• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Running help with sugars

NeilB81

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi I am in to my 3rd week of c to5k first time running in a very long time. Enjoying it but struggerling to keep sugars up. My by seem to come down really fast I might start at14 but 15-20 mins in I am down at 6.4 but I have another 10-15 mins left. I have had to stop and walk back plus sugar up 3times which also doesn't help with the weight loss I am trying to get. I try and take only 50% of my insulin and I run about 2hrs after dinner. Any ideas
 
It's interesting that you're having issues running for short distances like that. I'm not a runner by any means, but 30-35 minute runs aren't enough time to affect my glucose levels much at all.

Are you following a low-carb diet by any chance? Your diet would be one place I'd evaluate.
Are you eating low GI foods at dinner? That might be one way to combat the hypos.
What does your insulin regimen look like? Is it possible you're correcting for your meals too late and not feeling the effects until your run?

You're likely burning about 300-400 calories during that 30 minute run. Even it it were all carbs (which it's not) that would only be 75g-100g. If you're feeling effects 15 minutes in, that would be only 38-50g of carbs.
 
It is really hard to exercise AND lose weight when you are Type 1 without running into Hypoland or Hyperland. If you were on a pump, I would say to reduce your basal too. But if you are not, and you want to run without stuffing your face with carbs (which is how it always feels to me), I think your only option may be to change the timing of your run. That's difficult if you have a full schedule, or a working life. Some people do it by running early in the morning. Alternatively you could try running before dinner, instead of after. The idea is to run when you haven't got BOB (bolus on board). Bob's a generous type - always makes people eat and so makes them fatten up in spite of exercising.

One thing that does happen in your favor, though, is that as your body gets used to a particular type of exercise, it doesn't burn off quite so much glucose. So even what you are doing now, though you don't like the walking part, is helping you to get there. Hopefully then you can start at a lower level without such a fall to follow.

Quite soon, you should see effects on your insulin resistance so that you basal requirements should drop, as well as your insulin:carb ratios. As you build muscle your insulin requirements do go down. You may also see drops overnight.

Diabetic Athlete's Handbook by Sheri Colberg is good on all the things to do and expect when exercising. She also recommends a 4-6 week run-up to a full-on training plan to get over these "bumps".

It might take you longer than 9 weeks or so, but you can still get there in the end.

Another thing is to eat "slow release" carbs with fat, like peanut butter on toast, before you run, but a) I don't know much about that, and b) it's quite a lot of calories, so if you want to lose weight, I suppose you'd have to cut those calories from some other point in your day.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After thinking about this thread, I decided to do a "test" this morning. As you can see it's not terribly scientific and there are quite a few variables:

4:00am-wake-up
4:30am- Inject 15units Levemir & drink three cups of coffee
7:00am- blood sugar was 6.3mmol/L (One Touch Ultra2 Meter)
7:11am-8:02am- 51 minute run (5.02 miles/8km)
8:05am-blood sugar was 4.9 mmol/L (Accu-Chek Aviva Expert)

Side notes: my Dexcom says I didn't fall below 4.4 mmol/L until 8:39am
Side Notes2: I'm in the U.S. and measure my glucose in mg/dL. However, I used a converter to make it easier for those of you across the pond.

Again, I realize this isn't very scientific, but as Ruth mentioned, you may try running at a different time.
 
In the interests of group solidarity, I just did a little test too. Before dinner, but only two hours since my last bolus, i raised my bs to 9.5. Then I got on the exercise bike. After 10 minutes, 8.1. After 20 minutes, 5.9. So, pretty steep fall. I couldn't have done another ten minutes without carbing up.
 
My glucose always drops after the first 20 minutes or so of aerobic exercise. It is the reason that I was advised to get a pump because I really don't need much insulin in my system when running. Before that I had to drip feed dextrose tabs (they about 16 cal each; so not a lot.) With a pump and a low temporary basal it's better but I still drop during exercise just not so quickly or so often.
If I don't remember to change my pump basal then it can drop even on a fairly gentle stroll, I have just come back from a walk up to the seafront which is just over a mile. I started at 109mg/dl (6.05mmol/l) got as far as the seafront and felt low was 60mg/dl (3.3mmol/l).I had a coffee and a few bits of my husbands slice of coffee walnut cake.I got home with a glucose level of 101mg/dl.
 
Back
Top