My step daughter has type 1 diabetes and is very active. She does gymnastics, rides her bike and does things a 8 year old typically does. She brought home papers to join a group called Girls on the Run, it is a group to help girls build self esteem and teaches how to care for the body. My husband does not want to let her join because we have problems with her getting low with activity and although she is active and we have a pretty good regimen for keeping her blood sugars under control with activity it was always trial and error until we found something that worked and even then its not always guaranteed what worked last time will the next, and hes just concerned because she will be running a 5k and we have no idea what to expect. She really wants to join and I don't want her to not be able to because of her diabetes. Does anyone have advise on what we can do to prepare her for something so vigorous? They will meet for an hour twice a week until the second week of November to condion for the run. Also the girls are required to have a running partner so I will be running with her. I appreciate any advise.
My son was diagnosed at 8 and had been running before his diagnosis. He actually ran a 5K 2 days before he was diagnosed and has not stopped. I would highly recommend Girls on the Run and if you will be running with her then all the better (if you can keep up with her). I can't keep up with my son so we usually start out a race togther and then my husband will meet him at the finish line. I'm kind of the "sweeper".
What we do is try to make sure he's a little on the high side when we start running - I like him to be over 120 when we start. He is on a pump and he carries glucose tabs and gel with him in his spibelt. He also has temporary tattoos that say he's diabetic and we write it on his race bib as well.
I would say as you are training you will get a better idea of how she reacts and you can make adjustments that way. Can she feel when she starts to go low?
We all know exercise is important and running is a great activity. I hope you let her do it and if I can be of any other help please reach out.
Good Luck - Laura
Thank you very much. She does feel her lows - she is very sensitive to them. We are going to plead our case with my husband tonite and will get her signed up to run. Where do you get the temporary tattoos from? I seen them today on yahoo for nut allergies, that is a great idea.
I will find out where my husband got them - he ordered them online but I'm not sure where from. My son has enjoyed running so much and it's so good for him. He plays baseball, football and wrestles and we will not let diabetes stop him.
My biggest piece of advice is just to make sure she's above a certain number (whatever you are comfortable with) when she starts out - the fact that you have lots of training time is a good thing because you'll be able to work things out and figure out what works and what doesn't. Also - I would suggest a snack of peanutbutter and crackers or cheese and crackers about 15-20 min. before so she's got something for energy. Also - I would not be surprised if she's high after a run - especially a race. My son will go high from the addreneline and we have to remember to give him water and try to ride it out for a little bit, otherwise we end up chasing a low later.
My son has completed numerous 5K races and this summer completed 2 10K races. Don't let diabetes sideline your stepdaughter - she'll figure out what she can and can't do - don't be afraid to let her try.
Where are you located?
We live in Cincinnati Ohio. She is the toughest person I have ever met. She was diagnosed when she was two - so sadly she doesn't remember ever not having it. She is amazing and I have never seen her hindered. Her dad has to be coaxed into letting her do things, he wishes he could keep her in a bubble but he knows that is not what is best for her and we have broken him in pretty good :). I really appreciate all of your advise and I believe that it will help him see that its something that will be good for her and we have plenty of time to prepare her for it, and usually he just needs some sort of game plan. Im excited after talking to you. I did the run with my daughter two years ago and we had a great time. I can't wait to do it with Emalee. We learned the hard way about riding out her adrenaline highs. We have a chart that breaks down amount of carbs prior to activity based on BS, and have to wait at least an hour after activity to correct. Sometimes its hard to wait because when her BS is high she can be moody but we just ride it out and it always works out. Thank you again for your time and advise.
Good luck. I'm so excited for you and Emalee. It will be a good thing! Let me know how it goes with dad tonight and how she likes it. As I said, my son runs MUCH faster than I do so I'm always excited to get to the finish line to see how he did. You never did say - is she on the pump?
I was diagnosed with a Type 1 long before blood glucose meters and modern insulins. I played sports and was very active before my diagnosis and kept it all up after diagnosis. Sure I had lows and highs. However, 37 years later I believe that exercise is the biggest factor in keeping me healthy all these years.
This sounds like a fun activity that she is excited to participate in. I can’t see any reason not to let her do it.
My advice, go for it. Do whatever it takes for her to manage but don’t make a big production of it. It’s important for people with this condition not to feel limited by it, and although it takes a little more work, it doesn’t have to be limiting… I really think that’s something we need to reinforce with young people. They already feel different with this… They shouldn’t feel handicapped
I've run quite a bit! I understand your husband's concern however I applaud you and your daughter for going for it! I have done a whole bunch of different plans (blathered about in quite a bit of detail in the Diabetics Who Run Marathons group. For a kid doing a 5k, I'd say useful things would be:
1) clear out bolus insulin before you run. Test before you run. I will run 5K with maybe 8-10G of carb snack (glass of skim milk...) and it will make the "Predicted high" alarm go off about 1 mile and then the "predicted low" alarm go off in the home stretch (after which I make dinnner so I don't mind...I'll peek and if it's really low, I run fast as sprinting will get adrenaline going. Obviously, if it were your kid and the alarm goes off, it would be prudent to test one's BG which leads to:
2) Race Ready Shorts which are awesome! 7 pockets, including a rear mesh pocket big enough to hold a One Touch Ultra Mini. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they have kids' sizes but they have XS in womens and kids wear huge shorts. If not that, well, you could get some and be the meter schlepper. I found it very useful to test as I trained. When I started running the longer runs I've run, 8x 1/2 and 2x full, I got in the habit of having it handy, although I also "cheat" with a CGM.
3. Another way to lug stuff is to bring a belt, available at running or sports stores. I use an Amphipod one which is modular and has different sized goodies for various items:
That is very true and a really good point. I don't want her to feel different in any way. I want her to do whatever she wants and to not feel limited. I will watch how I approach things.
Those are about it for tips. If my BG is pretty flat, I will just run 5K without doing much. If I had an 8 year old, I don't know what I'd do however I would look for what you usually look for in a flat fasting BG and maybe get a few points higher before blast off and hope to run it off. I like bikerchick's suggestion of 120 as a goal but be prepared, low eat more, high chill out. I've bolused during long runs when my BG runs up but with a kid and a 5K, I'd just go with it. I get spiky before races sometimes so it maybe tough to avoid. I like 5K races a lot and sometimes get spiky because I like racing myself and trying to beat my PR which, unfortunately, gets harder as I get old. I guess there's spikes but crossing the finish line is *always* fun!
Thank you - she has a belt already that we got for her to hold her pump when she first got it to get used to it around her waist and as for the shorts I will be running with her so if they don't come small enough for her, I can get a pair.
Thank you to everyone who has offered support or advise. This site is awesome. Everybody here is great and has a lot of ideas and its all very helpful. Thank you, thank you.
While this is just me and your situation may be totally different, I say let her go for it! I have been running 2-3 5k races the past few months including some extreme trail runs, mudder style races and love it. What has seemed to work for me is to start the race around 120, with my bolus insulin out or very close to out of my system. I then simply suspend my pump during the run, as even at a very casual pace of 10 min/mile it will only be off for about 30 minutes. I always carry a gel as a precaution with me which tend to range between 15-30 cabs, I’ve been using the level gel from walmarts diabetic section which are exactly 15 carbs and rapid acting. Usually I don’t need the gel, but won’t go without it! After running I test immediately and refuel a bit if needed, and run a temp decreased basil for a few hours after. It’s also a good idea to test more often as I tend to run a bit lower than normal for the rest of the day. Best of luck!
My son started running 10K events in high school and when he first decided to take the fitness promotion classes, I too was concerned about how well he'll manage lows while running, not so much during class practice, as he would not be alone during class practice, but during the actual City run events that his class signed up for. The events have 1000's of competitors and even though the class meets at the start of the event they are relatively on their own once they leave the starting line. During the run events, they do wear numbered bibs, so on the underside it was recommended that all his contact info and diagnosis info be recorded in the unlikely event that he were to collapse.
It turns out that taking the fitness promotion classes in high school, did exactly that, improved his desire to maximize his fitness (he was already participating in competitive hockey, competitive soccer and high school rugby. Also my worry about the running events was for naught as any lows he experienced were post event, not during, so just extra vigilence testing pre-run and post-run was all that was needed for him to enjoy running as much as any non diabetic. The dietician at our endo's office recommended CLIF bars for carb intake pre-activity. The ones in the beige colored packages with the clifhanger are roughly 42g of carb per bar with 10g of protein. He generally opts for CLIF builder's bars that have 20g of protein and 30g of carbs. Pre sports activity he'll bolus roughly half of what he'd normally bolus for the carbs in the bar. He could just set a lower temp basal, but tends to prefer to ward off lows with a reduced bolus with food.
It sounds ideal though because she/you should know how activity impacts her BG, and this way she can work on it with you alongside her. You can work together (reading and experimenting) with how exercise impacts her BG and how to regulate it better. Then in the future she'll be better prepared to do other sports.
