By the time this blog post is posted I will have gone for a Friday morning 28k bike ride.
After work tonight I am playing 18 holes of golf which means I'm walking 10k.
Saturday morning, I'm running 14k as part of my half marathon training plan.
Saturday afternoon, we are golfing another 18 holes of golf which means another 10k of walking.
Sunday I am heading to Toronto for a 1500m open water swim race in Lake Ontario.
If all goes well and there are no rogue thunder storms to ruin my plans, I will have clocked 63.5k of exercise between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon.
Some people look forward to weekends so they can relax.
I look forward to weekends so I can move.
Moving, as we all know, does a body good.
It's also rather addictive. The more you do it, the more your body wants it. As an added bonus, the more I do it, the more my blood sugars are happy.
By Sunday evening, I will be pleasantly worn out and more than happy to flop on the couch. But it will be that good kinda worn out where the body feels powerful and strong and proud of all the things it can do. And my blood sugar will be hovering in a range where I can enjoy a few pieces of chocolate and probably not even need to bolus for them.
How wonderful is that?
Showing posts with label blood sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood sugar. Show all posts
Friday, August 14, 2015
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
My First Official Brick Workout
Saturday morning I woke up before my alarm. I immediately turned my basal insulin down to 50% for 4 hours. I got dressed, had a bowl of Dorset cereal with kefir and a banana sliced on top for which I took 1.5 units of insulin instead of 5.
I was heading to my first Saturday morning brick training workout and had no idea what to do with my insulin or my blood sugar. I was playing it very conservatively because I did not want to find myself having to pull over in the middle of a workout due to a low.
I tossed my running shoes and my glucometer into a bag, along with six emergency packages of fruit chews (in addition to the four that were already shoved into my the bag on my bike) and headed off. I was the first one to arrive. Followed soon after by three very young, lean, fit-looking people with bikes that could eat mine for breakfast.
I forced myself not to bolt and ignored the voice in my head that said to run away now while no one knew me so they'd never know who the crazy girl was who showed up and then left.
Two friends showed up, thank heavens, and assured me that I would indeed be fine. Perhaps a little tired at the end but fine.
The plan for the day was the following. Cycle about 5k to one of the athlete's houses. Our coach would bring his car loaded with our shoes and meet us there. Then head off for a hilly 12k (or so) ride (at tempo pace) to a meeting point. From there, we would do a 5 1/2k loop at race pace. Most people would do it three times. A few of us, including me, would do it twice. Cycle back to our shoes. Go for a run. My run was to be a 2k run (run out 1k, turn around, run back), rest two minutes, then run out 1k again, rest 1 minute, and run back 1k. Cycle about 6k home.
Grand total: 42k of riding. 4k of running. Time spent moving: a little over 2 hours.
That's how it worked out on paper. Here's how it worked out in real life.
Five minutes before leaving, my pump alarmed to tell me that battery in my continuous glucose monitor transmitter was low and instructed me to order a new one. Bloody hell! I've worn this transmitter for about 8 months now. I knew that would happen eventually but not on the Saturday of a long weekend. I couldn't order a new one until Tuesday now and I have no idea how long a low battery will survive. Hours? Days? Weeks? I tossed my glucometer in my bag just in case and headed out, grateful for and yet cursing technology.
I kept up fairly well during the warm-up ride. Everyone did a 'leisurely' 25km/hour pace and I pedalled madly to keep up. It worked. I was quite warm quite quickly.
The tempo ride up and down the hills outside of town was faster than my race pace. It was crazy. Everyone else was just gone. One friend, who was on an easy week to recover from her Olympic triathlon the week before, held back with me but the rest of the group was just gone. I would have despaired if I wasn't so freaking proud of myself for keeping up such an aggressive pace (for me anyway).
Then came the 5 1/2k loops. "I want you to race this" were the instructions. And I want your times at the end of the loop because we'll do this again in a few weeks.
"I've been going faster than race pace already" I mumbled. "This should be interesting".
It was. The loop had some pretty tough sections with some pretty steep hills. I pedalled hard up the hills and hard on the flats. We finished the loop in about 14 minutes. Rest two minutes and do it again.
The instructions on the way back were 'go at tempo pace. Don't race it but it shouldn't be easy.'
I was dropped, and I mean dropped, within a minute. I lost sight of everyone despite forcing my tired legs to dig deep and hold a 30+ km/hour pace on anything that looked remotely flat. By the time I made it back to the meeting point, everyone else was in the running shoes and ready to run.
I changed quickly, received my instructions and headed off...for what turned out to be a really good run.
I ran the kilometres in 6:12, 6:18, 5:49 and 5:54 min/k. Anyone who knows my running speed knows that this is crazy fast. And yet it felt pretty comfortable.
I cycled home, guzzled my chocolate milk, stretched, showered and spent the day not doing too much. It was fun and I'll definitely do it again.
Blood sugar report: I hung out around 10.0 for most of the bike ride. I had dropped to 7.9 by the time we were ready to cycle back so I had a package of fruit chews. I finished the run at 8.9 and was 6.9 by the time I got home. That, my friends, is success!
I was heading to my first Saturday morning brick training workout and had no idea what to do with my insulin or my blood sugar. I was playing it very conservatively because I did not want to find myself having to pull over in the middle of a workout due to a low.
I tossed my running shoes and my glucometer into a bag, along with six emergency packages of fruit chews (in addition to the four that were already shoved into my the bag on my bike) and headed off. I was the first one to arrive. Followed soon after by three very young, lean, fit-looking people with bikes that could eat mine for breakfast.
I forced myself not to bolt and ignored the voice in my head that said to run away now while no one knew me so they'd never know who the crazy girl was who showed up and then left.
Two friends showed up, thank heavens, and assured me that I would indeed be fine. Perhaps a little tired at the end but fine.
The plan for the day was the following. Cycle about 5k to one of the athlete's houses. Our coach would bring his car loaded with our shoes and meet us there. Then head off for a hilly 12k (or so) ride (at tempo pace) to a meeting point. From there, we would do a 5 1/2k loop at race pace. Most people would do it three times. A few of us, including me, would do it twice. Cycle back to our shoes. Go for a run. My run was to be a 2k run (run out 1k, turn around, run back), rest two minutes, then run out 1k again, rest 1 minute, and run back 1k. Cycle about 6k home.
Grand total: 42k of riding. 4k of running. Time spent moving: a little over 2 hours.
That's how it worked out on paper. Here's how it worked out in real life.
Five minutes before leaving, my pump alarmed to tell me that battery in my continuous glucose monitor transmitter was low and instructed me to order a new one. Bloody hell! I've worn this transmitter for about 8 months now. I knew that would happen eventually but not on the Saturday of a long weekend. I couldn't order a new one until Tuesday now and I have no idea how long a low battery will survive. Hours? Days? Weeks? I tossed my glucometer in my bag just in case and headed out, grateful for and yet cursing technology.
I kept up fairly well during the warm-up ride. Everyone did a 'leisurely' 25km/hour pace and I pedalled madly to keep up. It worked. I was quite warm quite quickly.
The tempo ride up and down the hills outside of town was faster than my race pace. It was crazy. Everyone else was just gone. One friend, who was on an easy week to recover from her Olympic triathlon the week before, held back with me but the rest of the group was just gone. I would have despaired if I wasn't so freaking proud of myself for keeping up such an aggressive pace (for me anyway).
Then came the 5 1/2k loops. "I want you to race this" were the instructions. And I want your times at the end of the loop because we'll do this again in a few weeks.
"I've been going faster than race pace already" I mumbled. "This should be interesting".
It was. The loop had some pretty tough sections with some pretty steep hills. I pedalled hard up the hills and hard on the flats. We finished the loop in about 14 minutes. Rest two minutes and do it again.
The instructions on the way back were 'go at tempo pace. Don't race it but it shouldn't be easy.'
I was dropped, and I mean dropped, within a minute. I lost sight of everyone despite forcing my tired legs to dig deep and hold a 30+ km/hour pace on anything that looked remotely flat. By the time I made it back to the meeting point, everyone else was in the running shoes and ready to run.
I changed quickly, received my instructions and headed off...for what turned out to be a really good run.
I ran the kilometres in 6:12, 6:18, 5:49 and 5:54 min/k. Anyone who knows my running speed knows that this is crazy fast. And yet it felt pretty comfortable.
I cycled home, guzzled my chocolate milk, stretched, showered and spent the day not doing too much. It was fun and I'll definitely do it again.
Blood sugar report: I hung out around 10.0 for most of the bike ride. I had dropped to 7.9 by the time we were ready to cycle back so I had a package of fruit chews. I finished the run at 8.9 and was 6.9 by the time I got home. That, my friends, is success!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
A Temporary Kindred Spirit
Every once in a while I get to talk to someone who shares something in common with me. Perhaps it's a love of running. Or of open water swimming. Or perhaps it's a faulty pancreas.
Last weekend I met up with a few high school friends for lunch. One of my friends brought his partner along. His partner, a great guy as it turns out, alluded to some health issues he had recently had, I asked a few questions and the next thing I knew we were talking about faulty pancreases (pancrei?).
He doesn't have type 1 but he did go through a period where he was on insulin (up to five injections a day). He's now down to a few pills per day and will hopefully be right as rain in a few more months. But for now, he was browsing the brunch menu with a certain look in his eye.
"Once your pancreas starts sputtering, everything becomes all about carbs doesn't it?" I asked.
His eyes widened "yes, exactly!" he said.
"Food is no longer just food. Now you have to think before you put anything into your mouth" I said.
"It changes everything" he responded.
Someday soon, I hope, he will be completely over the health issues he suffered and will no longer have to think about every food choice he makes.
It was nice to have a kindred spirit at the table who understood how different a menu looks when everything you eat really does matter.
But I'll be happy for him when he gets to be like my other three friends. Laughing and chatting and deciding at the last second what to order based on what sounded good and what the person before them had asked for.
Over the years I have recruited a lot of people to my running, cycling and swimming ways. The world probably has a few more curlers and golfers too thanks to the fact that I decided to join up.
And over the years I have learned to thrive in spite of (or more likely because of) the fact that my body does not produce insulin. It has given me the secret handshake to a few other clubs full of wonderful people that I will be forever grateful to have met.
But I would never wish a faulty pancreas on anyone. And I don't begrudge in the least the fact that the next time all we friends get together, he most likely won't be thinking about carbs and blood sugar.
Good for him.
If only we could all be so lucky.
Last weekend I met up with a few high school friends for lunch. One of my friends brought his partner along. His partner, a great guy as it turns out, alluded to some health issues he had recently had, I asked a few questions and the next thing I knew we were talking about faulty pancreases (pancrei?).
He doesn't have type 1 but he did go through a period where he was on insulin (up to five injections a day). He's now down to a few pills per day and will hopefully be right as rain in a few more months. But for now, he was browsing the brunch menu with a certain look in his eye.
"Once your pancreas starts sputtering, everything becomes all about carbs doesn't it?" I asked.
His eyes widened "yes, exactly!" he said.
"Food is no longer just food. Now you have to think before you put anything into your mouth" I said.
"It changes everything" he responded.
Someday soon, I hope, he will be completely over the health issues he suffered and will no longer have to think about every food choice he makes.
It was nice to have a kindred spirit at the table who understood how different a menu looks when everything you eat really does matter.
But I'll be happy for him when he gets to be like my other three friends. Laughing and chatting and deciding at the last second what to order based on what sounded good and what the person before them had asked for.
Over the years I have recruited a lot of people to my running, cycling and swimming ways. The world probably has a few more curlers and golfers too thanks to the fact that I decided to join up.
And over the years I have learned to thrive in spite of (or more likely because of) the fact that my body does not produce insulin. It has given me the secret handshake to a few other clubs full of wonderful people that I will be forever grateful to have met.
But I would never wish a faulty pancreas on anyone. And I don't begrudge in the least the fact that the next time all we friends get together, he most likely won't be thinking about carbs and blood sugar.
Good for him.
If only we could all be so lucky.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Gravenhurst Olympic Triathlon Report Card
The Gravenhurst tri is in the books and what a fun day that was!
Race wise, it went fairly well.
I decided to wear my new wetsuit for the swim and I'm sure it helped. I finished the 1500m swim in 30:44 and came out 9/29 in my age group. That put me at 87/327 overall. Swimming is definitely my best sport.
The bike went quite well. I had hoped to keep an average pace of 25km/hour but didn't know if I could on a hilly course. I finished the 40k ride in 1:33:08 and my average pace was 25.77km/hour. So I was thrilled with that. I was 18/29 in my age group and 250/327 overall. So I obviously have some work to do on the bike.
The run, on the other hand, was just brutal. The temperature was hot and humid - in the 30s, with beating sun and no shade to speak of. The course is tough and very hilly. And I just fell apart. I ran some, I walked some. I ran a bit. I walked some more. By the end I had given up even trying to run up the hills but I did force myself to run the flats and the downs. It took me 1:20:11 to run 10k. At least 15 minutes longer than I had hoped.
But, if you add my two transitions times (2:39 and 3:01), my overall time was 3:29:43 which was pretty much the 3 1/2 hours I had figured it would take me.
Diabetes-wise, it went ok but not great.
I had my race-day basal profile programmed into my pump and, as planned, I had two dates (with salt) right before the swim. When I got out of the water it take a while for Rose to find the signal again so I was riding blind when I hopped on the bike. I did not know what my blood sugar was.
A few minutes into the bike, she started vibrating which meant that she found the signal and I was either over 10 or under 4. I figured I was over 10. Every few minutes she would vibrate again and I was trying to figure out the best way to dig her out from inside my outfit and check while riding as fast as I could on a hilly course. I waited for a flat section, pulled her out and glanced down.
I couldn't see anything.
I was so bright that I couldn't read the screen and my dark sunglasses made it even harder. I pulled those up and looked under them. Nothing. I tried a few more angles. Nothing.
Bloody hell.
The only option was to a) keep riding and go by feel or b) pull over, stop, unclip and check.
I kept riding.
At 30k, I ate two more dates. Rose had stopped vibrating which meant that I was between 4.0 and 10.0 but I had no idea where or whether I was climbing or dropping.
In transition, I checked Rose again and this time I could read the screen. It was 6.3 which was great but not high enough for a 10k run. So I ate a package of fruit chews and headed out. Before the first kilometre, Rose was vibrating and I had a headache. I was climbing fast and, by kilometre 2 I was 16.4. What the hell?!?
I drank water at every stop but just kept climbing. So I did what I never do in a race and I took insulin. Two and a half units of it, at the 4k mark. I figured I had to finish the remaining 6k before I dropped too low.
I did and was back down to 8.0 by the finish line. My headache was gone and I stayed within range for the rest of the afternoon, even after chocolate milk, orange slices and a piece of pizza.
So not bad overall but there is certainly room for improvement. Including figuring out how to keep tabs on my blood sugar on the bike.
Some photos for those of you who like the visuals.
Squeezing my caboose into a wetsuit is never easy or pretty. Doug often helps by giving it a good yank.
All aboard the steamship and ready to head to the start line.
All I kept thinking as I approached the dock was "Oh don't end yet, this swim is awesome!"
Sucking back some Nuun before hopping on the bike.
Roar!
Heading out for the run. I feel great. Let me wave to the camera. (That feeling changed about 2 minutes later but it was nice while it lasted).
I'm back, I'm alive. Sorry it took so long!
Couldn't resist a wetsuit-free swim in the early morning hours before we headed home.
So very peaceful and a wonderful way to end another Gravenhurst adventure.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
3am Math
The room temperature was perfect.
The sheets were cool and comfortable.
It was 3am, the room was quiet and we were both sound asleep.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!!!!
Bloody Hell!
We were both jolted awake as if by a gunshot.
Rose was yelling at me that my blood sugar was below 3.1.
I took a look at her graph and saw that I had held steady in the low 4s for a few hours and then, in the space of five minutes, I dove from 4 to 3.1. Which means that I skipped right past the slightly less jarring vibration warning that I was below 4.0 and went straight into the extremely effective, heart-stopping BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!! that only happens when I drop below 3.1.
As I lay in bed, I quickly weighted my options.
I had Dex 4s by the bed, also known as glucose tablets.
Dex 4 pros: The pure sugar in those tablets causes my sugar to climb rapidly meaning that I would probably be back above 4.0 before the next blood sugar check that Rose was going to do. Meaning that we could fall right back to sleep without having to be jarred awake again by another one of her very helpful yet annoying warnings that I was still below 4.0.
Dex 4 cons: Dex 4s help me climb quickly into the safe zone but they don't keep me there. If I don't eat something of substance, I typically drop back down below 4.0 again within an hour or so. No thanks.
I also had a package of fig newtons by the bed. I mean doesn't everyone?
Pros: fig newtons help keep my blood sugar up. The combination of more complex carbs (versus pure sugar) and protein get me up and keep me there.
Cons: it can take a while to digest them and I usually have to wait out a good 30 minutes of Rose vibrating me awake before I climb back above 4.0.
I also had the option of lowering my basal rate.
Pros: with less insulin in my system, I would be at less risk of a second low.
Cons: lowering my basal rate is not an option for treating an immediate low. I can only help prevent a future one.
Did I mention that it was 3am and, not thirty-seconds earlier I had been having a lovely sleep?
I decided on the following combination:
I had two Dex 4s (a total of 8 carbs). The goal: get my sugar above 4.0 so Rose wouldn't vibrate and we could go back to sleep.
I had one fig newton (another 10 carbs). The goal: prevent my blood sugar from dropping back down again.
I also lowered my basal rate by 30% for 2 hours. The goal: make doubly sure I didn't drop back down.
I was conservative in the number of carbs I ate and the basal rate reduction I made so I wouldn't go from low to high, causing Rose to vibrate for an entirely different reason.
I ate my snack, changed my basal rate and, within a minute, I was floating back to sleep again.
When I woke up again at 6am, I saw that I had climbed from 3.1 to 7.0 and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Sometimes my 3am math works. Sometimes it doesn't.
This time it was bang on.
The sheets were cool and comfortable.
It was 3am, the room was quiet and we were both sound asleep.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!!!!
Bloody Hell!
We were both jolted awake as if by a gunshot.
Rose was yelling at me that my blood sugar was below 3.1.
I took a look at her graph and saw that I had held steady in the low 4s for a few hours and then, in the space of five minutes, I dove from 4 to 3.1. Which means that I skipped right past the slightly less jarring vibration warning that I was below 4.0 and went straight into the extremely effective, heart-stopping BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!! that only happens when I drop below 3.1.
As I lay in bed, I quickly weighted my options.
I had Dex 4s by the bed, also known as glucose tablets.
Dex 4 pros: The pure sugar in those tablets causes my sugar to climb rapidly meaning that I would probably be back above 4.0 before the next blood sugar check that Rose was going to do. Meaning that we could fall right back to sleep without having to be jarred awake again by another one of her very helpful yet annoying warnings that I was still below 4.0.
Dex 4 cons: Dex 4s help me climb quickly into the safe zone but they don't keep me there. If I don't eat something of substance, I typically drop back down below 4.0 again within an hour or so. No thanks.
I also had a package of fig newtons by the bed. I mean doesn't everyone?
Pros: fig newtons help keep my blood sugar up. The combination of more complex carbs (versus pure sugar) and protein get me up and keep me there.
Cons: it can take a while to digest them and I usually have to wait out a good 30 minutes of Rose vibrating me awake before I climb back above 4.0.
I also had the option of lowering my basal rate.
Pros: with less insulin in my system, I would be at less risk of a second low.
Cons: lowering my basal rate is not an option for treating an immediate low. I can only help prevent a future one.
Did I mention that it was 3am and, not thirty-seconds earlier I had been having a lovely sleep?
I decided on the following combination:
I had two Dex 4s (a total of 8 carbs). The goal: get my sugar above 4.0 so Rose wouldn't vibrate and we could go back to sleep.
I had one fig newton (another 10 carbs). The goal: prevent my blood sugar from dropping back down again.
I also lowered my basal rate by 30% for 2 hours. The goal: make doubly sure I didn't drop back down.
I was conservative in the number of carbs I ate and the basal rate reduction I made so I wouldn't go from low to high, causing Rose to vibrate for an entirely different reason.
I ate my snack, changed my basal rate and, within a minute, I was floating back to sleep again.
When I woke up again at 6am, I saw that I had climbed from 3.1 to 7.0 and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Sometimes my 3am math works. Sometimes it doesn't.
This time it was bang on.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Welland Triathlon Report
The first triathlon of 2015 is officially in the books.
The short version of the story goes something like this
Start swimming. Think "Omigod I forgot how much I loved open water swimming!!". Enjoy a strong swim where I am passed by two people but I pass at least 15 others. Turn at the last buoy and head for shore. Think "The swim is almost over. That's sad. Now I have to hop on the bike for 30k. Bloody hell". Cycle the first 15k thinking "wow, I'm faster than I thought I was. All the half marathon training and winter cycling on the trainer must have paid off". Turn around at 15k and think "nope, that was just a nice tailwind". Cycle 15k into a pretty strong headwind and think "my shoulders and my a$$ are killing me". Finish the bike ride, pull on my running shoes and think "it's only 7.5k. That's like 1/3 of a half marathon and you rocked a half marathon last weekend. You got this!". Run 7.5k without stopping at a strong and steady pace and think "this is the easiest triathlon run I've ever had. I feel great. I love triathlons!" Cross the finish line with a smile on my face and think "when's the next one!"
The longer version is, well, a little bit longer.
We got there super early because this crazy girl decided a 1pm the afternoon before the race that she needed to buy her very first wetsuit. Why?!? Because at 12:30pm she read the race report online and learned that the water temperature in the canal was 15C/59F. The wetsuit mandatory cutoff is 14C and there was no way I was getting there in the morning and finding out that I couldn't swim. So I sucked it up, drove to our local triathlon store, said "do you have any wetsuits in my size?", spent 15 minutes trying to get the damn thing on, felt ridiculous in it and yet walked out with it anyway, a few hundred dollars poorer.
So we got to the race 90 minutes early so I could a) pee a bunch of times before putting on the wetsuit, b) put on the wetsuit and c) swim in it for as long as it took to feel comfortable. Doug, the smart man that he is, set up his transition zone and headed back to the car for 45 minutes where it was warm.
I racked my bike as several other triathletes were arriving. They were all new to the sport and asked me a bunch of newbie questions that made me smile as I remembered wondering all of the same things not that long ago. One of the newbies noticed my pump and proudly showed me his Animas pump. Spotting another T1 in the wild means instant bonding and we kept cheering each other on every time we saw each other during the race.
The donning of the wetsuit went much better the second time. It helped that I knew what to expect, I came prepared with a plastic bag to wrap around my feet (to help them slide more easily) and I was in and zipped (by myself) in less than five minutes. I made my way down to the water where a bunch of folks were milling around trying to decide whether or not to go into the now 16C water. I greeted them all and walked right in. I forced myself to simply tread water for a few minutes while the cold water seeped into the wetsuit (what a strange feeling that is) and I made sure that I wasn't going to start panic-breathing. The water felt cold but manageable and I had no issues getting used to the tighter feel of a wetsuit. I swam a few hundred metres, made sure I wasn't going to freak out and then happily floated around chatting to all the others who were brave enough to get in.
I had a few diabetes issues to figure out at the last minute. First of all, tucking emergency carbs into the pockets of my triathlon suit was not going to work because there was no way to get to them once the wetsuit was on. I ended up stuffing two packages of fruit chews and a ziplock bag with two dates into the arms of my suit. It felt weird but worked fine.
I had also planned to be able to stalk my continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in the time leading up to the race but, once I put the suit on, I could no longer see Rose. And, even if I could, it would not have mattered anyway as she lost the CGM signal, not to be found again until I was finished the swim and took off the wetsuit. So I went on feel and had one date (with salt) 30 minutes before the start and one (again with salt) a minute or two before going in.
When the race started, I swam hard. I felt like I was swimming really fast and I had been told that I would feel that way but I wasn't sure if I just felt fast or if I really was fast. I passed a bunch of swimmers but that's typical for me. Swimming is definitely my forte in a triathlon.
Getting out of the wetsuit was tricky and awkward but I'm sure, with experience, it will be easier. It added a minute to my transition time but I wasn't too worried about that.
The bike ride was easy and fun for the first half and tough on the way back when I hit the headwind. I obviously have not had enough training on the bike and my body could feel it during the last 10k. I'll have to make a point of riding more and riding farther in the next month so that the 40k olympic distance ride doesn't feel quite so never-ending. I did have two dates (with salt) on the bike ride and drank a lot of NUUN in an effort to keep my electrolytes up and prevent a blood pressure crash on the run.
The run felt great. I approached it the same way I approached the half marathon last weekend. Run at a strong and steady pace, watch my heart rate and don't stop running. It worked well and, as I picked off the kilometres one by one, I enjoyed the moment rather than waiting for it to end.
I crossed the finish line with a blood sugar of 12. Not bad considering that I hadn't checked it before or during the race and had just done it all by feel. I had set a race day basal profile that was supposed to allow me to eat before the swim and during the ride which is exactly what I did. A glance at my CGM when I got home showed me that I had climbed pretty high (16+) during the bike ride but had dropped back down again by the end. So lows were not a problem but I hate being that high during a race. I'll have to tweak those basal numbers before the next race.
Here are the results for this year's race:
Swim 14:38.9 1:57min/100m (Overall 89/240 Gender 27/90 Category 4/18)
Bike 1:13:05 24:62km/hour (Overall 210/240 Gender 74/90 Category 13/18)
Run 51:43.7 6:53min/km (Overall 221/241 Gender 79/90 Category 15/18)
T1 3:23
T2 2:31
Total 2:27:50 (Overall 220/240 Gender 79/90 Category 15/18)
Compare it to the one I did two years ago:
Swim 14:30.00 1:55/100m (Overall 120/296 Gender 43/128 Category 7/20)
Bike 1:03:17 28.44km/hr (overall 224/296 Gender 81/128 Category 14/20)
Run 55:33:00 7:24min/km (Overall 262/296 Gender 105/128 Category 17/20)
T1 2:30
T2 2:39
Total 2:20:45 (Overall 243/296 Gender 99/120 Category 16/20)
The swim times are almost identical. Two years ago I was at my swimming peak, doing master's three times a week and super hardcore. This time I was nowhere near that level of swimming fitness but I did have a wetsuit. So perhaps it did make me faster.
The bike was a lot slower this year - no surprise there considering my lack of practice.
My run was 4 minutes faster which is great. It felt much better too. I remember really struggling in 2013 during that run.
No personal best and I obviously have some work to do if I want to place high on the bike and in the run but it sure was fun.
After a few days of trepidation last week I'm happy to announce that triathlon girl is back!!
Here are a few photos taken from Multisports' Facebook page, the fine folks who organize these great races.
The short version of the story goes something like this
Start swimming. Think "Omigod I forgot how much I loved open water swimming!!". Enjoy a strong swim where I am passed by two people but I pass at least 15 others. Turn at the last buoy and head for shore. Think "The swim is almost over. That's sad. Now I have to hop on the bike for 30k. Bloody hell". Cycle the first 15k thinking "wow, I'm faster than I thought I was. All the half marathon training and winter cycling on the trainer must have paid off". Turn around at 15k and think "nope, that was just a nice tailwind". Cycle 15k into a pretty strong headwind and think "my shoulders and my a$$ are killing me". Finish the bike ride, pull on my running shoes and think "it's only 7.5k. That's like 1/3 of a half marathon and you rocked a half marathon last weekend. You got this!". Run 7.5k without stopping at a strong and steady pace and think "this is the easiest triathlon run I've ever had. I feel great. I love triathlons!" Cross the finish line with a smile on my face and think "when's the next one!"
The longer version is, well, a little bit longer.
We got there super early because this crazy girl decided a 1pm the afternoon before the race that she needed to buy her very first wetsuit. Why?!? Because at 12:30pm she read the race report online and learned that the water temperature in the canal was 15C/59F. The wetsuit mandatory cutoff is 14C and there was no way I was getting there in the morning and finding out that I couldn't swim. So I sucked it up, drove to our local triathlon store, said "do you have any wetsuits in my size?", spent 15 minutes trying to get the damn thing on, felt ridiculous in it and yet walked out with it anyway, a few hundred dollars poorer.
So we got to the race 90 minutes early so I could a) pee a bunch of times before putting on the wetsuit, b) put on the wetsuit and c) swim in it for as long as it took to feel comfortable. Doug, the smart man that he is, set up his transition zone and headed back to the car for 45 minutes where it was warm.
I racked my bike as several other triathletes were arriving. They were all new to the sport and asked me a bunch of newbie questions that made me smile as I remembered wondering all of the same things not that long ago. One of the newbies noticed my pump and proudly showed me his Animas pump. Spotting another T1 in the wild means instant bonding and we kept cheering each other on every time we saw each other during the race.
The donning of the wetsuit went much better the second time. It helped that I knew what to expect, I came prepared with a plastic bag to wrap around my feet (to help them slide more easily) and I was in and zipped (by myself) in less than five minutes. I made my way down to the water where a bunch of folks were milling around trying to decide whether or not to go into the now 16C water. I greeted them all and walked right in. I forced myself to simply tread water for a few minutes while the cold water seeped into the wetsuit (what a strange feeling that is) and I made sure that I wasn't going to start panic-breathing. The water felt cold but manageable and I had no issues getting used to the tighter feel of a wetsuit. I swam a few hundred metres, made sure I wasn't going to freak out and then happily floated around chatting to all the others who were brave enough to get in.
I had a few diabetes issues to figure out at the last minute. First of all, tucking emergency carbs into the pockets of my triathlon suit was not going to work because there was no way to get to them once the wetsuit was on. I ended up stuffing two packages of fruit chews and a ziplock bag with two dates into the arms of my suit. It felt weird but worked fine.
I had also planned to be able to stalk my continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in the time leading up to the race but, once I put the suit on, I could no longer see Rose. And, even if I could, it would not have mattered anyway as she lost the CGM signal, not to be found again until I was finished the swim and took off the wetsuit. So I went on feel and had one date (with salt) 30 minutes before the start and one (again with salt) a minute or two before going in.
When the race started, I swam hard. I felt like I was swimming really fast and I had been told that I would feel that way but I wasn't sure if I just felt fast or if I really was fast. I passed a bunch of swimmers but that's typical for me. Swimming is definitely my forte in a triathlon.
Getting out of the wetsuit was tricky and awkward but I'm sure, with experience, it will be easier. It added a minute to my transition time but I wasn't too worried about that.
The bike ride was easy and fun for the first half and tough on the way back when I hit the headwind. I obviously have not had enough training on the bike and my body could feel it during the last 10k. I'll have to make a point of riding more and riding farther in the next month so that the 40k olympic distance ride doesn't feel quite so never-ending. I did have two dates (with salt) on the bike ride and drank a lot of NUUN in an effort to keep my electrolytes up and prevent a blood pressure crash on the run.
The run felt great. I approached it the same way I approached the half marathon last weekend. Run at a strong and steady pace, watch my heart rate and don't stop running. It worked well and, as I picked off the kilometres one by one, I enjoyed the moment rather than waiting for it to end.
I crossed the finish line with a blood sugar of 12. Not bad considering that I hadn't checked it before or during the race and had just done it all by feel. I had set a race day basal profile that was supposed to allow me to eat before the swim and during the ride which is exactly what I did. A glance at my CGM when I got home showed me that I had climbed pretty high (16+) during the bike ride but had dropped back down again by the end. So lows were not a problem but I hate being that high during a race. I'll have to tweak those basal numbers before the next race.
Here are the results for this year's race:
Swim 14:38.9 1:57min/100m (Overall 89/240 Gender 27/90 Category 4/18)
Bike 1:13:05 24:62km/hour (Overall 210/240 Gender 74/90 Category 13/18)
Run 51:43.7 6:53min/km (Overall 221/241 Gender 79/90 Category 15/18)
T1 3:23
T2 2:31
Total 2:27:50 (Overall 220/240 Gender 79/90 Category 15/18)
Compare it to the one I did two years ago:
Swim 14:30.00 1:55/100m (Overall 120/296 Gender 43/128 Category 7/20)
Bike 1:03:17 28.44km/hr (overall 224/296 Gender 81/128 Category 14/20)
Run 55:33:00 7:24min/km (Overall 262/296 Gender 105/128 Category 17/20)
T1 2:30
T2 2:39
Total 2:20:45 (Overall 243/296 Gender 99/120 Category 16/20)
The swim times are almost identical. Two years ago I was at my swimming peak, doing master's three times a week and super hardcore. This time I was nowhere near that level of swimming fitness but I did have a wetsuit. So perhaps it did make me faster.
The bike was a lot slower this year - no surprise there considering my lack of practice.
My run was 4 minutes faster which is great. It felt much better too. I remember really struggling in 2013 during that run.
No personal best and I obviously have some work to do if I want to place high on the bike and in the run but it sure was fun.
After a few days of trepidation last week I'm happy to announce that triathlon girl is back!!
Here are a few photos taken from Multisports' Facebook page, the fine folks who organize these great races.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Triathlon Trepidations
The summer of 2013 was a big summer in terms of triathlons. We did four of them. And I learned all sorts of things about triathlons and blood sugar management. So much so that I hardly thought about it by the end of the season. Kinda like how I handle long runs. After having done so many of them, I just know what I need to do.
Well after a summer off, I'm feeling decidedly out of practice in the triathlon department.
Thank heaven's I have a little book where I write things down. Like basal rate settings for every triathlon I did in 2013. I have a schedule that is broken up into 30 minute segments from 5am until 2pm, that includes timing for breakfast and snacks and bolus percentages for each, basal rates (by percentage and actual amounts), and a summary of how well it worked in case I forgot (which I did).
It's kinda like trying to read Spanish. I know enough to make out the message but wonder if I'm missing any of the subtleties.
So I guess I'll be programming my pump tonight with a race day basal profile. I'll be trusting my report from two years ago because I have nothing better to go on. I must admit that I'm feeling decidedly out of practice. I've only been back in the pool for a few weeks, I have only had one long bike ride and I just ran a half-marathon 5 days ago and my body is tired.
The good news is that I have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Two years ago, I had nothing of the sort so I had to rely on blood sugar checks in the transition zone. Now, other than during the swim where the CGM doesn't work, I'll be able to see what is happening before, during and after and Rose will warn me if I'm high or low. There is a comfort in that.
Come back on Monday and you can hear how it went. I don't expect to have many, if any, photos because Doug won't be out there supporting me this time. He'll be out there swimming, cycling and running with me. But I'm sure I'll have some stories to share and some lessons that we can all learn from.
Well after a summer off, I'm feeling decidedly out of practice in the triathlon department.
Thank heaven's I have a little book where I write things down. Like basal rate settings for every triathlon I did in 2013. I have a schedule that is broken up into 30 minute segments from 5am until 2pm, that includes timing for breakfast and snacks and bolus percentages for each, basal rates (by percentage and actual amounts), and a summary of how well it worked in case I forgot (which I did).
It's kinda like trying to read Spanish. I know enough to make out the message but wonder if I'm missing any of the subtleties.
So I guess I'll be programming my pump tonight with a race day basal profile. I'll be trusting my report from two years ago because I have nothing better to go on. I must admit that I'm feeling decidedly out of practice. I've only been back in the pool for a few weeks, I have only had one long bike ride and I just ran a half-marathon 5 days ago and my body is tired.
The good news is that I have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Two years ago, I had nothing of the sort so I had to rely on blood sugar checks in the transition zone. Now, other than during the swim where the CGM doesn't work, I'll be able to see what is happening before, during and after and Rose will warn me if I'm high or low. There is a comfort in that.
Come back on Monday and you can hear how it went. I don't expect to have many, if any, photos because Doug won't be out there supporting me this time. He'll be out there swimming, cycling and running with me. But I'm sure I'll have some stories to share and some lessons that we can all learn from.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon - Third Time's a Charm!
Yesterday was the fourth annual Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon. It was my third go at this race since I missed the second year due to injury. It's a great race that gets better every year and it's organized by a friend of ours so I am more than happy to support it.
Having run it twice before, there is a comfort in knowing what to expect and when to expect it. I know where the hills are, where the orange slices and jelly beans will be handed out and where those "will they ever get here' turnaround points are.
This year, I went in with more apprehension than I usually do. My training had been so fraught with tough long runs, blood pressure plummets and ear plugging fiascos that I was not sure what to expect. All I knew is that if the blood pressure stuff started too early, there was a chance that I'd have to walk a good portion of the race or, heaven forbid, not finish. Doug was out there to make sure that my blood sugar was taken care of but there wasn't much he could do for the blood pressure issues other than be there and, if necessary, drive me home.
My plan?
Forget any goal times and run to finish. Keep my heart rate under 165 at all costs, take salt tablets and electrolytes at every water station, and don't stop running if at all possible.
Oh, and wear my type 1 diabadass shirt for a little extra boost of confidence.
And that, my friends, is exactly what I did.
I ran easy. I kept a steady pace between 6:50-7:10 min/km, even when I felt like I could pick it up. If my watch alarm beeped to let me know my heart rate had climbed above 165, I slowed down until it came back down.
I stopped at every water station, had a salt tablet and either two edisks with water or some Powerade.
Guess what happened?
My ears did not plug.
My heart rate did not spike.
My blood pressure did not plummet.
My blood sugar held steady between 4.5-6.5 the entire time.
My energy held and I never once took a walk break (other than when gulping a cup of water or powerade of course). But my typical 18k crash never happened.
I ran the same pace at 19k that I ran at 2k and I felt fine from start to finish.
I finished in 2:33:52. Not my fastest time ever but certainly in the 2:30:00 give or take ten minutes range that I typically finish in.
I stood at the start line not quite sure if I would finish.
And I finished what turned out to be the easiest half marathon I have ever run.
Those pre-race jitters never do get any less jittery do they?
This might be my favourite running photo ever. Living life well with diabetes indeed!
All done!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Off to the Endo I go
I've uploaded the last month's worth of CGM data from Rose.
I've printed a summary of that data. Complete with pretty colours, pie charts and graphs.
I've breathed a sigh of relief after seeing how lovely my average blood glucose stats were. I then proudly saddle up beside Doug to show him so he could express his delight (or at least make supportive sounds as I clicked through the pages of data).
I have my blood pressure log with detailed notes about each pre and post long-run blood pressure fiasco. I also have my blood pressure meter set out on the counter.
I have my list of questions ready.
It's that time again.
Endo appointment time.
Here's hoping it's a little more helpful than my diabetes centre appointment was a few weeks ago.
I'll let you know next week how the A1C turned out and what her thoughts are on the blood pressure drop accompanied by heart rate spike that keeps happening during long runs.
I've printed a summary of that data. Complete with pretty colours, pie charts and graphs.
I've breathed a sigh of relief after seeing how lovely my average blood glucose stats were. I then proudly saddle up beside Doug to show him so he could express his delight (or at least make supportive sounds as I clicked through the pages of data).
I have my blood pressure log with detailed notes about each pre and post long-run blood pressure fiasco. I also have my blood pressure meter set out on the counter.
I have my list of questions ready.
It's that time again.
Endo appointment time.
Here's hoping it's a little more helpful than my diabetes centre appointment was a few weeks ago.
I'll let you know next week how the A1C turned out and what her thoughts are on the blood pressure drop accompanied by heart rate spike that keeps happening during long runs.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Operation Combo Bolus
Sunday was a rather bizarre day where everything ended up taking longer than it was supposed to take. We had a nice day but, by 6pm, we had only just arrived home and we were both too hot and tired to care much about cooking.
We decided to order sushi but, after picking our favourite sushi items from our take out menu, we discovered that our favourite sushi restaurant was closed on Sundays.
Plan B involved getting back in the car, still sweaty and sunscreen-covered, and driving to another sushi place downtown that was one of those all you can eat kinds.
"You sure you want to do this?" Doug asked. "Sushi usually messes up your blood sugar".
"Yes, I do want to do this" I replied "and I have a plan".
The code name of this plan was Operation Combo Bolus and I was about to take it out for it's first dry run.
I have been using an insulin pump for 6 years now and have known about the Combo Bolus since the beginning. Yet I have never used it. Not once.
Why?
Because it's always been described as a good tool for dealing with high fat high carb meals like pizza and I don't tend to eat too many of those types of meals. The concept makes sense - take insulin over an extended period of time so that it can work in harmony with the food that is digesting over a long period of time, avoiding post-meal highs hours after eating.
I decided to try it for all you can eat sushi night.
So we ordered our first few sushi rolls and I dialed in 6 units of insulin and a duration of one hour.
Every five minutes I could hear the pump gears whirling as I received another small dose of the 6 units of insulin.
I started my dinner with a blood sugar of about 7. We ended dinner and I was 8.0. We went home, did a few things, sat down to watch an episode of Bloodline and I continued to hover between 8.0-8.5. We went to bed three hours after finishing dinner and my blood sugar was holding steady.
No extra insulin needed to combat skyrocketing blood sugars.
No pre-bed snacks do deal with rage bolus-induced lows.
No midnight pump alarms ruining our sleep.
Operation Combo Bolus was a resounding success.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
When in Doubt, Trust the Feeling
Yesterday I wrote about having faith in diabetes systems, even when they do not always work.
Well, on Saturday, I ended up having to have faith in my ability to feel what my blood sugar is doing rather than relying on technology to keep me safe.
I have been using a Continuous Glucose Monitor now for about 18 months. When I put a new sensor in, the first day readings can be a little wonky and when the sensor starts failing, two or more weeks later, the readings can also be a little bizarre. But from the second day until the second week, it's usually extremely accurate. So much so that I will often treat highs and lows based on what the readings say
So on Saturday morning, when I headed out for a run with my 3-day old sensor, I had complete faith in the numbers.
I was 6.0 before the run. Since I was only (only!) running 10k, I had one date. That should have been plenty.
At the 5k mark, I did a quick check and discovered that Rose was buzzing to tell me that I was 3.8. I didn't feel 3.8 and I should not have been 3.8 but there it was, flashing on the screen. To be safe, I had a package of fruit chews.
I started running home. A few minutes later, Rose's ear-splitting siren alarm went off. The alarm that goes off when I'm under 3.1. It made no sense. I sure as hell did not feel 3.1 but, because she was telling me I did, I started feeling like I might be 3.1.
I refused to eat another package of fruit chews. I knew that one package should be enough and two packages would send me flying high in no time. So even as she kept alarming to tell me that I was 2.8, then 2.4, then 2.0 and then just plain "low", I kept running.
When I got home, I did a finger prick and discovered that I was 5.6.
I knew it!!
I re-calibrated Rose and, for the next 5-6 hours, she behaved herself.
Then, as we were sitting on the couch after a busy day of yard work, I started feeling low. I checked Rose and she said I was 7.0 and holding steady. And she had been accurate an hour before so she should be fine.
A few minutes later, I couldn't wish that low feeling away. I went to the kitchen and a finger prick told me that I was 3.8. Rose still said I was a lovely 7.0.
I had some maple syrup for the low and I shut down my 3-day old sensor. I waited an hour and then I restarted it. Two hours later, it was ready to go and I calibrated it.
Rose has been fine every since.
Well, on Saturday, I ended up having to have faith in my ability to feel what my blood sugar is doing rather than relying on technology to keep me safe.
I have been using a Continuous Glucose Monitor now for about 18 months. When I put a new sensor in, the first day readings can be a little wonky and when the sensor starts failing, two or more weeks later, the readings can also be a little bizarre. But from the second day until the second week, it's usually extremely accurate. So much so that I will often treat highs and lows based on what the readings say
So on Saturday morning, when I headed out for a run with my 3-day old sensor, I had complete faith in the numbers.
I was 6.0 before the run. Since I was only (only!) running 10k, I had one date. That should have been plenty.
At the 5k mark, I did a quick check and discovered that Rose was buzzing to tell me that I was 3.8. I didn't feel 3.8 and I should not have been 3.8 but there it was, flashing on the screen. To be safe, I had a package of fruit chews.
I started running home. A few minutes later, Rose's ear-splitting siren alarm went off. The alarm that goes off when I'm under 3.1. It made no sense. I sure as hell did not feel 3.1 but, because she was telling me I did, I started feeling like I might be 3.1.
I refused to eat another package of fruit chews. I knew that one package should be enough and two packages would send me flying high in no time. So even as she kept alarming to tell me that I was 2.8, then 2.4, then 2.0 and then just plain "low", I kept running.
When I got home, I did a finger prick and discovered that I was 5.6.
I knew it!!
I re-calibrated Rose and, for the next 5-6 hours, she behaved herself.
Then, as we were sitting on the couch after a busy day of yard work, I started feeling low. I checked Rose and she said I was 7.0 and holding steady. And she had been accurate an hour before so she should be fine.
A few minutes later, I couldn't wish that low feeling away. I went to the kitchen and a finger prick told me that I was 3.8. Rose still said I was a lovely 7.0.
I had some maple syrup for the low and I shut down my 3-day old sensor. I waited an hour and then I restarted it. Two hours later, it was ready to go and I calibrated it.
Rose has been fine every since.
Monday, May 4, 2015
A Bit of Faith
Diabetes is just enough of an a$$hole sometimes that it makes it impossible to have faith in the system.
Even when those devilish diabetes gods behave themselves and do the same thing 15 times in a row I I have trouble believing they will do the same thing on the 16th time. Why? Because, in the past, when they have lulled me into a state of compliance and I lowered my guard a tiny bit, that's when they like to throw a curveball (or a hand grenade) my way to shake things up.
Which is why it made it very difficult for me to have faith last Friday when we headed out to the golf course.
It was my first 18-hole game of the season. Eighteen holes means four hours of walking. We cover about 10k at a fairly leisurely but non-stop pace. We walk up hills and down valleys and back up again.
I learned a lot last summer during our rounds of golf and one key lesson I learned was that the only way to survive 18 holes was to play with my basal rates. Trying to do it by eating a few extra carbs was a recipe for disaster and I ended up eating way more than I wanted to.
Last summer I learned to lower my basal rates down to 40-50% for four hours, starting an hour before the game. At some point during the front 9 I would eat a Clif bar without bolusing any insulin for it. Seems pretty simple but it worked fairly well.
So on Friday, I lowered by basal insulin as planned. My blood sugar started dropping around the 4th hole so I ate my Clif bar. By the 6th hole, Rose is vibrating to say that my blood sugar was climbing quickly. By the 7th hole, I was above 10.0 and by the 8th hole, I was over 12 and still climbing.
I bolused 2 units to stop the climb.
By the 9th hole, I had stopped climbing and by the 10th hole, I was beginning to drop.
The insulin I had just taken kicked in and, combined with the 2+ hours of walking, I started dropping...fast.
By the 13th hole I was below four, despite having eaten two packages of fruit chews.
The fruit chews finally kicked in and by the 15th hole I was climbing again. Rose alarmed - two arrows up. By 18, I'm over 10.0 again.
A bit of a roller-coaster ride that left me slightly nauseated and feeling sheepish for not trusting my system.
Sunday, I decided to have faith in the system that I developed last year.
I lowered my basal rate. At the 4th hole I ate my Clif bar. By the 7th hole I was climbing. I reached 12.0 by the 9th hole. Despite desperately wanting to, I refused to bolus.
By the 10th hole I was 11. By the 13th hole I was 10. I slowly drifted downward and, by the time we shook hands at the 18th hole, I was 8.5.
It worked!
Four hours of golf are much more pleasant when I'm walking up and down hills and valleys but my blood sugar is holding steady. One Clif bar and a bit of faith is all it takes.
Even when those devilish diabetes gods behave themselves and do the same thing 15 times in a row I I have trouble believing they will do the same thing on the 16th time. Why? Because, in the past, when they have lulled me into a state of compliance and I lowered my guard a tiny bit, that's when they like to throw a curveball (or a hand grenade) my way to shake things up.
Which is why it made it very difficult for me to have faith last Friday when we headed out to the golf course.
It was my first 18-hole game of the season. Eighteen holes means four hours of walking. We cover about 10k at a fairly leisurely but non-stop pace. We walk up hills and down valleys and back up again.
I learned a lot last summer during our rounds of golf and one key lesson I learned was that the only way to survive 18 holes was to play with my basal rates. Trying to do it by eating a few extra carbs was a recipe for disaster and I ended up eating way more than I wanted to.
Last summer I learned to lower my basal rates down to 40-50% for four hours, starting an hour before the game. At some point during the front 9 I would eat a Clif bar without bolusing any insulin for it. Seems pretty simple but it worked fairly well.
So on Friday, I lowered by basal insulin as planned. My blood sugar started dropping around the 4th hole so I ate my Clif bar. By the 6th hole, Rose is vibrating to say that my blood sugar was climbing quickly. By the 7th hole, I was above 10.0 and by the 8th hole, I was over 12 and still climbing.
I bolused 2 units to stop the climb.
By the 9th hole, I had stopped climbing and by the 10th hole, I was beginning to drop.
The insulin I had just taken kicked in and, combined with the 2+ hours of walking, I started dropping...fast.
By the 13th hole I was below four, despite having eaten two packages of fruit chews.
The fruit chews finally kicked in and by the 15th hole I was climbing again. Rose alarmed - two arrows up. By 18, I'm over 10.0 again.
A bit of a roller-coaster ride that left me slightly nauseated and feeling sheepish for not trusting my system.
Sunday, I decided to have faith in the system that I developed last year.
I lowered my basal rate. At the 4th hole I ate my Clif bar. By the 7th hole I was climbing. I reached 12.0 by the 9th hole. Despite desperately wanting to, I refused to bolus.
By the 10th hole I was 11. By the 13th hole I was 10. I slowly drifted downward and, by the time we shook hands at the 18th hole, I was 8.5.
It worked!
Four hours of golf are much more pleasant when I'm walking up and down hills and valleys but my blood sugar is holding steady. One Clif bar and a bit of faith is all it takes.
Monday, April 13, 2015
The Weekend in all of its Colours
What an interesting weekend. What a lovely weekend. What a tough, tiring, peaceful and inspiring weekend.
We drove to Fergus and spent a lovely evening with friends, chatting about health, house renovations and our favourite iPhone apps.
I got up before the sun on Saturday and drove to Listowel where I had the honour of speaking to a roomful of ladies with type 1 diabetes. I met some wonderful people, made a few people cry, and discovered how many people share similar diabetes journeys.
I headed home after my talk via a slight detour that allowed me to enjoy a 2 1/2 hour coffee with a lovely lady that I met at a presentation I did a few months ago. She's relatively new to the world of type 1 and is adjusting to its ups and downs with grace and humour.
I ran 16k on Sunday morning. Due to several factors beyond my control, I didn't do any short runs last week and had not done any exercise for three days. So running 16k was tougher than it should have been. Toss in some warm temperatures, mild dehydration from the day before and 16k took me longer to run than 18k usually does. My heart rate was higher than I liked throughout the run and my blood pressure dropped pretty significantly from start to finish. Happily, my blood sugar held steadily and, with only one date and a clementine, my numbers were stable the entire time.
After my chores were done, I managed to sneak in a bit of colouring time and got to try out the new markers I got the weekend before. Wow! Markers leave less options when it comes to shading and depth but they sure do boost the colour saturation. It incredibly rewarding to watch the colours take over the page and bring the picture to life.
And through it all, we watched the Masters. We watched hours of incredible golf and we got to know this year's winner, Jordan Spieth. He's an old soul - a 21-year old with wisdom and composure way way beyond his years. I'd love to be able to channel his focus and his ability to manage nerves under incredible pressure. Not that I have terrible nerves or incredible pressure but I am joining a ladies' league and the thought of playing in front of ladies I don't know does make me a little bit jittery.
Happy Monday. Here's to another great week!
We drove to Fergus and spent a lovely evening with friends, chatting about health, house renovations and our favourite iPhone apps.
I got up before the sun on Saturday and drove to Listowel where I had the honour of speaking to a roomful of ladies with type 1 diabetes. I met some wonderful people, made a few people cry, and discovered how many people share similar diabetes journeys.
I headed home after my talk via a slight detour that allowed me to enjoy a 2 1/2 hour coffee with a lovely lady that I met at a presentation I did a few months ago. She's relatively new to the world of type 1 and is adjusting to its ups and downs with grace and humour.
I ran 16k on Sunday morning. Due to several factors beyond my control, I didn't do any short runs last week and had not done any exercise for three days. So running 16k was tougher than it should have been. Toss in some warm temperatures, mild dehydration from the day before and 16k took me longer to run than 18k usually does. My heart rate was higher than I liked throughout the run and my blood pressure dropped pretty significantly from start to finish. Happily, my blood sugar held steadily and, with only one date and a clementine, my numbers were stable the entire time.
After my chores were done, I managed to sneak in a bit of colouring time and got to try out the new markers I got the weekend before. Wow! Markers leave less options when it comes to shading and depth but they sure do boost the colour saturation. It incredibly rewarding to watch the colours take over the page and bring the picture to life.
Colouring with pencil crayons for those days when I feel like taking my time and finessing the shades.
Markers - for the days when I don't want to think too much and I want to be rewarded with rich, gorgeous colours in exchange for very little work.
And through it all, we watched the Masters. We watched hours of incredible golf and we got to know this year's winner, Jordan Spieth. He's an old soul - a 21-year old with wisdom and composure way way beyond his years. I'd love to be able to channel his focus and his ability to manage nerves under incredible pressure. Not that I have terrible nerves or incredible pressure but I am joining a ladies' league and the thought of playing in front of ladies I don't know does make me a little bit jittery.
Happy Monday. Here's to another great week!
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
A Spoonful of Sugar
Yesterday was a bit of a disaster in terms of blood sugar (mis)management.
Roller-coaster doesn't even begin to describe the dramatic ups and downs.
18 and climbing an hour after breakfast for no apparent reason.
3.5 and dropped two hours after that, again for no apparent reason.
Four lows between lunch and dinner. Each treated with plenty of carbs. Each sending me up to 10 and then straight back down again. All with no insulin on board.
Rose beeped during dinner (which I did not bolus for despite many carbs worth of potatoes) to say that I was 3.1 and heading down again.
I got up from the dinner table, sweaty and shaking, to down two tablespoons of maple syrup.
Ten minutes later I felt fine again and was up at the sink drying and putting away the dishes.
"You don't have to help you know?" Doug said gently.
"I know. I felt awful a few minutes ago but I'm fine now that the syrup kicked in" I replied.
And that's when it hit me.
Diabetes can be pretty annoying sometimes but it sure doesn't take long to recover from the ups and downs of it. At least compared to some other things that cause us to feel crappy.
Strep throat? That sucks. Here, take these pills and hopefully you'll feel better in a few days.
Seasonal allergies? Too bad. Here, take these pills and eye drops and hopefully you won't feel too bad for the next three months.
Stomach bug? Yuck. Well, once you throw up a bunch of times and spend a few hours in the washroom, you might be ready for a few crackers and some ginger ale.
Low blood sugar? Here, have a spoonful or two of maple syrup, wait ten minutes and then get on with your day.
High blood sugar? Take some insulin and I bet you start to feel better within half an hour.
Highs and lows can be pretty dramatic but so can the recovery of those highs and lows.
One minute I'm shaking and sweaty, pale-faced and pretty much useless. The next I'm chatting away as I dry the dishes feeling no worse for wear.
Maybe that's why I get so impatient when I'm real people sick. I can't fix that crappy feeling with a spoonful of yummy tasting maple syrup.
Roller-coaster doesn't even begin to describe the dramatic ups and downs.
18 and climbing an hour after breakfast for no apparent reason.
3.5 and dropped two hours after that, again for no apparent reason.
Four lows between lunch and dinner. Each treated with plenty of carbs. Each sending me up to 10 and then straight back down again. All with no insulin on board.
Rose beeped during dinner (which I did not bolus for despite many carbs worth of potatoes) to say that I was 3.1 and heading down again.
I got up from the dinner table, sweaty and shaking, to down two tablespoons of maple syrup.
Ten minutes later I felt fine again and was up at the sink drying and putting away the dishes.
"You don't have to help you know?" Doug said gently.
"I know. I felt awful a few minutes ago but I'm fine now that the syrup kicked in" I replied.
And that's when it hit me.
Diabetes can be pretty annoying sometimes but it sure doesn't take long to recover from the ups and downs of it. At least compared to some other things that cause us to feel crappy.
Strep throat? That sucks. Here, take these pills and hopefully you'll feel better in a few days.
Seasonal allergies? Too bad. Here, take these pills and eye drops and hopefully you won't feel too bad for the next three months.
Stomach bug? Yuck. Well, once you throw up a bunch of times and spend a few hours in the washroom, you might be ready for a few crackers and some ginger ale.
Low blood sugar? Here, have a spoonful or two of maple syrup, wait ten minutes and then get on with your day.
High blood sugar? Take some insulin and I bet you start to feel better within half an hour.
Highs and lows can be pretty dramatic but so can the recovery of those highs and lows.
One minute I'm shaking and sweaty, pale-faced and pretty much useless. The next I'm chatting away as I dry the dishes feeling no worse for wear.
Maybe that's why I get so impatient when I'm real people sick. I can't fix that crappy feeling with a spoonful of yummy tasting maple syrup.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
The Ups and Downs of a Sunday Workout
I haven't written too much about diabetes lately because, for the most part, the diabetes god have been pretty well behaved. They still throw plenty of highs and lows my way but they've been pretty predictable and easily remedied.
Sunday morning was a different story and I was not impressed with their shenanigans. I guess, in hindsight, I was partly to blame but I'm still disgusted by their behaviour.
I woke up on Sunday morning to Rose vibrating next to me. I had just dipped under 4.0 (3.9) after a long slow descent over the last 5-6 hours. To deal with the low, I had four Dex4s. I also turned down my basal rate by 40% for 3 hours since I knew I was going to the fitness centre once I got up.
By the time I was up and dressed and down in the kitchen, my blood sugar was 9 and climbing. Seemed pretty dramatic after only having four Dex4s but I figured it would come back down once I started erg'ing. In fact I knew it would drop down so I had half a banana for good measure.
Ten minutes later I was on the rowing machine and, after 30 minutes of hard work, my blood sugar was 10.4 and dropping. Looking at Rose I could see that I had climbed to 11.5 during the workout before turning south again.
I figured 10.4 was a good number to start my weight training at and that I would probably keep trending downward. I did indeed keep trending downward and got all the way down to 9.0 before heading back up again.
Sixty minutes of weight training later I was 13.5 with an arrow heading straight up. It didn't make sense at the time, After my workout I bolused two units and headed home.
I kept climbing, double arrows up, until I reached 16.9. By then I had 6 units of insulin on board, was starving for breakfast and unable to eat.
I guzzled water, showered, andpatiently waited for the insulin to kick in. After an hour, it finally did and my blood sugar did exactly what I expected it to. It tipped downward, gathered speed and within 30 minutes I went from 16.9 to 10.
I started making breakfast, which was technically now my lunch. By the time it was ready I was 6.4. I ate, my blood sugar climbed up and back down the way it normally does when I eat my breakfast and things were fine for the rest of the day.
Doug asked me why I went so high during the workout.
I guessed that it was because I was lifting weights. That used to happen years ago when I weight trained but I had forgotten.
The combination of 30 minutes of cardio (which usually drops my blood sugar) followed by 45-60 minutes of weights (which apparently brings it up) will take me a few weeks to figure out.
I'll start by not lowing my basal insulin next week and see if that helps avoid the awful high without triggering a low.
Good thing I like to exercise, love numbers and don't mind experimenting. Otherwise I can see how it would be pretty tempting to just stay in bed.
Sunday morning was a different story and I was not impressed with their shenanigans. I guess, in hindsight, I was partly to blame but I'm still disgusted by their behaviour.
I woke up on Sunday morning to Rose vibrating next to me. I had just dipped under 4.0 (3.9) after a long slow descent over the last 5-6 hours. To deal with the low, I had four Dex4s. I also turned down my basal rate by 40% for 3 hours since I knew I was going to the fitness centre once I got up.
By the time I was up and dressed and down in the kitchen, my blood sugar was 9 and climbing. Seemed pretty dramatic after only having four Dex4s but I figured it would come back down once I started erg'ing. In fact I knew it would drop down so I had half a banana for good measure.
Ten minutes later I was on the rowing machine and, after 30 minutes of hard work, my blood sugar was 10.4 and dropping. Looking at Rose I could see that I had climbed to 11.5 during the workout before turning south again.
I figured 10.4 was a good number to start my weight training at and that I would probably keep trending downward. I did indeed keep trending downward and got all the way down to 9.0 before heading back up again.
Sixty minutes of weight training later I was 13.5 with an arrow heading straight up. It didn't make sense at the time, After my workout I bolused two units and headed home.
I kept climbing, double arrows up, until I reached 16.9. By then I had 6 units of insulin on board, was starving for breakfast and unable to eat.
I guzzled water, showered, and
I started making breakfast, which was technically now my lunch. By the time it was ready I was 6.4. I ate, my blood sugar climbed up and back down the way it normally does when I eat my breakfast and things were fine for the rest of the day.
Doug asked me why I went so high during the workout.
I guessed that it was because I was lifting weights. That used to happen years ago when I weight trained but I had forgotten.
The combination of 30 minutes of cardio (which usually drops my blood sugar) followed by 45-60 minutes of weights (which apparently brings it up) will take me a few weeks to figure out.
I'll start by not lowing my basal insulin next week and see if that helps avoid the awful high without triggering a low.
Good thing I like to exercise, love numbers and don't mind experimenting. Otherwise I can see how it would be pretty tempting to just stay in bed.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Winter Heart Rate
Sometimes, in hindsight, we end up looking pretty smart.
I decided a few weeks ago to start running using my heart rate as my guide rather than my pace.
In hindsight, deciding to slow down my running speed smack dab in the middle of yet another Canadian winter was a pretty smart idea.
I would have had to slow my pace anyway. Depending on the day, the damn streets are covered in snow, ice, slush or, lately, all three. For the past few weeks I couldn't have sprinted even if I had wanted to. It's just too treacherous to do anything but run at a steady, sure-footed pace, always scanning for icy patches and keeping away from the painted lines on the road.
Deciding to slow down in May, when the air is warm, the birds are singing and I'm finally running in shorts again would have been pretty tough. I'm hoping by May that I'll be back to running at my usual pace again...with a lower heart rate.
These days, I head out on cold February mornings, take one look at the slippery streets, and have no problem convincing myself to just settle into an easy pace and run for an hour or more.
Two Saturday's ago I ran 13k easily, without stopping, at a very comfortable pace.
This past Saturday, I did the exact same thing. I changed my route up a bit but, otherwise, it looked pretty much the same. My heart rate stayed fairly steady in the zone that I've been trying to keep it in. My energy held up the entire time. My legs didn't complain.
The strangest pattern I've noticed to date is that my pace goes up and down by about 1 minute per kilometre even while my heart rate holds steady.
Guess we'll have to wait until the snow melts and the roads are clear before we can know whether the unsteady terrain has anything to do with the fluctuations.
In the meantime, I'm liking my new running routine. I'm enjoying the fact that I can run for 90 minutes, eat, shower and feel like I could do it all over again.
Also, even though I don't think this has much to do with heart rate, I just want to mention that I woke up on Saturday morning with a blood sugar of 4.4. I ate two dates and two clementines. I ran for 90ish minutes and was 4.4 at the end. I love runs like that.
I decided a few weeks ago to start running using my heart rate as my guide rather than my pace.
In hindsight, deciding to slow down my running speed smack dab in the middle of yet another Canadian winter was a pretty smart idea.
I would have had to slow my pace anyway. Depending on the day, the damn streets are covered in snow, ice, slush or, lately, all three. For the past few weeks I couldn't have sprinted even if I had wanted to. It's just too treacherous to do anything but run at a steady, sure-footed pace, always scanning for icy patches and keeping away from the painted lines on the road.
Deciding to slow down in May, when the air is warm, the birds are singing and I'm finally running in shorts again would have been pretty tough. I'm hoping by May that I'll be back to running at my usual pace again...with a lower heart rate.
These days, I head out on cold February mornings, take one look at the slippery streets, and have no problem convincing myself to just settle into an easy pace and run for an hour or more.
Two Saturday's ago I ran 13k easily, without stopping, at a very comfortable pace.
This past Saturday, I did the exact same thing. I changed my route up a bit but, otherwise, it looked pretty much the same. My heart rate stayed fairly steady in the zone that I've been trying to keep it in. My energy held up the entire time. My legs didn't complain.
The strangest pattern I've noticed to date is that my pace goes up and down by about 1 minute per kilometre even while my heart rate holds steady.
Guess we'll have to wait until the snow melts and the roads are clear before we can know whether the unsteady terrain has anything to do with the fluctuations.
In the meantime, I'm liking my new running routine. I'm enjoying the fact that I can run for 90 minutes, eat, shower and feel like I could do it all over again.
Also, even though I don't think this has much to do with heart rate, I just want to mention that I woke up on Saturday morning with a blood sugar of 4.4. I ate two dates and two clementines. I ran for 90ish minutes and was 4.4 at the end. I love runs like that.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Diabetes Gods Have Gone to Florida
I probably should not say this out loud. And I really shouldn't write it in a blog.
But I'm going to anyway.
Diabetes management has been feeling rather easy lately.
Like remembering to brush my teeth or doing laundry kinda easy. The kind of thing you have to do but it's so routine that you just do it without really giving it much thought.
I'm not sure what is responsible for this little diabetes management nirvana but I'm pretty sure it's not just one thing.
It's probably the fact that I have been exercising regularly for weeks now, never missing more than one day in a row. Exercise has always been key in keeping the BG numbers down.
It's probably the fact that I have been a little more careful with what I eat.
It's probably the fact that it's January in Canada and the diabetes gods have up and left for Florida to enjoy a few weeks of sunshine and golf.
Whatever the reason(s), it's been nice.
It's been nice to have fairly stable numbers.
It's nice to bolus for breakfast and watch my blood sugar do what I think it will do.
It's nice to correct a high blood sugar and watch it float down nicely to a reasonable number rather than crash land into a major low.
It's nice to have my bedside fig newton stash go stale before I finish them because I have not been having night time lows in a while. And, when I do dip below 4.0, I can take two Dex 4s and it seems to be enough to get me back in range.
Another trick that I've been using lately is one that I never made much use of before. Temp basals. Instead of stopping lows that I know are coming with food, I have started preventing them with a strategic lowering of my basal insulin.
In other words, if I'm heading to bed and notice that my blood sugar is on a slow trend downward AND I just came back from CoreFit, I can pretty much guarantee a low in a few hours. I used to deal with this by eating an extra snack before bed.
Now, I turn down my insulin by 20-30% for a few hours.
It works. No high. No low. No pre-bed snack that I don't want to eat because I'm still full from dinner.
Diabetes is a disease of subtleties. If you try to deal with it with a heavy hand, it fights back with a heavier one. If you are gentle and kind with it, it usually responds in kind.
(My guess is that the diabetes gods will jump on the first plane back from Florida as soon as they read this post and I will be writing another blog in a week or so about the horrors of blood sugar roller coasters. Still though, it's important to celebrate the diabetes victories as they come. And the last few weeks have definitely been victorious)
But I'm going to anyway.
Diabetes management has been feeling rather easy lately.
Like remembering to brush my teeth or doing laundry kinda easy. The kind of thing you have to do but it's so routine that you just do it without really giving it much thought.
I'm not sure what is responsible for this little diabetes management nirvana but I'm pretty sure it's not just one thing.
It's probably the fact that I have been exercising regularly for weeks now, never missing more than one day in a row. Exercise has always been key in keeping the BG numbers down.
It's probably the fact that I have been a little more careful with what I eat.
It's probably the fact that it's January in Canada and the diabetes gods have up and left for Florida to enjoy a few weeks of sunshine and golf.
Whatever the reason(s), it's been nice.
It's been nice to have fairly stable numbers.
It's nice to bolus for breakfast and watch my blood sugar do what I think it will do.
It's nice to correct a high blood sugar and watch it float down nicely to a reasonable number rather than crash land into a major low.
It's nice to have my bedside fig newton stash go stale before I finish them because I have not been having night time lows in a while. And, when I do dip below 4.0, I can take two Dex 4s and it seems to be enough to get me back in range.
Another trick that I've been using lately is one that I never made much use of before. Temp basals. Instead of stopping lows that I know are coming with food, I have started preventing them with a strategic lowering of my basal insulin.
In other words, if I'm heading to bed and notice that my blood sugar is on a slow trend downward AND I just came back from CoreFit, I can pretty much guarantee a low in a few hours. I used to deal with this by eating an extra snack before bed.
Now, I turn down my insulin by 20-30% for a few hours.
It works. No high. No low. No pre-bed snack that I don't want to eat because I'm still full from dinner.
Diabetes is a disease of subtleties. If you try to deal with it with a heavy hand, it fights back with a heavier one. If you are gentle and kind with it, it usually responds in kind.
(My guess is that the diabetes gods will jump on the first plane back from Florida as soon as they read this post and I will be writing another blog in a week or so about the horrors of blood sugar roller coasters. Still though, it's important to celebrate the diabetes victories as they come. And the last few weeks have definitely been victorious)
Monday, January 5, 2015
Easing My Way Back Into Reality
Today is my first day back to work after being off for just over two weeks.
It also happens to be the morning after the premiere of this season's Downton Abbey which means that I will have stayed up extra late the night before I have to get up extra early for the first time in two weeks.
It's going to be a bit of a shock to be sure but worth it to see what Mr. Carson and the gang have been up to.
Over the holidays I was able to maintain some pretty good habits, test out a few new recipes and come out feeling better than I felt on the way in.
In the time I was off I worked out 12 of 17 mornings. Running and cycling mostly with two swims thrown in late last week to see if my body remembered how to move in the water.
When we weren't partaking in holiday fare, Doug and I tried several new recipes that we enjoyed and have a few more printed out and ready for upcoming dinners. None of them are so good that they need to be included here but they were good enough that we kept them in our repertoire for future meals.
We also found a few recipes for homemade snacks (like bars, muffins and cookies) that have much less bad stuff and much more good stuff than the store-bought ones tend to. We tested the Glo Bars from the Oh She Glows cookbook and both of us agree that they are absolutely delicious. So good in fact that a) we made a second batch for the first week back to work and b) I'm adding the link to the recipe for your enjoyment.
Diabetes-wise, things went rather well actually. Fewer highs and lows than I usually have and, interestingly, much less insulin used. Typically, I use at least 40 units a day and average about 45. During the last two weeks I only hit 40 four times and never went above 45 once. The other days were mostly in the low to mid 30s.
What's up with that?
Since I didn't change my basal, the difference was entirely due to the amount of insulin I bolused for meals and snacks.
Perhaps a combination of moving around a bit more since I was not sitting at my desk + not snacking as much + stocking the house with healthy snack options and actually eating them.
Example: I entered the holidays with three chocolate bars in the cupboard and left the holidays with the same three chocolate bars in said cupboard (unopened).
Here is to a new year and a renewed effort to keep those healthy habits of the last two weeks and carry them with me into the craziness that is my working life.
It also happens to be the morning after the premiere of this season's Downton Abbey which means that I will have stayed up extra late the night before I have to get up extra early for the first time in two weeks.
It's going to be a bit of a shock to be sure but worth it to see what Mr. Carson and the gang have been up to.
Over the holidays I was able to maintain some pretty good habits, test out a few new recipes and come out feeling better than I felt on the way in.
In the time I was off I worked out 12 of 17 mornings. Running and cycling mostly with two swims thrown in late last week to see if my body remembered how to move in the water.
When we weren't partaking in holiday fare, Doug and I tried several new recipes that we enjoyed and have a few more printed out and ready for upcoming dinners. None of them are so good that they need to be included here but they were good enough that we kept them in our repertoire for future meals.
We also found a few recipes for homemade snacks (like bars, muffins and cookies) that have much less bad stuff and much more good stuff than the store-bought ones tend to. We tested the Glo Bars from the Oh She Glows cookbook and both of us agree that they are absolutely delicious. So good in fact that a) we made a second batch for the first week back to work and b) I'm adding the link to the recipe for your enjoyment.
Diabetes-wise, things went rather well actually. Fewer highs and lows than I usually have and, interestingly, much less insulin used. Typically, I use at least 40 units a day and average about 45. During the last two weeks I only hit 40 four times and never went above 45 once. The other days were mostly in the low to mid 30s.
What's up with that?
Since I didn't change my basal, the difference was entirely due to the amount of insulin I bolused for meals and snacks.
Perhaps a combination of moving around a bit more since I was not sitting at my desk + not snacking as much + stocking the house with healthy snack options and actually eating them.
Example: I entered the holidays with three chocolate bars in the cupboard and left the holidays with the same three chocolate bars in said cupboard (unopened).
Here is to a new year and a renewed effort to keep those healthy habits of the last two weeks and carry them with me into the craziness that is my working life.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Bolusing for Baklava
"Need anything out of the kitchen?" Doug asked.
"I'm hoping I can have baklava but not yet" I replied after a glance at my pump.
I had bolused a little earlier but no sign that I was dropping yet so there was no way I was touching that high carb treat.
Evenings are a juggling act on my side of the couch.
I like a little post-dinner treat but I've learned a few important lessons over the years.
1. Bolus early and do not eat the snack until it's very clear that blood sugar is dropping as it should.
2. Eat early enough so that I know if I'm in a good spot before going to bed - otherwise Rose will wait until I'm sound asleep and then start alarming like a madwomen. I may be high. I may be low. But I'll be something. And no one wants to eat four fig newtons at midnight after already having a high calorie treat before bed.
3. Do not have a post-dinner treat if dinner was a high carb meal. Otherwise there won't be enough time to know what the blood sugar dinner gods will do before I call in the blood sugar snacks gods. Usually they have a big ol' fight in the middle of the night. See number 2 for more details.
4. Do not rage bolus after 7pm unless absolutely necessary. Without fail I will be eating a snack that I do not want to eat at 3am. Guarantee.
There are nights when I have bolused for chocolate, put it on a plate, studiously ignored it for an hour and then put it back in the cupboard with a sigh because, by 9:00pm, I still wasn't low enough to eat it.
There are night when I have bolused for chocolate, enjoyed the chocolate without waiting for my dinner numbers to drop, gone to bed high, bolused extra and then had to eat two more snacks during the night because of lows.
"Need anything out of the kitchen?" is always tempting but I'm slowly learning to say yes when the stars align and to say no when they don't.
I value my sleep too much to jeopardize it unnecessarily for a piece of baklava - as delicious as it is.
"I'm hoping I can have baklava but not yet" I replied after a glance at my pump.
I had bolused a little earlier but no sign that I was dropping yet so there was no way I was touching that high carb treat.
Evenings are a juggling act on my side of the couch.
I like a little post-dinner treat but I've learned a few important lessons over the years.
1. Bolus early and do not eat the snack until it's very clear that blood sugar is dropping as it should.
2. Eat early enough so that I know if I'm in a good spot before going to bed - otherwise Rose will wait until I'm sound asleep and then start alarming like a madwomen. I may be high. I may be low. But I'll be something. And no one wants to eat four fig newtons at midnight after already having a high calorie treat before bed.
3. Do not have a post-dinner treat if dinner was a high carb meal. Otherwise there won't be enough time to know what the blood sugar dinner gods will do before I call in the blood sugar snacks gods. Usually they have a big ol' fight in the middle of the night. See number 2 for more details.
4. Do not rage bolus after 7pm unless absolutely necessary. Without fail I will be eating a snack that I do not want to eat at 3am. Guarantee.
There are nights when I have bolused for chocolate, put it on a plate, studiously ignored it for an hour and then put it back in the cupboard with a sigh because, by 9:00pm, I still wasn't low enough to eat it.
There are night when I have bolused for chocolate, enjoyed the chocolate without waiting for my dinner numbers to drop, gone to bed high, bolused extra and then had to eat two more snacks during the night because of lows.
"Need anything out of the kitchen?" is always tempting but I'm slowly learning to say yes when the stars align and to say no when they don't.
I value my sleep too much to jeopardize it unnecessarily for a piece of baklava - as delicious as it is.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Twelve But Barely
I'm fighting my way back to longer and longer running distances now that my cough from hell is almost, but still not quite, gone. I haven't yet signed up but I'm still working towards running the Boxing Day Ten Miler. Which means I need to get my body used to running more than 60 minutes again.
Two weeks ago I ran 10k for the first time in over a month. That was tough but ok.
Two days ago I ran 12k for the first time in about 6 weeks. That was tougher. A lot tougher.
I set out planning for 12k but willing to settle for 10k if things derailed. Based on the route I was taking, I needed to decide at 5k if I was going to head home for a total of 10k or do the extra distance to add up to 12k.
At 4k, I felt good.
At 5k, I still felt good so I headed down one more country road to add kilometres 6 and 7.
At 6k I felt ok.
At 7k I felt not so ok.
Dammit.
I faded quickly after that and my run became more of a run with walk breaks. Run 2k, walk 2 minutes. Run one more k, walk a minute. Run 500m, stop at red light (thank goodness for red lights), run 500 more metres. Breathing was laboured. I was a bit lightheaded. My ears started plugging up. Bleh.
My blood sugar behaved through the run so I couldn't blame the diabetes gods. I was 5.0 before I started. I had eaten two dates and I was 8.5 when I finished. Nothing wrong with that.
Looks like I'm still not quite back in fighting form after being real people sick.
Did I mention that being real people sick sucks?
Two weeks ago I ran 10k for the first time in over a month. That was tough but ok.
Two days ago I ran 12k for the first time in about 6 weeks. That was tougher. A lot tougher.
I set out planning for 12k but willing to settle for 10k if things derailed. Based on the route I was taking, I needed to decide at 5k if I was going to head home for a total of 10k or do the extra distance to add up to 12k.
At 4k, I felt good.
At 5k, I still felt good so I headed down one more country road to add kilometres 6 and 7.
At 6k I felt ok.
At 7k I felt not so ok.
Dammit.
I faded quickly after that and my run became more of a run with walk breaks. Run 2k, walk 2 minutes. Run one more k, walk a minute. Run 500m, stop at red light (thank goodness for red lights), run 500 more metres. Breathing was laboured. I was a bit lightheaded. My ears started plugging up. Bleh.
My blood sugar behaved through the run so I couldn't blame the diabetes gods. I was 5.0 before I started. I had eaten two dates and I was 8.5 when I finished. Nothing wrong with that.
Looks like I'm still not quite back in fighting form after being real people sick.
Did I mention that being real people sick sucks?
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