Blood sugars pre-run

[Ginger_J]

I am currently training for my first half marathon. The only problem is my blood sugars. I do not have a pump or continuous blood sugar monitor and thats where the problem lies. Some days I get it right and I can run without a problem but on other days, pre run my blood sugars are either too high or too low.

If I run when my blood sugars are high, I feel very sick and I run very slowly. I seem to run better when my blood sugars are getting towards hypo level!!

How do other people organise themselves to get blood sugars ready for running?

I hope you can impart some of your knowledge on me.

Thank you

 

[Northerner]

Hi Ginger_J, getting things right for running can be such a pain at times with diabetes! The chief problem is that people react in often completely different ways, so it's very difficult to follow the experiences of others. Some people find they will hypo if they have any insulin circulating when running, others (like me!) find that they have to have some insulin circulating or they will climb higher and higher. 🙄

Personally, for training runs, I try to inject and eat around 90-120 minutes prior to my run. I don't take any less insulin than I would for a non-running day, although some people find they need to reduce it, sometimes significantly. I nearly always run in the early mornings and try to inject around 15-30 minutes prior to eating a small breakfast - usually just a slice of toast. My levels before starting are around the 7.5 mile mark, and if I run less than 5 miles then they are usually pretty similar when I get back! It's only when I start running over 5 miles that my levels start to come down, so I have a jelly baby or two each mile as a top up.

For me, as I said, the main concern is to have insulin circulating when I run. When you say you have problems running when levels are high, what sort of levels are you talking about? High levels normally indicate that there is insufficient insulin to allow the glucose to be processed out of the blood and utilised as energy for your cells, and exercise can cause your levels to climb even higher.

I wouldn't normally start a run if levels were below 6.5. How long have you been diabetic, and how long have you been running? The reason why you find it easier when your levels are nicely in range or lowish is because this is what the body expects - a non-diabetic person will always be in that state. We, unfortunately, have to try and manage the insulin/blood sugar thing manually, so it's difficult to be at your optimum level.

I would highly recommend getting a copy of The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook - I found it helped me a lot when I was frst diagnosed 4 years ago. I had been a runner for 25 years before diagnosis and wanted to get back to it as soon as I could, and this book helped me understand a bit of the science behind it all and got me off to a good start.

When is your half marathon, and how is your training going so far?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Ginger

Welcome to the forum 🙂

Have you tried http://www.runsweet.com? Lots of info there about T1 and exercise/sport

M

 

[Ginger_J]

I have just purchased a copy of the book you quoted but have not read enough of it yet!

I have only been running a little while, I have done a couple of 5k and 10k races in the past but nothing regular. My half marathon is in October. I started my training as soon as I signed up for the half marathon. I am more than half way through the training plan. My training is on schedule. I am on a 3 run a week schedule with 2 x 5 mile runs during the week and the longer run at the weekends. My longest run to date is 9 miles. Training is going OK but I don't seem to be getting much quicker. I seem to stay at the same pace overall around 10 min miles. I do go quicker but cannot sustain it.

When I say high levels these seem to happen whilst I am running and if I don't have my monitor with me, I don't know that I am high until I get back home. They are sometimes like 15mmol. I take a couple of dextrose tablets whilst running in case its a hypo. I don't seem to have much of a distinction between hypos and hypers.

I have been diabetic for about 20 years but I still find the whole thing a bit of a minefield!

I am so glad I found this forum

 

[Northerner]

Ginger, I would recommend taking your meter out with you on a few runs so that you can build a more accurate picture of what is happening as you are running. Test every half hour at frst. It is a pain in the butt to have to stop and test, but it's not something you'll always need to do. The problem with diabetes and running is that the effects of the running can often confuse how you recognise hypo/hyper symptoms. When I first started running again after diagnosis I was convinced I was suddenly going to keel over with a hypo, but by testing I could see that my levels were fine. If you are running and take dextrose on the assumption you are hypo when you are not then this is going to rapidly push you much higher which (if you are anything like me) will have a big effect on your performance.

As for pace, I find a technique called 'fartlek' (speed play in Norwegian!) very good for improving pace. This involves running fast for short periods, interspersed by periods of slower running for recovery. You might start off by running one lamppost in distance, then jogging for two lampposts, then repeating - whatever you can manage and sustain. Then you would extend the distance of the longer fast run as you improve. This gets you used to running at a faster pace and still allows you to cover the distance you need in order to build your strength and stamina for the half-marathons. 🙂 Hills can also be useful for building strength - try to incorporate some real monsters into your training if you can! I find running on the flat all the time much more tiring than having a few ups and downs for variety - the hills build strength in different areas of your muscles.

It's great that you have taken up running, it can have such a benefcial effect on your blood sugar control! : Let us know how you get on! 🙂