After reading this thread, I had to post this- I am the father of a Type 1 and I agree 100% with Martin001. IanKatz may have a program that works for him, but allowing BG to get into the 240+ range for a long period of time is dangerous. I have been the primary care giver and diabetic manager for my son who was diagnosed at age 8 (18 now) with Type 1. He played hockey and baseball. His BG would shoot up during hockey and his performance would drop off-almost like hitting a brick wall. We began testing more frequently and tried to maintain his BG in the 120-160 range at all times during games. This gave him good performance and his A1C is under 6.8. Hockey would flood his blood with glycogen which drove up the BG; he would take insulin (humalog, 1-2 units) during games which kept him in balance. The risk was that after games he would go very low (under 40) unless he consumed carbs and did not completely cover them with insulin. His lantus needs were about 24-25 units per day. Intense excercise with Type 1 is definitely a balancing act that requires much thought and analysis. Get some good medical advice and pay attention to your own experience-chart results, carb intake and insulin levels. Diabetes within competition sports is a challenge but can be managed. If you are a Type 1, don't let diabetes stand in the way. There are many resources available to help. Actually, the most difficult transition for BG management was between regular exercise periods and lower levels of exercise (end of hockey and start of baseball).
Racing and being a diabetic
- Thread starter cbb
- Start date
I have read the comments with interest. I have been a type 1 diabetic for quite a number of years and have been working with my doctors to continue to perform as I would hope to if I did not have diabetes.
For a great source if info re: sport and diabetes, look up www.runsweet.com
There are some great articles about cycling and diabetes care in general. The site is aimed at type 1 diabetics.
I used to go out cycling early morning with blood sugars in the normal range and, when completing only shorter rides (1 - 2 hours) my blood sugar would go up considerably. To overcome this, I now take a few units of humalog (taking the normal hypo treatment precautions with me on the ride). This counteracts the natural increase of glycogen (and therefore blood sugars) produced by the body to fuel the muscles when you train. Precautions for longer rides are slightly different where a balance of carbs (ex-carbs - in drinks for example) and insulin are crucial to ensure peak performance throughout the ride/race. This has taken a while to get right and there are occasions where I have either hit the wall with low sugars or felt lousy because of high blood sugars. Regular testing has proven invaluable (during training and not on a race of course) to ensure that I got a good understanding of the effects of carbs/insulin/exercise/time and how my body reacted with each.
Good luck to all those type 1's out there......and remember to tell those that you cycle with to watch out for signs of a hypo in you (take HypoStop carb gel as this can be absorbed through the skin inside the mouth).
For a great source if info re: sport and diabetes, look up www.runsweet.com
There are some great articles about cycling and diabetes care in general. The site is aimed at type 1 diabetics.
I used to go out cycling early morning with blood sugars in the normal range and, when completing only shorter rides (1 - 2 hours) my blood sugar would go up considerably. To overcome this, I now take a few units of humalog (taking the normal hypo treatment precautions with me on the ride). This counteracts the natural increase of glycogen (and therefore blood sugars) produced by the body to fuel the muscles when you train. Precautions for longer rides are slightly different where a balance of carbs (ex-carbs - in drinks for example) and insulin are crucial to ensure peak performance throughout the ride/race. This has taken a while to get right and there are occasions where I have either hit the wall with low sugars or felt lousy because of high blood sugars. Regular testing has proven invaluable (during training and not on a race of course) to ensure that I got a good understanding of the effects of carbs/insulin/exercise/time and how my body reacted with each.
Good luck to all those type 1's out there......and remember to tell those that you cycle with to watch out for signs of a hypo in you (take HypoStop carb gel as this can be absorbed through the skin inside the mouth).
