John O’Groat to Lands End

[Jeff_uk]

Has anyone completed such a challenge? Starting my training for 2021 and wondering how this is going to effect me for the 9 days cycling? Planning on B&Bing it on route to give me somewhere I can stock up on sleep and carbs!

100 miles at once sounds like quite a challenge right now, so 100miles nine days on the bounce sort of sounds silly right now.

I’m on pump therapy so guessing I’m going to be reducing basal by quite a bit for the majority of the week and keep a close eye on it through the Libre.

I’m excited by the prospect but can’t help but feel something is going to trip me up!!

 

[DCUKMod]

Has anyone completed such a challenge? Starting my training for 2021 and wondering how this is going to effect me for the 9 days cycling? Planning on B&Bing it on route to give me somewhere I can stock up on sleep and carbs!

100 miles at once sounds like quite a challenge right now, so 100miles nine days on the bounce sort of sounds silly right now.

I’m on pump therapy so guessing I’m going to be reducing basal by quite a bit for the majority of the week and keep a close eye on it through the Libre.

I’m excited by the prospect but can’t help but feel something is going to trip me up!!

Hi Jeff - Good luck with it all. It's not for me, but Ian lake went for the run challenge. Of course, it isn't what you plan, but quite an adventure.

http://type1keto.com/

 

[Jeff_uk]

Hi Jeff - Good luck with it all. It's not for me, but Ian lake went for the run challenge. Of course, it isn't what you plan, but quite an adventure.

http://type1keto.com/

Thanks, appreciate the support. I had another post deleted. Think it was because of a link to my blog. Can you let me know if the rules so I don’t overstep them again?

Do you know much about the low carb diet Ian adopted before and during the run? I want to read more on this as i think this would assist or at the very least it’s worth exploring!

 

[DCUKMod]

Thanks, appreciate the support. I had another post deleted. Think it was because of a link to my blog. Can you let me know if the rules so I don’t overstep them again?

Do you know much about the low carb diet Ian adopted before and during the run? I want to read more on this as i think this would assist or at the very least it’s worth exploring!

The rules can be found here. It is unfortunate that we are unable to support or allow postings which relate to any fundraising, due to a small but very important number of questionable appeals in the past.

 

[Antje77]

The rules can be found here.

They're in the signature of every mod. If you use your phone, turn it to landscape to see it. And here's the link: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/community-ethos-forum-rules.50278/
Good luck with your challenge!

 

[Jeff_uk]

They're in the signature of every mod. If you use your phone, turn it to landscape to see it. And here's the link: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/community-ethos-forum-rules.50278/
Good luck with your challenge!

Thanks appreciate the reply! Might take down the fundraising for a while to assist in increasing interest.

 

[DCUKMod]

Apologies, @Jeff_uk - As my reply suggested, I meant to add a link. Thanks @Antje77

 

[Antje77]

Apologies, @Jeff_uk - As my reply suggested, I meant to add a link. Thanks @Antje77

That's what I thought had happened

 

[type1cyclist]

Has anyone completed such a challenge? Starting my training for 2021 and wondering how this is going to effect me for the 9 days cycling? Planning on B&Bing it on route to give me somewhere I can stock up on sleep and carbs!

100 miles at once sounds like quite a challenge right now, so 100miles nine days on the bounce sort of sounds silly right now.

I’m on pump therapy so guessing I’m going to be reducing basal by quite a bit for the majority of the week and keep a close eye on it through the Libre.

I’m excited by the prospect but can’t help but feel something is going to trip me up!

 

[type1cyclist]

Hi Jeff, This is the first time I have posted on the forum and was inspired to do so because of your cycling challenge which I completed in June of this year. I was diagnosed with Type 1 a couple of years ago at the age of 53 which was a complete shock. I've always eaten healthily and exercised regularly since I was 18 so I felt it seemed rather unfair being hit with this, but hey ho, there's worse things to have. My husband and I have always cycled; mainly with our children when they were younger but took up 'proper' cycling about 7 years ago. It was having type 1 that really inspired me to have a go at JOGLE almost to prove that I can still do anything I fancy. Are you doing this with a company or sorting it out yourself? We did the latter and planned our entire route on Strava and then booked our accommodation two days ahead at a time using air bnb or bnb mainly. By doing this we were able to check the weather, look at the terrain and then decide on our miles for those days. Our entire route was 1020 miles and our daily average was roughly 70m. We spent 14 days in total. Our longest days were about 105 miles going through Somerset which is flat and then our shortest was 45 tackling Devon, (very steep hills). I am on injections (lantus for 24 hour background and novorapid with meals) rather than a pump so my experience may be a little different to yours. It was actually really fascinating to see the cumulative effect of cycling day after day. I knew from my previous cycling to reduce my novorapid with my meals but was amazed by the extent I had to do this particularly after a few days. To give an example I tend to use a ratio of about 1:15 for breakfast if I'm not exercising with maybe 1:20-25 ish if I'm going for a cycle. After about 3 days cycling I was using 1:50 for breakfast! You definitely need to eat plenty of carbs to keep up your energy levels. Certain foods that I would never eat in the evening because they really mess up my levels, I found I was able to eat at lunchtime during our JOGLE trip. Chips for example I usually avoid, but I was able to to eat some with my lunch and perhaps put in 1/2 a unit of novorapid. I found it useful to use an empty fruit shoot bottle which I filled with fresh orange juice at breakfast time as an emergency during the day to avoid lows. I had this in a cycle pouch attached to the cross bar of my bike. I also kept jelly babies easily reachable as well. I use the libre and I keep the reader in a see through plastic, waterproof pouch on a lanyard around my neck. This way I can check on my readings whilst I'm actually cycling along and take a swig of juice if necessary. After about 3 days and getting some lows at night it occurred to me that I needed to dramatically reduce my background insulin. I tend to take 10 units of Lantus at 6pm each day and gradually over a few days I reduced this down to 6 units. My injections of Novorapid changed a little accordingly, with ratios tending towards 1:30 instead of the 1:50 I had been doing. Hopefully this makes sense. Other than that my general advice would be take long fingered warm gloves for Scotland and depending on the time of the year some mozzy repellent. Have a great time. Sue

 

[Jeff_uk]

Hi Jeff, This is the first time I have posted on the forum and was inspired to do so because of your cycling challenge which I completed in June of this year. I was diagnosed with Type 1 a couple of years ago at the age of 53 which was a complete shock. I've always eaten healthily and exercised regularly since I was 18 so I felt it seemed rather unfair being hit with this, but hey ho, there's worse things to have. My husband and I have always cycled; mainly with our children when they were younger but took up 'proper' cycling about 7 years ago. It was having type 1 that really inspired me to have a go at JOGLE almost to prove that I can still do anything I fancy. Are you doing this with a company or sorting it out yourself? We did the latter and planned our entire route on Strava and then booked our accommodation two days ahead at a time using air bnb or bnb mainly. By doing this we were able to check the weather, look at the terrain and then decide on our miles for those days. Our entire route was 1020 miles and our daily average was roughly 70m. We spent 14 days in total. Our longest days were about 105 miles going through Somerset which is flat and then our shortest was 45 tackling Devon, (very steep hills). I am on injections (lantus for 24 hour background and novorapid with meals) rather than a pump so my experience may be a little different to yours. It was actually really fascinating to see the cumulative effect of cycling day after day. I knew from my previous cycling to reduce my novorapid with my meals but was amazed by the extent I had to do this particularly after a few days. To give an example I tend to use a ratio of about 1:15 for breakfast if I'm not exercising with maybe 1:20-25 ish if I'm going for a cycle. After about 3 days cycling I was using 1:50 for breakfast! You definitely need to eat plenty of carbs to keep up your energy levels. Certain foods that I would never eat in the evening because they really mess up my levels, I found I was able to eat at lunchtime during our JOGLE trip. Chips for example I usually avoid, but I was able to to eat some with my lunch and perhaps put in 1/2 a unit of novorapid. I found it useful to use an empty fruit shoot bottle which I filled with fresh orange juice at breakfast time as an emergency during the day to avoid lows. I had this in a cycle pouch attached to the cross bar of my bike. I also kept jelly babies easily reachable as well. I use the libre and I keep the reader in a see through plastic, waterproof pouch on a lanyard around my neck. This way I can check on my readings whilst I'm actually cycling along and take a swig of juice if necessary. After about 3 days and getting some lows at night it occurred to me that I needed to dramatically reduce my background insulin. I tend to take 10 units of Lantus at 6pm each day and gradually over a few days I reduced this down to 6 units. My injections of Novorapid changed a little accordingly, with ratios tending towards 1:30 instead of the 1:50 I had been doing. Hopefully this makes sense. Other than that my general advice would be take long fingered warm gloves for Scotland and depending on the time of the year some mozzy repellent. Have a great time. Sue

Thanks for the reply sue! Sounds like you’re doing brilliant to be diagnosed just a couple of years ago and undertaking a challenge like JOGLE, congratulations for completing it.

I felt quite the same, I had lost my old man when I was 26, I was a pretty chubby guy at the time, decided It was a good idea to focus my efforts into exercise rather than drowning my sorrows in the local public house. Ended up going from 15st to 11.5 stone in 4 years, I was feeling on top of the world when I started to getting symptoms of diabetes. But as you say it could have been a whole lot worse. I’ve been at it for just over 3 years and done a couple of marathons last year. Kind of fallen off the training band wagon and feel it’s time to put myself through it all again

I’ve been doing some research into low carb diets so my body starts using fat as energy. I’ve spoken to the dietician at the hospital and they are whiling to support me to make sure I’m don’t do anything silly. I will try keep this place up to date with progress.

I’m going solo, well I might have a bit of support from my wife driving to the next pit stop for change of clothes, but I’ll be planning my own route, would be interested in you route if you have chance to send it over? I’m planning to try keep it under 1000 miles and complete in 9 days.

Jeff

 

[Alexandra100]

I’ve been doing some research into low carb diets so my body starts using fat as energy.

I think you might like to read Dr Ian Lake's blog. His account of his keto 730 mile unsupported run is epic: http://type1keto.com
but for me reading the archive episodes where he tells of his earlier experimental series of half marathons is even more interesting. I read them as a kind of serial, and was in great suspense as to whether he was going to come unstuck by the end! Here is a quote from the May 2017 episode:
http://type1keto.com/2017/05/
"I was trying to think what it would have been like in the pre keto days, but I couldn’t. I am used to being near ‘normal’ when running now. The bad old days are becoming a distant memory. Nowadays on keto, diabetes is just a minor irritant that can be largely ignored. Sure I have to work hard at it, but this diet has become my normal way of eating, I don’t have to think about it. Even if I do get a hypo it is weedy. Not like a proper hard-core hypo when I was carb counting."
If you haven't already come across this, I hope it will inspire you for your own similar adventure.

PS I see this has already been recommended. I think Dr Ian goes in to quite a lot of detail about what he ate etc. in his blog.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Interesting.

I am tentatively planning to do JOGLE next September (2020), but at a far gentler pace.
I can comfortable ride 40 miles a day on the flat, 50 on a good day, but I think that doing the same up and down mountains may be a bit harder.
Doing 70 miles a day AND a lot of climbing isn't really my idea of fun.
However if my fitness levels go up I may be able to do more.

The route I was looking at is around 1,000 miles (a minimum hill route, not one through the Lake District to see all the best views).
If I assume an average of 50 miles a day, that is short days at the start, longer days in the middle, and short days for the final hills then I was expecting to take about 20 days.
The general principle being that it is better to end the day early and energetic than late and completely worn out.
I am aware that I could average 12 mph on a good day with a following wind and no big hills, but that on a bad day with a strong head wind, rain, and some challenging hills then that could be 8 mph or less. Over 48 miles that would be 4 hours riding on a good day and 6 hours riding on a bad day. Add in rest and food stops and the day could become very long.
70 miles at 8 mph is about 9 hours riding not counting stops.
If a natural long distance pace is 15 mph, of course, then longer distances look possible.

I was originally planning to fix the route and book all the overnight stops before I set out, but I am now thinking that after the first few days I will have a better idea of how well I am coping (and also what the weather might be like) so I like the idea of booking a couple of days ahead.

As for diet, I am mainly in ketosis and cycle on just coffee, cream and butter so I don't expect to be loading up with carbohydrate but then again I'm a T2 chatting to T1s.

I am planning to ride solo, but if I am very lucky I may have a support driver to shift clothing etc. between accommodation which will allow me to concentrate on the ride and not worry so much about detailed logistics.

Who knows, I might even find I have another rider for part or all of the route.
September is still a long way away.

 

[Jeff_uk]

I think you might like to read Dr Ian Lake's blog.

PS I see this has already been recommended. I think Dr Ian goes in to quite a lot of detail about what he ate etc. in his blog.

Hey Alexandra,

Thanks for this, I’ve had a bit of a look through Ian’s blog and it’s amazing how well he’s in control while doing physical activity. Are you type 1 and have you done anything like low carb for fat adapted? Just spoke to my wife about it as it really would be a lifestyle change for us.

 

[Jeff_uk]

Interesting.

I am tentatively planning to do JOGLE next September (2020),

Keep us updated with progress on this, would be interested how you get on and your route. I like the idea of not planning your stops too heavily. I’m sure if I do that I may end up extending the journey time though, knowing my next stop is xxx miles away will keep my seated. Knowing I can stop at the next B&B might encourage me to stop at the next one I see

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen groups that go at 20+ days to complete. If you fancy doing it with others I’m sure google will assist in finding one

 

[Alexandra100]

Hey Alexandra,

Thanks for this, I’ve had a bit of a look through Ian’s blog and it’s amazing how well he’s in control while doing physical activity. Are you type 1 and have you done anything like low carb for fat adapted? Just spoke to my wife about it as it really would be a lifestyle change for us.

I don't know what I am! For over 2 years I have been living with gradually worsening numbers and I suspect I will eventually be diagnosed as LADA. I also suspect I am producing very little insulin and might well train and feel better injecting a small dose. I am planning soon to have another go at persuading my GP to send me for a C-peptide test. I am not very sanguine about this, as she has never heard of LADA and believes that as an adult I must be pre-T2, despite my extreme thinness.

I am eating VLC <20 daily, but following Dr Bernstein's protocol of higher protein. I eat about as much fat as I can stomach. Probably not enough fat to be really fat-adapted. Over 2 years I have lost fitness and muscle as well as fat, but whether this is due to my diet or rather, as I suspect, due to lack of insulin, I can't tell.

IMO probably everyone is eating too many carbs and could benefit from a healthy but carb reduced diet, but how many carbs that would be I don't know. A large athletic man could certainly eat far more carbs than a small inactive woman and keep to the recommended ratios for ketosis. There may be other factors that also affect the number of g carbs a person can consume and still be fat adapted. I had a moment of despair when I realised that Dr Bernstein's protocol of 30 g carbs daily is designed for a 140lb person, so at 108lbs I would have to eat even less! If I were a patient of Dr B I am sure he would have me on a low dose of basal insulin as well as my VLC diet (and exercise).

To encourage you and your wife, for me the easiest part of eating VLC is finding enjoyable meals. As many others here have also noted, VLC somehow changes one's tastes so that previously despised foods (spinach, broccoli!) can come to seem delicious. 100% cocoa chocolate is another discovery. And since one is eating high instead of low fat, frying everything in best olive oil or adding double cream can make mundane foods gourmet.

Good luck with your brilliant project!