Running a marathon! :D

Sports & Exercise
42

Today’s long run felt like a huge crash-and-burn scenario. I must have gotten an occlusion in my infusion site or tubing right when I started running, so I had high blood sugar and really felt it for the first 7 miles.

I had an extra infusion site in my pack so I stuck that in but then decided that that probably wasn’t working when I still wasn’t coming down after a mile or two. So then I moved on to my prefilled syringes, which I had previously marked with what was in them, but I totally had forgotten what the markings meant (since they were from a few months ago :grimacing: ). I really wanted to come down, but I didn’t want to give myself .25u when I was expecting 1u. It felt too much like a Russian roulette. So I pushed out the insulin from one of them and used the syringe to take insulin from the reservoir in my pump. (and all this stuff happening when I’m trying to run! Then beating myself up over stopping running to try to get some insulin in me!)

Finally, my BGs started to come down, but I sure was a grumpy girl. Running was harder without fuel and it was hard to continue running when I felt gross from being high. I want to be positive about this run, but the only thing I’m happy about is that I pushed through my annoyance and feeling sick.

Things I’ve learned is that I should carry syringes that are clearly marked with what’s actually in them. And I learned I can use my pump reservoir as an insulin storage place to withdraw from if needed. I want to problem solve if I get stuck in a fix like an occlusion like this - I’m thinking like if I’ve used up my prefilled syringes, then how can I take an injection that is less than .5u (the smallest units on my syringes), like maybe I should carry a diluent with me for long runs.

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43

The fact that it is progressive as you keep going.

It isn’t just 50% or 30% or whatever. The fact that it keeps getting more and more pronounced.

Partly because of the activity, the increased absorption, the greater expression of GLUT4, the muscle contraction mediated pathway…and also because your carb absorption gets delayed. All of those things. I love that you are seeing that and identifying the sensitivity increase in later miles.
:+1:

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I know these are not shared publicly, but please forgive me this once…I have to share my spreadsheet comment for today’s run. I think people should read this one.

Under Coach’s Comments:

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I’m feeling a lot better than I did after my less than ideal long run this past weekend! Thank you Eric for the very nice words. Stuff like that is training my mental toughness too :muscle:

Also! My life feels crazy that I’m signing up for a half marathon as a training run to do before the marathon! Like who does that!!!

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Only crazy people do that.
:grinning:

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@LarissaW Wow, that was a tough run but I am so impressed you kept going!! Even taking insulin from your pump to inject. I hate running with a high more so than even a low so I surely understand your effort to get your BG down! I will often bailout when my BG is too high. I know I shouldn’t even as I do! So kudos to you for sticking with it. :heart:

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We are not getting too far into the weeds of training specifics on this thread, but I wanted to give a general overview of how this is done.

There is not only one formula that works best for everyone in every single case. All of this is based on a lot of factors - previous training load, average weekly mileage, the amount of time you have been training, time since last race, current fitness level, previous races, how much time you have before your target race, etc.

Considering all of the factors, this is what we came up with for Larissa.

She is going through 4 phases of training. She progresses from one to the next, all the way up until her race date.

The training phases are:

  • 1st phase - Base Mileage, building phase, about 40% of the total training time.

  • 2nd phase - Base + speed, strength, tempo, intervals, about 30% of the total training time.

  • 3rd phase - Peak Phase, about 20% of the total training time.

  • 4th phase - Taper + Race!!!, about 10% of the total training time.

All of the parts work together, but each provides various different benefits.

For example, the long runs increase the energy stores in the muscles, increase capillary density and mitochondria, improve running economy and efficiency, and increase mental strength and confidence as the distance of the weekly long run increases.

Easy recovery runs help develop the slow-twitch muscle fibers and improve lipid utilization, while allowing the body to recover from the harder efforts, while adding base mileage.

Speed runs, intervals, tempo runs, and hill workouts increase muscle strength and anaerobic threshold, while building mental strength and fortitude.

We try to not have two difficult workouts back-to-back!

Everything builds together over the course of the training cycle. Like building a house, you start with the foundation and build your way up.

One interesting thing to mention - the Peak Phase is where your fitness is the best. That is the hardest phase. But you can’t race there. Why? Because there is a trade-off between fitness and freshness.

When you are at your peak of fitness, you are also at the low point of freshness. You are most tired at that phase, so you can’t race well there.

The final phase of Taper allows you to recover a bit of freshness. You reduce your fatigue, but have to sacrifice a bit of your fitness to get there.

But the trade-off is essential. You can’t race well if you are tired.

So that is just a general overview of the training phases Larissa is going through. Please feel free to ask questions!

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49

I wanted to share my BGs from my long run this week because I think they’re kinda cute and because I think they are a nice example of using a feeding basal in combination with corrections to help with fueling.

-15min: 131mg/dL, .7u.
Start: 122mg/dL, basal 45%, basal IQ turned off
Mi1: 108mg/dL.
Mi2: 97mg/dL.
Mi3: 70mg/dL, honey stinger gel 24g.
Mi4: 63mg/dL, transcend gel 15g
Mi5: 59mg/dL, honey stinger gel 24g
Mi6: 67mg/dL.
Mi7: 76mg/dL.
Mi8: 85mg/dL, .2u.
Mi9: 89mg/dL, .2u.
Mi10: 81mg/dL, honey stinger gel 24g
Mi11, END: 79mg/dL

I’m interested to see just how sensitive I’ll be towards insulin on runs when I start getting milage farther than I’ve been before.

O, also - I really love the honey stinger gels! I think they taste really great and provide energy and a boost for BGs.

Additionally, I have graduated a week early from @Eric’s 1st phase to 2nd phase! So it sounds like I’ve got some hills, intervals, and speed training to look forward to over the next couple weeks :running_woman: I just finished a whole carton of Ben and Jerry’s to celebrate :yum:

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I…

…LOVE…

…this!

87 grams! So you covered the 30-60 gram per hour target. Awesome stuff! That is really a great thing to work on.

If you like the Stingers and it’s tolerable for your stomach and all of that, then it’s great. You still have several weeks to experiment and test different things before you need to start getting locked in. :+1:

Congrats! A week ahead of schedule, and you are “in the green” now!

Flavor?!?

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51

Cherry Garcia!

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Wow. This is a testament to your accomplishments so far…if you’re running this much and keeping awesome bg’s and thinking of them as “cute”.

Mad skillz. You have all my respect!

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53

@T1Allison :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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54

I want to brag on Larissa a little bit. We have been working on this for a while, and there is so much you can learn about someone when you are doing something like this. A lot of stuff people would not know just from reading posts, so I wanted to share it.

I realized pretty early on the type of mind I was dealing with. I mentioned something to her a couple of months ago, just in passing. A casual comment about a study that had been done by French researchers on the ideal temperature for a marathon.

Several weeks later we were discussing clothing options for the race, and I started to explain about how cooler temperatures are ideal. As soon as I began talking about temperature, she immediately said, “The French study said 43.2°F…”

She took a simple comment from weeks prior and had remembered the exact specifics. I knew I was dealing with a special person.

She takes care of everything immediately. If I mention something she should get, 10 minutes later it is on its way from Amazon. Every single detail is handled immediately. Every single thing I tell her is remembered. She is amazing.

I also want to emphasize that not only is she in med school - which is a full-time job - but she is training for a marathon, which is like a part-time job. And she is my friend, which is kind of a full or part-time job in and of itself. So it’s kind of like she has 3 jobs.

I am super proud of what she has done. She is ahead of the training plan, and she is working hard!

Inspired by Larissa and joined with the music of the little known one-hit wonder, Scottish rocker Edwyn Collins…

A Girl Like You
by Edwyn Collins Me!!

I’ve never known a girl like you before
Each mornin’ 6am, you’re heading out your door

Your last 11 miles I watched you soar
And I’ve never met a girl like you before

[INSTRUMENTAL]

You got just a taste, but you want more
Now your fingers are bleeding and your legs are sore

You are the baddest, baddest down to your core
And I’ve never known a girl like you before

[INSTRUMENTAL]

You’re doing things people can’t believe
And I can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve
What you’re doing now I take as my reprieve

Know that I’m talkin’ about the way I feel
And I’ve never known a girl like you before
Never, never, never, never
Never known a girl like you before

[INSTRUMENTAL]

Your body now growing strong
Race coming up, it won’t be long
Past few weeks inspired this song, past few weeks inspired this song

And now you’ve come along, yes, you’ve come along
And I never met a girl like you before
You’re all right

[INSTRUMENTAL OUTRO]

Yeah, you’re all right
…
Yeah, you’re all right

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55

Aw, Eric, thank you for the super nice words! So totally unnecessary but appreciated :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: Juggling all this stuff is not easy, but I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, and I can’t thank you enough! Seriously I don’t know if I’d have the guts to sign up for a full marathon after the scary lows during the half. But knowing that you had my back and that you would get me to where I need to be was/is super reassuring !

7 weeks down, and 14 to go. Let’s see how happy you are to be putting up with me by the end of it :hugs:

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Hills are not fun.

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It is like resistance training. It increases strength in your quads, calves, hams, and glutes. It gives you mental grit. It gives you a higher intensity workout without as much strain on joints as a speed workout on flat ground. It also helps improve running form.

Fun?

“I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”
- Lynn Anderson -

Hang tough, one at a time. 16 day break!
:+1:

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58

What?? I thought all marathon training was fun and easy???

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59

Happy FUD Birthday!

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I turned 1 today!

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A breakthrough performance today!

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