Type One, Keto, Pumping & Couch to 5k

LooperCat

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Now that I’ve recovered from turning myself literally purple by attempting the first day of Couch to 5k and recovered from the resulting low, I’m after advice. Total exercise noob here. Mainly because I don’t get any endorphins so don’t really have much motivation.

And of course I made the schoolgirl error of not turning my pump off/down beforehand. Oops. Any ideas as to what I should reduce it by and when? And for how long? Had to have three glucose tabs when I got back in.

Thanks for any advice.
 
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DCUKMod

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Now that I’ve recovered from turning myself literally purple by attempting the first day of Couch to 5k and recovered from the resulting low, I’m after advice. Total exercise noob here. Mainly because I don’t get any endorphins so don’t really have much motivation.

And of course I made the schoolgirl error of not turning my pump off/down beforehand. Oops. Any ideas as to what I should reduce it by and when? And for how long? Had to have three glucose tabs when I got back in.

Thanks for any advice.

@Juicyj is your girl, for running and pumping, I reckon.
 

Diakat

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The best c25k music and motivation is The Chubby Jones podcast - I was laughing my little head off through the pain. She’s a Chicago DJ not the dodgy comedian...
 
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Juicyj

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Hi @Mel dCP

Good on you for getting out there, I started out on the Couch to 5k - I used Sarah Millican as my trainer as I love her humour and she kept me motivated. I always aim to start runs with no active insulin on board and ideally above 7mmol/l so I have a bit of leverage to play with, if out for anything less than a 30 min run then I just detach about 10-15 mins before so I don’t have it bouncing about and do a bolus when I get back depending on what my bg levels are doing, if out for an hour then I do a temp basal about an hour before I go out at 25% which lasts the duration. Obviously this may not work for you but as a guide as to what I do.

I have bought a wrist pocket band from tiger tiger which I put my glucose tabs in, I rarely need them when out running but would never leave home without it.

I love having a run without the pump as it’s quite liberating not having it attached, it means I can run with confidence and not worry about going low, i’d rather end up around 8-10 mmol/l and correcting than going low so that’s my goal. Generally my levels stay pretty stable during the run unless it’s hot as more likely to go low then, it’s trial and error as to what works best for you though :)
 
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Juicyj

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The best c25k music and motivation is The Chubby Jones podcast - I was laughing my little head off through the pain. She’s a Chicago DJ not the dodgy comedian...

Going to have to try that now ;)
 
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LooperCat

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I’m using the Sarah Millican one too, I love her. I just had my pack of dextrose tabs in my jeans pocket as I don’t have sports clothes!

I shall try reducing it to that on my next one, thank you!
 

Juicyj

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@Mel dCP 'Go on pet you can do it' as Sarah would say, always made me chuckle ;)
 

LooperCat

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I probably made a right sight stomping up and down the lane in my (extremely comfy) paramedic boots and a face like a beetroot, but never mind.
 
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The only things I'd add are
- with OmniPod I guess detaching is not possible so you will suspend 15 mins before starting out. I then restart at 50% 15 minutes before I finish as it takes about that long for insulin to start working. But I don't want to be on full dose. I go for the 50% for an hour.
- you may need to reduce basal overnight... Or your purple pancreas may do that for you. I reduce by 20% overnight.
- go girl!
 
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LooperCat

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I can set temporary overrides, for a period of time - eg 20% basal for two hours. I thought I might try that next time, an half an hour before I start, maybe.
 
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I probably made a right sight stomping up and down the lane in my (extremely comfy) paramedic boots and a face like a beetroot, but never mind.

I'm sitting here laughing at the thought of you stomping about, go Mel :)
 

LooperCat

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I'm sitting here laughing at the thought of you stomping about, go Mel :)
I’m only doing it in case I need to on the job, so I figured I might as well wear the boots I’d be doing it in! They’re not very heavy, have plenty of ankle protection and are super comfortable :)
 
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kitedoc

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Nothing like trainng for the job, @Mel dCP !
From my personal experience and reading and dicussion with doctors and other TIDs over the years, not as HCP advice or opinion:
As i have said on other posts the pattern iof BSL response to exercise vaies from one individual, say me, who spikes within 1 hour of starting vigorous exercise and plummets 5 to 6 hours later, to those who say they plummet within 2 hours and maybe 3 to 5 hours later if they have not rebounded too much from the first instance. Others seem to stay oretty steady throughout the exercise and drop mildly later.

On keto diet and moderate exercise such as a 5 km walk carrying maybe 15 kg i get no spike and only mild lowering of bsl at the 5 to 6 hour mark. Also perhaps not surprisingly a hunger for extra protein around the 5 to 6 hour mark.
Pump settings: up basal by 20% ( = 120% on the Tandem pump) for 2 hours before the walk described above, and avoid any bolus with 1 hour of commencement ( as this has caused bsl dips during the exercise itself)..

On return, programm in 90% basal for 2 hours just in case bsl drops and add extra protein and associated 50% og protein grams of carbs in that calculation. I know you may not need to with some proteins.

Like i did in the days before bsl monitoring the insulin adjustments would vary according to weather ( more down adjustment in hot weather), and distance ( a likely portage of canoes on a canoe trip meant more chance of a hypo that afternoon or evening, EXCEPT now on keto the fluctuations are much less.

I also take more salt in after exercise these days and try to watch my hydration level like a hawk ( or these days like a daffy sparrow ( no offence to sparrows intended).

Finally i need to check my feet carefully to prevent or intervene early if blisters or bruising of toes should start to appear.
I wear well worn in boots and two pairs of good but relatively fine socks with the theory that the socks taking up the bulk of the friction is better than my skin doing so.

I wear wrist and ankle weights during the exercise in order to obtain some strength building and try to avoid waliking on concrete and other surfaces as much as possible.

Somehow though when i used to doing canoeing for exercise, the arm and leg weights did not seem like a good idea Glug, glug, glug..LOL

Best Wishes, maybe carry spare pump gear and hypo gear in case you run into trouble and whether you believe in divine providence or not, walking during a thunderstorm is not worth the potential 'power gain'!!
 

LooperCat

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Thank you for such a detailed reply - I’ve only been going up and down the dirt track behind my house - I couldn’t face doing it on the pavement and in “proper”’public! Which means I’m never more than a few hundred yards from my house and extra pump kit. When I went to a yoga class, around half the time exactly the same routine sent me high half the time and low the other half - the inconsistency has really put me off going, tbh. This has only started since I had my pump - with such tight control I don’t have tons of excess glucose in my system like I did when I was training to climb Snowdon in 2016!

Handily I’ve connected online with another lady who is also looping and follows the same way of eating as I do, so we’re doing it together.
 

LooperCat

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Just done another shamble up the lane. Not hideously hideous. I supppose.

Nah. Still hideous.

I set up a temp override on my loop, with basal at 10% and a slightly higher target range of 5.6-6.5mmol and activated it about 15 minutes before I started. I was around 6.1 when I started and am 5.3 now; having been sat down for about ten minutes.

I did get some proper kit though and now I have a blister on my left heel ;(