Sorry to pick on you, but I hate posts like this with a passion. Unless you're sick, it's the wrong thing to focus on. I realize you've said you're not interested in PEDs, but the feeling you are expressing in this post is exactly what leads people to PEDs. I wouldn't be surprised if your post prompts a bunch of other people to go have their hematocrit tested too, which is a stupid waste of time (again, unless you are actually sick). Focus on you're training. Eat right. Get good sleep. Don't drink alcohol. If you want to talk about the latest fads like heat training, fasted training etc, great. (BTW both heat training and VO2max work will make you faster and *lower* your hematocrit.) If you want to measure performance, go race. Stop focusing on your stupid hematocrit and T levels.