Do Letsrunners give blood?

the dude with the funny hat wrote:

Honestly, you're telling me it's selfish to want to keep my own blood in my veins, because I need it to make my training worthwhile?

Yes, because you don't need to train. It's a hobby.

Count me in the selfish prick category as well. Whether justified or not, I've never done it because I'm worried it would interfere with my running as well. Perhaps one day when I can't run anymore I will start.

I always feel bad when the Red Cross comes to campus and I'm the only one out of my friends that doesn't give blood.

I remember in high school, there was a senior on the team that gave blood the week before states (he wasn't too smart). All season he was running low 17's for the 5k. At state he ran low 21's and came in last place.

The blood bank is taking donations for the victims of the horrendous Gaza Massacre. Please support for peace and a quick end to the 1948 Occupation of Palestine.

To second what others have said, I do when I'm just past a race or have some time before another.

That being said, it is maybe the only unselfish thing I do...as someone who's healthy (and as most of us runners are), it is something you can give your fellow man whether rich, poor, homeless, black, white, brown, or here illegally.

What's really scary, is here in So Cal to give when KLOS (the lone album rock radio station) has their big blood drive each summer. You don't want to get hit by a car immediately after that, since you may not want the blood of toothless, cigarette (and pot no doubt) smoking Grateful Dead fans.

I have always wanted to give blood but have never weighed enough except when I was pregnant and they won't take it then. I have the highly coveted O- type blood. I think that if they really need this blood type why not take half the amount from me each time instead of the full amount if I don't weigh enough.

Why would you give blood if you're trying to train hard? It's the opposite of blood doping, I never have heard of the best doing that...

bloody buddy wrote:

Why would you give blood if you're trying to train hard? It's the opposite of blood doping, I never have heard of the best doing that...

And I assume YOU are one of the best?

well you know (smiling while brushing off shoulders)

I never felt like I could until last week. I always "didn't want to screw up my training" or whatever. (I'm trying to get over myself - I'm 45, not going to the Olympics regardless.) They tell you not to work out afterwards; I went and worked out that night anyway. Felt kind of crappy the next day and a few days afterwards; but only while working out; fine the rest of the time. I'm the world's biggest baby when it comes to needles. I just kept telling myself, "It could save someone's life." The blood folks told me it could actually save 3. Lots more important than winning the 40-and-up division of some local 5k. Though I must confess I waited till after the local 5k and when I didn't have much coming up on my schedule.

yeehaw wrote:

bloody buddy wrote:

Why would you give blood if you're trying to train hard? It's the opposite of blood doping, I never have heard of the best doing that...

And I assume YOU are one of the best?

I don't think it matters how good you are. Why would you want to go out and run everyday and then do something that is gonna set you back weeks or months?

What would be the difference on training(if any) between donating whole blood and donating platelets or plasma?

quenton wrote:

What would be the difference on training(if any) between donating whole blood and donating platelets or plasma?

When you donate platelets or plasma, they put your red blood cells back in, so your blood's oxygen carrying capacity isn't diminished. Just drink a lot to replenish your blood volume, and you're ready to rock.

To give you an indication of recovery times, you're allowed to donate whole blood every 56 days, you can donate plasma every 48 hours, up to twice a week, and you can donate platelets every three days, up to 24 times a year.

Mind Runner wrote:

I have always wanted to give blood but have never weighed enough except when I was pregnant and they won't take it then. I have the highly coveted O- type blood. I think that if they really need this blood type why not take half the amount from me each time instead of the full amount if I don't weigh enough.

My sister just wears a baggy sweater and lies about her weight.

Don't donate blood. Sell your plasma.

donating blood is a crock. platelets are helpful for cancer patients, but we don't need people to donate blood. Most first world countries in the world take blood from cadavors. If we would do that in the USA there would never be a shortage of blood for those in need. The only exceptions are people who have an extremely rare blood type. I don't have one, so I'm not giving any until we start using the dead to fill up our blood reserves.

Do some research on how much blood went to waste during the whole katrina and 9-11 incidents. The numbers were rediculous.

i'm in the same boat as you, mind runner: too light except when pregnant, and a baggy sweater won't make up for missing 15-18 pounds. since i can't donate blood products, i donate money to the red cross annually and impress upon my now-grown kids to participate in blood drives.

sonopod wrote:

donating blood is a crock. platelets are helpful for cancer patients, but we don't need people to donate blood. Most first world countries in the world take blood from cadavors. If we would do that in the USA there would never be a shortage of blood for those in need. The only exceptions are people who have an extremely rare blood type. I don't have one, so I'm not giving any until we start using the dead to fill up our blood reserves.

Do some research on how much blood went to waste during the whole katrina and 9-11 incidents. The numbers were rediculous.

This post is, to put it in rather crass terms, a boatload of $&!+. Blood is an unstable material, and if it's not flowing, clotting begins. Certainly blood can not be taken from many cadavers - what'd they die of? Disease? Toxicity? Trauma? Did a lot of blood go to waste after 9/11? Absolutely! Huge amounts were donated in the hours following the collapse. It overwhelmed much of the system, but being a perishable product, it could not be used quickly enough. That does not reduce the value of donating, especially on a regular basis. The 9/11 situation was an anomaly.

I know that if I had a serious auto accident, I'd be very thankful for the blood that I'd likely receive. I understand that donating whole blood will impact you for 2-4 weeks, so timing between races / into the off-season is meaningful if you're highly competitive. I've donated about 65 or 70 times. It's no big deal, and a good habit to start.

bloodclot wrote:

Yes, because you don't need to train. It's a hobby.

There are very few things in life we truly NEED, including the time we post on this message board (or the computers that allow us to do so).

The Mother Teresas of the world are qualified to tell us what are "needs" and what are "hobbies".

You? Not so much.

Donating blood is a scam in MY opinion. It is unhealthy in the first place, but secondly the red cross, while they are "not for profit" gets a HUGE amount of profit from taking people's blood and they have so much success just based on making people feel that they are doing a good thing.

I remember reading papers about how back in the world wars in the pacific theater, when there was a need for blood transfusion but no blood, they resulted to coconut water IVs, no joke. Perfectly isotonic to human plasma. There are indeed uses for erythrocyte transfusions, but most of these conditions are due to emergencies related to people destroying themselves through diet, drugs and so on. It's just like people saying that surgeons are so heroic. Sure they are...in about 5% of the cases. The rest of the cases are emergencies brought because of the abuse on one's own body. Yes tragic. Absolutely, but can be entirely avoided by a healthy lifestyle.

Should I feel guilty for not donating my time to drug addict hotlines, or for not adopting starving children from Africa? These are all really horrible things and I totally feel bad what I see or hear about them...however by assuming that donating blood, or money or donating whatever it may be is going to fix the problem what we are doing is reinforcing the status quo. I like the idea of prevention better than reaction.

Sure I can donate my blood but what have I done really? Nothing special. Saved a life...maybe. Or maybe the person that get's my blood is saved for a few days before having another heart attack because they go right back to an abusive lifestyle and destroy themselves.

This benevolence is a relative thing. It's all perspective. Is donating blood or whatever the best solution that one can see for the problem? I dunno. Most of the time I hear stats like "Today one out of every 3 people will get cancer"...as if this is like some given constant. I can promise you I'm not getting cancer. I'm one of the 3 people who will not get it. Should I be interested in donating money to the pink ribbon foundations? Or should I be interested in promoting ways in which we can all adopt and effectively change the damn number from 1 in 3 to 1 in 3 million.

I dunno, it's all perspective. I doubt I will ever donate blood and if I am looked at as a bad person for it...hey so be it. I don't like needles in my arm, sorry. And more to the point, needles in the arm aren't in any way the ONLY way to help the people who are suffering. Far from it. If putting a needle in my arm was the ONLY solution, then yeah...I would feel ashamed. Fortunately, there are far better approaches to helping folks out, and needles in one's arm sucking their blood out isn't one of them.

Just my personal feelings on the matter. So obviously if you ask me if you should feel guilty, heck no. There is no guilt to feel if you are compassionate and you find a better way to help others be it motivation, education, setting an example, etc etc etc...