Type 1 Diabetic here just wondering what other type 1s are doing for their pre, during, and post nutrition strategies. I’m training for my first half this upcoming summer so I’m looking for anyone stories, advice, and tips anyone has. Thanks
I’m not diabetic, but have an acquaintance who is and you should check out this site http://www.teamtype1.org/ and maybe this one http://t1d-runner.blogspot.com/.
Good Luck!!!
in short: nothing else than other athletes are doing. And there is no need to change anything, just testing a lot until you have your strategy worked out. After that you should be able to reduce the amount of testing again - I rarely test more than twice on the bike and only once during the run while doing iron distance triathlons. For halfs I test after the swim, during the bike and maybe (depends on the former results) in T2.
I try to use the things I have tested in training during the race - that means I have to carry a lot of gels myself, but DeSoto makes wonderful tri clothing with lots of pockets to stuff your gel, pump and testing device.
Good luck with your races!
Swimslikeabike,
Care to share your 1/2 and IM diet strategy? I’m always trying to learn from sucessfull stories and it seems your BG levels stays fairly stable while energy levels/performance are good.
Thanks
Nothing out of the ordinary. I used salted nut rolls for my nutrition on the bike during my first half (I’m cheap). So just find whatever works for you during training and use that for your race. It’s good to be around 180 before the swim to be safe for that leg. Once you go above 180 your kidneys will remove electrolytes/salt along with the sugar, so you don’t want to be above 180 for long. Of course check in T1 and T2 and where ever else you think you’ll need it. I carried a hammer gel flask in one hand and a water bottle attached to a nathan quickdraw for the run. It took some practice but I could dump water into the bottle at the aid stations while holding everything. And of course if you’re using needles, don’t take any fast acting insulin 4 hours before the race. So get up early and eat breakfast. And, for me, I find I usually lose a little insulin sensitivity prerace because I’m nervous, might not be the same for you though.
Feel free to private message me with anything.
Hi Vinnie,
of course!
I tend to have a higher BG level when I come out of the water, so I usually have a small bolus there. Additionally I am off the pump for the swim, so I feel there is the need for some insulin. I normally have my basal rate reduced to 50% from the start and give another bolus after 1.5 hours. I seem to need that to digest all the carbs, otherwise I get too high. 2nd half on the bike I reduce to 40% which has always led to a fairly ideal BG in T2 (last year in Regensburg I’ve been a little low). At the start of the run I’ll reduce to 30%.
I try to eat 40-50g carbs an hour during the race, most of them from Powerbar Ride Shots and Gels. Sports drinks do not seem ideal for me and I like to have the water without carbs with me in case I’ll get too high. Occasionally I’ll eat a bar, but most of the times I just carry it with me and leave it in T2. During the run I start very early with sports drinks and coke halfs right from the start, iron distance I’ll start with it after the first 10k. Additionally one gel every 20-30min, depending on the level of exertion I’m experiencing.
I did three 1/2s this year and had a high BG (230-250) after 2 of them - after being OK in T2. So I’ll take fewer sports drinks during my next races - this year I tried to replicate full distance nutrition during the halfs. In full distance my body seems to rely more on the carbs towards the end, while the 5 hours for the half I proft from the fat burning.
Don’t think that’s a spectacular strategy - I am lucky to sense early if sth goes the wrong way and never had to go to hospital because of my diabetes (knockonwood), which certainly helps me while racing and training, too.
In training I usually start eating after the first hour and use a 60% or 50% basal rate, depending on the BG at the start.
Hope your racing is going well!
Thanks for the info, very helpful.
I see a lot of a common trend when it comes to a higher BG after the swim (you, I, and others T1s), it also happens with me in training (esp high intensity). When I was racing IM’s I would take 5-6u Bolus as soon as I got on the bike, quite scary, but otherwise BG levels would skyrocket, I have seen multiple 300+ before finally seeing this as a trend and understanding the hormonal reasons to it.
Happy world diabetes day!
Vinnie