Hey there everyone!

My name is Nicole, I am 29 live in PA and have been diabetic for 10 years. I am Insulin dependent, currantly on shots waiting to get on my husbands insurance so I can get on the pump. I take 25 units Lantus in the mornings due to huge overnight drops when I took it at bedtime. I take Humalog 1 to 10 carbs and 1 for every 40 pts over 125. Ok so there is the background for my insulin doses. Now onto the issues...

I LOVE to run! I started running about a year and half after my daughter was born. I started to loose weight(starting weight was 220) and I wanted to improve my BS, cholesterol and overall health and also see if I could run a 5k. So in the summer of 2010 I began training. I didn't have too much trouble with my BS dropping when I first started, in fact it made my control better. I loved it so much that I just continued to keep up the running. Since I started I am down to 165lbs(still want to loose another 30). I usually dont' eat many snacks, because my Dr and myself are really having a hard time controlling my BS. When she ups my doses I crash. In fact back in the begining of Feb she upped my Lantus to 34 units and I bottomed out to 30. So we had to back it back down to 25 and I stay pretty steady only problem is I am running usually constint in the 200's or low 300's. When I take my Humalog I sometimes drop a lot like oh 300 to 100 in an hour, which I never experienced these issues before. My A1C is like 11.5%! When I had my daughter my A1C was 5.3%, it went up to like 6.3% a couple months later but I pretty much stayed under 7% until she was around 2. These last couple years have been hell! Anyway hopefully I will get on a pump soon, we really think that is what I need! My dr. thinks my biggest issue is the background insulin levels/needs which a pump will help to address. Now onto the issue I am having with my running now.

I can run 3 miles in 30 min. I usually train on a treadmill at home three times a week. On my non running days I try to get out for a walk with my family and get in some pilates. I was told if my BS was above 200 I did not need a snack before I run. I know I am also not supposed to run when it is 300 or higher but I do anyway because my BS always drops when I run. Usually my BG drops about 80 pts. during a run, which my dr said isn't too bad. So here is what happened during my last run Thursday. Before I was 341 so I didnt' take any snack in. My run started out really strong but about 20 min in I started to feel kind strange, I just thought maybe cause I was really sweating so I turned on my fan and kept going well at 25 min my usual low BS shaking started so I got off right away and went and checked my BS it was 196! To me that is way way to much for it to drop and so I did not finish my last  5 min and I ate a banana just in case I was crashing. Well 20 min later it was 186, then at 45 min after it was 190 so I am sure I did the right thing by stopping and getting the banana in me. I usually do my run in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. I wait until four hours after lunch because I have noticed that if I am real active 2/3 hours after I drop a lot and fast. After I finish my run I usually wait about 2 1/2 to 3 hours after to eat dinner and I do a 1 to 15 carb ratio usually this works fine as long as I wait at least 2 hours. Tuesday I ate about 1 1/2 hours after running and I started to crash 1 hour after eating. My Dr office closes early on Fridays and the Dr isn't even in the office that day so I have to wait until tomorrow to call her.

 I just wanted to ask how other diabetic runners handle these issues. Do you eat a snack no matter what? Was my drop really as bad as I thought?  Have you experienced a huge drop while running? Pumpers chime in as well as I am expecting to get on the pump in the next month or so!

I have never really talked to other diabetic runners or diabetics that excersise for that fact. Most the diabetics I know do not excersise. I am very excited to have found this forum!

Thanks,

Nicole

Hi Nicole. Welcome to the diabetic group on RA. My name is Marcus, I'm also from PA (Lancaster) and have been Type 1 for 28 years. I've been on the pump for 10 years.

RE: The need to take a snack if you're high.

No, I won't always take a snack. Sometimes I'll use the run to bring down a high. However, for me this is only for workouts of less than an hour. Beyond an hour, I'll usually have at least 1 energy gel.

RE: Can you feel low if you're not low but are just crashing very fast?

Yes, though that only happens for me when my control isn't as good. When my control is good, I might not feel low until I'm 50.

RE: When to exercise/

Because I'm less resistant to insulin the AM, morning runs are easier on my blood sugar. Still, I usually work out over my lunch hour because that works best for my life.

Great job on the running and the weight loss! That's awesome.. Feel free to check out my blog about running for Team Type 1 at http://pumprunner.com

Most T1 runners will either have a small snack just prior to exercise or will have a BG of 150+ just prior to exercise. Everyone's body reacts differently. Typically, though, you're a little less sensitive to insulin in the AM, so your BG might not fall as fast.

Feel free to check out my blog about running and diabetes at: http://pumprunner.com

Welcome!