double red blood cells

this morning my run was pretty tough. kelley told me it might be. i took it easy, ran less and slower than normal and ended up walking more. i just couldn't make it up the hills. was it bc i was expecting it? (based on info from kelley) was i sore anyway? was it for real?

the evening before, i got off work early and finally made it to virginia blood services to donate some blood. i like donating blood bc i think it is important, though with my lifestyle (traveling, piercings, tattoos) a lot of times when there were blood drives, I was not allowed to contribute.

when i signed in they asked me what i wanted to donate and I said, "whatever you need. i am a-negative." apparently i am in high demand for being a-negative and bc i am negative for some chromosonal something(and blood shortages often occur in the summer. basically i have never had some cold (at least up to the last time i gave blood). kelley told me this meant they could give my blood to babies.

they kept emphasizing that it would only take twenty minutes and thanking me profusely for doing it. it usually takes at least twenty minutes for me to donate a bag of blood anyway bc of my low blood pressure. i didn't really see what the big deal was until they told me i couldn't donate again for four months. it must be a big deal if it takes that long to recover. after doing a little reading, i learned that red blood cells are especially important for trauma victims and cancer patients.

the machine is pretty nifty. although I will not watch myself get poked with the needle, i am fascinated by the blood going out of me and filling up the bags. it is a lot of hoses - some coming out and some coming in. i could see the other donors in the room watching my machine too bc it was different than the simple blood bag and the guy donating a yellow bag of plasma on the far end and because it kept beeping and whirring and things.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
There are two phases involved, the draw and the return phase. Whole blood withdrawn from the donor (me) is separated into plasma and red cells by a centrifuge. Plasma and saline are then returned while the centrifuge continues to separate the whole blood. The draw and return cycle is repeated until the target red cell volume is reached. During the final return phase, all the donor’s other blood components are returned to him/her along with the saline, thereby replenishing most of the lost fluids.

so i did my good deed. i can't give again until novemeber, but i already scheduled my appointment so they will call and remind me.

so what did all of this have to do with running? red blood cells carry your oxygen around and with a few less of them around it makes it harder for your muscles to function efficiently. and i still don't know how much of it is in my head, but i was out of breath everytime i went up the stairs at work today (which was quite a few). we'll see how my run goes tomorrow.

and yes, in case you are wondering, i am working hard to replenish my red blood cells - with barbecue and ice cream. :)

Facts about Blood (the ones I think are interesting)
-Three: the number of lives saved by one pint of donated blood
-Three gallons of blood is used every minute in the United States
-Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
-One billion: the number of red blood cells in two to three drops of blood
-42 days: the shelf life of donated red blood cells
-After donating blood, you replace these red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating
-Car accident and blood loss victims can need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells
-37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood - only 10 percent do
-If all blood donors gave 2 to 4 times a year, it would help prevent blood shortages
-Since a pint actually weighs a pound, you lose a pound every time you donate blood

if you haven't donated blood recently, maybe you should think about it. somebody out there is probably going to need it.