Type 1 in sport, learning the lessons

Diabetes is starting to ■■■■ me off in regards to sport. Im thinking of getting onto a pump but im still in the honeymoon so not sure if i wait till its over to get some consistancy. In any event:
3 weeks ago had a bad triathlon. A shortish event, 750/22/5. Had a reduced basal insulin the night previously, woke up had breakfast and no bolus. Started the race at 9mmols and died in the ■■■ in the swim. The rest was history. Learnt my lesson as they say. Should have bolused, needed the insulin to shuttle glucose, didnt even think about this before.
Today, had an enduro event. 150/7.5/1.5 then do it all again. Reduced lantus the night before, had my 3 peices of toast and honey about 2 hrs prior, took HALF a bolus as 1 unit brings me down to 5mmols at this stage. Well, half a unit did jack for me. Checked pre-race i was 16mmols!! Didnt have my insulin with me so i had to start at this readings. Now i dunno if its a head game, but i wasnt comfortable during the race. Infact i felt just as bad as before, like i had no power again. I finished this one, but in a slow time.
Next time, reduced lantus, full bolus, only extra carbs if needed. I have had only 1 good race as a diabetic and i was 10mmols when i started that one. 10 when i finished too.
It seems your damned either way with this disease. Too low, no power. too high, no power. I swear there is a sweet spot. Anyone else find the same? Like there is a 'magic' number where you can compete like a non-d?

There’s a chart and pretty detailed instructions in “Think Like a Pancreas” and maybe “Using Insulin” too. That being said, i have noticed that I seem to feel smoother with a bit less carbs but I try to time them precisely and rely on race fuel, gatorade, to keep my bg up. I bring the other stuff along, just in case, but I’ve run several races without dipping into my own stash. 2 pieces of toast and some eggs 2 hours before showtime and test and correct maybe 15 minutes before the race.

thanks mate, ill have a look at this. I have got the athletes handbook too which is good. 16.5 or something it got to pre-race, it wasnt that great i tell ya that. Similar feeling to being low without the hypo part. Just no energy to push, run hard etc.

do you bolus a normal bolus with the toast?

I keep waiting for a honeymoon period... it's been 30 years and I never got one. :(

All I know is if I start a race way high or way low, I feel like s**t. No two ways about it. And starting out at either end makes it way harder to regulate during the race. Here's another thing -- I find that the stress/nerves of the events makes me shoot high, so watch out for that as you adjust your basal/bolus.

You might wanna check out Tony Cervati's Type1Rider site. It has changed a lot in the last few years (he used to have forums for folk like us, which I found very helpful, but those are long gone -- it's all about him now). He, like me, is a mountain biker, but he competes and writes a LOT more on how he does his thing. At the very least you might find it interesting to look over what he is up to. You never know what you might find.

/\/\

thanks for the link! Does anyone else find 16 too high for them or was i just mindrooted today?

I do a normal bolus if I get up in time. Usually, on race day, I’m sort of bouncing off the walls so that’s not tough. Then head out and try to get where I’m going w/ 1/2 hour to go, test and have a bit of quick acting glucose if it’s lower than the 120. I usually have jelly beans and, if just need 3 or 4, I just have 3 or 4.

I have never started a cycling event above 180- 200 mg/dL (10-11).

It will take time for you to figure out how your body is going to react... I was only concerned with cycling and it took me a year to figure out how to manage a 100 mile event after switching to a pump...I also never recovered 100% after my Dx...but I'm 58 now and every year I get a little slower but I only compete against myself.

Your activity is more complicated, you will have to work on each event and then try to blend them together.

Maybe you can get in touch with these folks.....

http://www.teamtype1.org/teams/triathlon/

For me, a pump really helped in dealing with racing events and other athletic activities. With a pump, it's easier to experiment and find that "sweet spot." For example, after some trial and error, I was able to find the right basal reduction for training runs and the right basal increase for racing events. For me, the adrenaline rush I get during a race causes my BGs to skyrocket so I actually need a bit more insulin than I would take during a solo training run. With a pump, I don't have to adjust things 12-24 hours in advance which is really nice.

I think the "magic number" is a bit different for everyone. I can drop down to 60 and not have any extreme impact on my performance. I have to get above 250 before I notice a detrimental affect from being high.