How I ran (and managed my diabetes during) the Sheffield Half Marathon

I did it! I (somehow) ran – and survived – the Sheffield Half Marathon!

I’m not going to lie, it was brutal. I knew it would be tough, but it was even more difficult than I had imagined. I wasn’t anywhere near as prepared as I’d hoped I would be.  In my last post, I wrote about my plans for my first outdoor training run. That didn’t happen.  As prepared as I was from a diabetes perspective, I hadn’t checked the weather forecast and woke up to a blanket of snow – so I ended up running eight miles on the treadmill instead.

That meant the 13.1 mile course would be the first time I had attempted running any significant distance outside. It would also be a baptism of fire in tackling Sheffield’s cruelly steep hills. Not ideal.

The night before the race I made sure I had everything I needed to manage my diabetes. I squeezed as many SiS gels as I could fit into my running belt (five), along with a tube of glucotabs, an energy drink, my glucose tester, finger pricker and a handful of testing strips.

This is how it went…

Pre-race blood sugar: 5.7mmol/l

Shortly after meeting a friend and going to collect my race number, I decided to check my blood sugar. This was when I first realised how tricky it as going to be to test during the race.  Finding a place to prise my glucose tester from my bulging running belt, take a testing strip out of its packet and prick my finger – among crowds of people – was difficult. I was also worried when I saw the reading.  In normal circumstances, I’d be thrilled to see my blood sugar was 5.7 – but, in preparation for a half marathon, I thought it was a bit on the low side.  I panic-ate two glucotabs and had an energy gels before I’d even crossed the start line. As the race began, the atmosphere and support were incredible – but for the first two miles I was extremely anxious about having a hypo.

Mile 2 blood sugar: 5.2mmol/l

My initial plan had been to check my blood sugar roughly every three miles, but I was so worried about my lower-than-expected starting point that I decided to stop (rushing to the side of the road and balancing all my things on a wall) to test at mile two. I was really frustrated because it meant I lost the group I had been running with, but I’m glad I erred on the side of caution as my blood glucose had fallen slightly to 5.2. I took another energy gel before embarking on the toughest part of the course. The first five-and-a-half miles of the Sheffield Half Marathon are a relentless uphill slog. My treadmill-only training had not prepared me for the brutality of the course. I have to admit, there were times I was questioning whether I’d be able to make it round at all. Thankfully, I knew my boyfriend would be meeting me at mile five – giving me some motivation to keep going when my body just wanted to stop.

Mile 5 blood sugar: 4.2mmol/l

By the time I got to Andrew I was exhausted and slightly delirious. I checked my blood sugar and it was 4.2 – meaning that, if it continued to fall, I’d have a hypo. I took a couple of glucotabs, which had started to disintegrate after being shaken around in my running belt. I also took another energy gel, despite starting to feel a bit sick. I knew if I could continue for another mile, the rest of the course would be mostly (but not completely) downhill. I was desperately hoping it would become easier.

Mile 9 blood sugar: 9.2mmol/l

Thankfully it did. As the route began its descent back towards the city centre, I actually started to enjoy myself. The Peak District views were absolutely stunning and gave me a much-needed distraction from my increasingly achy legs. I wasn’t running fast, but I seemed to breeze through the next four miles. When I got to the nine mile marker I realised I hadn’t checked my blood sugar for a while, so I stopped at the side of the road to test.  I’d lost all dexterity and I fumbled my way through three failed testing strips before I managed to get a reading – 9.2.  The run had clearly got my blood pumping because my finger wouldn’t stop bleeding!

Mile 12 blood sugar: 6.6mmol/l

Andrew met me again at the ten mile point, giving me another milestone to focus on. The closer we got to the city, the louder the crowds got – and their cheers definitely helped as I started to struggle again.  I knew once I hit mile 12 I was nearly there, but the finish line still felt so far away. I stopped to test my blood sugar again – it had fallen to 6.6. I took another energy gel, gritted my teeth and kept going.

Post-race blood sugar: 7.2mmol/l

I don’t think I’ll ever forget running the final metres towards the finish line. I remember hearing the cheers of strangers calling my name as my weary legs carried me across the line.  I had been holding back tears but they spilled over when I saw Andrew.

I can’t really describe how I was feeling. I was relieved, exhausted and in so much pain, but incredibly proud. In part because I’d tackled the distance (my chip time was 2 hours 57 minutes), but mostly because I’d managed to keep my blood sugar under control.

I’d proved to myself I could do it. That I’m stronger than I give myself credit for. And that my diabetes doesn’t have to stop me doing anything.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the wonderful people who cheered me on, offered words of advice and helped me raise £480 for the Sheffield Scanner through their generous sponsorship. I was running as part of the University of Sheffield team supporting the £2 million campaign to buy an MRI-PET scanner. I’m so, so grateful for your support!

Sheffield Half Marathon: Training runs 1, 2, 3 and 4

I didn’t want to write about training run 1. I’d rather forget it. It was awful. The conditions weren’t great and I was ill-prepared.

1) It was freezing. The wind was battering my face and I couldn’t feel my fingers.

2) I couldn’t get my earphones to stay in my ears. In fact, I was so frustrated that less than 30 seconds after leaving the house I ran back and threw them on my doormat in disgust.

3) I was heckled by youths. And as I wasn’t listening to music I could hear every word.

I was only out for 21 minutes and I ran 1.7 miles. Not terrible considering I haven’t been on a proper run in nine years, but not brilliant either.

Thankfully training runs 2, 3 and 4 (more than a week later) were a lot better and I’m now feeling a more confident that I’ll be in a position to make it round the Sheffield Half Marathon course – albeit it extremely slowly.

I went to the gym after work on Monday with very low expectations. I’ve always hated running on a treadmill.  When I was training for the Edinburgh Marathon in 2009 I did most of my runs outside because I just couldn’t get into the rhythm of running in a gym.

Beforehand, my blood sugar was 20 (far higher than I’d have liked it to be).  I thought it was very unlikely I’d have a hypo while exercising but I made sure I was prepared just in case. I must have looked a bit strange to fellow gym-goers as I carried a bag of jelly babies to the treadmill…

I didn’t have a particular goal distance-wise – I just wanted to see what I could (or couldn’t) do.  As it was, I somehow managed to run 3 miles in 37 minutes and 24 seconds.  It may not sound like much, but it was beyond my expectations.  I didn’t think I’d even be able to run a mile.

I tested by blood sugar again when I got into my car to drive home and it had fallen to 9.  I can’t remember exactly when I’d had my quick-acting insulin at lunchtime, so I don’t know if I still had some of that in my system.  It can last for around four hours.  But I do know from the limited exercise I’ve done since being diagnosed that it does seem to make my blood sugar plummet.  I think I’m going to have to be more conscious of when I eat, what insulin is still at work and try and spot patterns when I exercise.

Training run 3, three days later, was also good. I somehow managed to knock two minutes off my time from earlier in the week – running 3 miles in 35 minutes and 31 seconds.

Today, I pushed the distance up to 4 miles – running it in 47 minutes. My blood sugar started at 18 (again, too high – I swear my readings aren’t always this bad) and it fell to 12 post-run. I definitely didn’t have any quick-acting insulin in my system so I guess this is probably a better indication of what exercise does to my blood sugar.

One thing I have been thinking about a lot is my background insulin. I take two different types of insulin – quick-acting with my meals and a background insulin at bedtime. The background insulin I take is called Tresiba and it stays in my system for around 40 hours. I switched to this just over a year ago from another insulin called Lantus (which lasts a shorter period of time) to give me more flexibility if I didn’t inject at the same time everyday.

I know a lot of people with diabetes take a different background insulin called Levemir twice daily, which means they can adjust their dose if they know they’re going to be doing exercise to help avoid their blood sugar falling too low. If I adjust how much Tresiba I take, I’ve been told it can take 7-10 days for me to see the impact – so this doesn’t seem to be an option for me. I’d be really interested to hear if anyone has any advice or tips for running on Tresiba as there doesn’t seem to be much information out there.

Anyway, I’ve not had any disasters so far and I’m really enjoying running again. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m feeling good about how my training has started.

I’m running the Sheffield Half Marathon on April 8th for the Sheffield Scanner – if anyone would like to sponsor me, I’d really appreciate it.  Visit my JustGiving page.

Running with diabetes – I’m training for the Sheffield Half Marathon

It’s official – I’m running the Sheffield Half Marathon in April. And now I’ve committed it to writing, I have to do it.

I’ve joined a gym, bought a rather jazzy pair of leggings and today I’ve been on my first training run. It was only 20 minutes and just shy of three kilometres, but I suppose you’ve got to start somewhere…

Those who know me may remember I, somehow, ran a full marathon in Edinburgh in 2009. That was back when I had a fully functioning pancreas.  This time, while I may only be running half the distance, I will also have to manage my diabetes. That’s the part that terrifies me most.

First training run

Since I was diagnosed, I’ve avoided exercise.  Physical activity lowers blood sugar levels and idea of having a hypo while on a run, alone and miles away from home, is something that (understandably) frightens me.  I’ve always said I never want to let my diabetes stop me doing anything, but the reality is that is has when it comes to exercise.

A few years ago, I decided to face the fear and join a gym – but when, at my induction, the instructor asked whether the kind of diabetes I had was ‘hypo or hyper’ it knocked my confidence that anyone would know what to do if I keeled over on the treadmill.  Consequently, I spent hundreds of pounds on a gym membership I used no more than a handful of times.

The thing is, there’s no textbook that tells you how to exercise with type one diabetes as everyone’s body reacts differently.  If I’m going to do this, I need to learn more about mine.

I’ll have to pay close attention to my blood sugar levels, what I’m eating and how much insulin I’m taking to ensure that I have the energy I need to run, as well as do it safely.  I’ve been reading some great websites like www.runsweet.com for advice and tips, but ultimately I know it’s going to be a process of trial and error.  Things will go wrong and I can’t let that put me off.

While I am terrified, I’m also really looking forward to running again. When I was marathon training in 2009, I (eventually) grew to enjoy long runs.  I’ll blog about my progress (the successes and the inevitable failures) and would really appreciate any advice from any type one runners or athletes who have trained for similar events.

Today’s short run was the first step – and now the fun begins…

I’m running for the Sheffield Scanner – if anyone would like to sponsor me, I’d really appreciate it.  Visit my JustGiving page.

Edinburgh Marathon 2009