Equipping a Runner to Run Diabetic Style

Thanks, @Eric, for compiling all the links, not to mention providing the actual information!
I remember reading these posts at the time but would have had a hard time hunting them down!

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this is a definate. i know that Bobby needs the training!!! LOL. was my post confusing? youā€™re the one who taught me thisā€¦as well as how much of it to take. you told me that if i were to follow the exact directions i would end up with a BG of 400 :rofl: !!!

sorry guys, i posted this on the wrong site!!! oops.

Eric; I am surprised to see that effort. I am also a long distance runner. I use my smartwatch to give me a pretty accurate BG during my run. I also use this device during the day and during long distance hikes. I use the Sony SW3 with xDrip+. I occasionally check and calibrate using a Samsung S5 phone. I never carry the phone during my competitive runs.

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I really enjoyed your video. I guess I manage my T1D a little different. I have been a T1 for more than 45 years. I keep my A1C below 6, right now running at 5.8. I run many different distances but only compete in 5K runs to win my age group. I control my BG with MDI, Multiple Daily Injections, and very low carbs. I use both Humalog and NPH for a basil at night and during my longer runs. For technology I use the Dexcom G5, smartphone, Sony Smartwatch 3 and xDrip. I only use the watch during my runs. I do check the xDrip accuracy at certain times to verify. I have multiple ā€˜finger stickā€™ devices for accuracy checking. I also use the xDrip projections with the watch for a very accurate BG level during a run. The projection shows a change and predict the current BG level. I also use the xDrip statistical data for my endocrinologist. She likes the statistical data. For more than 1 year I have had no hypoglycemic events. I have set my low level to 70. At night I have a speaker system that gives a waring for any projection below 70. I always verify those levels with my 1-Touch system.

Dennis

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Ok Iā€™m really late here lol, but on my run today I wasnā€™t dropping too fast but my dex g6 was still pretty delayed. But I think thatā€™s partly because I was pretty dehydrated going into the run (was too lazy to start drinking more water earlier in the day and then didnā€™t want to drink a bunch before and have to go to the bathroom after 3 minutes of jogging).

Also kinda semi unrelated, but that ZB that you and @T1Allison and @Eric all reference - that starts in advance of starting to run and then you start the basal back up once you start running?

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Iā€™ll be right back to explain, but noā€¦ starts before and continues throughout the majority of the runā€”if not all of it. But Iā€™ll be back.

And you ran today? After your big night?? Damn, lady. Thatā€™s awesome. :heart:

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I never said it felt or looked good :rofl:

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@LarissaW, hi. :smiley: Iā€™m just getting back here about the ZB stuff. And Iā€™m on only 1/4 cup of coffee, so now probably isnā€™t the best time either, but iā€™m going to tryā€¦

So Iā€™ll just leave some of my own ideas about ZB, and you can confirm or rule out as you experiment on your own.

  1. The more you know about your status going into a run, the better off you are. Minimize the unknowns. This is true for zero basal, and this is true for carbs, and this is true for boluses. Iā€™ve learned that I can run on any mix of any of those, but the more unknowns, the harder the run is going to be. If I can go in stable, then it is usually a lot more clear what I need when I start to dip or rise. ZB for an hour is good for a longer run but is not necessary on shorter ones. For a longer run, if Iā€™m organized and motivated and everything Iā€™m working on now, I can turn off the basal 45 min to an hour in advance and leave it off most of the run, if not all. It helps me avoid big crashes, and even when I do dip, theyā€™re mild and can be remedied by a Huma gel.

  2. If Iā€™m doing zero basal, I better stay away from the carbs in the time leading up to the run. Carbs without a bolus obviously can cause a little trouble, but carbs without a bolus on top of no basal can put me on track for a hefty climb. Those are frustrating because it means having to do more insulin than preferred during runs, which usually ends up catching me in the end. Very small bolusesā€¦ micro boluses :wink:ā€¦ are fine. When I have to do them in the .3 or .4 unit doses, what usually happens is I end up having to really add carbs toward the endā€”and that often doesnā€™t happen until after I feel low and crappy.

  3. I feel like a complete hypocrite by the wayā€¦ sitting here writing all of this. I really do understand a lot now, and I still really do blow it all at the drop of a hat. So Iā€™ll just acknowledge that and then go back to what I was doing.

  4. The longer your ZB, the fewer carbs youā€™ll need. Use sparingly. Remember youā€™ve got that working in the background, so if you do 15 g of carbs and are not rising at the next test, Iā€™d hold off before doing more carbs. Having no basal is like having padding. And some of these things can take a little while before theyā€™re reflected in the numbers. So if I do 15 g of carbs more, I might find myself at a 190 in 2 miles. When I have the basal off, I just need a lot fewer carbs.

  5. If I go into a run without any ZB at all, Iā€™m probably going to need some carbs at the beginning, and Iā€™ll be grabbing them more often throughout the run. Those beginning carbs can even be true if Iā€™m cutting my basal right at the start. If I havenā€™t turned off the insulin in advance, I often start to drop about 10 minutes into a workout. So to have 10 or 15 grams of carbs at the onset is a good idea for me. I can still cut my basal as I get going, but I really donā€™t expect that to start working for me until later in the run.

  6. I do have to bolus for the time without basal at the end. Depending on how my numbers look toward the end of the run, I might do a number of things. If Iā€™m looking like Iā€™m on a big rise, I can resume my basal and give myself a bolusā€”not a huge one because it can still mess up the end of my run. If I look pretty stable, I might just resume my basal and wait to do a full bolus at the end. If Iā€™m dropping, Iā€™ll leave everything the way it is and do it all once Iā€™ve stopped. But Iā€™m almost guaranteed to need to cover that time without basal no matter what Iā€™ve done. So if I ended up with 2 hours ZB, I might give myself about 2 units plus a bolus for a banana. IF I DIDNā€™T DO THAT PRE-RUN ZB, I often need a lot less of a bolus at the end. This part here has been a lot of experimenting. What kinds of runs are going to mean a huge reduction in insulin needs? For how many hours? Do I need a big bolus at the end? Would a big bolus drop me fast and hard? Will a banana send me to a 300? Thereā€™s a lot of potential outcomes, and anything can happen at any time, but as is true with much of diabetes, there are also enough patterns that Iā€™ve really settled into a routine that means avoiding both terrible lows and terrible highs. I can tell you though, Iā€™ve learned to watch my BG like a hawk when Iā€™m doing serious boluses after a run. I have about an hour window where I have to pay a lot of attention. A big workout + a lot of insulin can lead to big, ugly crashes. Iā€™ve had enough to know itā€™s easier just to watch.

Iā€™m as hard headed as they come, and even though I know these things, it doesnā€™t make them easy to do. Iā€™ll run my run anyway. But every time I go out the door with a moving BG or on a bunch of insulinā€¦ it is just harder. Same run, just more diabetic.

Oh, and @daisymaeā€¦ I think I owe you my life. Iā€™m sitting here drinking my coffee with almond milk and Splenda, looking at my 109. You got me thinking about how much creamer I was pouring my coffee into, and I actually measured the other day. Itā€™s shamefulā€¦ and I had no idea. I knew I had gone from needing approximately 2 units of insulin in the morning for 2 cups (and even that was hefty) to doing sometimes up to 7 units. I recently switched from a sugar free to a dairy free creamer (because of kidsā€™ allergies), and I, apparently, have been puttingā€¦:woman_facepalming:ā€¦ approximatelyā€¦ :roll_eyes:ā€¦ 65-70 g of carbsā€™ worth into each cupā€¦ :neutral_face: I have my mornings back, daisymae. Thank you. :heart:

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holy moley! thats a lot of cream!!! (and a lot of insulin ). i account for 20gms of carbs, and i think that i use a pretty heafty amount of the cream. i also use 5 packs of Splenda (i know, i know that sounds discusting :wink:). but i cannot live without it in the morning. so what? big deal. there are no rules here. if you have a system down pat, just go for it. and enjoy :yum:

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I must say that is impressive. I donā€™t there is a dairy free creamer that tastes good enough to choke that amount down. Wow, you are more amazing everyday.

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Creamer with a splash of coffee, yes. :grin:

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Why, thank you. Not everyoneā€™s built for that kind of creamer intake. Many have tried. Most have not. Tried. But anyway you cut it, few are gross enough to make it happen. :fist:

None taste good enough, I donā€™t believe. This speaks to my very complex and codependent relationship with coffee. I need it, and yet I just canā€™t take the taste. So 65-70 g of nasty tasting carbs it wasā€¦ until daisymae showed up and set me straight. :coffee:

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:sparkling_heart:

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