I have a question about RBC regeneration post blood donation. If I donate blood on Monday, how long, if at all, would I tend to feel effects, as in riding like shit? My scenario: I donated on Monday, took Monday and Tuesday off. Did a short, hilly crit on Wednesday, dropped almost immediately. Took Thursday off because I was pissed. Rode 2.5 hours Friday (felt ok), rode 2.5 hours Saturday morning as a warm up (I’m am IM guy and require lots of warmup) and then raced Saturday noonish, same crit course, same result-dropped immediately. Raced Sunday, not a hilly course, dropped immediately on a small hill. I know I am fitter and WAS faster (a week ago) than the vast majority of the group on Sunday. My legs feel like they are filling with lactic acid immediately (?). Can this be related to blood donation or am I a sissy?
My understanding is that it takes a complete 3 weeks to restore your red blood cell count. Or if you go to altitude, it takes 3 weeks for you to get back the required red blood cell count to feel “normal”. After 10 days though, most of the gains are made.
Absolutely - although your blood (fluid) volume is quickly regenerated, it takes some time for the actual RBCs to be produced.
I’d have to check out how long to regenerate the blood but I can tell you this - donating blood is a significant stressor on the body. You’d have to back off training for a couple+ weeks to recover (gestalt of 2-4 weeks minimum). Now giving blood is noble - but I’d be careful with the timing around training/racing…
EPO = performance enhancer
Donating Blood = the opposite. Unless of course - you donate it and then give it back to yourself right before the big race. Isn’t that blood doping? Of course - a little too much + a little dehydation and you might stroke out and die…
Dave
It usually takes up to 6 wks to be fully recovered. You have to realize rbc’s are what carry oxygen which helps create energy combined with glycogen for muscle contraction. You will probably not have a good ride if you push for almost 4 wks.
Dropped again last night, but I made it one more lap. RBCs coming back.
Aonther question- is training hard while RBC depleted beneficial, bad or neither?
With decreased rbc’s you won’t be able to fuel your muscles adequately so it is probably better to go mod to easy to make sure you recover.(you could over train much easier with this and then your recovery would be from the donotion and from overtraining) I would stay aerobic for another couple wks and then test it.