Running is so hard and sugar levels are so high!

[kimkerr1986]

Hi,

I am new to the Forum and have had a brief look through the previous threads but not sure they relate directly to the problem I am having!

I have been running since April 2015 - I started with a Couch to 5k App so built up slowly and easily.

I am a Type 1 Diabetic and have been since I was 6 years old. I am now 29.

I aim to run about 20k a week - this will normally be 5k, 7.5k, 8k or sometimes 10k depending on how I am feeling.

About 1k into each run I am so out of breath and am heavy breathing. I am used to doing long distances and I run with my husband and friend who neither have such a problem with breathing or getting out of breath. The pace is about 6.5 minute per 1k so this is not strenuous for me. My husband thinks it may be something to do with oxygen and blood not being able to pump properly because of diabetes but I am not too sure. I find this really frustrating as I then have to slow right down to catch my breath which is pretty much a walking pace. It doesn't feel like I am going too fast which would be the obvious answer I know! Some days it is fine but other days it is awful and I want to give up after 1k!

I also saw Jeanettes post about high sugar levels. I always test before I run and make sure I am below 10.0 and above 4.5. However, I get back from the run and my levels are so high! They increase to about 15.6 or more.

Another point to note is that I am 3 months pregnant and need to make sure my levels are perfect for the next 6 months so the exercise and sugar levels are hugely important at this point.

I would really appreciate any help, assistance or guidance that anyone can offer me!

Thank you

Kim

 

[tim2000s]

Has it always been this way or only since you became pregnant?

While I'm no expert on exercising while pregnant, what I suspect is happening is that due to the additional weight you are carrying with the child, you are ending up running in an anaerobic state, which will cause your liver to dump glucose. In addition, you may be experiencing the release of stress hormones which also cause this effect.

It would be worth checking your heart rate while running, to confirm at what level you are running and you may need to work out how to inject insulin to counter this.

 

[kimkerr1986]

Hi Tim,
Thank you for coming back to me!

I think that as I was doing couch to 5k, it was fine because it was slow and steady and picked up pace. But since leaving that and just going out to do 5k or 6k or whichever, I have found it difficult - (definitely more so due to the pregnancy) but it has always been like that. I know that no exercise is 'easy' but I would have thought my body would have a tolerance to it and find it 'easier' seens as I have been doing a lot of running.

I will definitely check my heart rate as this would let me know what state I am in during the run wouldn't it? It sounds like my liver is releasing the glucose.

is there anyway I can improve this? Is it just practice makes perfect?

Thanks for your help so far!

 

[noblehead]

Hi Kim and welcome to the forum

I don't know if you've seen this website before, but Runsweet was set up for people like yourself who have type 1 diabetes and enjoy sport:

http://www.runsweet.com/

Good luck (and congratulations) with your pregnancy.

 

[kimkerr1986]

Hi ya,

Thank you for your reply - I really appreciate it.

I have not seen this website before but will have a good look through tonight - at a brief glance it looks good so look forward to reading more.

Thanks again!

 

[zicksi101]

It sounds like your HR is on the high side when running at the moment, as getting back from a run with higher BG would suggest that your liver is dumping glucose due to the stress response. Also you say you are breathing hard, which ties in with the theory there, at a comfortable aerobic pace you would be able to talk.

So something is making the running harder for you at the moment, maybe the extra weight as @tim2000s suggests, but I can't say I'm qualified to answer that.

It may be worth having a look at this: http://www.runsweet.com/HeartRate.html

So yes, you could inject insulin. The other option is to stay under 85% of max HR when exercising as this drops BG rather than raising it, which is easier to deal with I find as BG will only drop, rather than bouncing up with the spike, then coming down later when your liver decides it wants its glucose back.

 

[RuthW]

Pregnancy also increases your insulin resistance so that may be a factor ( though keeping on running will help to reduce that effect, so don't give up). You may just need a slower warm up while you are pregnant.

 

[phoenix]

Go slower, walk if necessary, don't try to run at the pace someone else sets for you, that can make it more stressful which won't help If you read accounts of non diabetic pregnant Mums they also get breathless. Heres one such ladyhttp://www.nycrunningmama.com/running-through-pregnancy-4/part-2-1st-trimester/
Running anaerobically and having your blood glucose rise won't help you at all.

This article says that when Paula Radcliffe was running through pregnancy she didn't let her heart rate go above 160bpm (and during a marathon she normally runs at above 180bpm for the whole 2+ hours). The doctors in the same article say to go by perceived effort. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/03/sports/othersports/03runner.html?_r=0

 

[kimkerr1986]

Hi Everyone,
Thank you all so much for your responses, found them all to be really helpful.
Will take on board all of your comments and let you know how I get on when I go out on my next run! Trying to keep motivated and positive!
Really appreciate you all taking the time to respond, have found it all really helpful.
Thank you
Kim