just out of my sheer curiosity, what BG level are you the most comfortable at? what is your target goal? i like to feel between 70 - 95 unless i dont want to do a lowered TB when i go outside and do a lot of walking around ( i can crash fast just from walking in my neighborhood ! ) then i prefer to be around 110 -115 and keep my glucose tablets and candy handy.
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Whoa, one month! Thanks for your feedback. I sort of thought this was the case but wanted to confirm what you experienced! 
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Yes, that’s me, too. 70-90. My target range is usually set to 60-120 on my pump and various graphical software I use for reviewing BGs. Sometimes I’ll increase it to 140 when I’m experiencing a lot of highs! :(
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i tend to over-react, according to my husband, when it comes to anything above 120. so, you must imagine how i get when i am having a rough time (typically with social occasions at restaurants) and i spike. i am a total control freak, type A personality. i can be so silly. even while i was dealing with my pneumonia, i was on a 175% TB just so that i could keep my BGs in great target throughout. thank God for my PUMP!!! i havent been using the dexcom at all. it made me nuts, giving me endless false lows and some false highs. totally unreliable for me. i prefer finger sticks totally, even if i have to do 20 a day. HAHA!! 
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Yep, me, too! I have my xDrip+ high alarm set to 100, and if it continues to go up I will do a bolus. Have to be careful though because you never know when it will suddenly go in reverse!
Wow, I know that must have been a challenge keeping your BGs in target when you were sick for so long. I’ve not had pneumonia before but even just a cold or flu causes my BGs to sky ticket. I’m never able to keep them even close to in target! 
Stay warm!! Looks like the Chicago weather is on its way!
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Oh, I didn’t know you stopped. That is too bad it doesn’t work for you. I had the same problem and then I switched to xdrip+ and it worked so much better for me than the Dexcom software. It still has values that are way off so I still do finger sticks. It is just nice to see the overall BG trend and historical data even if it isn’t totally reliable! :( If you still have your Dexcom you might want to give xdrip a try. You need an Android phone though.
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thats one of the main reasons that i dont like using the dexcom; i consistantly got endless false lows and false highs, which made me do a finger stick that was completely unnessesary; i ended up doing MORE finger sticks ON the dexcom than i did without it. and, my control is so tight, i dont see why i should waste my time and my emotional stability using it. but thats just me. we’re all so different.
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It was huge for me, but I thought I would inject both for after-run peak and a major refuel (about 80 carbs). So it seemed to make sense. But it did not work out. I probably ran into a hormone peak right after running: mine come randomly so I never know when to expect them. Yesterday I tuned my treatment, and injected 4U 30 minutes before the end of my run: it worked nicely.
Yes, I do. But I had timed the 8.5 20 minutes before the end of my run, so it would not have had time to impact me. Now I try to time in injection while I am running about 30 minutes before the end of my run, so that i can refuel as soon as possible afterwards. I would plummet if I was still running about 34-40 minutes after an injection.
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Hi @Trying, thanks for putting up a numbers thread for your runs! It is very helpful. I have been trying to tune up my runs for a couple of months. I was progressively increasing how much I lowered my basal, and how early I injected for refueling. After reading your thread and comparing it to @Nickyghaleb and @Eric I went and lowered my basal much further–it is the right thing to do for me and it is much better.
I try to do the same too. But my runs are shorter than yours, normally 45-75 minutes.
For me it is quite different. I get a big high after running, but none after swimming, unless I am in a competition. But I am realizing that, for basal, it may not be so different. I used to suspend 30 minutes before practice for swimming. Now I am up to 80% lower for running, and it is working better than anything I have done before.
I think it may be the hills. I will try to run in the flat for a couple of weeks to see if it is different.
I will start putting some of my run numbers up as well on a separate thread.
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I still use my Dexcom app, and it works most of the time, but it can get noisier. It will hang on me if I am dehydrated, so I work hard at staying well hydrated.
@Trying, is your first screenshot xDrip+ and your last one NightScout?
I can’t use xDrip on iOS. But I am looking for a better app that displays BG, injections and carbs. Spike is not very common so I am not sure it is the right one for me.
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That would be great! I know we are all different but still, I learn so much from others, esp @Eric, @daisymae and @Nickyghaleb who have generously shared and documented their experiences and provided feedback! I’m still just trying to apply what I’ve learned!
My very first screenshot is from Tidepool. But to get the CGM data to Tidepool, I use xDrip+ as you correctly surmised. It is a relatively new feature of xDrip+, sending CGM data directly to Tidepool in near real time. I upload the OmniPod pump data directly to Tidepool via their Uploader, so it is a manual connection and action 
Still, nice to see everything at one glance. Hoping Tidepool will soon make their step/activity model available via the app so we can see our running, too
The 2nd screenshot is from xDrip+, my Android phone. Steps (the fuzzy circles indicating activity) come from my Sony Smartwatch which I wear while running and then it is synced w/ the phone upon re-connecting (within bluetooth range) after the run.
The next screenshots are mostly of Tidepool again. And then, yes, you are correct, the last screenshot is from Nightscout As you probably already know, xDrip+ uploads CGM data directly to Nightscout as data is read (via the transmitter), and is similar to Tidepool. I use another app, Nightscout Uploader, to upload my OmniPod pump data to NightScout (actually, to my mlab db which stores the data for NightScout). Most of that pump data (NOT temp basals) then gets synced to xDrip+. So currently, xDrip+ is the only app that shows both CGM, most pump data (but NOT temp basals yet, but it should soon as promised by the developers), and Steps. NightScout COULD, too, but it is not yet implemented. Same w/ Tidepool
Sorry for the lonnnnng, drawn-out response! I haven’t used Spike before so I’m not sure if it can display all pertinent data. I’m happy w/ xDrip+ and its advanced features which continues to be tweaked and improved, but yes, it is Android! I use an old Samsung Galaxy Note 4 but I also have a Jelly which is a tiny smartphone that can easily fit in a water bottle side pocket. I don’t use it for xDrip+ because I have the smartwatch but many do and find it convenient. Also, I think there is a stripped down version of xDrip for iOS but I don’t have any first hand knowledge of it.
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Hey, that is my temp reduction, too! I am so glad it is working better for you. It is all trial and error, but eventually we find a good spot!
Another frigid day today! My ultra runner friend convinced me that it was warm out though and we did our 10 miler! We both did indeed get toasty 
I had similar results to yesterday, but was a bit low to start out, so I ate 2 Kirkland jelly fruits (4g carb) before starting. I drank TWO nutritional shakes (32g carb) post-run with 2U bolus. It put me a bit high, BG 106, so took a 0.40U correction. Still not bad! I think I am beginning to feel I have more energy from the extra refueling.
Overnight my BGs were persistently, slightly high, around BG 115. I’m not sure if this is due to the 2 Glucerna drinks I had post-run yesterday, or simply a bad OmniPod which I ended up changing around 3:30 AM. I think it was the pod because after the change, my BGs started to come down. I will see how tonight goes 
Here’s today’s xDrip+ graph.
And the numbers…
- 1/2 hr pre run-start: BG 70 (Dex), Temp Basal reduced by 80% for 2 HRs: 0.5U/hr down to 0.1U/hr
- 1/2 hr pre run- end : Resume normal Basal (0.5U/hr)
- Run-start: 11:30 AM, BG 72 (Dex), IOB 0U, eat 2 Kirkland jelly fruits (4g carb)
- Run-end: 1:30 PM (with a couple of stops, so @1 hr 50 mins run), BG 92 (Dex) - too cold to do finger stick!, Bolus 2U immediately upon end
- Post-run: 2:10 PM BG 90 (Dex), drink 2 Glucerna Chocolate Shake 32g carb
- Post run: 4:39 PM BG 106 (Dex) … take 0.4U correction.
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Your numbers look great!
I have found the “flip-top” mittens are easy to use for cold weather. I wear my normal finger-less gloves under them, and it’s easy to test and cover right back up.
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@Eric oh, I like these, and the fingerless gloves idea. I just had glove liners and my shirt cuff as a mitten. Worked well while running, but my fingers had no blood to give in today’s weather once I stopped
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Sorry for the long delay in posting to this thread. I actually injured my ankle (tripped over a rock) and it took me a couple of weeks to recover. Back to running now regularly but my ankle is still weak so am doing each run very cautiously!
As a result, my BGs have been fairly erratic and it has taken me some time to get back into applying all I’ve learned on FUD techniques for running!! Two days ago, my run was just awful. I managed to run @10 miles, but for the first hour my BGs just kept climbing, and climbing. I finally gave myself 1U, and of course, that is when my BGs decided to finally feel the exercise and start to plummet. I did pretty much everything wrong, too. So I won’t go into that run!!!
Yesterday’s run was better. But as you can see in the graph, I started out high overnight (due to the previous days run and mistakes!). I tried to apply my FUD running techniques, and it mostly worked. However, you’ll see in the graph that the Dexcom CGM shows many lows during the run. I did not feel low though, but did eat 1 fruit gummy which I believe is 2g carb. At run end, my BG meter reading was 68, while Dexcom continued to show low of 43! I re-calibrated and Dex eventually re-calibrated itself.
I’m still experimenting with the refueling, so only had 1 boost 16g carb at end of run while taking 1U bolus. This seemed to work but I know I probably need to increase carbs for refueling. I think I could have taken 2U and drank 2 boosts for 32g carbs.
Overnight my BGs were good, in range, but around 4:30 this morning I suddenly started to go down!
I let it go since I would soon be getting up anyway and having breakfast. By the time I ate I was LOW and even now I’m only 79 after eating! I may need to adjust my temp basal again now that I’m running regularly.
Here’s yesterday’s run Tidepool graph.
And the numbers…
- 1/2 hr pre run-start: BG 90 (cgm), Temp Basal reduced by 80% for 2.5 HRs: 0.5U/hr down to 0.1U/hr
- Run- end: Resume normal Basal (0.5U/hr)
- Run-start: 13:16, BG 95 (meter), IOB 0U
- Run-end: 15:35, BG 43 (cgm), BG 68 (meter), Bolus 1U immediately upon end
- Post-run: 16:00, drink 1 Boost Chocolate Shake 16g carb
- Post run: 17:21, BG 94
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The BG test numbers look good, that’s what’s important!
Was it 20% basal the whole time and only 2 grams of carbs during the run?
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Yes, the meter numbers were good, Dexcom not though! I don’t think it was accurate since I didn’t feel those lows.
Yes, 20% (0.1U) the whole time this time. I usually resume 1/2 hr before end of run, but since it looked like was low, I kept it at 20% of normal basal. Yes, only 2g during the run since I didn’t really trust the numbers Dex was giving.
Off to try again…
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So today’s run was pretty good, despite Dex showing some lows. I didn’t feel low, but I decided to eat 5 fruit gummies at various points along the route, for total of 10g carbs, just in case. That seemed to largely work as my end run BG was 64 on meter, 49 on cgm. Course, I’d rather not have to eat anything! Maybe I should have reduced my basal earlier than 30 minutes prior to the run as I was already on the low (BG 74) side.
The real mistake was I bolused 1U after the run, but didn’t drink my Boost 'til 30 minutes later. That seems to be too long of a wait as I went low within 15 minutes of the insulin I think that was due to being on the low side even before I started the run. So all these mistakes are related!! Live and learn! 
I ended up suspending my basal completely for 1/2 hr, and now I’m at 101, nearly 2 hours post-run, still trending up.
xDrip+ graph:
And the numbers…
- 1/2 hr pre run-start: 12:34, BG 74 (cgm), Temp Basal reduced by 80% for 2.5 HRs: 0.5U/hr down to 0.1U/hr
- Run- end: Resume normal Basal (0.5U/hr)
- Run-start: 13:02, BG 74 (cgm), IOB 0U
- Run-end: 15:17, BG 49 (cgm), BG 64 (meter), Bolus 1U immediately upon end
- Post-run: 15:47, BG 58 (cgm), drink 1 Boost Chocolate Shake 16g carb
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That’s awesome!
Do you ever test while running?
Depending on how hard you are working (and therefore, how much muscle glycogen you are using versus fat metabolism), for anything over an hour it’s very useful to have carbs during the run.
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