Newbee with type 1 diabetes (Page 2)

Hey, all!

My son (almost 10, T1D) just finished his first kid's triathlon (75 yd swim, 1 mile bike, .75 mile run). He placed 5/9 overall, just .6 seconds behind #4, and he had a great time (most importantly).

He took it on himself to train. Very self-motivated. He always checked first and adjusted accordingly before training. Ran and biked by self in neighborhood with glucose backup, phone, and medic-alert bracelet. We are very proud of him.

Just a little race report. I'd be interested in your feedback. Woke (at 4:30am) at BG of 104. Had cereal/skim milk and later cliff bar in car. He went light (maybe about 50%) on the food bolus. No surprise (with the low bolus and stress of race day) that at 7 AM, he was in the mid-300s. No problem, we gave .9 units (at a more conservative ISF). By 8 AM, he was in mid-200's, with some insulin on board. I felt good about letting him go at that without further intervention. Started his race at 8:30. Finished in just under 18 minutes, 1.5 minutes behind the fastest kid in his age/gender category.

We prepped transition with an SPI belt for his race belt, stocked with Shot Blocks for glucose. He felt great and pushed it the whole way. Said he had plenty of energy throughout the bike and run. Afterward, drank a Gatorade, and by 45 minutes post-race, was in mid-200's. I'm sure his post-race BG would have been below 200, but not low.

He can't wait for the next one! We are really proud of his effort, persistence, and toughness. Diabetes feels like a wound when the diagnosis is given. This was very empowering.

It also got me all pumped for my first Sprint, on September 1!

Cheers.

Gary

Loved reading this! Congrats to your son, and to you in encouraging him to get out there and race. I'm also T1, and my BG's are usually pretty wacky (high) on race days. Perfectly normal with the adrenaline, and a small blip in the grand scheme.

Gary, Great hearing the race report. My daughter is getting ready for school again and started running tonight to get ready for the mile run in PE class.

I hope to get her to increase her mileage over time and get her signed up for a 5 k soon.

It's great your daughter always has a running partner in you! Good luck, and let us know how the 5k goes. If she's at all competitive or achievement-oriented, graphing her running times might just light the spark! My son really gets into the stats and times, etc.

I was thinking of entering a 5k with my son in the Spring -- a fundraiser for the Diabetes Research Institute here in Miami. Then, he told me that running is his least favorite of the three disciplines and did not see himself doing a lot of running! I'll get him out there, though. I imagine it could be a really great bonding time. Hope it is for you.

Sounds like a universal experience. I've heard many people describe the same thing, especially with organized team sports.

Just like it was for his soccer. Practices, we'd be loading up on carbs and protein because he runs himself pretty hard and runs low at practice, even off the pump for an hour or so. Then, on game days, he's much higher, out of range.

You are an inspiration to me. I am always delighted to see people with T1 just living their lives and doing their thing, and not seeing their diabetes as a limitation. It's what I want for my son as well. Thank you for reaching out.

I have a ton of T1 athlete friends. I will say many of my fav people/friends are T1's that absolutely do not let anything limit what they do.

Many are marathoners, Ironmen etc. http://www.insulindependence.org/tag/triabetes/ A great group with LOTS of answers/advice whatever. Perhaps you are already aware of them. I can vouch for what an outstanding organization it is, as well as the great people that run it.

I'm a T2 and ran on their Glucomotive team consisting of 11 T1's and one T2 (me Ha) Really amazing how they took all of the testing etc in stride no biggie at all. An interesting discussion was had. Every single person said they would not even want a cure. It simply is not a limiter, and the amazing friends/people that are part of this group, would never have met without having "The 'betes"

A lil video from our adventure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maFQyzXudDE

You really made my day! I just spent the last hour watching and learning about these amazing teams and what that organization is doing. I am really inspired. Thank you.

Any luck signing up for that 5k?

Thinking of the same for my son. Although, he's pretty psyched for another triathlon after seeing Dad do his first Sprint this weekend. It was all pretty surreal. There I am finishing my first of 2 loops on the run, and there he is, running along side me, slapping high 5's. It does not get any better than that.

She's working on the 1 mile run at school. Hard to get her out to run. Still trying...

Any exercise is good exercise. Keep at it!

Getting into a groove with my 10 yo T1D son. We ran together for the first time, and it was a really bonding experience. Found a good introductory running plan for kids. We did 6 x (run 2 min, walk 2 min). Then he rode along on his bike when I went for a 5.5 mile run. Man, he blew through glucose! He was 129 when we started. He must have taken 16 - 20 g of gels and was mid-90's when we got done 24 minutes later! Had another 25 - 30 g gels total between his post-run pause and during the course of his ride because he felt low. He was in the mid 150's at home afterward an hour later. He felt great about being supported and having some bonding time. Got a great workout. Hopefully he'll want to continue and work toward the 5k in January.

How's it going out there?

Great job running with your son! Being able to do what dad does with dad is no doubt huge (at least before he becomes a teenager, ha!). For a T1, I know that exercising does not make diabetes mgmt. easier, but it sure does make life richer! So great job to you d parents for sharing that gift!

I did a sprint with a few of my type 1 friends a couple of weeks ago. Most of my tri experience has been solo, and it was really nice to be around others trying to figure out whether to bolus, where to stash our pumps, etc. Had an OK for me swim and bike, but have struggled with run related issues after my last marathon in February, so run was slow. Since it was a sprint, I didn't test in T1. My sensor threw a "weak signal" error the whole race (nope: never get that one in training), so I was flying blind and ate a couple of shot blocks on the bike just in case. Didn't need them...wound up over 300 BG at the end. Still a good day though. 8th out of 23 in my AG, weather was great, and had lots of fun!

Thanks for the feedback. I hope for my son what you have found - a group of supportive friends who really know what he's going through.

Congrats on the Sprint. Just curious what you experience working out when your BG is high. Does it feel any different?

Working out with high BG's tends to make everything feel harder and increases thirst. Sort of like running through peanut butter with cotton mouth (exaggerated images, but describes the feeling). I've worked out through the occasional high BG, but usually it is more of a race day thing. Nerves + hard to talk myself into blousing prior to a swim for fear of dropping low + sometimes being disconnected for a while waiting to start. I've had a problem with leg cramps on the run in all 3 of the OLY distance races I've done. I suspect high BG's contributed, but hard to know for sure. Can't really separate from other potential contributors such as hydration, riding too hard for fitness level, electrolyte balance, etc.

What a great way to describe it. I will share that and see if he can relate to those sensations.

Thanks.

Here are some better descriptions from folks with a better gift for words: http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2013/11/06/high-blood-sugar-feels-like/

And thanks to strykergt for posting re: the islet cell transplants. Problem with that, aside from cost. is the anti-rejection drugs, and the fact that the same mechanism that originally destroyed insulin production is still at work so it doesn't tend to last. Would be nice to have a diabetes vacation for a year or so though.

Me again! We are 2 days away from the 5k. Since I last posted, my 10 y.o. son has taken it upon himself to train without me, running 2-3 times a week, plus a soccer practice and game a week, plus whatever else he does. Our schedules and motivation seem to keep missing each other. I run early or really late. He runs after school. The last two runs we went on together, planned for 3 miles, had to be aborted after about a mile. The first time, he got an upset stomach 1 mile in and stopped. The second time, he got some painful side and back cramps. It's not that he can't run the distance, and it's not that the pace is too fast. According to his report, he's now run 3+ miles on his own twice in the last couple weeks. The first of the two he must have averaged 8:20- something based on the distance and his time. He claimed he really "pushed it." I trust him, but it seems slightly improbable, given that he claims he walked :15+ seconds in the middle somewhere.

He's put much more pressure on himself to perform than I would have wanted. I've told him that as long as he finishes, it's an amazing accomplishment. Let's make this a great, fun first time, etc... I'd like it to be enjoyable for him, and I'm open to it being a positive experience, but I'm not sure what he'll bring to the table race day. I've tried to share some of my running wisdom and truisms with him, and we talk a lot about the positive and zen mindset of the sport's accomplished athletes, but he's still focused on finishing times and "winning" his age group. Oh boy! Hope it goes well. Wish me luck. RR to follow.

Counting on smart hydration and fueling to keep his BG's in range.

Gary

Anyone out there? If so, I'll share the story.

Still here, go ahead with story

Thanks! The race was a blast. Local 5k. Part of a 4-race series throughout the year. I ran this race back in July and I run the course once a week with a running buddy. This one was very poorly attended, and there was a 5 miler at the same time, so the field of competitors was very limited. Took my 10 YO son for his first 5k. He's been "training" on his own for a couple months. Got there about 45 minutes before race time. Hung out, threw a football, chatted, kept him calm. He was a bit nervous. His plan was to run 5k in 30 minutes or less. Respectable goal for him. He has pushed it before in training runs with a slightly faster pace. Secretly, he wanted to win the whole thing! My plan was to just pace right behind him and be his support.

So, the race starts, and he blasts out of the start! Ran a 7:50 first mile! Then, the real learning experience started! Right after the mile marker, he had a cramp and was out of breath. The rest of the race was comprised of walking and barely catching his breath, then sprinting ahead. Kept leap frogging other racers. This little dude was just chugging along, and my son had his eye on him. There was also this little 7 year old girl just chugging along too. My son has his own idea of how to do things, which does not equal "slow is steady. steady is fast." It was his race, so I let him own it. It was actually humorous, watching him continually looking over his shoulder with a panic that this 7 year old girl was going to pass him. She was hot on his heels, but he fended her off!

We sprinted the last couple hundred yards, and he finished in 29:07.5. He was pleased with his time, and he was surprised that he finished second in the 10 and under age group (8-9 kids, 4 boys)! First place was the 9 year old little dude that did not even look to be breaking a sweat! Amazing. He got called up to his first "podium." He has not stopped talking about it, and he wants to do his next one as soon as possible! It was a lot of fun. They had pictures afterwards, and was made some great memories.

The TID stuff was a bit unnerving. He woke up 114. Had about 30g of carbs. We did a quick calculation and halved his bolus so he'd race an hour later at around 180. sure enough, he was 176 at race time. I had glucose on me. but no glucagon (which would have given me peace of mind). With his frequent stops and complaints of being tired, I was worried about lows. He kept insisting he was not low, but I insisted he take a couple gels, 16g total. Turns out he was right. He was 225 after the race, despite his vigorous pace. He's a tough one to coach at times because he has his own ideas, but at the same time, I'm glad he thinks for himself. Learning experience for both of us, I guess.

I'd love to hear more about the swim team experience. My son did his first triathlon this summer and is asking for more this season. He trains by himself, but eventually I'd want him to have some peers to enjoy this with. Swimming and diabetes management sounds like a real challenge - I know this just from his swims in the small pool. Can't imaging OWS!

Brenda -- just wondering how the training is going and any races. My sons are aiming for more tri's this summer. Yours?