Diabetes in Sport

Hi Jason. I have had T1 diabetes for 40 years and have been a keen runner for over 20 years. I think the diabetes has quite a large effect on my sporting performance. I started running in the first place to prove that I could, despite my diabetes! However, my performance varies greatly depending on my blood sugar levels. When they are nearly in the 'normal' zone (4.5 - 8 mmol) I run much better and it takes a lot less effort. I have often felt greater amounts of lactate acid building up and felt sluggish when my sugars are between 8 and 13. Sometimes my sugar is too high to be able to run and I have missed out on taking part in races, or had to jog until the sugar came down a bit. Having an insulin pump has made things much easier, especially due to the temporary basal feature, which means you can plan for extra exercise at fairly short notice. One problem I have is that adrenaline increases my blood sugar and so often it peaks before a race. This means I often need to take an extra small dose of insulin to compensate, or start running with sugars that are too high. After endurance running (training and competition) I usually need to reduce my overnight basal rate to avoid going hypo. I always need to carry glucose tablets and usually need to have about 2 tablets a mile to avoid going hypo, even with very little basal insulin (0% - 50% depending on starting sugars and intensity of training/ race). I use a Freestyle libre flash glucose monitoring system, which is another great advantage as I can test my sugar as I run, although it often doesn't work when I'm running or cycling because the sensor becomes too cold with windchill! I recently sustained a mild foot fracture and sprained ankle in a fall and couldn't run for 3 months, but I managed to get back to my usual competitive speed fairly quickly after that and I don't think the diabetes slowed down my recovery much, but I found it very hard not to be able to run! I was able to do lots of useful physio exercises and gently walking etc. to try and avoid losing too much fitness and flexibility while injured. I didn't really need any medications to help the recovery - just time, physio and patience. I think having diabetes makes me realise the importance of keeping fit and healthy and setting aside time for exercise and sport.
I hope this is useful.
Janet

I am 17 and have only been diagnosed for 7 months. I live an active life, and haven't let diabetes stop it. I went back to exercise the day i came out of hospital! My main sport is horse riding and working on the yard. For all of this, i halve my bolus insulin. I need to keep checks on my blood sugar, and monitor regularly. I check it straight before and after riding, and then during if it's a long ride. Afterwards i always need to have a snack of 10-15g (an apple) to keep it up in range. I also have been advised by my nurse to keep my levels above 5. I also like to go to the gym and fitness classes in the evening while at college. Therefore, when i do this i usually have a 10g carb snack before to keep my levels up, and then need to use my exercise setting so i only take 70% bolus with my meal after.

I hope this has helped a bit, and if you need anything else just ask.