So, I found out that I'll be running cross country in college, this fall, and I'm not sure what to expect.
Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks!
:)
I run XC, indoor/ outdoor track in college (I've just started my senior year!), and it has been great! My teammates and coaches are all really supportive, which has been wonderful. My biggest piece of advice: Make sure everyone on the team knows you have diabetes. This way, if you ever need help, they will know what to do! It also means that if you have to stop in the middle of a workout to treat a low blood sugar, they will understand you aren't just being lazy :)
What kind of training do you do? Are you also going to compete? I'd love to hear what your diabetes-distance running strategy is! Mine is a modified version of what I did when I started running back in middle school. As a result, it is far from flawless! Are you on the pump or use a CGM?
Let me know if you have any questions!
Okay, I'm doing XC right now (obviously). I actually like track better, so I'm really excited for outdoor. I've never done indoor before b/c we didn't have a team at my high school, so this winter will be a new/fun experience. My teammates, coaches, and the athletic trainers know about it, and how to administer emergency glucagon (I showed some of them).
We do 2-3 tempo/interval/hill workouts each week, and a meet about every other week. We do an 8-12 mile run each week, a short recovery run between once during the week, and a moderate-distance run (5-8) miles. We also lift twice a week, and usually do a short strength/form circuit after we run. I don't know if I'm traveling to meets yet. Only the top 7 or 9 travel for XC, but I'll definitely run at all of our home meets.
I'm working on getting the pump- MDI make racing suck a lot. I can feel my BS skyrocket during the last mile to half mile and it makes the end of my races so bad! I think that's why I like track better; the time between high-intensity races gives my blood sugar a change to come down a little bit.
My D-Distance Running strategy can be pretty flawed as well. Basically, I have a snack before I run, and the amount I eat depends on the distance I'm running.
3 miles- 20g carbs
4 miles - 30g carbs
5-6 miles - 40g carbs
7-8 miles- 50g carbs
9-10 miles - 60g carbs
11-12 miles - 70g carbs
My doctors told me to cut my insulin dose in half if I'm running within the next 2 hours of my meal/pre-run. That's still too much insulin for me (I'm still honeymooning), so I don't take any insulin with my snack.
But because of the "dawn phenomenon", I do have to take half of my insulin dose with my pre-run snack if I'm running right after my first meal of the day- breakfast.
What school do you go to? And what division and conference is it in?
Good luck with everything! :)