How to race safe
I always used to test my blood glucose 10 minutes before a match, a race or an event. Sounds sensible. What better way to know whether I was going into exercise high, about right or low? Then, I met another T1D runner at the start line of an event. He was doing the same BGL test, but instead of relying on just one test, I noticed he did another test five minutes later. When I asked him “why?” the answer now seems so obvious.
He tested twice five minutes apart to understand not just where his BGL was sitting, but also which direction it was heading.
Knowing whether your BGL is 4.2 or 9.2 is helpful but, when you are about to start a marathon, knowing whether it is 9.2 and rising, or 4.2 and falling is much more important.
The trend of your BGL is more significant than the number itself and can help you decide whether you need a pre-race adjustment. I wonder if this would ever have occurred to me without bumping into that other runner. Quite often you get comfortable with your habits, pre-race strategies and T1D routines. This one lesson, from a stranger changed my pre-race routine for the better. This is one of the reasons I was motivated to share my lessons. In that moment I learned something that seems obvious, but something I had not considered for over 20 years.
Knowing your BGL trend is just one thing that can help you manage exercise with T1D, but there are other considerations too.
Sport and exercise with diabetes is about balancing the relationships between insulin that is still active in your system, the food you have consumed, and the stress and energy you have or will exert. Like your BGL trend, knowing the trend of the insulin you have on-board, what food you have consumed, how stressed you are, and the amount of exercise you have already done, or will do is key to this balance.
It is complex - there isn’t a silver bullet - but don’t let that put you off. You will find a way and it gets easier over time. The more you learn and record from your experiences the quicker you’ll achieve balance.
This will lead to better all-round performance and enjoyment from your sport.