Help with endurance running
I've been working out 3-4 times a week for a few months now. I've been jogging outside for about a month, alternating between that and the gym. I've recently become much more interested in jogging longer distances and amounts of time but I've run into a problem of figuring out how to do that with the 'betes.
I can get my bs up to about 160-180 before hand and after 30-40 minutes I'm down to around 80-100. I want to run longer but I don't want to have my bs higher than that when I start. Any advice? Any good sites/blogs that talk about carrying your meter and snacks? What carbs work the best? Should I be changing my daily diet to be eating more complex carbs?
Let me know if anyone has any info or sites (or books, how old fashioned!) they recommend.
posted by Tekakwitha @ 9:44 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Hi Tek--are you on a pump? If so, I always reduce my basal by about 50 percent and do a temp basal throughout my workout. I also always carry LifeSavers with me to the gym and often test more than once during a long elliptical session.
I am on a pump, but strangely I have a basal rate of 0 (!) from noon to 6:30 p.m.
I jog after work at 5-6 so I can't turn it down!
LifeSavers is a good idea. Thanks!
Tek- I would go with more complex carbs, or drinking some Gatorade or something a tiny bit sugary while you're running to kind of keep you up.
Also, I've noticed that in the first 30 minutes of a workout I drop a lot, but the second 15-30 minutes of a workout I don't drop very much at all. So maybe you won't drop as much as you think you will...
Here are some of my suggestions:
A good book on exercise and diabetes is The Diabetic Athlete by Sheri Colberg, PhD. A very good site with info is www.insulinfactor.com . But you have to test on your self no matter what advice you read about. I find the easiest is to exercise after a meal. I ecrease the meal bolus by 40%. I have slow digestion and eat a complex carb for the meal, whole wheat bread. I a must always, even without exercise spread 40% of my meal bolus over the folling 2 hours after eating, so I take 60% immediately and skip the remaining 40% that would be extended over the next two hours. I usually do not start the exercise until about 1.5 hours later when my bg is 120-145. Then, since the bg will now begin to rise from the slowly digested carbs and the skipped extended part of the meal bolus I can often exercise xwithout hypos. Nevertheless, you must ALWAYS test and have glucose. I really like normal coke because it works MUCH faster than juice, since fructose in juice has a lower GI index.You can buy bottle holders to strap onto yourself. I put the coke in a baby bottle which has ml markings on the side which enables me to know exactly how much coke I am drinking. Actually cold fizzy coke works faster than warm less fizzy coke, but both work much faster than juice.
Remeber to be careful about hypos in the 12-24 hours following the exercise.
I am really weird. The harder I exercise, the less my bg dcreases. Of course this is explained by the increase of counter-regulatory hormones and anaerobic exercise. The thing is that I really do not think what I am doing is that hard. I understand that Will Cross experienced the need for more insulin and less hypos when he was very high on Mount Everest, but I do NOT understand why when I exercise more intensely my bg rises AFTER exercise during the 12-24 hours following the exercise.NOBODY writes about this! I did a little experiment yesterday where I took a 4 hour walk with my dog and DID NOT push myself to walk fast. And yup, my bg decreased MORE than usual during the walk AND it decreased during the entire 12 hours in the following night. I did not need to increase my basal after the exercise as I must often do and I did have hypos during the following night! I just really have a hard time accepting that a little more intense exercise will raise my bg over the 12 hours following exercise.
My point is that you must test on what works for you because each diabetic reacts differently.
Hi!
Here's what I used to do when I'd distance run, 'cause I hate candy or something in my shorts pocket bopping me in the thigh as I run: I'd take elastic band shorts, and cut a 1-inch vertical slit in the waistband casing. Then I'd slip a 3-pack of the flat square glucose tabs in there. Can't even feel 'em when I run. Like some others have said, you'll likely not need them, but it's important for your peace of mind and safety.
Happy running!
Thanks for all your help! I think I've now got a system that works!
tek
A little late, but what I run in are the LD (long distance) shorts from www.raceready.com. Instead of the usual pockets -- too small even for a key -- they come with a whole set of mesh pockets around the back, _outside_ the actual shorts.
As for the rest, I recommend GU -- intermediate release speed, and so disgusting that no one will ever mistake it for candy. At least not more than once. :-)
Cheers,
Felix.
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