So I am sick, it sucks but the head cold moved to my chest and that killed my aspirations of racing today. However, all was not lost. I have been thinking and reading about Diabetes and exercise.
I no longer fear the lows, I can control them quite well these days as I have a CGM and I have been modifying my doses to accommodate my changing needs. The last couple nights I have had less than 1mmol/L drop over an 8hour period. I am OK with that. The piece of the puzzle I am still working on is the post exercise hyperglycemia. It is still like throwing darts, but I am close.
What I currently try to do for moderate/long runs:
- Temp basal down to 25% – 30% 1.5hrs-2hrs prior to run, I don’t know an exact timing yet.
- 15min-20min prior to finish of run, return basal to normal or another temp basal at 110%-125%, I don’t know the number yet. Bolus at least 1unite-1.5units of insulin and use CGM to gauge correction dosage in addition. I know the CGM shouldn’t be used for dosing but it is practical.
The results are generally OK and with the more aggressive dosages I have been able to keep my glucose below 10mmol/L. I still have to wait to eat any real carbohydrates unless I am correcting a low though. It seems that carbohydrates work a lot quicker after a run.
The problem is that I am using the force too much for my liking here. And there is some risk involved if I where to not be able to stop. Then again, I can just walk the rest. That is an important safety feature of a temporary basal reduction during exercise. It only takes a few minutes for my glucose to start to rise if I don’t have extra insulin in me post run. If I were to run out of carbohydrate sources, I can just walk easily and my glucose will rise quickly.
As for during the run, I will eat about 20g-25g of carbohydrate an hour and usually will not drop too much. I am happy in the 5-7mmol/L range and will usually not eat until I get there. This helps with the post run hyperglycemia as I am starting at an OK number.
Well more reading and hopefully I can run tomorrow. I signed up for a Strava challenge this month to run as much vertical as possible and I am really excited. Hills are fun.
rest up and good luck for your next race!