Overgrown

I really had planned to run last night, but time got away and I could not get out. A long trip back to KC from Salina. So today I thought I would make up for it and run a great trail closer to home. I love running trails and if I had more time to find them I would probably run trails all the time. The good trails in the Ozarks are both rough and hilly. On my way home from KC I stopped off at the Sac Woods Conservation land. The trails there are well marked and it is a great place to get some miles in. I had not been there since last fall, but we have had a lot of rain this summer and the a lot of the trails where grown up about knee high in grass and weeds. No big deal, but I had this fear of snakes. I did not see any, thank goodness. There are some great hills both up and down. Some of the hills I was on my tip toes to get up them, very steep. I went about 4 miles.

For some reason this week my sugar was high. I do not know why. I changed my infusion, my insulin. It seems from morning till dinner I was pegged between 200-350. When I stopped to run today I was on the higher end. I did not give myself a bolus. Did not turn my basal down and did not use any gel packs. When I finished I was 143 hills and all. I have no idea what the problem is, I will change my infusion again tonight.

Flat

I am out in mid-Kansas today. I battled some high blood sugar in the morning and mid afternoon. I had pizza last night and that always creeps it up. After a lot of correction I got it down. It is always hard to do that driving all day. I really wanted to pull over and find a place to run, but I also wanted to make it to Salina at a decent time.

People think of Kansas as flat and boring. That is mostly a wrong assumption. For one thing, Georgia is the flattest state. Kansas is very hilly on the eastern side and flattens out in the west kind of.

Today I ran some flat. It was so flat I could actually see down the road 2.5 miles to my turn around spot. The road was loose sand and gravel. I drove it a little to kind of see where I wanted to run and had to be careful not to get out of the hard tire track or I would slide off or get stuck. It was great for running. Except of course when a car would come and I would be covered in dust. Not too many cars though. Fields lined the road mostly planted in really lush soy beans. Did you know 1 Kansas farmer feeds 128 people a year. That's what the sign says. The weather was perfect, 79F with a good breeze.

My sugar held true. I ate a IHOP about a hour before. Right across from the hotel. I did not give myself my full bolus and did not turn my basal down. I may have ran a little too soon after I ate because I got a side stitch in mile one. With some rhythmic breathing got rid of it. I did a little over 5 miles. My straight out and back.

Plans changed, but I still got to run...

Last night right before dinner I thought I would go for a run. Tested my blood. It was 81. So I decided to wait until after dinner. Right after dinner my wife got a phone call from an old friend that wanted us to come over. I remembered there were some great places to run where she lived, So I devised a plan to drop my wife and daughter off and run and then come back to socialize. The plan was agreed to.

I was so glad to get on the road. I started out on a Greenway trail (paved) that went along a creek then onto a road that was very hilly. I looped around to where I began. The weather was around 80F, but it was steamy, my glasses kept fogging up. It was right at dusk so the lighting was great and it seems that it had rained not too long before.

For the first mile or two I felt really good. At mile two I sucked down an AccelGel (lime). Soon after I could tell my sugar was dipping. I hate that. I was having a great run and I started feeling a little light in the knees. I slowed my pace a bit and tried to enjoy the great night. My pump was turned down to 60% basal. Then at mile 3.5 the gel kicked in I was back. I ran just a bit harder to make up time and when I saw my car I did not want to stop, but it was getting dark and I am sure my wife was wondering where I was. I did five miles. Here's my map.

Here I go

I have been a diabetic for nearly 20 years. I was diagnosed my junior year in high school. No family history. The whole thing never really bothered me to much. I just went on with my life with great family support blood testing and shots. I have kept rather good control over time and have avoided any complications, thank goodness.
Almost 10 years ago I got a insulin pump. I love my insulin pump. It made life easier and my control tighter. I think every diabetic should have one.
After I was diagnosed I knew I needed some form of exercise. I was rather active anyway but needed more structure. I joined the cross-county team. I did not take it really serious, I ran off and on through college and the years that followed. I did not stick with it.
Now that I am in my late 30s it stuck. I have been running for over a year. I really enjoy it a have been keeping motivated. I ran a 25K trail run last fall and have several 5ks and a half planned for the fall.
Running with diabetes is not hard, but it does pose a little more of a challenge. Keeping your blood sugar in check while logging miles is always fun.