The One Where I Ran 10km.

On Sunday, 12th July 2015, E.Hales and I woke up, donned our pinkest clothes (read: I stole one of her very many pink tops - I'm not a pink person) and made our way to our local Race for Life. If you don't know, Race for Life is a run in aid of Cancer Research UK. You can run, jog or walk 10km, 5km, or take part in the Pretty Muddy 5km assault course (which we're looking to do next year). It's a very pink day and it's awesome!

This was my first 10km run. I hadn't done as much training as I wanted to - a combination of work, other commitments and a bit of exercise burnout left me feeling a little unprepared, but that feeling didn't last too long. When you take part in a Race for Life event, everyone has a sign on their back that says why they're taking part.

The. Biggest. Motivator. Ever.

We heard some people share their experiences. We had a minutes silence to think of all those that are battling cancer, have lost their lives to cancer and have kicked cancer's butt. We warmed up. We ran. (Most of it, anyway. A blood sugar of 18.8mmol after 5km left me confused and not all there, taking a correction bolus and chugging a bottle of water.) We crossed the finish line. We hugged. We cried. We gratefully accepted the brioche that was being offered to us at the end (blood sugar clocked in at 12mmol by the end of the race). We happily accepted our medals. We clapped and cheered others as they ran/jogged/walked. We were united, with one aim: cure all cancers.

So I (mostly) ran. For those battling cancer. For those that have lost their lives to cancer. For those that have survived cancer. For my future. For my family's future. For the next generation's future.

Here's to kicking cancer's butt.

What's The Story, Morning Glory?

Six weeks ago, I joined a gym. It was fairly cheap (yay for corporate membership!) and near to my place of work, so very convenient.

There are a number of reasons why I exercise. For a start, it makes me feel good. That, to me, is reason enough to do it. I think better, and more clearly, I feel more energised, I like the sense of accomplishment I feel after a work out and, of course, there is that added bonus of nicer blood sugars (on the whole) when exercise is incorporated into my routine.

When I signed up, I made the decision that mornings was going to be when I go. I know me, and I knew that the chances of me going to gym after a day at work were slim to nothing. Going first thing in the morning, however, was much more likely to see results.

When family and friends caught wind of this, they laughed, and justifiably so. Anyone that knows me will know that mornings aren't my thing (well, at least they never used to be!) I barely function with a cup of coffee when I wake up! But I was (am) determined, and I have made morning work outs do-able.

Here's how I get out the door and to the gym by the time it opens! (I know...I still question who I am some days!)

1. I start work at 8am, so I get to the gym around 6.30am, which is when it opens. This is so I can get a good 45-50 minutes in before I have to hit the shower and make myself office-presentable. My alarm goes off at 5.20am (which I snooze) and then 5.30am, which is when I force myself out of the cocoon that is my duvet cover. I head straight downstairs and put the kettle on and make a small coffee.
2. Whilst the kettle is on, I get my breakfast and lunch from the fridge. I always prepare both the night before, as it means less to do in the morning, which in turn means more time in bed. I even get my coffee mug out and place it next to the kettle! At the moment, I'm alternating between these pancake muffins and these egg frittatas (hat tip to Jen for the latter) for breakfast, and lunch varies from salads to sandwiches to ryvita crackers and toppings. 
3. Change into gym clothes, wearing work trousers over the top (less to carry in gym bag). Tie hair back, place medic alert wrist band on wrist and grab gym bag which, again, is always packed the night before (because, sleep). Add breakfast and lunch boxes to gym bag, grab handbag, phone, ipod and train ticket. 
4. Leave the house and head to the train station. This is my gym warm up. My time actually in the gym is limited, so when I get there, I want to be going for it, not worrying about warm ups. So I power walk to the train station, ride the train, and then power walk from the station to the gym. Dump stuff in locker on arrival at the gym, check blood sugars, decide whether to remove pump and GO! 

And I'm sat happily at my desk by 8am drinking coffee, eating breakfast ready to face the day. Most of the time, anyway! 

Friendly Stranger.

As cliché as it is, I've kick started 2015 with my first run in about two and a half months. It wasn't a good run, and I wasn't expecting it to be, but it was a starting point. I was also reminded of how much I now enjoy it - I want running to become part of my regular routine again.

I was running up one of the country lanes nearby when I passed another person, who was starting their year with a run too.

"Morning," we said to each other as we continued running our routes. 

Around my 4km mark, we passed again. Except this time I was walking, glucose meter in hand, and he was jogging.

"Hi again...oh, are you okay?" He asked me,

"Fine thanks," I replied, appreciating the concern, and thinking that that was the end of the interaction.

"Sorry, my son's diabetic too. I had to ask if you were okay. So it was your test strips that were rattling when you ran past earlier?"

I laughed. "Yep, and glucose tabs in the other pocket. You can hear me coming a mile off!"

"Better safe than sorry though. Happy New Year to you!"

"Happy New Year to you too. All the best to you and your family!"

And off we ran (again, in separate directions).  

I don't like this disease. But moments like that make me smile, and feel incredibly grateful of those that speak up about their diabetes to complete strangers. Whether it be writing a blog for others to read, talking with others online, or stopping to say "hi" to someone when they stop to check their blood sugar, I'm thankful for the comfort (and advocacy) you provide. 

Happy New Year! 

The Great Outdoors.

At the start of my final year at uni, I made the decision to start exercising. And by exercising, I mean, real exercising, not "well, I've spent all day walking around [insert shopping centre here]!" 

Back in October, I went to my first exercise class, and throughout that first semester, I worked out twice a week.

In January, I joined a new gym, and went four times a week.

In March, I ran my first Park Run.

During exam season, I went to the gym everyday, Monday to Friday. 

I've watched the distance I can run climb, albeit slowly. I have more energy, my blood sugars are, on the whole, more stable, and I actually look forward to exercising. 

I'm currently back at my Mum and Dad's, and gym membership here is SO unaffordable compared to Norwich, so I've taken to running outside.

I LOVE IT!

Running outside always filled me with dread. Unless it was Park Run, I'd stick to running at the gym.

However, having spent months and months watching my level of fitness increase, I'm not prepared to spend my time here not doing anything exercise-wise.

So running outside it was, and it's made such a nice change to my exercise regime.

Over the last couple of months, I'd found that I'd got bored of going to the gym. I tried changing the music I listened to, I downloaded a few episodes of NCIS to watch, I went with friends, yet I was still bored of the same routine.

Running outside seems to be the change I needed. It's new, it's different and it's somewhat out of my comfort zone.

I think it's the change I definitely needed to get excited about exercise once more!

Safesport ID.

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by a company called Safesport ID who were offering me a free medic alert band. Before I continue, let's get the formalities out of the way: yes, I was offered the medic alert free of charge, however, I am under no obligation to publish any review here on my blog. I am because I like the product and want to tell you about it.

As "naughty" as it is of me, I've never owned a medic alert bracelet. Feel free to give me a telling off. I deserve it. I always have a medic alert card in my purse/handbag. But an actual bracelet? Nope. This is going to sound really stupid, but if I'm going to where an item of jewellery 24/7, I want to like it, and a lot of the medic alert I've looked at I've not really liked enough to commit to wearing it everyday. 

So, I sent off for my (first) free medic alert. First, I should say that the time between me ordering the product and it arriving at my house was incredibly fast given the company isn't based in the UK.

Different sized wrist bands.

Now, the name of the company is Safesport ID, so as you can probably guess, the medic alert bracelets are designed with sport and exercise in mind. It's a silicone wristband (which comes in a variety of sizes and colours) and then your information is engraved onto a stainless steel clip that you put onto the band. The company sends you all the different sized wristbands and then you clip the engraved medic alert onto the appropriate sized one. 

The silicone band makes it very light-weight, which I love, as I remove all my jewellery when I exercise as I don't want it to get damaged, but the silicone band isn't something I need to worry about damaging. That, and I hardly notice it when I work out. (Sidenote: I remove all jewellery apart from that one time when I forgot my padlock, and like hell was I leaving anything valuable in there, like the bracelet I'm wearing in the picture above!)

Engraving.

I chose the blue coloured wristband (no surprises there!) You can have up to four lines of text engraved onto it. I only have three: my name, an emergency contact number and "Type 1 Diabetic". The text is all in capitals and very clear to read, which is what you need in an emergency. I've worn it every time I've gone to the gym for the last two weeks, and is now something that is just kept in my gym bag for when I do work out.

To find out more about Safesport ID, feel free to visit their website here! 

My First Park Run.

Post-run.

This year, I'm determined to take part in a 10km run. I've been going to the gym three times a week to train, and I set myself the goal of running my first Park Run (which is 5km) by March 1st. 

Park Run is a weekly, free timed run. All you have to do is register and print off your bar code to get a time. Easy. 

So, Saturday, March 1st, up I got to go to my local Park Run.

I was terrified! It was the first time I'd ever ran in public, and it was my first race. I dragged a friend along with me for moral support.

I didn't realise how popular these Park Runs were - there were 400+ people at the one I attended last Saturday, from keen runners to beginners, kids, adults and dogs! At 9am, we made our way over to the start line and by 9.05am we were off! 

It was hard going, but I finished! I wanted to do it in under 45 minutes - for a first run, I thought that was a do-able time. Well, I actually did it in 40 minutes, so I was very happy, and I'm looking to go again this weekend (stupid?!)

Running outside instead of on the treadmill was great - fresh air, more to look at than when at the gym, and running with 400+ people means you've got a crap-ton of people supporting each other. But, as stupid as it sounds, I forgot to account for diabetes. When I run at the gym, there's a little shelf where you can put things, so for me, my blood test kit and glucose tabs. You don't have that when you run outside!

So, in the back pocket of my running trousers, I had my meter, finger-pricker and test strips. I don't usually take my insulin into the gym with me, but because of not taking a handbag with me, I decided that I would clip my insulin on to my trousers too, and throughout I just kept on making sure it was still there. Then, in the arm band, I kept an ID card, glucose tabs and my ipod (you can get more in those arm band things than I realised!) 

For a first run, I wanted to know I was safe, but hopefully with time I'll feel confident enough to run without packing as much "diabetes", if that makes sense?!

Halfway to the 10k!  

Gym, Gym, Gym!

Image taken from Google Images.

Yesterday evening, I bit the bullet and went back to the gym for the first time in weeks.

It hurt!

I still hurt.

I've been assured that's the sign of a good workout.

Exercising in the evening is new. Last year, I always went in the morning and I learnt how my blood sugars reacted to that, and made changes where appropriate.

So, last night was trial and error.

Before dinner, I had a blood sugar of 5.2mmol and I took a "regular" dose of my meal time insulin, where as before I used to reduce it.

Instead, I reduced my Levemir from 12u to 11u. 

My blood sugar before bed was 8.1.

I set my alarm for 3am (oh, how I love that time of the morning!)

7.4.

And my waking blood sugar? 3.4.

We'll try 10u of Levemir next time!

Happy Wednesday! 

Work It Out.

Back at the start of October, I decided that I was going to start getting into a proper exercise routine. I'm very happy to say that I have actually managed to keep at this. I've changed what class I do, as I wanted to be exercising at the same time each time I go in order to spot blood sugar patterns. So, instead of the 'Power of 3' class I started out doing, I now do pilates and then just go to the gym. At present, I only go twice a week, but that's more due to timetable issues. Hopefully, next semester things will be a bit different. But what I'm doing now is a start! I can't say I'm enjoying going yet, but I am liking the benefits of going. Here's a list (I do love a good bullet point list):

Image taken from Google Images.

• Blood sugars - going to the gym has definitely led to more stable blood sugars. Excellent!
• More energy - I've never understood this one: how going to the gym/doing exercise in general leads to increased energy, but it really does!
• Sense of routine - getting up to go to the gym means I have a real sense of routine, something that I've learnt in the past is essential when it comes to my diabetes management. 
• I feel good - I'm grumpy as hell when my alarm goes off in the morning, especially on gym days where I get up a whole 20 minutes earlier (trust me, that 20 minutes makes a difference), I do feel good when I leave the gym.
• Sociable - I'm so incredibly busy with uni work for final year, but going to the gym means I get to see a couple of friends as we tend to go together. With that comes accountability - I'm far more inclined to go if I know people are expecting me to be there!

I still have some problems with post-gym hypos, but I knew it was going to take me a while to figure those out - it's nothing I wasn't expecting. Here's hoping I can keep it up as the wave of deadlines hit!

The One Where I Did An Exercise Class.

It's no secret that exercise is important. For everyone, not just people with diabetes. It helps you to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight, it boosts your mood and can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases (tell that to my pancreas!). Then there's the added benefit that it helps control blood glucose levels. I know the advantages, and I do do light exercise, like I love walking and when I'm at my Mum and Dad's I use the cross-trainer.

But actually going to the gym? Or an exercise class? Or running in public? Nope. The thought of exercising with other people has always filled me with dread. What if I'm not as fit as them? What if I can't keep up? What if I make a fool of myself? Basically, I avoided any kind of 'public exercise' at all costs. 

I've just started my final year at university. It's going to be a stressful year. What final year at university isn't?! When I'm stressed, my coping mechanisms aren't all that great. Things tend to end up with me not managing my diabetes well which then makes everything else more difficult because my blood sugars are crazy high. So, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and really get into exercise. That way, when I'm stressed, I can hit the gym. 

Monday evening, I said to my housemate that I was going to go to the "Power of 3" exercise class Tuesday afternoon - 15 minutes cardio, 15 minutes weights, 15 minutes floor work. By telling her, I was making myself accountable. I told her I was going, so I had to follow through. So, after class yesterday afternoon, I headed over to the gym on campus and paid for the class. 

I was so nervous. All those "what ifs..." came up again. I was ready to leave when the teacher walked in.

"Are you here for the 'Power of 3' class?"

"Erm...yeah...yes...yes I am."

"First time at a class?"

"First time at actually getting into exercise ever, besides walking."

The teacher laughed. 

"You'll be fine. Do what you can. Don't push yourself. You don't want to hurt yourself because you're pushing too hard the first week."

Others began to arrive and the class began.

15 minutes aerobics. 15 minutes weights. 15 minutes floor work.

It took me a while to get into it. And I was very self-conscious at the start. But I enjoyed it. I felt good after. And I was so proud that I'd actually faced that fear of exercising in public. So, I decided to take advantage of the huge student discount and pay upfront for five sessions. That way I have to go again. I've paid now, and don't want that money to go to waste. 

Oh, and my blood sugars held steady - 8.5mmol/l before the class started, 6.8mmol/l after! Beginners luck?!   

"The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men..."

El Escorial.

"...often go awry."

Yesterday, in an attempt to squeeze in as much tourist stuff as I can before leaving Spain, some friends and I went to a place called El Escorial, wanting to go to the monasteries and then get the bus to Valley of the Fallen where you can find Franco's tomb. I know some may be thinking "why would you want to go there?!" but it's such a huge part of Spain's history that I really wanted to go and see it all.

However, as it turns out, Mondays in the area of El Escorial means that absolutely everything is shut, apart from your cafés and tapas bars. Brilliant. This is why you should check opening hours before you take a trip! You'd think after living abroad and travelling for the last 10 months or so, that would be standard procedure. Well, it's not. 

Not wanting to waste the time we spent travelling, we headed to a tapas bar to grab some food and coffee, and tried to figure out what else we could do. We'd seen a park on one of the maps near the tourist office, and decided to go there. The weather was gorgeous, so we figured we'd relax, enjoy the sun, take in the views, things like that. On the way to the park, we came across a marked trail, so we diverted to follow that to see where it would take us.

Turns out that that trail was in fact a hike. And I was not prepared for a hike! After an hour of walking and not seeing an end to the incline we were walking, I was worried. I didn't feel hypo, but at the same time, I hadn't accounted for a hike. I hadn't reduced my insulin with lunch and I was very aware of the fact that I only had a carton of juice and a cereal bar on me should I need it. My question was, how do I make this work without going hypo?!

I tested my blood sugar after an hour and a half: 4.9mmol/l. At this point, I decided to eat the cereal bar, in the hope that it would stop the hypo from occurring, or at least put it at bay until we were well on our way down to the bottom again. Not being prepared made me nervous. I know I can't plan every single day right down to the last minute, but something like this, and I definitely would have carried more hypo treatments and snack food, just in case. 

All in all, we were walking for 3 hours. The views were breathtaking, and it definitely made the trip worthwhile despite everything being closed. When we got to the bottom, I checked my blood sugar again. 5.9mmol/l, and on returning back to the flat (having eaten a packet of crisps to help keep my sugar levels up until I got back) 6.1mmol/l. 

Vicki, 1. Diabetes, 0.