I got nothing better to do today so I donated 470cc of my rare AB+ blood to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. I was told that only 2% of the general population in Australia has this particular type of blood so they always love seeing me back. My haemoglobin level is always reasonably high so that half a litre will help a few people in need. Before I left, I picked up a form from the front desk to enrol on the Australian Bone Marrow Registry after reading about it on its website. If you don't have much to do, visit the website and register too! There's also the Organ Donor Register if you are interested. If you really like to help people, get onboard all three like I have!
Anyway, last time I donated blood, I wanted to see how running performance deteriorates within an hour. True to what they said (and recommend never ever do), I didn't even finish the run... Today, I tested cycling after donation and I'm surprised that for a short, medium level ride, it didn't make much difference. Will report next time around September for another stupid test. This time, a hill climb bike ride! The 12-week full recovery time will be just before the big winter trips so probably will only have time to go back to the donation centre in September...
Anyway, last time I donated blood, I wanted to see how running performance deteriorates within an hour. True to what they said (and recommend never ever do), I didn't even finish the run... Today, I tested cycling after donation and I'm surprised that for a short, medium level ride, it didn't make much difference. Will report next time around September for another stupid test. This time, a hill climb bike ride! The 12-week full recovery time will be just before the big winter trips so probably will only have time to go back to the donation centre in September...
