I am 38 years of age, have had type 1 diabetes for 25 years and just completed my first half marathon on the beautiful Sydney Harbour in a time of 1 hour 53 minutes.
I have fallen in love with running and find it the best way to keep control of my diabetes. I use Gu gell for a sugar hit while running and keep a BSL machine and some sitcks in a small carry bag around my waist while running.
I recommend it to all type 1s. I never thought i would be able to do it but have.
hey! i was recently diagnosed in august w/ t1. before that i had been a big runner and have slowly been getting back into it again, just having some children figuring out what a good bg is to start with and if i need to take sugars during my run. i used to be able to run around 7 miles. now i'm only doing around 2 1/2, just until i figure out what works for me. any advice would be appreciated!
Hi Elena,
I have type 1 diabetes and run about every other day, about 5 miles during the week and longer runs, 7-10 miles, during the weekends.
A good BG level depends on what time of day I am running, and if I have any lispro in my system. (I take lantus at night - 16 units - and dose with lispro when I eat). .
If I run in the morning, with no lispro, then I like to have a BG level of around 100-120 for 4-5 mile runs. I actually find my BS levels go up when I run this distance. I usually don't eat before I run, but have a cup of coffee.
If I run before lunch, I like to wait for atleast 5 hours after taking my morning lantus before I run. During these runs I like to get my Blood sugars up to around 170 or higher before I run. At the end of my runs my blood sugars tend to be about 90-100. It appears that the lantus is still active in my system, even though I usually only dose 4-5 units of lantus with breakfast in the morning. (Temperature appears to impact BS levels, the warmer it is, the lower my BS levels go during my runs.)
I always run with sugar tablets. And if my blood sugars were lower than I would have liked at the beginning of the run, or if I run within 4 hours of a shot of lantus, then I typically will c heck my blood sugar about 30 minutes into the run, and treat accordingly.
Elena, as I am sure you know, everyone is different, so your best bet is to experiment and see how your body reacts.
Hope this was helpful,
Brody
Elena,
Noticed an error in my post. I take 4-5 units of lispro, NOT LANTUS, before breakfast. I find that LISPRO tends to stay active in my system up to 6 hours, so don't like to run uless there is about 5 hours from my last Lispro shot. Sorry for any confusion. Brody
Hi Elana,
I've been T1 for 24 years and running for most of it. I run about 5 miles a day and recently went on a CGM, which has been quite an eye-opener during my runs. I had been told in the past that your blood sugars will actually rise when you begin running, and definitely saw that to be true. The body knows you need energy so secretes sugar into your blood. If you have insulin too, that's a helpful thing. If you don't, your blood sugar will just spike. I'm seeing a spike of about 50-60 early on in the run. I've started taking a small bolus about 10 minutes before I start, then I after about 1/2 hour of running the BS starts to fall (I will take it even earlier next time). And by small, I mean 0.3 units. I'm on a pump, so I don't have to track when my long-acting insulin is peaking, etc, as Brody describes. I used to, but got around it by finding the running time that worked best and tried to stick with the routine. On the pump, I find that if I don't eat before I run I don't have to fight with the effects of the extra insulin bolus, so it's just easier. I have also noticed that if I do eat and bolus before I run, or have to give a correcting bolus, that I need only about 1/4 of the insulin I would normally use. I recommend taking your BS before, at least once during, and after each run until you figure out your body's needs. And of course, always have sugar with you! Happy running!
Fantastic!
I've been considering a half marathon in the Colorado mountains near my home. Maybe I'll try ...
I found out down at Walt Disney World they do what they call "The Disney Princess Half Marathon" that goes through the parks themselves. I am not an avid runner, but I made it a goal this year to get my numbers under better control and as part of that have decided to try for this next spring. My thoughts are that if you think you might like it, go for it! You definitely have a gorgeous place to run! Good luck :)
You should have said "I'm doing drugs", and then "It's insulin!"
Our school officer guy tried to seize my insulin last year. It was stupid. I dont even use syringes. (then again I did kind of provoke him) "What are you doing? what is that?" "my stuff" "can i see it" "no" then he started getting mad, i didnt feel like explaining myself so one of my friends passing by did (i think i was low and not thinking strait) yeah....good times.
that is kinda funny, haha this has nothing to do with my diabetes, but my teacher thought it did. i was in choir the classroom was set up in a way that you could sit in a bleacher style type places. yeah i can't think of how to describe it but yeah. anyway a friend and i were talking then my choir teacher looked at us to yell for us to separate. i moved a little to far to the right and down i went into a stack of chairs.
Melissa AKA Mel,
Hey - you've given me a GREAT idea... from now on, I'm blaming my usual clumsiness on my diabetes!
Cheers!
A-D
(i can't believe i didn't think of this sooner!!!) <G>
[quote user="A-D"]
Melissa AKA Mel,
Hey - you've given me a GREAT idea... from now on, I'm blaming my usual clumsiness on my diabetes!
Cheers!
A-D
(i can't believe i didn't think of this sooner!!!) <G>
[/quote]
im glad i could help. :D