Listen to your body.
My body lies. Or withholds truths… but the bit about cadence, that has become one of my biggest indicators that it’s not just that I’m getting tired. I love that you mention that because I’ve been using that for the last couple of couple of months to help me tell the difference between just feeling tired and feeling low. I’ve been maintaining a cadence of between 193-200 on my runs (and I still count all the time 
), so when I find I can’t meet a 190, I know I need to test. No matter how tired I am, I have no problems keeping up my cadence when I put my mind to it. No matter how much I put my mind to it , i can’t keep up my cadence when I’m low.
Do you like how I just explained to you in a paragraph what you already know and stated simply in a bulletpoint? I love doing that.
You said other things, but I don’t have all day to explain them back to you.
All that is missing from your post is a cat, in a hat, and a scoldy fish.
I can make time. If you don’t watch out. There’s obviously a lot you could use help with. Wise guy. 
On a very, very serious note, I just finished my run, and I’ve got some serious foot pain. 
The fact you can get out on a schedule and not have ridiculous scenes in between is a real testament to your control, skill, and knowledge. I’m working on 15 minutes… if I can get to 15 minutes between tests, then I’m getting somewhere. I’m still too wobbly to go long without getting a number. For now, at least. I’m chipping away at it though, and I’ve got no reason to believe I won’t be able to figure it out. Just out of curiousity, what do you take when swimming? You just do sugar tabs??
Okay today’s run was a mix of stuff to shout from the mountaintops and some foot pain… so maybe to shout from my balcony. 
First of all, and by far the absolutely most important piece to report on, I DIDN’T HAVE ANY COFFEE PAST 7:30 THIS MORNING. One cup I had… And I think I really finished it by a few minutes after 7. Just one cup. This is what I would shout from the mountaintops if I could get there. I feel like I cheat when I drink coffee before a run. I feel like I can’t do the run when I don’t. So I’ve been messing around since your first running assignment, @Eric, trying to avoid having to stop it. And with every run I’ve seen there is just not going to be a way around it if I want to do this, so now I’m trying to make it happen. Even though today wasn’t a big deal for a run, it was 4 miles at ~8:30ish pace, and that’s plenty of reason to tell myself I need the caffeine. Really, choosing today to knock it out made this particular workout more of a mental exercise than anything else. Don’t know if you can tell I’m proud, but I’m stinkin’ proud. I didn’t have a cup anytime before I started, I didn’t push back my run in order to squeeze one in, AND… I chose only gels with no caffeine in them during. It was a tough choice, but I knew what I needed to do, and my run ended up being great.
I’ve been indulging in it since finishing… in case you couldn’t tell, but there was a celebration to be had for sure.
I didn’t do any ZB prior to the run, can’t remember why, but I cut my basal off at the start. I also was even with no IOB.
Starting BG: 81
*Gatorade Prime (because of no basal cut in preparation)
Mi 1: 88
Mi 2: 106
*Resume basal
Mi 3: 71
*Transcend and .35 unit bolus
Mi 4: 89 (finish)
*.5 unit
Walked a mile and got off at BG 86
The foot pain… that part was a little disturbing. Is a little disturbing. Same foot as the plantar fasciitis, and kind of the same area only across the top. Also goes down into the ankle and then up the ankle. I can’t tell if it’s from the plantar fasciitis, or if it’s completely unrelated, but it’s very painful to walk. When I woke up this morning, it hurt from the first step. I figured I’d give the run a try, and, honestly, there was some relief just putting my foot in my running shoe. It was uncomfortable on the run but did not hurt as bad as it did earlier, and now, with my shoe back off, the pain has returned. Of note, I did wear my brand new running shoes yesterday for the very first time, so I’m hoping that’s the cause… For this afternoon, I’m putting it a brace and wearing running shoes to go pick up my kids. And I have tomorrow off anyway, so…
I will just add, on a very sobering, whiny, dramatic note, I have a highly unnatural fear of Charcot foot, thanks to my podiatrist who once told me I’m guaranteed to get it. So that’s what my brain is all about today. In an annoying way.
The numbers are great.
But let’s talk about this before anything else.
I could call you in a few minutes… if you’ve got the time to talk?
yes, i take glucose tabs. (4gms carbs each) i usually dont need more than 1 b/c i have been on ZB for so long, unlike you, who have only been on ZB for 1 hour. by the time i have swam for 1 hour, i have been off all insulin for 3.5 hours, and even if i am low, i know that i no longer need anything to keep my BG steady. for example, my BG could be 73, and i know i could continue swimming for another 1/2 hour without any kind of sugar/carb. i just plateau. Eric is the one who taught me this, and since i’ve tried it out, it is consistently true and effective.
hope that helps some.
do you have to do any basal replacement when you are finished with your run b/c you’ve been on ZB for a period of time?
since i am on ZB for 4 hours, i have to bolus 2.5 units to accomodate for the ZB so that i dont spike. this method has worked for me from the very beginning and it is consistently reliable.
I don’t know how you can go that long on ZB without starting to climb. An hour is my limit. If I start getting towards an hour and 15 minutes, I’m already on the rise. That’s interesting. The good news is an hour really is sufficient for getting me comparable results as what you see— just not quite as predictable. When I have the full hour heading into my run, depending on the distance, I usually have a good idea whether one treatment will be enough. Without that hour, I’m left guessing, and I dislike guessing during exercise. And I wish I could take care of it with the tabs, but it can get crazy. 
I don’t stop to eat them, and I’ve actually been afraid I was going to choke on them before. I love being able to do just 4g… although I’ve also learned lately it’s often not enough. So I guess it’s just as well.
If I go the full hour and then leave my basal off for the workout, I absolutely need insulin when I’m done. I can’t even remember what I was doing anymore because I’ve changed my routine. I think Eric had me bolusing for half of what I had missed in basal plus whatever I needed for a banana. Because I was sometimes still hitting a fast and hard rebound, I’ve begun resuming basal before my workout is done, and I usually do at least one bolus. This is working out really, really well, and I’m no longer rebounding. I have to be careful not to overdo it because I have driven myself into a fast crash a couple of times, but I’m learning.
Didn’t learn not to eat the cookies last night though. Would’ve been helpful if I’d learned anywhere in my past what late night cookies do. 
And my foot is fine this morning. 100%. You can’t see me right now, but I’m doing the “my foot is fine” dance. Been doing it all morning.
i am starting my swim prep on the low side today, and that makes me feel very anxious. but on ZB, 1 tab has a big effect on me. i have a feeling that today i will be using them. i was low all night and low all morning. i would take a tab, my bg would go up, then 1/2 hour later, i’d be back down again. when i feel out of control like this, i worry/panic. i HATE being out of control (this is NOT the disease to have when you are a control freak).
on the opposite end of the spectrum, Eric is a superstar when it comes to things not being in target; he knows every trick in the book on how to alter and modify plans. i just get too nervous when it comes to exercise. dont know if you have this issue or not.
I dont know either, except that i do a small pre-bolus before i turn off my pump. my bg does climb, though, just not outrageously. also, i dont exercise as low as you run with. i like to start at 130 and end around 80. it take 90 minutes of swimming; that is in my comfort goal and i never need any tablets for that kind of swim…also, i know that i can swim all-out without the negative consequences of crashing.
(PS: i have been on ZB now for over an hour and my BG went from 79 down to 75. go figure.)
do you ever do IM shots to bring you down fast from the cookie spike? (if i use a cookie to treat a low, for what ever reason, it is always with a cookie), my BG doesnt rise until much later, so i dont see the late night spike until the wee hours of the morning) it stinks. last night i was crashing and i limited myself to 1 bite of a cookie. it worked out just fine. 
I know what you’re describing, and this is how I yo-yo. It comes from the disbelief that I could possibly be dropping again and then my biggest fear— of rebounding. The more I’m adding carbs that I just can’t believe I need, the more I start bolusing in anticipation of the rebound. I don’t understand what causes those days, but to bury myself under too much insulin is a common result.
Funny. I did have that issue, and then I got good at just making due with whatever I had… but I skipped over learning how to do it right. It’s great to not be afraid and to be flexible, but I don’t think it’s the best path forward. Now I’m trying to learn the self-discipline that will put me in the best position for a workout. I’m learning the shortcuts aren’t easier. Your self-discipline and your resolve is magnificent, @daisymae. Truly.
I do IM shots as well as IV shots. I am careful with them and incredibly selective in the how, where, when and why of them, but they are amazing. I did do an IV shot for the cookies last night, and it was a good temporary fix, but I think my infusion set was coming loose. I just kept climbing and climbing… and then my son kicked it out at 1:00 in the morning, and I went up through the ceiling. I know I went high because of not getting enough— and then any—insulin, but it was helped by the cookie catapult. Frickin cookies. 
And you treat with a bite of one… I shouldn’t do them, @daisymae. I experience cookielust. I shouldn’t do them at all. One bite is too many, a thousand never enough.
you sound just like my husband. he can’t stop himself once he starts. i might have a small handful of nuts (maybe 10 ) while he will eat a soup bowl of them, and then complain to me when the scale tips in the wrong direction.
i appreciate that so much! thank you. but i have to say that it comes at a price; i get terribly anxious trying to juggle all of the balls at once. i may have courage, but there is a lot of fear that comes in front of it.
hope that makes sense.
Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it.
