: September 29th is a Thursday.
I agree that since your blood volume will be back to normal you won’t pass out or anything, but with your reb blood cells depleted to some degree you will likely not be able to operate at your full capacity. You will be doing the reverse of doping to some degree.
Is there some reason you can’t donate a few days after the race? I think donating before the race is going to make the effort a little harder.
If you want to donate and have a way to donate other parts of your blood than the red blood cells, I’d recommend doing that.
I’d recommend donating after the race. I donate regularly, and use exercise equipment that measures my heart rate and keeps it ‘in the zone’ - the exercise levels always go down significantly down for several days after I donate.
Hmm, it always has been on wednesday, so I’m not sure if the date is wrong or they moved it.
Looking for a nearby donation event after the event
Brian
How do you feel after donating blood? Exactly the same? Almost, but slightly more fatigueable? Performing at 90%? I’m curious because I feel exactly the same after donating blood. I’ve gone bicycling right after a donation with no problems. I’ll ride by bike there, let them poke me, then I go riding around for a half hour. They always want me to sit and eat a cookie, or whatever, and when they tell me to rest when I get home I say, “Sure, sure,” but am secretly ignoring their advice.
I do this because donating blood doesn’t actually make me tired even a little bit. I wonder if most people feel fine, but the nurses warn everyone this way anyway because of whatever greater risk there might be for some people? I dunno, I don’t go around interviewing people at the hospital, getting details on how they’re feeling, so I don’t know if I’m weird or if they give the warnings to everyone so they’re covered, even though most people will be fine. The one person I’ve asked shrugged and said, “I felt the same.”
I feel light headed after donating blood. Funny enough, I didn’t always feel like this - I used to spring right back. After the last couple of times, though my head has spun and I’ve been happy to sit down and have a cookie and juice.
I would certainly think very hard about it.
I don’t exercise at all the day after I give blood, and I’m definitely not at my best for a week afterward. That’s me though - you might be tougher 
I feel the same, until I exercise. Then I’m slightly more fatigueable.
Geek Warning - Geek Content Ahead
I donated in March - a double-red (Alyx) donation, on March 12.
Here are my stationary bike stats from before and after the donation:
sta bike 2/15/2011 30 321
sta bike 2/16/2011 30 323
sta bike 2/17/2011 30 331
sta bike 2/21/2011 30 321
sta bike 2/22/2011 30 323
sta bike 2/28/2011 30 311
sta bike 3/07/2011 30 313
sta bike 3/11/2011 30 320
sta bike 3/14/2011 30 295
sta bike 3/15/2011 30 291
sta bike 3/16/2011 30 290
sta bike 3/17/2011 30 296
sta bike 3/21/2011 30 296
sta bike 3/22/2011 30 291
sta bike 3/23/2011 30 300
sta bike 3/24/2011 30 304
sta bike 3/25/2011 30 311
The last column is ‘calories,’ according to the bike, which I realize have nothing to do with real calories, but are a measure of the total energy I put into the bike. There was a definite dropoff, which slowly went away over the next few weeks.
I wouldn’t do it before any competitive event.
You won’t suffer medically, but your performance will suffer.
I donated every two months for many many years, and then once I started running semi seriously I realized how crappy I felt after donating blood.
On the day of donating, my distance would be a quarter of what it normally would be. In the following days, I still would feel weaker. At the time my runs were usually between 6 and 12 miles, so I don’t know what effect donating would have on a thirty minute cardio session.
I gave up donating because, figuring that I had already given enough gallons, somebody else can carry on for me. I was afraid that I would simply start using this as an excuse not to exercise.
I think light or your usual exercise after donating is probably fine, but I wouldn’t do a triathlon just after donating, for all the reasons others have given. I think you’re kind of setting yourself up for failure - you might even pass out along the way.
Can’t speak for the OP, but I typically donate at blood collections that happen at my place of employment every eight weeks. If I skip one and donate a few days later at a blood collection center, then I won’t be allowed to donate at the next workplace collection (because it’ll have been less than eight weeks since my last donation).
I have skipped workplace collections in the past, simply because it was inconvenient to whatever I would be doing in the day or two after the donation (e.g. leaving on a motorcycle trip; no dizziness allowed!). I just waited until the next workplace collection to resume my donations.
To the OP: it’s not the end of the world if you skip a donation. Let this one go, enjoy your triathlon, and resume donations at a later date.
Huh. Interesting. Thanks for the Geek Content. I suppose I may feel the same if all I’m going to do is head home or have a leisurely half hour bike ride; perhaps I’d feel slight signs of fatigue were I to engage in a triathlon immediately afterward. Still from Weds to Sat should be enough time for him to be perfectly safe if he feels otherwise fine, even if his time (which he admittedly is not fussy over) suffers ever so slightly. But I don’t know what I’m talking about, so feel free to disregard my comments.
I wouldn’t donate so close to the event. I used to donate all the time, for some reason they don’t come around much any more. They always seemed to come about 3-4 days before a swim meet. I’d give and then not do anywhere near as well as I should have at the meet. If there was a meet right near donation then I skipped donating because of the meet.
I’d skip the donation so you can do your best, especially something that distance and time.
As a Red Cross nurse and regular blood donor, I advise against it for the reasons stated above: you might be able to replenish the fluids, but you’re going to need those red blood cells.
This was awesome. I also feel that I’m more easily tired for a few days to a week after donation, but I have no quantitative data for it.