Just saw this week’s schedule. My only question is about the hills… You mean for me to do this outside, right? And does it matter what kind of hill?? I think I have two options— one steeper than the other. And when you say “work the uphill”… I think I know what you mean. 
Any hill is fine, but a long medium-steep hill would be best.
The steeper it is, the slower you will be going. Go by RPE, not speed. Work the uphill, recover on the downhill.
Cause I’m feeling silly today…
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@Eric, I’ve been cruising the area this morning looking for a good hill. When I’m running, it feels like everything is a hill, but when I’m driving, they all of a sudden don’t feel that impressive. I tried measuring them while I was driving, hoping to get a solid .5 mile hill, but that’s not the way the hills in my area work apparently. The best I could come up with was a .69 mile hill, but there were dips. So around .25 miles, there’s a .04 downward slope… something like that. They’re all like that. The actual hill might be a mile and a half long, but there are those downward slopes. Should I just do the treadmill?? Just until I find something solid? If so, at what incline??
@Nickyghaleb you should speak to the city about this injustice! How dare the city not have an appropriately sized hill!!! The absolute nerve - the sheer audacity! LOL
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Right?? All these hills and not one useful one. Hills in all directions… 
I’m gonna have to go see someone about this, and I think the city is just the person. 
wait…wait…I thought you were on the Atlantic seaboard. I didn’t realize you were either in (West) Virginia or Texas. Only 2 places I know of personally where the city is just one guy. His name is usually Bubba too…just saying.
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Virginia, and it’s not Bubba… Seriously, @elver??
Bubba passed away a couple of years ago. Bubba, Jr.’s in charge now, and he’s way more sophisticated. He won’t accept anything less than a 12 pack of Heineken. His dad used to engage in negotiations on a 6 pack of Budweiser. Leaves me longing for the good old days when men knew how to handle business… and women knew to just keep quiet and fetch those men a beer.
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That’s fine. Work it for 5 minutes in the more difficult way, and then turn around and recover on the easier way. It will work fine for you.
Seems Bubba’s gotten uppity… He used to “consult” for a 6 pack of Billy Beer
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Okie doke. Today’s run was good and fun. I’m not sure it was as challenging as you were shooting for, but I’m not disappointed.
The only thing you said was to do 5 minutes uphill, recover on the downhill, and to repeat that 5 times. I was going to do it on the treadmill, but that just felt lame, so I decided I’d try out the hills in the area. I found one that was almost perfect. I think it was about 4 minutes and 30 seconds uphill, but I just really pushed until about 5:20ish to make up for the difference (in my mind). I had to run to the starting point, which was about 1.75 miles?, and then I ran home after I was done, which was about another .6 or .7 (mostly hills 
). I finished at just over 8 miles and did it all in 1 hour 9 min. The first hill was probably the easiest because it was steep— but too short. Then I just repeated the same hill 4 times in a row, and I worked hard on it. I think I was probably at an RPE of… not quite 7. I actually rather enjoyed the workout, which makes me suspicious of whether or not it was at the right intensity. But anyway.
I had my last bolus at 7:00 this morning, hoping for an early run. I also turned off my Basal-IQ just after getting the kids to school. I did push a slightly bigger bolus than necessary this morning so that I could have some oatmeal and a banana without spiking, and that worked out great. I was hoping that without the Basal-IQ running, I might be able to get a coffee in around 9ish, and that worked great. I hit a 130 after the coffee, so I held off on turning off my basal, figuring I would turn it off around 30 minutes till. I cut the basal at 10:30, and my BG was a 114 when starting out the door— 30 minutes of ZB and no boluses on board.
Starting BG: 114
Mi 1: 70
*Stinger
Mi 1.8: 61 (starting first hill)
2nd recovery (just after 2nd hill): 63
3rd recovery: 63
*Huma gel and 1/2 unit bolus
4th recovery: 71
5th recovery: 59
*resume basal
Finish: 73
Very happy. 
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This is stellar stuff! 
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Oh, that feels good. 
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That’s funny – and true. I ran in high school and after, late 70s into early 80s, and then I moved to Rome for a year, and NOBODY ran there. When I’d go for my morning runs, people would look all panicky and say “What’s happening?! What’s the matter?!” Now everybody runs there. That’s me – a trendsetter!
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11 years in the Army I was forced to get up and do PT which usually included anywhere between a 2 and a 10 mile run every morning and when I got out, I promised myself I’d never run another day in my life unless someone (badder than me) was chasing me. It’s why I train in other skills. Running only gave me bad shin-splints (formation running is the worst thing ever…you either have someone leading who has too long of steps or someone short who has short choppy steps). Worse yet, it was usually at 5AM, and it didn’t matter what the weather was…pouring, snowing, sleeting, hailing…the saying was, “If it ain’t rainin’ we ain’t trainin’.”
Here’s how to use Brazilian Jiu Jitsu against a bear…
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I want to post some nutritional guidelines for you for the next 7 weeks. This is an easy way to do it, because you don’t need to be very regimented in counting grams or calories for every bit of carb, protein, or fat you eat.
Since there is not a lot of time, this is a starting point. Eventually we can look at things like doing glycogen depletion and some other fun stuff like that.
So, for the general eating days:
You don’t need to count totals. The ratio is what is important. And not for every meal, but overall in the long run, the ratio is what you want to hit.
Use your weight as a measurement of whether you are eating the right total amounts. Weigh yourself a few times per week. Your weight will fluctuate, and this is normal. But if you see your weight trending up over weeks, reduce your total intake. If you see your weight trending down over weeks, increase your total. We can work on weight loss later if you want to. For now, just see if you can maintain your weight, and use your weight as a measure of whether to eat more or less.
If you are gaining weight…and this is important…do not try to cut only carbs. Cut the totals. Do not change the ratio, change the totals.
For the percentage of intake, try to just use this ratio as a very general guideline for your average intake:
carbs-protein-fat
6-3-1 ratio
So for example, if you eat a meal or snack and it is about 33 grams carbs, 15 grams protein, and 6 grams fat, that’s very close to the 6-3-1 ratio, so that’s great.
If you eat a meal that’s something like 8 grams carbs, 4 grams protein, and 9 grams fat, that is too heavy on the fat. That means you will need more carbs and protein in the next meal to make up for that.
So, in general try to land in the 6-3-1 area for total intake (not necessarily every meal, but overall in the long-run).
And use your weight as a measure of too much or too little.
Those are just some general guidelines for the normal eating days in the calendar.
Okay, next are the specific meal targets for the next 7 weeks. This chart shows it. Again, these are just guidelines. It’s pretty easy and simple to follow. On carb-focused meals, try to amp up your carbs. It’s that’s simple.
Then, the last thing is the horrible week that starts on April 22. This will help you, but it is not a pleasant week.
Questions?
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I’m behind on everything… but I have read over the nutritional stuff and would like to come back with questions. Probably lots of questions. Especially about that terrible week you mentioned— because it didn’t look terrible which worries me.
Yesterday’s run was good. Sloppy BG, but that was because I got to dancing in the morning and shook my BG up. I ended up starting at a 162 without any IOB but also without having cut my basal. I expected a fast drop and was surprised that it took as long as it did to do it. RPE was a 5, oh, and I did feel low once I did drop— and felt low the remainder of the run. I’ve been wondering why I feel a low on one run but then can do 8 miles at a 60 on another, and I was really down to two possibilities: having that insulin on board or having a fast drop. Yesterday, I had no insulin on board, but I did have a fast drop. Even though I never went below a 67 (did 8 miles at 60 just yesterday), it was a groggy, sloppy, spacewalking low. I think I’m learning that a fast drop during exercise makes for a harder workout and not in a good way. That’s just my thinking today.
Starting BG: 162
.5 mi: 138
Mi 1: 130
Mi 2: 83
*2 glucose tablets
Mi 2.5:
*2 glucose tablets
Mi 3: 67
Mi 4: 70
I’m okay with having days like this as long as I’m learning something from them. I’m getting much better control over my numbers in the hours leading into the run, I’m really getting a nice handle on my numbers during the run, and those numbers after the run are getting more reasonable by the day. Speaking of running, I have to go now. I’ll be back on the nutrition stuff though. It’s a less exciting schedule to look at than the training one, but… well, it’s just less exciting. And that’s okay.
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It’s just as simple as going from 162 to 83 in two miles. Dropping 80 points in the span of two miles is a free-fall plummet. Even if you were just sitting on the couch you’d feel that way if you dropped 80 points in 15-20 minutes.
As I have mentioned, the hard work is not when the run starts, it’s in the few hours leading up to the run. Being flat and in-range when you start makes all the difference.
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I know you know that, yes. I’m having to learn it on my own. I’m stubborn like that. I nod my head at the things you say but put aside the things that don’t feel necessary… when I don’t agree. 
I’ve put a lot of what you’ve said to me since the beginning to the side. I didn’t like stuff like the no coffee or the no insulin on board or the… water. However, I’m learning all of these things to be true. I’m finding I want to do them because I need to do them. Today… today was my last attempt at getting in a little coffee before a run. Not even right before the run— but an hour before my run. Somewhere in my head I think I still need the coffee, even though I also kind of know it’s not true. I thought I needed it today though, so I tried to get it in before running, and I learned today why it’s just not going to work. You’ve been telling me this since the beginning. I’ve just learned it today. But now I believe it.
Today’s run was just 5 miles at 7.0. I did it on the treadmill because I was just cold all morning. I volunteered this morning so I did a good job keeping an even blood sugar but was a little tired when I got home. It’s what got me thinking about the coffee. I figured I could have it while I did a few things around the house, do a small shot to curb the spike, and then head over for my run an hour later. About 30 minutes after having my cup, my BG was just a 120. So I got it into my head that I could just get on the treadmill as soon as possible, and since it didn’t seem to be much of a rise, just nip it with the run. What’s interesting about today, and what made me realize it’s just not worth it, is that it wasn’t my blood sugar that was the problem— but the unknown I had created. Where I had been stable, flat, and at a great BG, I added something that was going to rock it— without having a guaranteed effect. It ended up meaning my being more aggressive on the insulin during the run, which ended up dropping me too low… which ended up meaning a lot harder work. What I ended up putting in in the end was not worth what I got from the coffee in the first place. So I’m done. No more trying to slip it in.
I did cut off my basal a couple of minutes before starting, and I did not have any insulin boluses on board. Also no food… except for the coffee, of course.
Starting BG: 127
1/4 mi warm up
Mi 1: 120
Mi 2.25: 81
*Huma gel and 1/2 unit bolus
Mi 3.25: 65
Mi 3.75:
*one glucose tablet
Mi 4.10:
*resume basal
Mi 4.25: 58
Mi 4.5:
*2 glucose tablets
Mi 5.25: 68 (finish and starting walk)
Mi 6: 79
I learned two important things today:
-
No more coffee. I love it. I’ll miss it. But it’s just not worth the burden. I felt my low today, and it made my run harder than it had to be. I can do better than that.
-
No more glucose tablets. Not during a run. One is not enough, and more than one is a gum injury/choking hazard. And potentially 3/4 of a mile of coughing and trying to drink water that keeps going down the wrong hole. No good. Gels and Gatorade Prime it is. Even if it means I’ll have to order more from Amazon.
RPE… a 6.5?? I don’t think it was the run that was hard. I think it was everything else. Silly stuff. But I’m working on it.
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