Up Down Up Down

There aren't too many friendships where, on the first date you go for tea, the second you go for a nice 5k run by the canal and, by the third, you're doing hill training in the pouring rain. The fourth has already been booked and will involve running 800m intervals until we drop.  Fun!

As promised, Scully and I met up after work yesterday to run hills.  She showed up at my place and, within minutes, we were comparing glucometers, insulin pump insertion sites, basal rates, pre-running carb options and running belts.  She even brought me two of her tummietote belts to try. Thank you!!

Because we are not only T1s but are also runners, we talked about resting heart rates, marathon training schedules and running paces.  It's great to be able to talk the talk with someone who knows the lingo.

So back to hills.

Running on relatively flat surfaces is one thing. Hill training is a very different beast and something that is hard to really understand until you do it. So Scully bravely headed out with Doug and I, not quite sure what she was getting herself in to. We ran down to the bottom of the hill, turned around and ran part way up (three hydro poles to be exact).  Back down to the bottom and then up four hydro poles.  And five. And six. And so forth until we finally got to the top. Every time, Doug took off like a rocket, I ran my pace and Scully was a few steps behind.  The farther up the hill we ran, the more she closed the distance. 

Did I mention that this was her first official hill training session? 

And that this is something I've been doing semi-regularly for three years?

She is one strong runner!

Every time we got to the top, we caught our breath and caught up on our numbers.  How's your sugar?  How's your heart rate? 

Once we made it to the top of the hill, I said that I would normally do one more hill and then head home.  She suggested two.

Atta girl!

After the run, I suggested that Scully join Doug and I next week again for some 800m interval training.  She readily agreed.  I explained exactly what we are going to do so that she knows how long the run will be and can figure out what to do about adjusting basal rates.  'Cause us diabetics gotta know these things.

In exchange for hill and interval training, I am going to be dragged going to Hamilton at some point to try stair climbing.  Apparently it's a great workout that I will feel for days afterwards. 

Gulp.