If your body gets used to a workout, if your fitness improves, you will not have the same adrenaline response for the same workout. Eventually your fitness gets to the point where that same workout is much easier.
You can still get an adrenaline response if you push yourself harder. But it takes a harder effort to get the spike, just because your body has adapted to it, and the normal workout is now considered easy by your body.
But the other thing is that if you are only used to swimming an hour, swimming 2 hours is going to be more difficult. So you can get a spike if the longer effort is starting to tax your body more. Even if the effort is the same per hour, the fact that it is longer will start to strain your body a bit more.
And then the last thing is if you are on a pump and you have your basal turned off the whole time (Zero basal, ZB) there is a difference between 1 hour of ZB versus 2 hours of ZB.
So a summary - 2 hours versus 1 hour takes more from your body, and that may cause an adrenaline spike if the effort becomes difficult, and the extra ZB time may also be a factor.
If this is consistent right now, you can try just setting your pump for only 1.5 hours of ZB when you start a 2 hour swim, and see if that works. But keep in mind, eventually your body will get used to it and you may no longer see the spike.
Did that answer your question? Sorry if I am rambling here.
I have been “used” to swimming 3 hours plus for a couple of months now, twice a week. But I am not reducing basal at all yet. The soy milk before must be utilizing the basal insulin. For an hour swim I used to reduce it 50% starting a half hour before. I can start to reduce it again or even stop it if ever needed of course. I had read where reducing it was better than stopping it because it helps stop the rebound after.
The difference this time was weather had prevented me for swimming for 10 days and we had a super strong current.
I was wondering if your body even when you get used to the exercise, if it will always do some kind of adrenaline help just because you are exercising a long time because it’s always going to be a certain demand on the body?
So you are saying that goes away completely if you get completely used to the exercise?
So I might not be used to it completely yet as I had been starting to seeing a slight drop after 3 hours. This time was a little different because the currents were so strong. Eventually it sounds like I will have to reduce basal but the soy milk before with the full basal seems to be working right now.
We had really strong currents yesterday. It was taking a lot of effort to swim back across, great in one direction you flew! It will happen more with winter and I won’t be able to swim as often or maybe as long. It was a major 2 hour workout.
Your body can get used to your current level of effort. But if you push it harder or go longer, it will spike. But you can train and continue push that point farther.
Duration will make a difference too. Running 5 miles hard versus the same pace for 1 mile, there is a definite difference there.
But your body can adapt to it. Things that I consider hard might spike me, but for an Olympic runner it would be nothing. They would not have an adrenaline response. And I can do things that do not spike me because they are easy, but someone else might consider hard. It is all relative to what your body is trained to do.
So you can train and get better. And if you worked really hard, 6 months from now you would not spike at the same point. But 6 months from now, there would still be a point that would spike you, it would just be faster/harder/longer than where you are right now
Well I guess I know I have to adapt and change. So yes you answered it. That if I get used to the 3 hours completely I will not spike anymore. The spiking for me is actually a safer more desirable option lol…I had been starting to drop at around 3 hours, but yesterday I noticed I went up a little, explained by the harder work swimming.
I know that sometimes you can try to do something very strenuous to get a boost. I have done that a couple of times, but not when I am low low, just dropping to say 100, but it hasn’t lasted long. I guess I am wondering if I could count on some kind of boost kicking in with the length of time swimming and it sounds like I can’t if I am used to the exercise.
I am glad the Libre works like a charm underwater.That is what has allowed me to stay out so long in the first place and has given peace of mind. I went out again once without one and I kept thinking of what is my blood sugar doing. So now I wear a Dexcom and a Libre.,and a pod lol…
I bought Stash water proof pouches originally for my iphone, I wanted to try to use my Dexcom and take photos. But because of the way Dexcom works, it’s slow and it wants to download data first before you get a reading. So trying to hold up your arm long enough to get a reading did not work. Holding it up next to the reader and then trying to get a reading didn’t either. Every once in a while I could get a reading after a bunch of time, but usually not.
I had worn a Libre before a Dexcom and knew it was okay in the ocean. But we retired here a couple of years ago and I am snorkeling constantly and while I had an hour down safe I didn’t want to have to come in after an hour. So then I started researching and asked people and no one knew if it could actually scan underwater. But I decided to try it. The scanner is in a stash pouch and the Libre is under my swimsuit on my hip. (I didn’t want to use my territory for my pod and Dexcom.) You just hold the scanner in the pouch up to the Libre and you get a reading! I tried to take a picture of it underwater once, but you can’t make it out. I will have to get one above water one of these days.
This is my favorite area to snorkel. This picture is from out in the ocean looking in.
