Do Letsrunners give blood?

I've never donated blood because my platelet count is 25. But also, for the same reason you stated.

I like to donate blood twice a year usually two weeks after a good effort. It seems to take 10 days until I am running intervals equal to before donations.

Just think if we could get 1/2 the runners after a large half marathon to donate it would be a good way to help out.

I'm usually good for donating 2-3 times a year. I think it affects how I feel on harder efforts for about 2 weeks. If you don't have a race in the next 2-3 weeks, you should be fine. Just think of it like training at altitude for a couple weeks.

I donate 4 times a year. I notice a difference in my running for about a week after donating, especially on hills. Go ahead and donate. There is some evidence that men who donate blood have lower rates of atherosclerosis and heart disease than men who don't. May have something to do with reducing iron levels in the blood.

I have donated quite a bit in the past and was nearing my 2 gallon pin when I stopped donating. The reason I did was my pulse was 43 and the people collecting it had a big discussion as to whether I could donate or not. they seemed to think it was dangerous despite my numerous prior donations. I explained my training etc. but they treated me like I was sick or not healthy for having a low resting hear rate.

I'm sure I will donate in the future again when my training has slowed and my resting hear rate goes up.

Yes. Started as soon as I was eligible, partly because of coaxing of family (lots of nurses, and my grandma was a RC blood drive nurse).

During my heavy training years, donations dropped to about 2x/year, when I could afford those 8 weeks to rebuild RBCs before a goal race.

Now I plan to give at least 4x/year.

Agree with up-thread poster about how being super-fit / low-pulsed is viewed with surprised concern.

It will likely affect you for a few weeks, but not really a big deal- you feel a bit out of shape compared to the days prior for a few days, then you don't really notice anything. I usually donate 1-2x a year, during any down-time I have planned. I don't do it when I'm trying to race, since 10-30 seconds difference can easily be the difference between feeling good about a race or being disappointed, and I think you could easily lose that in a 5 or 10k after donating. The local red cross calls a few times a year, but are very nice and don't try to push it when I tell them that I'm training/racing now and will see them in a few months.

I guess I'm going to count myself in the "selfish prick" category, because I've never donated. I tell people I would, but I'm kinda still using it.

Once, a couple years back, one guy on our team showed up to practice and was blowing it, running way off pace. He went to our coach and said he wasn't feeling good. When asked what was wrong, he replied, "Oh, I just donated some blood a couple hours ago." Needless to say, he was dismissed from that day's practice, much to our collective chagrin.

Back in the day, running for Army, we would give blood at 6:00 a.m. (or face Saturday duty), run home, chug a couple of Optimators, smoke a couple of cigs, and pass out.

Life was great then...

I should follow up:

We would then increase training for the next month--under the idea that low red blood cell count + heavier exercise (albeit at a bit slower pace) would, in the end, give us higher O2 capacity. I have NO idea if it did....

Coupla other funny notes:

At 6:00 a.m., my heart rate was around 40, TOO LOW to give blood. I would say "wait a minute," step back, do some jumping jacks, and say "how 'bout now."

"Gee, Sarge, you're good now." (Duhhhhh.....)

Also, due to how quickly I would fill the bag, the nurses would veritably squeal: Wow! YOU'RE a BLEEDER! To which I would note "Yah, that's great 'til I get hit by a BUS!"

Ah, memories...

I donate off and on. My wife no longer can donate, so I've tried to pick up my slack a little. (She got two false positives on the preliminary tests they do, and even though those were *false* positives, they'll no longer let her donate. She got notification of this the same week she got notification of having made the Gallon Club--nice.)

I'm due to donate again soon, but I would urge anyone with a potentially big race in the next three months or so *not* to do so. When I was coaching, I saw how a donation wiped out a good runner's entire cross season. (Because it's not just a matter of getting your blood levels back up to where they were; while you're waiting for that to happen, you're losing training time at faster paces, hence losing some race-specific conditioning.)

My advice is similar to that given above: If you have a definite end-of-season big race/meet, with no other biggie scheduled for several months thereafter, then you can donate a week or two after your season-ender.

It takes ~120 days to be back to 100%. But you get close much much sooner. Still I'm selfish as all hell. And its only like training at altitude in that efforts are harder for your heart and easier for your legs. The EPO boost you get only puts you back to your original baseline hematocrit (which is the main benefit of altitude training). So its only bad, not good. And its not like there is a real shortage of blood except maybe type O- (which I am not). If I were O- I would give blood for money. Again--selfish.

Never have given blood. Never will. Don't care.

I gave blood to the Red Crescent USA on campus today for the 1300 murdered and 6000 wounded in Israel's Gaza Genocide.

Donate platelets, keep your RBCs.

I gave blood to the Red Cross on campus today in memory of the six million gas and hundreds of thousands misplaced in the Holocaust.

Gave blood a few years ago. Never again, at least until I am not serious about running. Felt terrible for a week, and still didn't feel right for about a month afterwards.

I only donate blood when I'm recovering from a marathon. Otherwise it messes up my training for the better part of two weeks.