Monthly Archives: August 2010

Why, yes we are! I had a good 11 km run today in spite of the strong winds. Let’s see, it’s exactly 15 days after my blood donation and although I had trouble in the runs immediately after the donation, today’s run was back on track at 11 km and a 6:58 pace. Fifteen days is not a bad recovery time. The donation guidelines state that you can’t donate whole blood more than every 56 days. This is to ensure that you have completely regenerated all the oxygen carrying red blood cells you had before the last donation. So although I have probably NOT replaced all the red blood cells I donated, I seem to have replaced enough of them to make no difference in my stamina. So my next training run is Sunday when I shall be running a half marathon on the trails. There will be three laps … Continue reading →

I managed to eke out 17 km today but only very slowly since I was still feeling the blood loss and consequent lack of energy and oxygen. I also made two pit stops so that took up a lot of time too. But I did get a lot of hills in and I hope that the deficit I have from donating blood will have a training effect. I was otherwise well prepared. The mosquitoes were vicious but I had some 30% DEET so they didn’t bother me until late in my second lap when the sweat washed it all off. I had my hydration pack with me today filled with Powerade which was diluted by the water ice I had made by filling my pack with about 2 cups of water and freezing it overnight. By the way, if you need a hint: Fill the bladder of your hydration pack … Continue reading →

I hope you enjoy this inspirational trail running video! There are more like them so feel free to YouTube your way to more of these videos. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_362jQVXK8k[/youtube] It’s how I feel when I run, and it is also my favorite type of run. I’ll be thinking of this video when I run the Devon river trails during tomorrow’s training run.

I wonder if anyone else has experienced a loss of performance after giving blood? Probably. Last Friday I was really pressed for time so I decided to reduce the distance from 11 km to 5 km and I’m glad I did because the previous evening’s blood donation really made me feel like I was lacking in performance. I think the drop in performance after giving blood is quite significant, since I have felt such an effect at least twice. I also think that the drop in performance only lasts a few days or a week, at least at my level of athleticism. I can’t speak for elite athletes, obviously. My donations are only allowed every 56 days, which is the theoretical time required to replace the blood loss plus a large margin, I’m sure. I’ve been lucky since my donations have fortuitously been soon after a race rather than before. … Continue reading →