Man, that happens way too often to me! And yes, then the run is just so much more difficult, but great that you did it!! Yes, I agree, I don’t want unexpected boluses during a run either! That is why I use an override targeting a higher BG so Loop will not give me any boluses, unless I actually do go high, in which case I’m fine with a small bolus. Yes, it is difficult to know what basal rate to set during a run, and you are right, it will depend on starting BG and really previous hours BG state - ie., rollercoasting, etc.
I use a Nathan waist bag which holds two 10 oz bottles and also has a large zipped pocked to hold iPhone (for Loop) and gels, syringe, Kleenex. I’m not sure if it would fit a pump as well, but maybe. I don’t carry gtabs but maybe I should! I fill one bottle with water, and one bottle with grapefruit juice. I usually finish both. I definitely think you should carry water. I even carry water in the winter months. You don’t want to be dehydrated, and you also need to take gels with water. You could also just carry a water bottle in a holder that has a pocket. I sometimes do that but it doesn’t have sufficient room to hold everything! But it might be a good addition to the waist bag, or even to your hydration vest.
I checked the Nathan site, but they no longer offer the one I’m using. They have one with plastic bottle holders now. I actually used this one as well and it’s nice but the plastic holders broke. Didn’t even last a season.
Thanks for your reply and thorough explanations for everything (as always)!
Almost every time I run, I DO start out with nice, flat line around 150 or so - yesterday was not because I was rollercoastering all night, then the carbs I ate to cover the low when I woke up all seemed to kick in hard and fast, giving me that nasty spike. So that was just unpleasant.
My usual plan is to do zero basal (thanks to your tips last year) for about an hour before I go out, eating a gel and/or a couple of glucose gummies when I start. Then at some point during the run I turn it back on with a low basal rate, with CIQ turned off so I am in control of any boluses. This usually works pretty well, but I think I am starting to need that bigger bolus at the end - more than just 1 unit. I will try that next time!
What about fueling during the race, for this 13.1? It sounds like most non-diabetic people need to fuel throughout, and from what I’ve seen in the type 1 run FB group, lots of people there fuel as they go. After 11 miles yesterday I was feeling sluggish (partly from thirst), and then the rest of the day my body just felt off - which could have been fatigue from running, but I think my brain was still recovering from the 24 hours of bad blood sugars before.
It is possible to run 13.1 without taking any carbs. But from a performance perspective, you can do much better if you take carbs while running.
The general rule for fueling is 30-60 grams per hour for long runs.
And you need insulin too (or at least a reasonable BG) in order to use the carbs.
If your BG is 150 and you take carbs and your BG goes to 250, so what? Those carbs are not doing you any good just floating around in your blood. You gotta be able to use them too!
I know people get leery about taking insulin while running. But you have to learn how much to dose. Your dosing for carbs while running is totally different than normal.
If your CIQ still gives you some insulin while running, that can help. Or you can try a small bolus and test it out.
But the short answer for all of this is that taking carbs is gonna help you, as long as you can maintain a decent BG so that you can use it.
I’m going to try the carbs with some small doses. Not sure on how best to eat - I don’t love the gels but want something easy to carry. I’ll think about it before my next long run
Hi @allison,
If you don’t like the gels (nobody really likes them, we only tolerate them ), here are a few options:
Stinger has these waffles. They are not a gel, but are still fairly easy to get down.
They also make bars, but those are not very easy to eat when running. I think the waffles are the easiest of the non-gel items they make:
Stinger also has their honey packs. They are called a “gel”, but they are basically pure honey with electrolytes to help dehydration. They have a similar consistency as a gel (not sure if that’s what you don’t like), but they are not really the same as a gel. If you can tolerate honey, this might be an option. It’s in a small pack, so it is easy to carry and open:
Another option is the Huma gel apple+cinammon. Yes it is a gel, but it tastes like apple sauce. It is not horrible:
And finally, there is Untapped. These are made with maple syrup. Not the same consistency as a gel, a little more runny. But very easy to eat and different flavors make them tolerable:
Blood sugar success today - and a new record of 12 miles! (Although it was 80° out by the end and I was pretty lightheaded.)
Insulin:
Pump off for exactly 1 hour before I started. When I began I turned off CIQ and ran a temp rate of 25% for the first hour and regular rate after. When I hit mile 5 and ate a chewy bar, I took 0.5 units (did not bolus for second one at mile 8). When my number started to drift below 150, I turned on CIQ in exercise mode again, so maybe 3/4 of the way through? Took 1 unit at mile 11, then 1-2 at the end.
(Highest reading was 178)
Fuel:
Started with a gel and a couple of glucose gummies before I walked out the door. Stopped for a swig of water every 2 miles (water bottle in my driveway). Miles 5 and 8 I had a chewy granola bar, which was easy to eat (18g carb). One glucose tab around mile 10. I had really bad stomach pain around mile 8.5 so had to walk it off and then was ok. (I walked more than I’d have liked after I hit 8 miles but I’m still getting my heart rate and legs figured out.)
My legs are sooo sore and I’m so tired but hey - look at that graph!
Lots of practice over the past few months really helped me figure out how to manage my blood sugars. Despite having a little misstep at the beginning, I felt pretty good overall - I forgot to suspend delivery until 30 minutes before race start, and then had to eat a lot of carbs when it started to drop, but overall my numbers were
THANK YOU ALL for your advice and encouragement! It has been a wild ride. Now… where do I sign up for the next one?
since I’ve had a CGM for 11 years, I’ve really cut down on that!
), here are a few options:
.