Hi all,
I’m hoping that you runners out there maybe able to help solve a
mystery for me. I’ve noticed lately that about an hour after a run
that’s more than 5 km my blood sugars have been shooting up about three
to four units. They stay perfect throughout the run, but again an hour
after (without eating) they shoot up. And it doesn’t matter if I give
myself a temp bolus or not, it’s happened both ways. If anyone has any
theories or suggestions that would be great … for more on my running
with Type 1 diabetes journey, check out my blog
www.princessofpavement.com.
Thanks!
Katie
Uh… umm… hmmm… keytones… maybe? I doubt it… but that’s all i can think of…
It happens, a lot. Any number of hormones released during exercise, including adrenalin, will cause glycogen to break down into glucose and raise BG after exercise. Are you saying you bolus after exercise and BG still rises?
My diabete educator gave me this article, which explains how your body reacts to vigorous exercise. It may have some ideas for you. The writing is very clincial.
Thanks guys. That’s great. No I don’t have ketones – they’re not raising a huge, huge amount, just enough for me to take notice. And no I don’t bolus after the exercise until I get home when I eat. The hormones makes sense … I vaguely recall hearing this before. And thanks Kelly for the article 
“three to four units”??? How much is that? for instance, from what number to what number?
Terry
Are you setting your pump with a temporary basal during the run? Do you eat anything before you run?
Both of those scenarios have caused me to rise toward the end of a run, but everyone is different.
I’ve run 2 half-marathons in the last 6 months and, both times, I ended the races above 150. (I was 150 or so after the first one, and 180 after the most recent one a few months ago.) I attributed that to the adrenaline and the time of day (morning) that I ran. I also did a short-term temp basal a little bit before I started to run, so I know it was probably from a combination of factors.
Good luck and way to go with the running!!
Hi Katie,
I almost always take a small correction bolus after running. In a nutshell, the more intense the exercise, the greater the bolus. After cycling, my correction bolus is tiny, after running easy, it’s average and after running a tough interval workout, it will be greatest.
Nice blog! Feel free to visit mine about running w/ diabetes at: http://pumprunner.com
Marcus
As told to me , when I did the same Victoria ,BC 2009 event by Canadian Olympic Rower , insulin pumper , marathoner, cyclist Chris Jarvis ( he did Canadian East to West Coast last year ): …set temp basal ( I use 45 percent ) , discontinue temp basal as soon as you cross the finish line and deliver small amount of bolus ( I did .2 u ; I am a walker and did the 1/2 M ) to avoid the highs after strenuous exercise . Numbers stayed " perfect " . I did the same in my last event ( 10 K ) …it worked for me !
I am not sure if you are a pumper or not ???
Marcus is stating same !
Bottom line, this is were testing, testing, testing is coming in …have fun .
Happens to me also. Since starting symulin therapy I still get a BG rise post run, but it’s not dramatic and I don’t try to dose for the rise.