Anyone a runner and a diabetic?

[shmoogrrrl]

I am a type 2 diabetic and I am looking to possibly run the Princess 1/2 mile in 2012. I did the C25K program earlier this year, and can fairly comfortably run a 5K without any side effects. My blood sugar is usually lower at the end of my run and throughout the rest of the day, but nothing unmanageable. I know that a 1/2 marathon could be a totally different thing, though. I am not on insulin, BTW....just Metformin.

Are there any other diabetics out there who have experience and advice on running a 1/2 marathon? Obviously I will discuss it with my doctor and do what he says, but I don't go back to him until March, and I was just thinking about what I might expect on race day.

I'm not worried about the actual running.....Well, I am worried, but not because of my diabetes. I am healthy with no side effects. I am just curious mainly about managing blood sugar levels. Will I need to plan to carry my monitor with me and stop at certain intervals to test? Will I have to carry snacks as well? How in the heck do you run and carry all this stuff? Obviously I will wear my medic alert bracelet, and I bet there is something in the forms about medical issues, but are there any other things I need to think about?

 

[ksoehrlein]

Sorry that no one has chimed in yet, but maybe when everyone is back from WDW Marathon Weekend you'll have some feedback. I'm not diabetic (as per recent testing), but I find I'm highly sensitive to sugar, so I'm interested to see how this thread develops.

Remember, as you train for the half, you will do several long runs that will serve as dress rehearsals for race day. If your doctor advises you to monitor after every X number of miles or minutes, you can practice this in your training -- and hopefully figure out a good way to carry everything with you prior to race day.

During these long runs, practice what and when to eat as well as what and when to drink. Disney provides water and PowerAde at each water stop (should be 9 stops in total), and you may want to alternate between the two if 9 Dixie-cup-size servings of PowerAde proves to be too much sugar for you to process.

Finally, regardless of whether you're diabetic or not, carrying snacks on a long run is highly recommended whenever you're out there for an hour or more. There are many products specifically designed for this, ranging from PowerBars to Gu (gel) to my personal favorite: Sports Beans. All come in small 100-calorie packs designed to replenish your glucose and electrolytes. Very portable, especially if you run in shorts or a running skirt with pockets. Some hydration belts are designed to carry both water bottles and gel packets, making it even easier to carry.

Best of luck!

 

[chimera]

I am a type 2 diabetic and I am looking to possibly run the Princess 1/2 mile in 2012. I did the C25K program earlier this year, and can fairly comfortably run a 5K without any side effects. My blood sugar is usually lower at the end of my run and throughout the rest of the day, but nothing unmanageable. I know that a 1/2 marathon could be a totally different thing, though. I am not on insulin, BTW....just Metformin.

Are there any other diabetics out there who have experience and advice on running a 1/2 marathon? Obviously I will discuss it with my doctor and do what he says, but I don't go back to him until March, and I was just thinking about what I might expect on race day.

I'm not worried about the actual running.....Well, I am worried, but not because of my diabetes. I am healthy with no side effects. I am just curious mainly about managing blood sugar levels. Will I need to plan to carry my monitor with me and stop at certain intervals to test? Will I have to carry snacks as well? How in the heck do you run and carry all this stuff? Obviously I will wear my medic alert bracelet, and I bet there is something in the forms about medical issues, but are there any other things I need to think about?

I'm not a diabetic (yet...I do these crazy races to try and prevent it), but I am an endocrine PA and take care of diabetes patients. Congrats on getting out there for the half!

No, you don't need to take your monitor with you, but do wear your medic alert bracelet. Most type 2s don't get hypoglycemic with metformin so it shouldn't be a problem. What you'll want to do in training is to check your blood sugar after a run, particularly as you increase distance. If you're low or feeling hypoglycemic, have a snack before the next run of that distance. You should be bringing something like Gatorade, gels or snacks to help maintain your sugar during the long runs. If you're doing gels or snacks, set up a schedule, like having one every 4 miles or so (or roughly 45 min). I get a little hypoglycemic after 10 miles so I use Gatorade now, but when I started training, I used honey packets for the first 6 miles, then had peanut butter crackers around mile 9. Just experiment during training to see what works best for you.

Running with a buddy is always a good idea, too. Particularly if your blood sugar fluctuates a lot. When you're at the race, there will be plenty of WISHers you can run with. You're never alone out there when you're a WISHer!