Cycling

[Northerner]

That's pretty good going - well done to her. 🙂 Unlucky with the weather though although it was quite variable around the country. On Strava she has set her target for the year at 4250 miles and is well in advance of that - averaging 168 miles a week for the last 4 weeks. (Mine's only averaging 66 miles a week for the last 4 weeks but I usually only get out once a week 😉). If you speak to her I've requested to follow her on Strava just in case she thinks I'm some random internet nutter . Anyone can follow me on there, requests not required - nutters or not. Seriously though, I have the privacy settings 1km around my address but unfortunately for females in today's society they will need to take extra care such as the request to follow option.

OK Matt, I've told her you're not a weirdo! 😱 🙂

 

[Matt Cycle]

OK Matt, I've told her you're not a weirdo! 😱 🙂

Ha yes, hopefully most people would agree with you.

 

[Matt Cycle]

On leave from work for a couple of days. Weather was nice, warm and dry with hazy sunshine, Libre sensor on - what else is there? Oh alright, there's always stuff to do but I went for a ride anyway. Headed out to Cheshire again and Tatton Park then explored the lanes and villages in that part of Cheshire - fantastic area for cycling.

Strava stats are 70.6 miles completed at an average speed of 15.2 mph and elevation gain of 2300 feet. (That has taken me over 1400 miles for the year now).

Levels from the Libre started at 8.0 mmol/l then after around 12 miles show a spike to around 14 mmol/l it then drops back down and hovers around 4-6 mmol/l then dropped to 3.4 mmol/l before rising again to 12 mmol/l it then drops again to around 5 mmol/l for a quite a while which is where it stayed until I got back. I had a banana, malt loaf and 5 gels. I think I need to rethink my fuel strategy and may try a lucozade sport style drink (not as carb heavy as ordinary lucozade) as the recommendation is little and often and I could be taking sips on the go over a period of time rather than having the hit in one go from a gel. The malt loaf and banana should be fine. Managed to do several Libre scans whilst on the move as well.

Stags rutting at Tatton Park - the car stopped to have a good look. They're obviously used to the public as they casually sauntered across the road right in front of me


Telescope at Jodrell Bank with field of barley (?) in the foreground. The fertile land in that area is already displaying its carbtastic wares - potatoes, wheat, maize etc.


Not far to go now - fields near Rudyard


Garmin stats

 

[Northerner]

I haven't used gels much, but did find them to be a bit of an overload, so prefer jelly babies 🙂 Can't be bothered to carry a drink on a run (my runs haven't been long enough to need one for a while now). You would have got a bit wet if you'd cycled round here! 😱

 

[Matt Cycle]

I haven't used gels much, but did find them to be a bit of an overload, so prefer jelly babies 🙂 Can't be bothered to carry a drink on a run (my runs haven't been long enough to need one for a while now). You would have got a bit wet if you'd cycled round here! 😱

Yes, gels are okay if you're in or heading towards hypo territory but can be bit much in one go. I'm not sure the best way of carrying jelly type sweets I can envisage it would just end up a sticky mess. Thinking about it I could take a tube of glucotabs - a small tube and self contained. They're on offer at Morrisons at the moment 2 for £1.50 - the website states orange but they've got raspberry at ours. Drinks are easy on a bike - it just goes in the bottle holder. I've seen a few runners carrying those shaped bottles with the hand grip.

It looks as if we got the better weather for once. Not wall to wall sunshine but warm, dry and pleasant. 🙂

 

[Matt Cycle]

Torrential rain here overnight and showery this morning but started to dry out with the forecast saying it would be dry until 5pm I headed out for a shorter ride around the Staffordshire Moorlands and over the border into Derbyshire. It was fairly mild if a bit overcast with occasional sunny breaks. Plenty of hills - a real leg burner. Headed towards Monyash and back through Crowdecote, Hollinsclough and Flash. Climbs included Crowdecote, between Hollinsclough and Flash and my erm personal 'favourite' Hollinsclough Rake. The Strava segment has been named 'Hollinsclough - climb the wall'. It's got an average gradient of 20% and is the sort of hill when you get there think 'erm okay'; on the way up 'WTF was I thinking' and at the top 'yessss'.

Strava has the ride as 45.1 miles completed at an average speed of 12.9 mph and elevation gain of 4000 feet. After my ride on Thursday that makes it 115 miles for the week.

Levels were a little bit wayward. Still using the Libre sensor so some useful data from it. Before the start (with a fingerprick test) was 11.1 mmol/l, after 8 miles or so the Libre gave a reading of 16.0 mmol/l 😱 not sure if this was right so carried on and after 17 miles was 8.9 mmol/l with a down arrow, carried on and after 23 miles was 3.6 mmol/l, had a gel and malt loaf and carried on and it went up to 5.3 mmol/l and then 9.8 mmol/l, it started dropping back down 7.9, 6.3, 4.2 so had another gel and it rose back up to 6.5 mmol/l on return.

Dark skies at the top of Hollinsclough Rake.


About 2 miles from Flash


The same but looking back down the road


On top of the world at Morridge


Garmin stats - same as Strava for once


Alan (@Northerner ) I don't know if she has mentioned it to you but your niece completed another mammoth ride last night through the night. 😱 140 miles to Morecambe. I'm not sure what sort of weather they had for it but it was torrential here through the night. The seaside pics at daybreak in Morecambe show the sun breaking through though. Very impressive ride.

 

[Northerner]

Yes, she posted about it on FB, Matt 😱 I think it's fair to say she is hooked/mad/very fit! 🙂 Reminds me of me when I was her age with running 🙂 In contrast to both your achievements mine was a tiny one today - went out for my first run since damaging my ankle over 3 months ago. My stats are:

Distance - 0.54m
Time - 5' 08"
Elevation - 7

Blood sugars were fine throughout, no extra carbs needed 😉

I just ran round the block! Going to take things very tentatively and hope to get somewhere into double figures before the summer is over! 😱 🙂

Love seeing the countryside in your photos, nothing like that down here.

 

[bilbie]

The guy who first started gels has done a 180 on it Prof. Tom Noakes

In this weeks episode:-

• Why Tim famously changed his views on carb’ loading for running [005:01]
• Is running effective for weight loss? [013:09]
• What Tim eats before & after exercise [016:28]
• His thoughts on CrossFit & if low carb’ applies? [021:45]
• Tim’s thoughts on endurance exercise/running reducing life expectancy [027:38]
• Swimming one mile at the north Pole in 1.8 degrees water temp’ [039:45]
• and much more…

 

[HOBIE]

Well done Matt. Do you write all your numbers down or is it remembering ? With a pump you just log it in & it gives you feed back later. I know everyone has there way of dealing with numbers etc but an impressed if you don't wright them down 😎

 

[Matt Cycle]

Yes, she posted about it on FB, Matt 😱 I think it's fair to say she is hooked/mad/very fit! 🙂 Reminds me of me when I was her age with running 🙂 In contrast to both your achievements mine was a tiny one today - went out for my first run since damaging my ankle over 3 months ago. My stats are:

Distance - 0.54m
Time - 5' 08"
Elevation - 7

Blood sugars were fine throughout, no extra carbs needed 😉

I just ran round the block! Going to take things very tentatively and hope to get somewhere into double figures before the summer is over! 😱 🙂

Love seeing the countryside in your photos, nothing like that down here.

Excellent, if might be just around the block but at least you're back out there. 🙂

Some of those roads I have to myself and never see any cars. It can be a bit of a shock when a car/tractor etc appears. The photos today are probably similar to what you remember of the countryside when you were in Sheffield - dry stone walls, moorland, sheep and er hills 😱 etc. The Cheshire countryside is generally much flatter (easier for cycling 😉) with verdant pastures and crops. I can be in both in about 20 minutes (depending how fast I pedal ).

 

[Matt Cycle]

Well done Matt. Do you write all your numbers down or is it remembering ? With a pump you just log it in & it gives you feed back later. I know everyone has there way of dealing with numbers etc but an impressed if you don't wright them down 😎

Thanks Hobie. The meter stores the numbers along with the time (I'm using the Libre at the moment - very useful). Once back I can tally up where the reading was taken from the data downloaded from the Garmin onto Strava. I would never normally take any fast acting insulin whilst out on a ride (unless something drastic happened and levels were going skyward or I was going to have a meal which hasn't happened yet - I would struggle to ride on a full stomach). Of course using pens I have already had my basal Levemir injection before setting off. It's just a case of keeping an eye on levels by checking with the Libre or meter and topping up as necessary depending on how much effort I'm putting in. 😉 Did you manage to get out this morning?

 

[HOBIE]

I like my Libre to Matt ! Just the way I read the post I thought we were dealing with some sort of "clever bloke" . Tks for post 😎 Ps I am sure you are !

 

[Matt Cycle]

Just the way I read the post I thought we were dealing with some sort of "clever bloke"

Ha, I've been rumbled.

 

[Matt Cycle]

Back out into Cheshire today and to the Station Cafe at Whitegate - very nice. Perfectly pleasant weather, dry with hazy sunshine although a touch breezy but the sun really came out in force on the return leg. I took my usual route through Gawsworth, Byley, around Middlewich and onto Whitegate.

Strava has given it as 74.8 miles completed at an average speed of 14.8 mph and elevation gain of 2300 feet.

Levels - well, what can I say. Had a bit of a torrid time with them for a couple of days - all over the place. Still got the Libre sensor on and last night they kept rising - the NovoRapid seemingly not doing it's job properly, kept correcting before it eventually started dropping. This morning seemed okay - Levemir obviously working fine. Had my usual brekkie and dose and then before setting off up it went again - 10, 12, 15. Checked on the meter and on the Contour USB (I've got a few strips) and it said the same. Normally at those levels I don't feel good but I felt fine. I didn't want to set off at that level so gave a correction dose. Waited over an hour with little effect and corrected again with a larger dose (including a couple of units in my leg) and then set off, wary that it could suddenly plummet. However after 12 miles it had only gone down to 11.4 then within 20 minutes it had dropped to 3.7. Had malt loaf and gel and it started rising into the 8's then into the 10's then dropped back into the 5's and about 10 miles from home was stuck in the 3's - had 2 gels. On return back home it was 8.6 but within 20 minutes it had gone up to 12.6 before falling again. The Libre graph looks like the Himalayas. I haven't got a clue what is going on - there seems to be a delay in the NovoRapid or it is not working properly. I may be coming down with something? but I don't seem to feel rough from the higher levels. In the meantime I'll try another pen and may speak to the DSN tomorrow. Diabetes don't you just love it. 🙄

Church with sun streaming through at Byley.


A bit of a theme, well it is Sunday although I am an atheist. Another (interesting looking) church at Siddington.


Fields of gold (wheat?) near Goostrey - looked better than the photo shows 🙄


Garmin stats

 

[Matt Cycle]

On leave from work for a couple of days so with the weather being nice I'd thought I'd pop out for a quick ride this morning as I have things to do this afternoon - it'd be rude not to. 😉 Nice and sunny but quite breezy and I headed out into the hilly Staffordshire Moorlands.

Strava has it as 25.1 miles at an average speed of 13.3 mph and elevation gain of just under 2000 feet.

After the shenanigans with my bg's recently I mentioned yesterday (see post above) things were back to being fairly steady and predictable which suggests the pen could have been the problem. I don't know it may just have been diabetes being diabetes. Still on the Libre and started at 6.4 mmol/l it then climbed to 8.8 mmol/l before dropping to 5.8. It then hovered around the 6's and 7's until I got back. I was sipping the High 5 4:1 energy protein powder drink I'd made and that seemed to work well. Fingers crossed it continues.

Some photos:

Bridge near Waterfall (there is no Waterfall at Waterfall )


Green and sometimes pleasant land - Tittesworth reservoir in the distance


From Morridge looking towards The Roaches

 

[Northerner]

I wonder if it was something to do with injections sites Matt - perhaps you just happened to inject in a place that was a bit erratic with absorbing the insulin?

Just taken delivery of 'Not Dead Yet' by Phil Sutherland - have you read it? If not, will let you know what I think of it! 🙂

 

[Matt Cycle]

I wonder if it was something to do with injections sites Matt - perhaps you just happened to inject in a place that was a bit erratic with absorbing the insulin?

Just taken delivery of 'Not Dead Yet' by Phil Sutherland - have you read it? If not, will let you know what I think of it! 🙂

I do have lipohypertrophy on my abdomen and thighs even though I've always rotated my injection sites over the years. The DSN on the recent DAFNE course had a look and suggested injecting lower on my thighs and higher on my abdomen. Certainly with the problems over the last couple of days I injected in a wide range of areas with little effect. Injecting in the thigh before yesterday's ride would normally guarantee a fairly quick drop and this didn't happen. I would be quite surprised if it is the pens as this would be the first issue like this I'd experienced in 29 years but I suppose there's a first time for everything. The fact all the pens are parallel imports and repackaged doesn't inspire too much confidence. 🙄

I haven't read the book yet and would be interested in what you think. Phil Southerland is great and a real inspiration - Team Type 1 (now Team Novo Nordisk) was all his idea. The idea that a professional cycling team comprised totally of type 1 diabetics wouldn't have seemed possible a few years ago. The fact they are hoping to get in the 2021 TdF is incredible. I'm hoping to get to Stage 3 of the ToB in September starting in Congleton (and then ride over to Tatton Park for the finish). You can usually wander around the tour buses before the start as the teams warm up - I'l try and catch a word with him and the team. This all assumes they are competing of course.

 

[HOBIE]

I do have lipohypertrophy on my abdomen and thighs even though I've always rotated my injection sites over the years. The DSN on the recent DAFNE course had a look and suggested injecting lower on my thighs and higher on my abdomen. Certainly with the problems over the last couple of days I injected in a wide range of areas with little effect. Injecting in the thigh before yesterday's ride would normally guarantee a fairly quick drop and this didn't happen. I would be quite surprised if it is the pens as this would be the first issue like this I'd experienced in 29 years but I suppose there's a first time for everything. The fact all the pens are parallel imports and repackaged doesn't inspire too much confidence. 🙄

I haven't read the book yet and would be interested in what you think. Phil Southerland is great and a real inspiration - Team Type 1 (now Team Novo Nordisk) was all his idea. The idea that a professional cycling team comprised totally of type 1 diabetics wouldn't have seemed possible a few years ago. The fact they are hoping to get in the 2021 TdF is incredible. I'm hoping to get to Stage 3 of the ToB in September starting in Congleton (and then ride over to Tatton Park for the finish). You can usually wander around the tour buses before the start as the teams warm up - I'l try and catch a word with him and the team. This all assumes they are competing of course.

Thats why I got a pump. Miles better control & a lot less injecting 🙂. " All these pickies of churches " ?

 

[Matt Cycle]

Headed back out into the Staffordshire Moorlands this morning for a shorter, hilly ride although I added a bit on at the end heading into Cheshire to bump the mileage up a bit. The weather was very warm with occasional sunshine but also the threat of rain. There were a couple of brief showers that soon passed over. As well as the climb up to Morridge, I then had the climb up to The Roaches and then Gun Hill 😱 but actually felt pretty good with those. Then followed a quick ride down towards Macclesfield before returning.

Strava has given it as 44.8 miles at an average speed of 13.5 mph and elevation gain of just over 3200 feet. (With the ride last Monday it does mean 70 miles for the week).

The Libre finished last week so it was back to the meter and strips. At the start 5.4 mmol/l, (a bit on the low side so had 3 custard creams at 24 CHO, at 9 miles 10.2 mmol/l then tested at 23 miles and it was at 12.0 mmol/l although I had been sipping my prepared sports drink. At 34 miles it was still 12.0 mmol/l and back home it was 8.2 mmol/l. So not ideal and where the Libre comes into it's own when I've got a sensor on, but hey-ho. 🙄

On the climb up to The Roaches.


View from The Roaches


What goes up must come down - that's where I'm heading next - Tittesworth reservoir and then the climb up Gun Hill 😱


Garmin stats (0.2 mph difference 🙄)

 

[Northerner]

Caught a glimpse of you coming down one of the hills Matt 😱



I managed a bit further on my run on Sunday, 3.35 miles @ 10:01/mile 🙂