Any runners with diabetes here?

[Blondie]

I am a 31 year-old male who just contracted type 1 diabetes several months ago and started on
insulin shortly after that. I was an age-group competitive runner / triathlete before that. I
did a 5k in
19:20 today (was hoping to be under 19:00, but it was just a bit too warm and humid for that). This
was the first race I've done since being diagnosed, and not training for most of a month.

I am looking to get that 5k time down to 18:00 and also become at least a semi-competitive swimmer
over the next few years. Any other athletes here with this disease or coaches who train athletes
with it? I am looking for all the info I can find on training techniques for diabetics, such as
nutrition, training distances, etc. for diabetics. There is much info and preaching on all the
benefits of exercise and good diet for type 2 diabetics, but very little for those of us who
contract type 1, but were already healthy before hand.

[Gerhard Kneidin]

> I am looking to get that 5k time down to 18:00 and also become at least a semi-competitive swimmer
> over the next few years. Any other athletes here with this disease or coaches who train athletes
> with it? I am looking for all the info I can find on training techniques for diabetics, such as
> nutrition, training distances, etc. for diabetics.

I also tried to get this info ...

... there is no difference between diabetic and non-diabetic training programs. The only difference
to non-diabetic athletes is, you have to watch your blood glucose level all the time - this is the
difficulty.

You have to figure out how a certain intensity level influences your BG. Depending on this result,
you can calculate the amount of carbos you need during your workouts/races and so on.

When I run a marathon ... I reduce my basal-insulin about 50%. The last bolus-shot, in my case
HUMALOG has to be at least 3-4 hours in the past. Then I can expect a stable BG-level. The starting
BG-level has to be about 180. During the run, I consume every 30 minutes about 12g carbo. (1BE) When
all these parameter are ok, then I can expect to finish my marathon in 3:45 or faster :))

I think, there is no general rule how to deal with it. Each diabetic has to figure out his/her
own rules.

Gerhard ( 45, T1 since 1986 )

[Hedgehog & Mark]

There is a book called the Diabetic Runner (available in the UK, not sure about US). I've not
read it as at the moment I'm stable - actually the running makes me more stable. It might give
you some ideas

However I'd agree with Gerhard.....each person has to find what works for them....sorry if that
sounds unhelpful, but diabetes/insulin/food/exercise is not something that works the same way
for everyone!

Best of luck - the diabetes doesn't have to stop you - just makes you change "how".....Steve
Redgrave, 5 times Olympic rowing champion is diabetic

Cheers, Hedgehog

"Gerhard Kneidinger" <gerhardDOTkneidinger@voestalpine.com> wrote in message
news:bk45ab$lrh$1@newsreader1.netway.at...
> > I am looking to get that 5k time down to 18:00 and also become at least a semi-competitive
> > swimmer over the next few years. Any other athletes here with this disease or coaches who train
> > athletes with it? I am looking for all the info I can find on training techniques for diabetics,
> > such as nutrition, training distances, etc. for diabetics.
>
> I also tried to get this info ...
>
> ... there is no difference between diabetic and non-diabetic training programs. The only
> difference to non-diabetic athletes is, you have to watch your blood glucose level all the time -
> this is the difficulty.
>
> You have to figure out how a certain intensity level influences your BG. Depending on this result,
> you can calculate the amount of carbos you need during your workouts/races and so on.
>
> When I run a marathon ... I reduce my basal-insulin about 50%. The last bolus-shot, in my case
> HUMALOG has to be at least 3-4 hours in the past. Then I can expect a stable BG-level. The
> starting BG-level has to be about 180. During the run, I consume every 30 minutes about 12g
> carbo. (1BE) When all these parameter are ok, then I can expect to finish my marathon in 3:45 or
> faster :))
>
> I think, there is no general rule how to deal with it. Each diabetic has
to
> figure out his/her own rules.
>
> Gerhard ( 45, T1 since 1986 )

[Bumper]

Check out the Diabetic Athlete by Sheri Cloburg

fairly recent, 2001, deep enough to still understandable and is multidispline

Blondie <a@a.a> wrote:

> I am a 31 year-old male who just contracted type 1 diabetes several months ago and started on
> insulin shortly after that. I was an age-group competitive runner / triathlete before that. I
> did a 5k in
> 19:20 today (was hoping to be under 19:00, but it was just a bit too warm and humid for that).
> This was the first race I've done since being diagnosed, and not training for most of a month.
>
> I am looking to get that 5k time down to 18:00 and also become at least a semi-competitive swimmer
> over the next few years. Any other athletes here with this disease or coaches who train athletes
> with it? I am looking for all the info I can find on training techniques for diabetics, such as
> nutrition, training distances, etc. for diabetics. There is much info and preaching on all the
> benefits of exercise and good diet for type 2 diabetics, but very little for those of us who
> contract type 1, but were already healthy before hand.

[Blondie]

On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 21:47:52 +0100, "Hedgehog & Markarina" <spam.a@ntlworld.com> wrote:

>There is a book called the Diabetic Runner (available in the UK, not sure about US). I've not
>read it as at the moment I'm stable - actually the running makes me more stable. It might give
>you some ideas
>
>However I'd agree with Gerhard.....each person has to find what works for them....sorry if that
>sounds unhelpful, but diabetes/insulin/food/exercise is not something that works the same way for
>everyone!
>
>Best of luck - the diabetes doesn't have to stop you - just makes you change "how".....Steve
>Redgrave, 5 times Olympic rowing champion is diabetic
>
>Cheers, Hedgehog
>

It has not stopped me, but it has changed the way I train. Since exercise can greatly reduce the
need for insulin for 2 - 4 hours after it's over and also makes it much easier to keep normal
(non-diabetic) blood sugars during this time, I have changed my training to take advantage of this.
This means mostly short (30 - 60 min.), twice-a-day training sessions for me, as opposed to the
frequent 2-hour bike rides and swims I was doing before. This sort of training is probably no good
for half-ironman / half-marathon distances and up, but is very good for shorter distances.