Hi, I'm a T2 Been distance running for around 1 year with a local running club. I do around 30 miles per week did 3 half marathons in 2011 under 2 hrs. I'm aiming to do more this year & my 1st marathon in October. My thoughts are with eating before, after & during races. I'm finding gels have a really short term fix for me. I generally need something around the 10 mile mark & the last run I did I took a banana. This was ok but heavy on the tummy. I'm generally ravenous on crossing the 13 mile finish & throw a chocolate bar followed by some good quality protein down my throat faster than lightning. That said, I know how I perform on 13 miles so comfortable. My concern is now the 26 miles as I guess I will need something pretty substantial about half way. My diabetes seems to give me continuous highs & lows unless I constantly eat little & often. My fellow club runners look at me strangely as they gulp energy gels & I opt for a tuna sandwhiches on burgen soya, linseed bread. This meal seems to steady my BG, maybe due to low GI of the bread. Anyway, id love to hear some views from other runners T1 or T2.
Distance running
- Thread starter theblokefromstoke
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HI and welcome,
I am no runner by far, but well done to you for doing it and i wish you good luck for the future.
What about a cereal bar, as this contains fibre and carbohydrates, this should keep you at an even kill, and you could run while eating, i would think banana would give you indigestion or even take a couple of digestive biscuits.
Sorry not much help really.
Good luck in your marathon
Take care
Tracey
I am no runner by far, but well done to you for doing it and i wish you good luck for the future.
What about a cereal bar, as this contains fibre and carbohydrates, this should keep you at an even kill, and you could run while eating, i would think banana would give you indigestion or even take a couple of digestive biscuits.
Sorry not much help really.
Good luck in your marathon
Take care
Tracey
Hi
their is a member on this forum called the-marathan man he also is doing the 26mile marathon to raise money for Juvenile diabetes. Look him up he may be able to help.
their is a member on this forum called the-marathan man he also is doing the 26mile marathon to raise money for Juvenile diabetes. Look him up he may be able to help.
borofergie
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Fallenstar is a T1 ultra-marathon running diabetic legend, who eats up marathons for fun on a Saturday morning, and low-carbs.
I'm a T2 who wants to move up from 10k to half-marathon this year (fingers crossed for the Great North Run ballot this week), so I might be tapping you up for some advice (once I recover from my sprained ankle).
I'm a T2 who wants to move up from 10k to half-marathon this year (fingers crossed for the Great North Run ballot this week), so I might be tapping you up for some advice (once I recover from my sprained ankle).
hi TBFS :lol:
Hey well done you, good going. I don't find I need much now in the form of snacks but I do have to try and balance insulin injections ...it's taken some years :roll:
Are you on insulin? if not a good meal for breakfast should do it before hand ...I low carb so am out of the box for most runners and just use glucose tabs as and when I need them..and watered down orange juice on tap in my camel pak...to keep potassium levels up...it works for me..and a banana and agood protein meal at the end...sorry if not much help,but good luck with it all.
Hey Borofergie thanks
and good luck with the 5K
Hey well done you, good going. I don't find I need much now in the form of snacks but I do have to try and balance insulin injections ...it's taken some years :roll:
Are you on insulin? if not a good meal for breakfast should do it before hand ...I low carb so am out of the box for most runners and just use glucose tabs as and when I need them..and watered down orange juice on tap in my camel pak...to keep potassium levels up...it works for me..and a banana and agood protein meal at the end...sorry if not much help,but good luck with it all.
Hey Borofergie thanks
and good luck with the 5K Thanks all for the replies.
Im not using insulin, going to stick with the old faithful, good hearty breakfast & banana Pre race & pocket of jelly babies & see how I go on after 13 miles. I'm doing 15 miles on Sunday so may really push the boat out & take a satsuma with me as well. I do restrivct my carbs to 80g per day which generally goes against the runners 'carbing' up rituals of most distance runners but it works for me so I'm going to stick with it. Off for a park run this morning, great little organised & free events all over the uk. I'm trying to add an interesting angle to
My distance running with a weekly short blast of a 5k race. Aiming for a 30 second per month reduction in time. Thanks again & looking forward to our posts.
Im not using insulin, going to stick with the old faithful, good hearty breakfast & banana Pre race & pocket of jelly babies & see how I go on after 13 miles. I'm doing 15 miles on Sunday so may really push the boat out & take a satsuma with me as well. I do restrivct my carbs to 80g per day which generally goes against the runners 'carbing' up rituals of most distance runners but it works for me so I'm going to stick with it. Off for a park run this morning, great little organised & free events all over the uk. I'm trying to add an interesting angle to
My distance running with a weekly short blast of a 5k race. Aiming for a 30 second per month reduction in time. Thanks again & looking forward to our posts.
borofergie
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Hi BFS
Have you tried the Lucozade Glucose tabs, I used to find the Gels made me feel sick and would spike me later. On my new insulins now ,I have worked out that when I get to the 8 mile mark my sugars are down in the 5 mmol's, I then can take 2 of these every 4 miles and I can carry on with no checking and end the Marathon with sugars still in the 5 mmol's .I start with a sugar between 8/10 mmol's now on my new insulins ,as apposed to needing to start with them in the mid/ high teens due to the unpredictable nature of my old insulins....I'm loving it
You may find the Glucose tabs a bit easier on your stomach.
Good luck with the 26 miles
Have you tried the Lucozade Glucose tabs, I used to find the Gels made me feel sick and would spike me later. On my new insulins now ,I have worked out that when I get to the 8 mile mark my sugars are down in the 5 mmol's, I then can take 2 of these every 4 miles and I can carry on with no checking and end the Marathon with sugars still in the 5 mmol's .I start with a sugar between 8/10 mmol's now on my new insulins ,as apposed to needing to start with them in the mid/ high teens due to the unpredictable nature of my old insulins....I'm loving it
You may find the Glucose tabs a bit easier on your stomach.
Good luck with the 26 miles
Thanks for the replies all. I will give the Glucose tabs a go. I too find the gels sickly & they play havoc with my BG levels.
Good luck & best wishes to all of you.
Good luck & best wishes to all of you.
I have been T1 for 23 years. I have been involved in lots of running over time including marathons. In my experience there isnt any standard for topping up on carbs. I cant say that 1 need a banana after 10 miles every time I run for example. I just react to how I feel. The best advice id give is to monitor blood sugar carefully in the 24hrs before a long run, stock up on decent carbs ie pasta the night before and if you can stomach some in a morning before you run then that should work too. Quick fix sugars are rubbish for pre-run prep. Id say gels are a no-no unless you need a quick emergency fix and chocolate and lucozade are completely pointless for sugar replenishment. In simple terms stock up on carbs before you start, eat decent snacks during (breakfast nutrigrain bars for example work well for me) and as soon as possible afterwards, eat a proper meal. If you can run a distance without eating chocolate, gel, lucozade or glucose tabs then you can be confident that your preparation worked well.
borofergie
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Cjmen said:
I like the sound of that.
As a T2 there is no way I'm going to carbo-load though. Not only would it spike my blood, but I'd also being "doing a Radcliffe" every three or four miles. I've decided to go the other way, and do my training while "keto-adapted", and on less than 30g of carb a day (I'm a week into "zero-carbing"), the theory being that you tune your body to burn fat rather than carbohydrate, and therefore slow down the delpletion of muscle glycogen.
It's a bit controversial but I'm going to see how it works out as I train for an autumn half-marathon.
PaulXC
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Hi - I was diagnosed type 1 in 1982 and ran the London Marathon for the first time in 1983. Since then I have run numerous 10km and half marathons, 5 more Londons, 6 Beachy Head Marathons and even tried some triathlon including sprint and Olympic open water. In 2010 I completed the London Marathon in April (for JDRF and Diabetes UK) and the London Triathlon in August.
From single inections and glucose tablets to multiple injections and a whole range of "runner friendly" foods, things have certainly improved in those 30 years. I have never run to a formula of so many miles = so much food, but feel happiest to blood test before starting and react to how I feel on the way round. You learn what works by experience I'm afraid. For shorter runs of 10km or less I just carry jelly babies (in a bank coin bag with a foldover). I used to use glucose tablets but find them so dry to taste. For middle distance distances I often carry a running specific drink bottle (sort of split in two to make it easier to grip) with one of the powder mixed sports drinks. Current favourite is PSP22 blackcurrant flavour. Its a little bit sweet to taste but packs in the carbohydrate so a 500ml bottle contains about 40g CHO. Lots of other flavours and brands to try so you ought to find one you like. I hate Lucozade Sport but thats just me. You can also make you ow from fruit juice watered down 50% or Glucose Powder and Fructose powder mixed to taste. Drink is easier to take on during the run, and you need to drink for longer events anyway.
For longer events I find a mix of foods is better so thats where the jelly babies come in as well as the drink and then whatever else I can carry which will include gel sachets for use and also for emergency. I have also discovered Maxim screw top gels which are resealable and so allow you to keep topping up. The advantage of these gels is that they are concentrated and relatively small to fit in a zip pocket. By contrast the Beachy Head Marathon (which is a long distance walkers event) offers squash, water, biscuits, cut up mars bars, cut up banana, fruit cake, buns and I find this works well for me too - although you do stop at the feed stations so as not to litter the South Downs.
So you have to try it before the event to see if you like the taste and can stomach it (especially at a race like London that provides its own sponsored drinks on course), and you have to experiment with what is easy to carry and what works for you. I am still surprised with how much CHO in total I need to balance a run - can be be 50 - 60g CHO for an endurance event like the Grizzly which is hilly off road 20 miles taking me over 4 hours.
Good Luck - its the only way to spend a Sunday morning, and it keeps my blood pressure, resting heart rate and Diabetes Hospital Consultant happy.
Paul.
From single inections and glucose tablets to multiple injections and a whole range of "runner friendly" foods, things have certainly improved in those 30 years. I have never run to a formula of so many miles = so much food, but feel happiest to blood test before starting and react to how I feel on the way round. You learn what works by experience I'm afraid. For shorter runs of 10km or less I just carry jelly babies (in a bank coin bag with a foldover). I used to use glucose tablets but find them so dry to taste. For middle distance distances I often carry a running specific drink bottle (sort of split in two to make it easier to grip) with one of the powder mixed sports drinks. Current favourite is PSP22 blackcurrant flavour. Its a little bit sweet to taste but packs in the carbohydrate so a 500ml bottle contains about 40g CHO. Lots of other flavours and brands to try so you ought to find one you like. I hate Lucozade Sport but thats just me. You can also make you ow from fruit juice watered down 50% or Glucose Powder and Fructose powder mixed to taste. Drink is easier to take on during the run, and you need to drink for longer events anyway.
For longer events I find a mix of foods is better so thats where the jelly babies come in as well as the drink and then whatever else I can carry which will include gel sachets for use and also for emergency. I have also discovered Maxim screw top gels which are resealable and so allow you to keep topping up. The advantage of these gels is that they are concentrated and relatively small to fit in a zip pocket. By contrast the Beachy Head Marathon (which is a long distance walkers event) offers squash, water, biscuits, cut up mars bars, cut up banana, fruit cake, buns and I find this works well for me too - although you do stop at the feed stations so as not to litter the South Downs.
So you have to try it before the event to see if you like the taste and can stomach it (especially at a race like London that provides its own sponsored drinks on course), and you have to experiment with what is easy to carry and what works for you. I am still surprised with how much CHO in total I need to balance a run - can be be 50 - 60g CHO for an endurance event like the Grizzly which is hilly off road 20 miles taking me over 4 hours.
Good Luck - its the only way to spend a Sunday morning, and it keeps my blood pressure, resting heart rate and Diabetes Hospital Consultant happy.
Paul.
