Diabetic Runners

1

New to this forum (Read 345 times)

    Just wanted to say Hi & introduce myself. I'm 42 yo w/T2 (9yrs) and I've been running for almost 2 yrs. I started off just running a few 5K's but kept pushing myself to run longer distances. I just completed my 3rd Half Marathon & finished my 1st Full in Little Rock last month. I ran Chicago but was diverted back to the start when the race was called. My T2 is very well controlled (last A1C was 4.2) & blood pressure is also well controlled w/meds. I came across this forum & was hoping to find answers re: fueling on long distances. My endo says to stay away from sports drinks, GU, sports beans, etc but I don't know any other way to keep up my energy. I'm a back-of-the-packer (12-13 min miles at any distance above 10mi) so I'm on the course for quite a long time. Water alone is not doing the trick but too many carbs on the run doesn't help much either -- finding a balance has been very unsuccessful. I'm looking forward to any advice or suggestions from others who have "been there, done that" -Lisa
    There are days when I don't know if I can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing that I have.


    The voice of mile 18

      first off you rawk!! congrats on your first marathon and excellent A1c #'s I go with the sport jellies and gu. some stuff like hammergel allows you to control the amount of sugar you put into the gels but I still go w/ the sport jelly beans for convenience.

       Tri Rule #1 of Triathlon Training/Racing - If Momma ain't happy nobody is happy 

        Awesome job with the running and managing the diabetes! First off, I'm a Type 1 and haven't completed a half (trained up to 11 miles), so take what I say w/ a grain of salt. But I question the advice you're getting from your Endoc. Is he/she a runner or endurance athlete? If not, he may not understand the needs of someone running those kinds of distances. Diabetic or not, your body needs fuel (aka carbohydrates). The question is, how is your body able to utilize that fuel. What types of meds are you on for your diabetes, and how are you deciding how much carbohydrate to take in on your runs currently? Are you testing your blood sugar on the run? If I'm going to run more than about 3 miles, I usually test before I head out, and then at the 3 mile mark to see how my blood sugar is trending. I don't have a precise formula, but generally either use glucose tabs, sport beans, and/or gatorade to get my blood sugar up if needed. If my blood sugar is trending higher (or hasn't come down much from a high start), I stick to water. Hope something there helps. Oh, and for what it's worth, I prefer sport beans...not as dry as glucose tabs...and more fun than gatorade Smile
        Progress Trumps Pefection
        jpnairn


        straw man

          ...I still go w/ the sport jelly beans for convenience.
          Different strokes. I dislike sport beans and clif shots because for me, they seem inconvenient. The packaging isn't convenient. You have to open a package, get some but not all of the contents out, and put the rest back in a pocket or something. Then they are inconvenient to eat because you actually have to chew them up. That would be hard enough if they didn't stick to your teeth. With gels, on the other hand, you just tear the top off and slurp them down. Hammer Gel is supposed to be lower glycemic, and Accel Gel has protein, which should make it lower glycemic also.

          He who has the best time wins. Jerry

            Congrats on running your first marathon!!!!

            Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




            Go With The Flow
            Thyroid Support Group

              Thx for all your responses! No, my endo is not a runner so she's looking at things from a much different perspective. I also have thyroid disease & she's also concerned about my weight as well as my sugars. When I was training for the marathon, I put on some weight & she wanted to attribute it to the sports drinks & such. I'm ashamed to admit that I rarely if ever check my BG b/4 I run let alone during. I've been fueling when I "feel" I need to but obviously that's not been working. I intend to check before & during from now on to see if I can get a better handle on things -- thanks for the suggestions!
              There are days when I don't know if I can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing that I have.