Tomorrow (Thursday 14th November 2013) is World Diabetes Day (WDD for the sake of my typing). It's going to be the first time I've "celebrated" it and I've been thinking about what it really means to me.
The short answer is "I don't know". I've been diabetic for 12 years now and truth be told, I've only known about WDD for a couple of years despite it having been running since 1991. Those with curious minds can visit the International Diabetes Federation website to find out a bit more about it and the significance the date holds.
Obviously I'm all for anything that helps promote awareness of diabetes and the various difficulties it brings. There's without doubt a certain stigma that comes with it as many people are unaware of the different "types" of diabetes and the different causes/effects of each. Again, I'm not going to shove the information down your throat, but Diabetes UK have a pretty quick and effective guide to Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes if you're interested.
I've done a fair amount of work over the last 12-18 months to help fundraise and awareness on behalf of Diabetes UK (thanks to everyone who's supported me in those ventures) but I'm still unsure of the best way to "mark" the day, or whether I need to mark it at all.
I've got some great friends within the Diabetic Online Community (#doc) as well as some great relationships I've formed with people I've met via hospital courses or through my local Voluntary Group. I'm sure tomorrow will be like many others in a lot of respects in that I'll experience a few highs and lows (physically, metaphorically and blood glucosely) and that I'll chat some of the same nonsense I always do.
After a little contemplation, I decided that I'll rock up to work in a blue shirt and tie (repping the IDF colours) and that I'll try and "live tweet" my day as a Type 1 diabetic. I'll post my blood glucose readings, my meals, my carb calculations and some of the emotional responses that a "typical" day with diabetes can elicit. (There's a lot of talk around the associated mental health problems people with diabetes can face that you may not be aware of).
If you want a snapshot into the world of a diabetic, or might know someone else who'd be interested, you can follow me on Twitter at @BroomOwl I'll do my best to tag my posts with #WDD and #DILOD (Day In the Life of a Diabetic) depending on character limits and all that.
I suppose tomorrow will be a chance to reflect and be thankful that whilst having diabetes can suck some of the time, I'm lucky to be alive in a time where modern medicine means I've got a pretty decent shot of living with it for years to come.
Thanks
Showing posts with label blood sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood sugar. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Exercise
This blog first appeared on the Diabetes UK blog site on March 26th 2013
Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. And like many people, I suspect I'm not the only one who finds the hardest part of it is actually getting up off the sofa in the first place.
My particular weapon of choice when it comes to exercising is running. I remember thinking when I got diagnosed that it was the end of my dream of running the London marathon. I couldn't see how I could manage something as complex as diabetes whilst doing something as gruelling as a marathon.
Thankfully my specialist care team at the time helped me see that diabetes doesn't have to be a barrier to things if you don't let it. Whilst I'm sure he might already be one of the most famous diabetics, Sir Steve Redgrave is someone that probably personifies that attitude more than anyone else.
Training for a marathon is a pretty tough business as you can imagine and adapting that regime to take into account diabetes makes it that little bit more complex. I started by working out a plan for how often I could expect to run. I suffer from a few other, less glamourous, conditions (mild asthama and shin splints) that hampered me a bit but it gave me a place to start.
After that, I was back speaking to my specialist care team and trying to understand what effect my training plan would have on me. This was back before I'd been on a DAFNE course so a lot of the information felt brand new (despite how long I'd been diabetic).
The upshot of it all involved running with one pocket full of jelly babies and the other with my blood glucose tester packed in a little plastic zip-lock bag so I could monitor how I was responding to the exertion. Happily I found I could do about 10 miles before I needed an energy boost and that 4 jelly babies would get me about 4 miles. That made running on the day a lot simpler!
I learned a few important lessons from that training which I think can apply to any kind of exercise you're thinking about:
I'm happy to report that I completed the marathon last April in a respectable, if not earth shattering 5 hours 30 minutes (about 30 mins slower than I would have liked). My plans for this year are a little more modest, but do include some unfinished business with the Sheffield Half Marathon in May (an injury training for that race in 2008 set me back a lot) as well as four 10km races.
As always, I'm raising money for DiabetesUK and The Children's Hospital Charity in Sheffield (specifically to raise funds for a summer camp for children with diabetes). I'm aiming to raise £500 this year and if you'd like to contribute, you can do so by visiting my fundraising page (note all money is split 50/50 between the two charities)
Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. And like many people, I suspect I'm not the only one who finds the hardest part of it is actually getting up off the sofa in the first place.
My particular weapon of choice when it comes to exercising is running. I remember thinking when I got diagnosed that it was the end of my dream of running the London marathon. I couldn't see how I could manage something as complex as diabetes whilst doing something as gruelling as a marathon.
Thankfully my specialist care team at the time helped me see that diabetes doesn't have to be a barrier to things if you don't let it. Whilst I'm sure he might already be one of the most famous diabetics, Sir Steve Redgrave is someone that probably personifies that attitude more than anyone else.
Training for a marathon is a pretty tough business as you can imagine and adapting that regime to take into account diabetes makes it that little bit more complex. I started by working out a plan for how often I could expect to run. I suffer from a few other, less glamourous, conditions (mild asthama and shin splints) that hampered me a bit but it gave me a place to start.
After that, I was back speaking to my specialist care team and trying to understand what effect my training plan would have on me. This was back before I'd been on a DAFNE course so a lot of the information felt brand new (despite how long I'd been diabetic).
The upshot of it all involved running with one pocket full of jelly babies and the other with my blood glucose tester packed in a little plastic zip-lock bag so I could monitor how I was responding to the exertion. Happily I found I could do about 10 miles before I needed an energy boost and that 4 jelly babies would get me about 4 miles. That made running on the day a lot simpler!
I learned a few important lessons from that training which I think can apply to any kind of exercise you're thinking about:
- Always have fast acting carbs with you. I learned that one pretty quickly after having to abandon a run when I went unexpectedly low
- Speak to your care team before you try something new, be it a marathon or any kind of physical activity. The hour I spent with a dietician made a world of difference
- Monitor your BG. I found that even having pretty good control before I started training, my routine mean things changed (e.g. my sensitivity to insulin at certain times) and monitoring is the only way to understand that
- Don't be afraid to adjust your doses. While I was on my two insulin regime, I'd never appreciated I could adjust my basal insulin (nor did I know by how much). If you're doing lengthy exercise, this could help
- Do some research - websites like Runsweet are packed with information and tips for all kinds of exercise
- Make the most of the opportunity. I was incredibly well supported and raised £1500 when I ran the London marathon. If you're taking on any kind of challenge, then encouraging people to sponsor you can provide extra motivation for you whilst raising money for good causes.
I think the most important tip is to find something that works for you. I know that running isn't for everyone but I genuinely believe that 20 minutes of something a couple of times a week not only makes you feel better but can have a significant impact on your quality of life as a diabetic. I finished the year on an exercise bike in front of the TV as I couldn't run comfortably and that was just as good as dong miles on the pavements.
I'm happy to report that I completed the marathon last April in a respectable, if not earth shattering 5 hours 30 minutes (about 30 mins slower than I would have liked). My plans for this year are a little more modest, but do include some unfinished business with the Sheffield Half Marathon in May (an injury training for that race in 2008 set me back a lot) as well as four 10km races.
As always, I'm raising money for DiabetesUK and The Children's Hospital Charity in Sheffield (specifically to raise funds for a summer camp for children with diabetes). I'm aiming to raise £500 this year and if you'd like to contribute, you can do so by visiting my fundraising page (note all money is split 50/50 between the two charities)
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
DAFNE
This blog first appeared on the Diabetes UK blog site on 6th February 2013
As part of the REPOSE trial I talked about last month, I recently attended a DAFNE course. I'll be honest and say that a couple of weeks beforehand I was still pretty skeptical about attending. Not so much because I didn't think I'd get any benefit from it, but more that I'd never been given any information about what DAFNE was beyond "it'll help with your carb counting" and couldn't understand how it was a five day course.
That said, after I'd had the pump on for a few days, I was really eager to get started and by the time the course started I honestly couldn't wait. I didn't feel too apprehensive at the start, as I'd already met half the people on the course when we'd had our pump induction, and I knew that everyone there was in the same position as I was.
I thought the DAFNE course (Dose Adjusted For Normal Eating) itself was very well structured. We followed a daily timetable with 4-5 sessions per day, building on regular daily topics such as insulin dose adjustment and carb counting/nutrition as well as discussing other topics such as alcohol and exercise.
For the afternoon session on the second day, we were invited to bring along a family member to give them the opportunity to see what the course entails, and to speak openly about their experiences of living with someone with diabetes. I think that helped a lot as it allowed us to reflect on what those we love have to deal with, which I would guess is a point of view we don't often stop to consider. I think that afternoon worked really well and having everyone participate in the exercises was great.
What I found surprising (and a tad embarrassing) was the amount of the history/biology about diabetes that I either didn't know or that I'd forgotten. While I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference, I enjoyed the sessions that touched on that information as I felt like it provided a great base for all the other topics we were discussing.
There were, of course, some more difficult sessions, and the one we spent discussing the long term complications of diabetes could have been uncomfortable to talk about. We spent the time in two teams, playing a game of which complications could be specifically diabetes related, how they were caused and what could be done to prevent them. It lightened the mood and allowed us to learn at the same time.
I think as a group we all agreed that being in a safe, open and honest environment with people all in the same situation was one of the best things about the week. As I may have mentioned previously, I've not actually met anyone with Type 1 diabetes before and so to be able to share experiences, tips and frustrations with a group was such a positive thing. I was also relieved to find out I'm not the only one who sometimes forgets to change needles and lancets as often as I should!
As part of the course (and over the next two years as part of the trial) we are all recording our BG readings, carbohydrate portions and insulin doses on a daily basis. We began and ended each day with a review of the numbers. I think that really helped to build a great spirit in the group and allowed us to share advice with each other. It was pretty nerve wracking presenting your numbers back to the group for the first time, but by Friday, it was an experience we'd all got into and were going to miss quite a lot.
Being in that environment gave everyone a lot of confidence to speak up and discuss their own situations without feeling judged or under pressure. That similar feeling when sharing BG levels (some not always the numbers you'd hope for) was valuable in discussing our progress.
It would be remiss of me to talk about the course, the environment and the structure that allowed us all to benefit so much from the week without a mention for our DAFNE Educators. We were lucky to have three Educators supporting our course all week, two diabetes specialist nurses and a dietician. Their enthusiasm and encouragement kept us going for the week and I personally think they did so much to help foster the environment that allowed the course to work so well. Thank you Carolin, Val and Val.
After a full week using the pump with insulin I'm starting to get accustomed to it and DAFNE has put me in an excellent position to feel confident using it and adjusting my doses where necessary. On a personal level, one of the hardest things I've had to do is learn to curb my desire to try and fix everything at once and adopt a more patient and measured approach to fine tuning my regime. I'm not quite there yet, but having the confidence and knowledge to be able to make changes should hopefully mean I'll have all my BG levels within target very soon.
As a final word, I'd encourage anyone to follow this link to the DAFNE User Action Group’s e-petition and sign it to lobby for a centrally funded diabetes education programme. Studies have shown that not only does education help diabetics manage their condition with better glycaemic control and fewer hypos, but that the education will effectively pay for itself within five years. Please take the time to follow the link and encourage as many others as you can to do the same.
As part of the REPOSE trial I talked about last month, I recently attended a DAFNE course. I'll be honest and say that a couple of weeks beforehand I was still pretty skeptical about attending. Not so much because I didn't think I'd get any benefit from it, but more that I'd never been given any information about what DAFNE was beyond "it'll help with your carb counting" and couldn't understand how it was a five day course.
That said, after I'd had the pump on for a few days, I was really eager to get started and by the time the course started I honestly couldn't wait. I didn't feel too apprehensive at the start, as I'd already met half the people on the course when we'd had our pump induction, and I knew that everyone there was in the same position as I was.
I thought the DAFNE course (Dose Adjusted For Normal Eating) itself was very well structured. We followed a daily timetable with 4-5 sessions per day, building on regular daily topics such as insulin dose adjustment and carb counting/nutrition as well as discussing other topics such as alcohol and exercise.
For the afternoon session on the second day, we were invited to bring along a family member to give them the opportunity to see what the course entails, and to speak openly about their experiences of living with someone with diabetes. I think that helped a lot as it allowed us to reflect on what those we love have to deal with, which I would guess is a point of view we don't often stop to consider. I think that afternoon worked really well and having everyone participate in the exercises was great.
What I found surprising (and a tad embarrassing) was the amount of the history/biology about diabetes that I either didn't know or that I'd forgotten. While I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference, I enjoyed the sessions that touched on that information as I felt like it provided a great base for all the other topics we were discussing.
There were, of course, some more difficult sessions, and the one we spent discussing the long term complications of diabetes could have been uncomfortable to talk about. We spent the time in two teams, playing a game of which complications could be specifically diabetes related, how they were caused and what could be done to prevent them. It lightened the mood and allowed us to learn at the same time.
I think as a group we all agreed that being in a safe, open and honest environment with people all in the same situation was one of the best things about the week. As I may have mentioned previously, I've not actually met anyone with Type 1 diabetes before and so to be able to share experiences, tips and frustrations with a group was such a positive thing. I was also relieved to find out I'm not the only one who sometimes forgets to change needles and lancets as often as I should!
 |
Being in that environment gave everyone a lot of confidence to speak up and discuss their own situations without feeling judged or under pressure. That similar feeling when sharing BG levels (some not always the numbers you'd hope for) was valuable in discussing our progress.
It would be remiss of me to talk about the course, the environment and the structure that allowed us all to benefit so much from the week without a mention for our DAFNE Educators. We were lucky to have three Educators supporting our course all week, two diabetes specialist nurses and a dietician. Their enthusiasm and encouragement kept us going for the week and I personally think they did so much to help foster the environment that allowed the course to work so well. Thank you Carolin, Val and Val.
After a full week using the pump with insulin I'm starting to get accustomed to it and DAFNE has put me in an excellent position to feel confident using it and adjusting my doses where necessary. On a personal level, one of the hardest things I've had to do is learn to curb my desire to try and fix everything at once and adopt a more patient and measured approach to fine tuning my regime. I'm not quite there yet, but having the confidence and knowledge to be able to make changes should hopefully mean I'll have all my BG levels within target very soon.
As a final word, I'd encourage anyone to follow this link to the DAFNE User Action Group’s e-petition and sign it to lobby for a centrally funded diabetes education programme. Studies have shown that not only does education help diabetics manage their condition with better glycaemic control and fewer hypos, but that the education will effectively pay for itself within five years. Please take the time to follow the link and encourage as many others as you can to do the same.
Whilst I may have been skeptical before I started, I'd nopw say I'm a huge DAFNE advocate! I'd be keen to hear on your own experiences of diabetes education courses, DAFNE or others.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Coping With Christmas
This blog was first posted on the DiabetesUK website on 13th December 2012
Whilst Roy Wood famously pined for it to be Christmas every day, I sadly don't. That's not to say I'm some Dickensian miser who can't bear the sight of a bit of tinsel or the jingle of some bells (well maybe in October - I digress). I geninely look forward to Christmas, but I know it'll play havoc with me.
I'm a creature of habit, a person of routine, someone who enjoys certainty as much as it can ever be found. Christmas (and I suppose I'm talking about most of December really) destroys a lot of that and makes life a little more chaotic.
Whilst there are plus points like seeing family and friends, there are the downsides like over indulgence. Last year I was into my London Marathon training and was incredibly measured with what I ate, but that's not really the norm. I think it's totally natural to want to unwind and indulge during your Christmas holiday and being diabetic shouldn't stop me from doing that - it just means a little extra work on my part.
With all that in mind, I've come up with a few tips for surviving the festive period (note that I'm not offering any tips on dealing with your inlaws...)
I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a very happy 2013. I'll be back in the new year to talk about my diabetes study and DAFNE (amongst a whole host of other things).
Merry Christmas!
Andy
Whilst Roy Wood famously pined for it to be Christmas every day, I sadly don't. That's not to say I'm some Dickensian miser who can't bear the sight of a bit of tinsel or the jingle of some bells (well maybe in October - I digress). I geninely look forward to Christmas, but I know it'll play havoc with me.
I'm a creature of habit, a person of routine, someone who enjoys certainty as much as it can ever be found. Christmas (and I suppose I'm talking about most of December really) destroys a lot of that and makes life a little more chaotic.
Whilst there are plus points like seeing family and friends, there are the downsides like over indulgence. Last year I was into my London Marathon training and was incredibly measured with what I ate, but that's not really the norm. I think it's totally natural to want to unwind and indulge during your Christmas holiday and being diabetic shouldn't stop me from doing that - it just means a little extra work on my part.
With all that in mind, I've come up with a few tips for surviving the festive period (note that I'm not offering any tips on dealing with your inlaws...)
- Don't worry. It's easy to get sidetracked by the number on your blood glucose meter at the best of times and with mince pies and chocolates flying around, I think it's inevitable that at some stage, you'll get a higher reading than you'd normally expect. That said...
- Test a bit more often. If your house is anything like mine, not only will you be eating things that aren't the norm, your mealtimes will end up being different too. If you normally test 4 times a day, sticking an extra one in should mean you don't stray too far off course.
- Don't deprive yourself. A slice of Christmas cake or an extra mince pie probably won't be your downfall (unless the slice of cake is the size of a house brick) and there's nothing worse than feeling like a martyr while everyone around you is having a great time.
- Keep the packets. I'm terrible for throwing away boxes with nutritional information on them. It's usually convenient to check the back of a packet for the carb values per serving (*cough* per mince pie *cough*) and adjust my dose accordingly. It's less convenient if I've stuck the box in the recycling bin along with all the wrapping paper so try sand save them if it'll help you.
- Take the help that's there. As you may have caught on, I'll definitely be sneaking the odd bit of dessert over the next few weeks but I'll make sure I've got things like low fat custard or reduced sugar ice cream to go with them. No-one else round the dinner table can tell the difference anyway. I've convinced myself I had low-sugar cranberry sauce last year but an internet search has proved fruitless (sorry!)
I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a very happy 2013. I'll be back in the new year to talk about my diabetes study and DAFNE (amongst a whole host of other things).
Merry Christmas!
Andy
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
200 up
Training miles completed this week: 20
Total training miles completed: 208
Training miles left: 30
Training runs left: 6
Hello again - thanks for taking the time to drop in.
This week saw another 2 big milestones in my quest for the marathon. I completed my longest run on the training programme (20 miles) and also saw me break the 200 mile mark overall.
All this came at a bit of a price as I've picked up another niggling injury which means I'm going to be taking it really steady over the next few weeks. The summary above says another 30 miles over 6 runs but it's increasingly likely that I'm going to just do 3 runs to minimise the risk of any serious injury. I've worked too hard over the last few months to not get to the start line and now I feel mentally prepared to take on the full distance - I just need to be physically able !
The 20 mile run went really well which was something of a surprise. I was convinced after my 18 mile horror show that I would struggle a lot but it wasn't really the case. I think I've probably perfected a decent run/walk strategy which conserves enough energy for the latter parts of the run and I've also got a good understanding of how my blood sugar will react and what insulin doses I need on the day.
I managed 20 miles in 3 hours 53 which felt good. A 12 minute mile pace would be 4 hours so I'm still to do a run that's over that pace which is encouraging. Again, I'll stress that my finish time isn't important to me, but knowing my pace so I can predict where I'll be and when is key so having that understanding is good. I also managed the last 6 miles in 72 minutes which makes me think I can complete the course in about 5:15.
My 'shin splits' (or whatever that particular pain is) were still uncomfortable during the early parts of the run (the part with the most hilly terrain) and I've picked up a pain very similar to the one that forced me out of the Sheffield Half Marathon 4 years ago, but this time in my left foot. I'm hoping it's a bit of bruising and nothing more but I'll keep the weight off it and only run when it feels right.
Doing that 20 miles has convinced me I have a strategy to complete the marathon and still be standing afterwards and that has to be a hugely positive thing. If you weren't familiar with my starting position when I went into this training, this introduction blog post will give you an idea of how far I've come.
My final marathon pack came in the post this week and it contains all the details you need to register, get to the start, and know what to do at the end. You have to go to the EXCEL Centre (Custom House) in London to register and pick up your running number and timing tag. I'm doing all that on the Friday before the marathon so I can hopefully have a day or so of rest in London before the race.
I'll be starting from the Blue start at Blackheath at 9:45am on April 22nd. This is where most of the mass runners will start but everyone from the other 2 start areas will merge together by about mile 3. I think this first 3 miles will be a bit tricky due to the sheer volume of runners on the course. I'm guessing that this will take a bit of time to get through but hopefully I'll get into my stride as soon as possible after that.
For a look at the course map, click on this Interactive Map
There's been a lot more fundraising money in this week which is good news! Current total is £707.50 which is more than £130 in the last week alone. The generosity everyone has shown has been incredible! I do still have some more donations that I've been promised as well so I hope I'll be able to get around £800 in total which would be a really amazing. Again, I can't thank people enough for what they've done.
As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile.
I'd also just like to say thanks again to the virtual running club on Twitter - you all give me a lot of motivation to keep going when it always seems easier to stop. Thank you.
I'll sign off this week with a quote a good friend of mine gave me from her marathon finisher's t-shirt from a few years back: You see impossible. I see the finish line. Impossible is nothing. That'll be at the front of my mind over the next few weeks now. 25 days and counting.
Thanks for reading - I'm not sure I do enough to express how important your support is.
Take care
Andy
You can donate at any time by clicking on this fundraising link
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Pain management
Training miles completed this week: 16
Total training miles completed: 188
Training miles left: 25 + taper off period
Training runs left: 8
Hello again.
There's only 31 days left until I'll be lining up to start the marathon. It feels like yesterday I remember the countdown being 180 days and thinking I had all the time in the world to train and prepare.
Training is definitely beginning to take it's toll now, with pretty much every day spent ignoring some form of pain. I think that it (being in pain) has been so much of the norm for me over the past 4 years that I'm surprised that I can still really feel it at all.
But I can feel it and the major battle I've had this week has been in my mind. For those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm a bit stubborn from time to time, and training is one of those areas where I'm the most bloody-minded of all. I'll try and explain...
I've come to terms with the fact that it's unlikely I'll ever really lose the aches and pains in my foot if I want to continue any form of running based exercise. It's the new, less familiar pain that I'm struggling to get used to. When I did my 4 mile run last week, I had a bit of pain in my ankle joints and in my legs, but I passed it off as lack of proper stretching and warm-up. I did 16 miles on Saturday morning and the pain was there again but I ran through it and it disappeared after about 4 miles. (I managed the distance in 3:04 and I felt like I could have kept jogging/walking as well which was pleasing)
I Googled shin splints when I got in as it seemed to be the only condition I could think of that would make sense. And reading through the causes and symptoms, it does make a lot of sense. I'm not going to visit my GP for it as I know the answer is rest. I also don't want someone to tell me I can't run because I've worked too hard to get to where I am.
On the other hand, I constantly remind myself that I've already done less training than someone preparing for their first marathon should do and so missing any distance at all never really seems acceptable to me. I'm into the mindset that I'm 'only' doing 6 miles so it shouldn't be a problem, not really letting myself understand that 6 miles is a distance that means I need to take care.
Ultimately, my goal is to do the marathon and if that means cutting back on my training and resting sensibly then that's what I should do, no matter how hard it might be.
I've decided to skip my 6 mile run for tonight in favour of resting and keeping my 20 mile run on track for the weekend. Whether that turns out to be a sensible decision or not, only time will tell but it feels like a good compromise. I think I wrote some weeks back about saying that I'd cut down to one run a week if that's what I needed to do. There's only 4 weeks left and I think getting this close to race day and feeling ready to compete is an achievement in itself. If I only do 4 more runs instead of 8 then it doesn't really matter - I just need to convince myself of that.
I've conquered my battered ankle, (possible) shin splints, at least one stress fractured toe (possibly two) and now I just need to get the better of my own psyche.
I managed my blood sugar really well again on the last 16 mile jaunt (reaffirming my belief that the 18 mile run was so painful because I got things wrong). I'm convinced now that 8 miles and then 4 jelly babies every 4 miles will get me round comfortably. I'm glad to have one less thing to worry about.
There's been some more fundraising money in this week which is good news! Current total is £575 and I'm hoping I can break the £700 barrier before April 22nd. I'm becoming a bit more direct in terms of sponsorship requests now (as the people in my office will be finding out this week) so I'm still hopeful of making at least £700 before I top up the rest to £1000. The generosity everyone has shown has been incredible!
As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile.
I had an interesting conversation with my daughter this week. She came up to tell me that she had a poorly tummy and she needed an injection to feel better. She sees me injecting before meals and asks what I'm doing. I tell her it's because I'm not very well and I have to take medicine. It's hard to see her mimicking what I do because one of my big fears is that she'll end up the same way. But I don't see the point in hiding it from her either. Fortunately, this only lasted a couple of days this time.
Finally, a word on another blog you might enjoy. A friend of mine has entered the Tough Mudder event in November and has started a training regime that will ultimately put me to shame. You can follow Sam's progress here - it's a great read. We seemed to have a bit of a virtual running club on Twitter at the moment and it's great to get support and chat things through with people doing the same thing. A really valuable way to stay sane. Thanks - you know who you are.
Have a good week - hopefully next time I'll be able to report on a decent 20 mile slog.
Take care
Andy
Total training miles completed: 188
Training miles left: 25 + taper off period
Training runs left: 8
Hello again.
There's only 31 days left until I'll be lining up to start the marathon. It feels like yesterday I remember the countdown being 180 days and thinking I had all the time in the world to train and prepare.
Training is definitely beginning to take it's toll now, with pretty much every day spent ignoring some form of pain. I think that it (being in pain) has been so much of the norm for me over the past 4 years that I'm surprised that I can still really feel it at all.
But I can feel it and the major battle I've had this week has been in my mind. For those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm a bit stubborn from time to time, and training is one of those areas where I'm the most bloody-minded of all. I'll try and explain...
I've come to terms with the fact that it's unlikely I'll ever really lose the aches and pains in my foot if I want to continue any form of running based exercise. It's the new, less familiar pain that I'm struggling to get used to. When I did my 4 mile run last week, I had a bit of pain in my ankle joints and in my legs, but I passed it off as lack of proper stretching and warm-up. I did 16 miles on Saturday morning and the pain was there again but I ran through it and it disappeared after about 4 miles. (I managed the distance in 3:04 and I felt like I could have kept jogging/walking as well which was pleasing)
I Googled shin splints when I got in as it seemed to be the only condition I could think of that would make sense. And reading through the causes and symptoms, it does make a lot of sense. I'm not going to visit my GP for it as I know the answer is rest. I also don't want someone to tell me I can't run because I've worked too hard to get to where I am.
On the other hand, I constantly remind myself that I've already done less training than someone preparing for their first marathon should do and so missing any distance at all never really seems acceptable to me. I'm into the mindset that I'm 'only' doing 6 miles so it shouldn't be a problem, not really letting myself understand that 6 miles is a distance that means I need to take care.
Ultimately, my goal is to do the marathon and if that means cutting back on my training and resting sensibly then that's what I should do, no matter how hard it might be.
I've decided to skip my 6 mile run for tonight in favour of resting and keeping my 20 mile run on track for the weekend. Whether that turns out to be a sensible decision or not, only time will tell but it feels like a good compromise. I think I wrote some weeks back about saying that I'd cut down to one run a week if that's what I needed to do. There's only 4 weeks left and I think getting this close to race day and feeling ready to compete is an achievement in itself. If I only do 4 more runs instead of 8 then it doesn't really matter - I just need to convince myself of that.
I've conquered my battered ankle, (possible) shin splints, at least one stress fractured toe (possibly two) and now I just need to get the better of my own psyche.
I managed my blood sugar really well again on the last 16 mile jaunt (reaffirming my belief that the 18 mile run was so painful because I got things wrong). I'm convinced now that 8 miles and then 4 jelly babies every 4 miles will get me round comfortably. I'm glad to have one less thing to worry about.
There's been some more fundraising money in this week which is good news! Current total is £575 and I'm hoping I can break the £700 barrier before April 22nd. I'm becoming a bit more direct in terms of sponsorship requests now (as the people in my office will be finding out this week) so I'm still hopeful of making at least £700 before I top up the rest to £1000. The generosity everyone has shown has been incredible!
As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile.
I had an interesting conversation with my daughter this week. She came up to tell me that she had a poorly tummy and she needed an injection to feel better. She sees me injecting before meals and asks what I'm doing. I tell her it's because I'm not very well and I have to take medicine. It's hard to see her mimicking what I do because one of my big fears is that she'll end up the same way. But I don't see the point in hiding it from her either. Fortunately, this only lasted a couple of days this time.
Finally, a word on another blog you might enjoy. A friend of mine has entered the Tough Mudder event in November and has started a training regime that will ultimately put me to shame. You can follow Sam's progress here - it's a great read. We seemed to have a bit of a virtual running club on Twitter at the moment and it's great to get support and chat things through with people doing the same thing. A really valuable way to stay sane. Thanks - you know who you are.
Have a good week - hopefully next time I'll be able to report on a decent 20 mile slog.
Take care
Andy
You can donate at any time by clicking on this fundraising link
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Self doubt and inner voices
Training miles completed this week: 22
Total training miles completed: 172
Training miles left: 47 + taper off period
Training runs left: 10
Hello - happy Wednesday
Arduous, brutal, crushing, exhausting, punishing and tortuous. I think I used the word 'grueling' last week to describe how running 16 miles felt. These new words are more appropriate for how 18 miles feels.
I managed the distance in a not-utterly-unacceptable time of 3hrs 35minutes - essentially a 12 minute mile average. But the actual run was possibly the most agonising thing I can remember doing. The first 9 miles was OK (1hr 37mins) but the second half was best summed up using one of the words above. I got to about 15 miles before I really felt like it'd beaten me - legs felt heavy, ankle felt stiff, agonising pain in my back and persistent cramping in my calf put me on the verge of tears. I was in no fit state to really measure but I think I ended up running about 100 yards at a time and walking for distances inbetween.
I got in and for the first time actually said "I don't know if I can do this" out loud. Fortunately, my incredibly understanding wife was able to talk some sense into me. The doubt was there for a few minutes though and it didn't feel good.
I'm absolutely under no illusions now about how difficult this is going to be, no misconceptions about how painful it will be or how mentally exhausted I'll be when I get to the end. Making myself run when my mind is telling me I can't is beyond draining. It goes against all sense and logic but I need to keep going now. There are 38 days left until the marathon - that's not long at all and I need to stay focused until then.
Whilst that 18 miles gave me plenty to think about, there were a few positives that came out of it, and they need to be mentioned as much, if not more, than the battle with my demons.
Firstly - I actually finished the distance. I may have walked a lot more than I would have liked, but I did it. If I had to walk another 8 miles then I (probably) could have done. Secondly, where I was convinced last week that I'd possibly brusied the bone in my foot, I managed the whole distance without even so much as a slight jolt of pain from that injury. That's really encouraging. Finally, for all the training I do, I know I can't replicate the actual event itself. I'm hoping the crowds, the change of scenery and running alongside other people is going to give me a boost that I'll be able to put a decent performance in one the day.
For those considering backing me to win it (or to finish inside 5 hours) you might be best advised to keep hold of your money...
I think one of the reasons the run was so tough was that I got my blood sugar levels completely wrong at the weekend. They were at a similar level when I set off to what they were the previous week. But the level didn't drop at all as I expected and I managed the entire run without a single jelly baby to keep me going. Whilst I may have hit the wall at around mile 15, I don't feel like I ever really got into a decent rhythm and I think my sugar levels might have something to do with that. I've got 2 big runs left to try and sort that problem out. Worst case scenario is that I have to test my levels around London, But I'd like to avoid that is possible.
More fundraising money has come in this week which is good news! I've finally got a paper sponsor form to carry around, and my wife is drumming up support in here office as well. Current total is £545 and I'm hoping I can break the £700 barrier before April 22nd. I've given my close friends and family enough time to think about donating and now I'm actively calling that money in so I hope I'll be able to report another increase next week. A number of people that follow me on Twitter have also pledged to donate which is incredibly kind of them.
One of the things that's really struck me is how unwavering the support has been for what I'm doing, particularly from people I've met perhaps once or twice, and in some cases, not at all. Their belief and encouragement has been fantastic, and their willingness to donate money on the scale they have is out of this world. It's that kind of thing that really keeps me going as the end comes into sight.
As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile
I'd also just like to thank Ellie from Diabetes UK and Tonya from Sheffield Children's for all their help this last week - they do a great job deserve to be well recognised.
16 miles this weekend before a psychologically huge 20 miles the weekend after. I can vaguely remember looking at those distances on the plan back in November and thinking how far away they were and how incredible it was to think I could manage those distances.
The end is in sight now and I'm detemined not to let anyone down.
Thanks for reading - your support is incredible
Take care
Andy
Total training miles completed: 172
Training miles left: 47 + taper off period
Training runs left: 10
Hello - happy Wednesday
Arduous, brutal, crushing, exhausting, punishing and tortuous. I think I used the word 'grueling' last week to describe how running 16 miles felt. These new words are more appropriate for how 18 miles feels.
I managed the distance in a not-utterly-unacceptable time of 3hrs 35minutes - essentially a 12 minute mile average. But the actual run was possibly the most agonising thing I can remember doing. The first 9 miles was OK (1hr 37mins) but the second half was best summed up using one of the words above. I got to about 15 miles before I really felt like it'd beaten me - legs felt heavy, ankle felt stiff, agonising pain in my back and persistent cramping in my calf put me on the verge of tears. I was in no fit state to really measure but I think I ended up running about 100 yards at a time and walking for distances inbetween.
I got in and for the first time actually said "I don't know if I can do this" out loud. Fortunately, my incredibly understanding wife was able to talk some sense into me. The doubt was there for a few minutes though and it didn't feel good.
I'm absolutely under no illusions now about how difficult this is going to be, no misconceptions about how painful it will be or how mentally exhausted I'll be when I get to the end. Making myself run when my mind is telling me I can't is beyond draining. It goes against all sense and logic but I need to keep going now. There are 38 days left until the marathon - that's not long at all and I need to stay focused until then.
Whilst that 18 miles gave me plenty to think about, there were a few positives that came out of it, and they need to be mentioned as much, if not more, than the battle with my demons.
Firstly - I actually finished the distance. I may have walked a lot more than I would have liked, but I did it. If I had to walk another 8 miles then I (probably) could have done. Secondly, where I was convinced last week that I'd possibly brusied the bone in my foot, I managed the whole distance without even so much as a slight jolt of pain from that injury. That's really encouraging. Finally, for all the training I do, I know I can't replicate the actual event itself. I'm hoping the crowds, the change of scenery and running alongside other people is going to give me a boost that I'll be able to put a decent performance in one the day.
For those considering backing me to win it (or to finish inside 5 hours) you might be best advised to keep hold of your money...
I think one of the reasons the run was so tough was that I got my blood sugar levels completely wrong at the weekend. They were at a similar level when I set off to what they were the previous week. But the level didn't drop at all as I expected and I managed the entire run without a single jelly baby to keep me going. Whilst I may have hit the wall at around mile 15, I don't feel like I ever really got into a decent rhythm and I think my sugar levels might have something to do with that. I've got 2 big runs left to try and sort that problem out. Worst case scenario is that I have to test my levels around London, But I'd like to avoid that is possible.
More fundraising money has come in this week which is good news! I've finally got a paper sponsor form to carry around, and my wife is drumming up support in here office as well. Current total is £545 and I'm hoping I can break the £700 barrier before April 22nd. I've given my close friends and family enough time to think about donating and now I'm actively calling that money in so I hope I'll be able to report another increase next week. A number of people that follow me on Twitter have also pledged to donate which is incredibly kind of them.
One of the things that's really struck me is how unwavering the support has been for what I'm doing, particularly from people I've met perhaps once or twice, and in some cases, not at all. Their belief and encouragement has been fantastic, and their willingness to donate money on the scale they have is out of this world. It's that kind of thing that really keeps me going as the end comes into sight.
As always, all money that I raise is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes. The Children's Hospital money will be going to help fund a summer camp for children with diabetes which is very worthwhile
I'd also just like to thank Ellie from Diabetes UK and Tonya from Sheffield Children's for all their help this last week - they do a great job deserve to be well recognised.
16 miles this weekend before a psychologically huge 20 miles the weekend after. I can vaguely remember looking at those distances on the plan back in November and thinking how far away they were and how incredible it was to think I could manage those distances.
The end is in sight now and I'm detemined not to let anyone down.
Thanks for reading - your support is incredible
Take care
Andy
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
150 not out
Training miles completed this week: 21
Total training miles completed: 150
Training miles left: 69 + taper off period
Training runs left: 12 (inc taper period)
Hello again
This last week has seen a couple of milestones fall by the wayside. Firstly, as this week's title suggests, I completed my 150th training mile. It sounds like a lot but I guess having that spread out over a fair few months it's probably not quite as fanfare worthy as it seems.
The other milestone was ticking off a 16 mile run on Saturday morning. This one is important for a number of reasons I think. Firstly, it's the furthest distance I've ever managed and I'm not hobbling around in agony so that's promising. Secondly, I've now got an idea of how much the full distance is going to hurt and I know I can cope with the aches and the pains (to a degree) so that's good to know. I managed it in a respectable 3 hours, which, considering how I felt after about 7 miles, was a more than decent time. Finally, I managed the distance with good control of my diabetes.
Following on from my dietician appointment, we'd discussed monitoring my blood sugar while I was running to understand what I'll need to do to be at my bets come race day. My figures looked like this:
Start: 22.1mmol (high but I'd eaten a decent breakfast and had a slightly elevated level from the night before)
8 miles: 8.0mmol - ate 4 jelly babies
12 miles 9.6mmol
14miles 5.6 - ate 4 jelly babies
Finish (after cool down etc) 6.4mmol
To be honest, I don't think I could have wished for it to have been any better than that. Obviously I can't use one run as a guide and I'll be testing over the next 3 weekends as well, but it seems the "1-2 jelly babies per mile" advice that I read seems to hold out OK. I'll monitor that going forward.
I did an easy 5 miles tonight but managed to do it in a record 50 minutes flat - knocking another 3 minutes off my best time for the distance. Over the past fortnight I've got it down from 55 to 50 minutes so I'm very pleased with that.
I've been struggling over the last week with running. Not in a physical way per se (although the aches after the long runs are a challenge). It's the mental aspect of it which is now daunting me. I'm confident I'll survive the course now - I've run enough to know that I think. I don't think I've been prepared for how emotionally draining the training gets over the final few weeks. Getting myself into the mindset of running long distances, and having the inner strength to keep myself going is a lot harder than I'd imagined and I'll really need to work on that between now and the race.
I think that's part of the reason I ran so quickly tonight - I wanted to blow away a few cobwebs and try and motivate myself.
I've been wanting to go out and do a few extra runs over the last week or so - nothing major - just an extra couple of miles a week but I've stopped myself because I'm scared I'll overdo it and injure myself. I found the 16 miles tough at the weekend and I guess that's to be expected at the best of times, but when I remember what I've been through to get here, coupled with the fact that a basic training schedule should be 3 runs per week, I think I should be pleased overall. I feel confident I can finish the distance now and that's a great boost.
Nothing much happening from a diabetes poiint of view which I suppose is good news really. I've been having a few higher readings in the morning of late but if I'm a bit stricter about testing my blood sugar a couple of times before bed then I should be able to eradicate those. I've probably also been suffering from the effects of eating leftover birthday cake from my daughter's party but that contributing factor has now been dealt with...
A bit more fundraising money has come in this week which is good news! Thanks to those that contributed this week, and another thank you to everyone who's put their hand in their pocket so far. I'm now exactly halfway to my £1000 goal so, with a little over 6 weeks to go, there's a big push to get as close to the target as possible. I had some incentives put my way this week, in that a couple of people have pledged £30 each if I get my time below 4:48 for the marathon. As I've said all along, my time isn't important to me, but if I'm through mile 25 and that time is in sight, it should give me the motivation to get over the line. As always, all money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
As I suggested over the last few weeks, the closer I get to April 22nd, the more I might shamelessly beg you for a few quid, so if you can spare anything at all, please click on the fundraising link above and donate. I'll be eternally grateful if you do.
I'll leave it there for this week - got a big 18 mile run ahead of me on Sunday. Hoping it goes as well as last weekend.
Thanks, as ever, for taking the time to read this - your support is incredibly important to me.
Have a good week
Andy
Total training miles completed: 150
Training miles left: 69 + taper off period
Training runs left: 12 (inc taper period)
Hello again
This last week has seen a couple of milestones fall by the wayside. Firstly, as this week's title suggests, I completed my 150th training mile. It sounds like a lot but I guess having that spread out over a fair few months it's probably not quite as fanfare worthy as it seems.
The other milestone was ticking off a 16 mile run on Saturday morning. This one is important for a number of reasons I think. Firstly, it's the furthest distance I've ever managed and I'm not hobbling around in agony so that's promising. Secondly, I've now got an idea of how much the full distance is going to hurt and I know I can cope with the aches and the pains (to a degree) so that's good to know. I managed it in a respectable 3 hours, which, considering how I felt after about 7 miles, was a more than decent time. Finally, I managed the distance with good control of my diabetes.
Following on from my dietician appointment, we'd discussed monitoring my blood sugar while I was running to understand what I'll need to do to be at my bets come race day. My figures looked like this:
Start: 22.1mmol (high but I'd eaten a decent breakfast and had a slightly elevated level from the night before)
8 miles: 8.0mmol - ate 4 jelly babies
12 miles 9.6mmol
14miles 5.6 - ate 4 jelly babies
Finish (after cool down etc) 6.4mmol
To be honest, I don't think I could have wished for it to have been any better than that. Obviously I can't use one run as a guide and I'll be testing over the next 3 weekends as well, but it seems the "1-2 jelly babies per mile" advice that I read seems to hold out OK. I'll monitor that going forward.
I did an easy 5 miles tonight but managed to do it in a record 50 minutes flat - knocking another 3 minutes off my best time for the distance. Over the past fortnight I've got it down from 55 to 50 minutes so I'm very pleased with that.
I've been struggling over the last week with running. Not in a physical way per se (although the aches after the long runs are a challenge). It's the mental aspect of it which is now daunting me. I'm confident I'll survive the course now - I've run enough to know that I think. I don't think I've been prepared for how emotionally draining the training gets over the final few weeks. Getting myself into the mindset of running long distances, and having the inner strength to keep myself going is a lot harder than I'd imagined and I'll really need to work on that between now and the race.
I think that's part of the reason I ran so quickly tonight - I wanted to blow away a few cobwebs and try and motivate myself.
I've been wanting to go out and do a few extra runs over the last week or so - nothing major - just an extra couple of miles a week but I've stopped myself because I'm scared I'll overdo it and injure myself. I found the 16 miles tough at the weekend and I guess that's to be expected at the best of times, but when I remember what I've been through to get here, coupled with the fact that a basic training schedule should be 3 runs per week, I think I should be pleased overall. I feel confident I can finish the distance now and that's a great boost.
Nothing much happening from a diabetes poiint of view which I suppose is good news really. I've been having a few higher readings in the morning of late but if I'm a bit stricter about testing my blood sugar a couple of times before bed then I should be able to eradicate those. I've probably also been suffering from the effects of eating leftover birthday cake from my daughter's party but that contributing factor has now been dealt with...
A bit more fundraising money has come in this week which is good news! Thanks to those that contributed this week, and another thank you to everyone who's put their hand in their pocket so far. I'm now exactly halfway to my £1000 goal so, with a little over 6 weeks to go, there's a big push to get as close to the target as possible. I had some incentives put my way this week, in that a couple of people have pledged £30 each if I get my time below 4:48 for the marathon. As I've said all along, my time isn't important to me, but if I'm through mile 25 and that time is in sight, it should give me the motivation to get over the line. As always, all money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
As I suggested over the last few weeks, the closer I get to April 22nd, the more I might shamelessly beg you for a few quid, so if you can spare anything at all, please click on the fundraising link above and donate. I'll be eternally grateful if you do.
I'll leave it there for this week - got a big 18 mile run ahead of me on Sunday. Hoping it goes as well as last weekend.
Thanks, as ever, for taking the time to read this - your support is incredibly important to me.
Have a good week
Andy
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Don't stop me now
Training miles completed this week: 17
Total training miles completed: 129
Training miles left: 89 + taper off period
Training runs left: 16 (inc taper period)
Hello again - with 53 days to go until the big race - things are really starting to get serious.
Last Friday saw me complete my last evening distance run (12 miles) in a pretty respectable 2 hours 11 minutes - an 11 minute mile pace. It felt really good to do and it was my first run in what I'll actually wear for the marathon in April (unexpected heatwaves aside). It was also very tough towards the end but I made it home relatively unscathed which is always the target. I got my first blister but I'm not going to complain as it took more than 100 miles to appear.
I have to confess that when I got home, the thought of going back out and doing it all again (plus another 2 miles) was far from appealing, but I'm hoping that was more psychological as I'd paced myself for 12 miles and not 26. We'll have to see how that goes over the next few weeks.
I did 5 miles tonight in 53 minutes - a best for me over that distance. I was really surprised when I got in and saw that as I felt like I'd not paced myself properly and had very little energy while I was going round - particularly around 3.5 miles. I guess the training is paying off and I'm able to work a bit harder than I expect. Shorter distances afford me some leeway as well but the longer routes need to be a lot more disciplined.
The remaining weeks are very much a pattern of long run/short run, building up the distances as I go. This coming weekend marks an important milestone for me. It'll be the first run I've done under proper "marathon conditions" (i.e. up early ish and running from about 9:30am). It'll also be the longest distance I've ever run and should give me an opportunity to banish the demons from 2008. It feels as though the training has been building up to this run and I think it'll give me a massive boost physically and mentally if I can make it through intact.
I've got a bit more of an interesting diabetes update this week. I realise my definition of "interesting" may be different from yours but...
I had an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician last Thursday and it gave me a good chance to discuss what I eat now (and when) and what I should be eating to give me the best chance of getting round whilst managing my conditions.
What we found was that when I eat before running, my blood levels don't raise as much as she was expecting. This could point to too much insulin (although I've tested previously and ruled that out to a degree). She also said that what I'm currently eating for lunch (some salad leaves and grapes effectively) isn't really enough and I need to be eating more carbs and protein to build up muscle and improve glycogen stores for when I run. She also mentioned that if I eat a few jelly babies every mile then it could reduce my chances of 'hitting the wall' at around mile 18 so that's good news.
We came to the conclusion that I really need to focus more on a running diet rather than trying to lose weight. I've been trying to balance the two to a degree and I think it's more successful to shift my focus to running for the next two months and hope that the exercise will lead to some weight loss, albeit at a slower rate.
I've now started to incorporate rice cakes and fish/cheese into my lunch and I'm looking to switch to more chicken and pasta combos in the evening - particularly before a big run.
The other change I need to make is to reduce my insulin doses before and after a big run. I have two types of insulin that I take (Background insulin twice a day, and quick acting insuling before each meal). The exact amounts I need to reduce these doses by aren't clear yet and I'll need to experiment to understand what is best for me. As a result, for the next few weeks, I'm going to have to take my blood sugar meter with me whilst I'm running to monitor my levels. This should give me a guide ot managing my condition whilst I'm running. Hopefully I won't crash too spectacularly this weekend!
It's all down to a combination of numbers now - mile times, sugar levels, insulin reduction percentages, carbs per mile to keep my sugar levels correct - it feels a bit overwhelming sometimes but it does come down to training and numbers - something I can conquer if I put my mind to it.
I'm going to stop blogging on my weight loss for the time being as it's not really my primary focus. I'll still have a weekly weigh in, and I'll mention it occasionally, but it's not something I'll live or die by until May now.
No further fundraising at the moment - I've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment which is frustrating, but a number of people have pledged to donate before the race so I'm hoping I can still get close to £650 before I run. I know £1000 was always ambitious but trying to get as close as possible remains my goal. As always, all money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
If you've been following my progress for a while and would like to donate, please do consider giving just a couple of quid. I know charitiable donations are often very personal things and so people rightly prioritise things that mean the most to them. Every pound I raise will help and so please consider having one pint less this Friday night and clicking on the fundraising link above instead - it would mean a lot to me.
Thanks for sticking with this until the end, I appreciate it's been a bit long winded this week and I can be a bit boring at times, but hopefully it's given a bit of an insight into how things are going and what changes I'll need to make to get round the distance in April.
Your support has been fantastic and I'll do my best not to let you down.
Take care
Andy
Total training miles completed: 129
Training miles left: 89 + taper off period
Training runs left: 16 (inc taper period)
Hello again - with 53 days to go until the big race - things are really starting to get serious.
Last Friday saw me complete my last evening distance run (12 miles) in a pretty respectable 2 hours 11 minutes - an 11 minute mile pace. It felt really good to do and it was my first run in what I'll actually wear for the marathon in April (unexpected heatwaves aside). It was also very tough towards the end but I made it home relatively unscathed which is always the target. I got my first blister but I'm not going to complain as it took more than 100 miles to appear.
I have to confess that when I got home, the thought of going back out and doing it all again (plus another 2 miles) was far from appealing, but I'm hoping that was more psychological as I'd paced myself for 12 miles and not 26. We'll have to see how that goes over the next few weeks.
I did 5 miles tonight in 53 minutes - a best for me over that distance. I was really surprised when I got in and saw that as I felt like I'd not paced myself properly and had very little energy while I was going round - particularly around 3.5 miles. I guess the training is paying off and I'm able to work a bit harder than I expect. Shorter distances afford me some leeway as well but the longer routes need to be a lot more disciplined.
The remaining weeks are very much a pattern of long run/short run, building up the distances as I go. This coming weekend marks an important milestone for me. It'll be the first run I've done under proper "marathon conditions" (i.e. up early ish and running from about 9:30am). It'll also be the longest distance I've ever run and should give me an opportunity to banish the demons from 2008. It feels as though the training has been building up to this run and I think it'll give me a massive boost physically and mentally if I can make it through intact.
I've got a bit more of an interesting diabetes update this week. I realise my definition of "interesting" may be different from yours but...
I had an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician last Thursday and it gave me a good chance to discuss what I eat now (and when) and what I should be eating to give me the best chance of getting round whilst managing my conditions.
What we found was that when I eat before running, my blood levels don't raise as much as she was expecting. This could point to too much insulin (although I've tested previously and ruled that out to a degree). She also said that what I'm currently eating for lunch (some salad leaves and grapes effectively) isn't really enough and I need to be eating more carbs and protein to build up muscle and improve glycogen stores for when I run. She also mentioned that if I eat a few jelly babies every mile then it could reduce my chances of 'hitting the wall' at around mile 18 so that's good news.
We came to the conclusion that I really need to focus more on a running diet rather than trying to lose weight. I've been trying to balance the two to a degree and I think it's more successful to shift my focus to running for the next two months and hope that the exercise will lead to some weight loss, albeit at a slower rate.
I've now started to incorporate rice cakes and fish/cheese into my lunch and I'm looking to switch to more chicken and pasta combos in the evening - particularly before a big run.
The other change I need to make is to reduce my insulin doses before and after a big run. I have two types of insulin that I take (Background insulin twice a day, and quick acting insuling before each meal). The exact amounts I need to reduce these doses by aren't clear yet and I'll need to experiment to understand what is best for me. As a result, for the next few weeks, I'm going to have to take my blood sugar meter with me whilst I'm running to monitor my levels. This should give me a guide ot managing my condition whilst I'm running. Hopefully I won't crash too spectacularly this weekend!
It's all down to a combination of numbers now - mile times, sugar levels, insulin reduction percentages, carbs per mile to keep my sugar levels correct - it feels a bit overwhelming sometimes but it does come down to training and numbers - something I can conquer if I put my mind to it.
I'm going to stop blogging on my weight loss for the time being as it's not really my primary focus. I'll still have a weekly weigh in, and I'll mention it occasionally, but it's not something I'll live or die by until May now.
No further fundraising at the moment - I've hit a bit of a plateau at the moment which is frustrating, but a number of people have pledged to donate before the race so I'm hoping I can still get close to £650 before I run. I know £1000 was always ambitious but trying to get as close as possible remains my goal. As always, all money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
If you've been following my progress for a while and would like to donate, please do consider giving just a couple of quid. I know charitiable donations are often very personal things and so people rightly prioritise things that mean the most to them. Every pound I raise will help and so please consider having one pint less this Friday night and clicking on the fundraising link above instead - it would mean a lot to me.
Thanks for sticking with this until the end, I appreciate it's been a bit long winded this week and I can be a bit boring at times, but hopefully it's given a bit of an insight into how things are going and what changes I'll need to make to get round the distance in April.
Your support has been fantastic and I'll do my best not to let you down.
Take care
Andy
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Moving on up
Training miles completed this week: 16
Total training miles completed: 112
Training miles left: 106 + taper off period
Training runs left: 18 + taper off period
Hi and thanks for stopping to have a read.
It's been a good week this week - something I'm really pleased to be able to say after the last couple of weeks.
I've done 16 miles since I last blogged (and actually 21 in the last 7 days) and I'm not feeling too worse for wear for it. Friday night saw me finally get through the 10 mile barrier, which I did in 1hr 53 which is just over an 11 minute mile pace. Remember that I'm forecasting about a 12 minute mile average so getting through 10 miles inside that time is encouraging. Here's the route:
It was definitely the most gruelling run and the first time I've really got home and thought "that hurt". Fortunately, a shower and a sleep seems to be enough to get me back on my feet.
I ran 6 miles last night in 66 minutes. I was more than happy with that as I'd done it after a 4:30am start and a return trip to London. I'm feeling the aches and pains a bit today but it' be foolish to expect anything else given the amount of training I've done.
This coming Friday marks the end of my evening distance runs. I'll be doing 12 miles that night and then all my long runs after that will be done during the day at the weekend. That's partly to get accustomed to race conditions, and partly because I can't reasonably run 16+ miles on Friday night and still find time to eat.
I recently finished reading The London Marathon by John Bryant (a Christmas present) and I've never felt so inspiried and terrified at the same time. The book is a history of the race mixed with notable performances of elite and "fun" runners. It also highlights (on several occasions) the amount of physical stress your body goes through when actually running the marathon. Whilst I won't bore you all with endless quotes and references, two of the things I've read have stuck with me and reminded me how important it is that I take it steady in the build up and on the day:
1. Running a marathon is approximately 32000 paces. Couple this with your (average) body weight and you can put up to 500 tons of pressure through your feet and up your spine during the race
2. Linked to the first point, it's said that you can be up to 1cm shorter at the end of the race than at the start due to the compression of the discs in your back as you pound the streets
I'll be taking it very steady I think.
Managing my diabetes has been a bit of a rollercoaster this last week or so. I'm finding my morning readings are higher than I'd like and this is difficult to control when I've run the night before. I'm eating to replenish my energy levels and then going to sleep so it's difficult to understand whether my insulin doses are correct. During the day I'm pretty normal but over night it's a bit trickier.
Obviously diet, running and diabetes are a tricky threesome to manage and so tomorrow I have an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician at the hospital to discuss what I should be eating and when, how to adjust my doses and what, if anything, I can do to try and avoid hitting "the wall" towards the end of the marathon. I'll talk about that in next week's post.
Not too much to report from a fundraising perspective this week - no new donations have come in so I'm still sitting pretty on £482. As the big day approaches (59 days to go!) you may see me being a bit more active in terms of asking for donations so I'll apologise for that up front. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
My weight has also stayed constant this week (perhaps the two are linked...) at 188.6lbs. I'm not going to complain too much about that really. I feel fitter and slimmer and that's probably the most important thing when all's said and done. I also maintain the belief that your diet and weight loss have a lagged effect and all that takeaway from a fortnight ago has negated this week's running. Hopefully I can drop another pound or so next week.
As I mentioned earlier, I was in London yesterday for a meeting. It gave me a good chance to do a bit of a recce of the mile 17 to 19 stretch of the course around Canary Wharf. What struck me the most was when I look at the course map, I never really visualise any of the surroundings other than the really famous landmarks I know (Tower Bridge at mile 13, Cutty Sark (as it is) at mile 7, Buckinghma Palace at the end). Seeing the route as just a normal road just under the DLR tracks made it all seem a lot more real than it has done before.
For some reason, when I do look at the course map, the distance never really looks that far. I can't explain why, though it's probably the soothing blue line that weaves around London that makes me think it's all going to be OK. And I'm sure it will be OK, just a bit painful along the way. I'm really excited to be doing it and while the weeks seem to pass quite slowly, I know it'll be here before I know it.
Head down and focussing on 17 miles next week now.
Thanks for stopping by to read this. I know I say it every week, but the encouragment and messages I get really do mean a lot to me. You can find me on Twitter (@BroomOwl) if you want to get in touch.
Take care - have a good week
Andy
Total training miles completed: 112
Training miles left: 106 + taper off period
Training runs left: 18 + taper off period
Hi and thanks for stopping to have a read.
It's been a good week this week - something I'm really pleased to be able to say after the last couple of weeks.
I've done 16 miles since I last blogged (and actually 21 in the last 7 days) and I'm not feeling too worse for wear for it. Friday night saw me finally get through the 10 mile barrier, which I did in 1hr 53 which is just over an 11 minute mile pace. Remember that I'm forecasting about a 12 minute mile average so getting through 10 miles inside that time is encouraging. Here's the route:
It was definitely the most gruelling run and the first time I've really got home and thought "that hurt". Fortunately, a shower and a sleep seems to be enough to get me back on my feet.
I ran 6 miles last night in 66 minutes. I was more than happy with that as I'd done it after a 4:30am start and a return trip to London. I'm feeling the aches and pains a bit today but it' be foolish to expect anything else given the amount of training I've done.
This coming Friday marks the end of my evening distance runs. I'll be doing 12 miles that night and then all my long runs after that will be done during the day at the weekend. That's partly to get accustomed to race conditions, and partly because I can't reasonably run 16+ miles on Friday night and still find time to eat.
I recently finished reading The London Marathon by John Bryant (a Christmas present) and I've never felt so inspiried and terrified at the same time. The book is a history of the race mixed with notable performances of elite and "fun" runners. It also highlights (on several occasions) the amount of physical stress your body goes through when actually running the marathon. Whilst I won't bore you all with endless quotes and references, two of the things I've read have stuck with me and reminded me how important it is that I take it steady in the build up and on the day:
1. Running a marathon is approximately 32000 paces. Couple this with your (average) body weight and you can put up to 500 tons of pressure through your feet and up your spine during the race
2. Linked to the first point, it's said that you can be up to 1cm shorter at the end of the race than at the start due to the compression of the discs in your back as you pound the streets
I'll be taking it very steady I think.
Managing my diabetes has been a bit of a rollercoaster this last week or so. I'm finding my morning readings are higher than I'd like and this is difficult to control when I've run the night before. I'm eating to replenish my energy levels and then going to sleep so it's difficult to understand whether my insulin doses are correct. During the day I'm pretty normal but over night it's a bit trickier.
Obviously diet, running and diabetes are a tricky threesome to manage and so tomorrow I have an appointment with a diabetes specialist dietician at the hospital to discuss what I should be eating and when, how to adjust my doses and what, if anything, I can do to try and avoid hitting "the wall" towards the end of the marathon. I'll talk about that in next week's post.
Not too much to report from a fundraising perspective this week - no new donations have come in so I'm still sitting pretty on £482. As the big day approaches (59 days to go!) you may see me being a bit more active in terms of asking for donations so I'll apologise for that up front. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
My weight has also stayed constant this week (perhaps the two are linked...) at 188.6lbs. I'm not going to complain too much about that really. I feel fitter and slimmer and that's probably the most important thing when all's said and done. I also maintain the belief that your diet and weight loss have a lagged effect and all that takeaway from a fortnight ago has negated this week's running. Hopefully I can drop another pound or so next week.
As I mentioned earlier, I was in London yesterday for a meeting. It gave me a good chance to do a bit of a recce of the mile 17 to 19 stretch of the course around Canary Wharf. What struck me the most was when I look at the course map, I never really visualise any of the surroundings other than the really famous landmarks I know (Tower Bridge at mile 13, Cutty Sark (as it is) at mile 7, Buckinghma Palace at the end). Seeing the route as just a normal road just under the DLR tracks made it all seem a lot more real than it has done before.
For some reason, when I do look at the course map, the distance never really looks that far. I can't explain why, though it's probably the soothing blue line that weaves around London that makes me think it's all going to be OK. And I'm sure it will be OK, just a bit painful along the way. I'm really excited to be doing it and while the weeks seem to pass quite slowly, I know it'll be here before I know it.
Head down and focussing on 17 miles next week now.
Thanks for stopping by to read this. I know I say it every week, but the encouragment and messages I get really do mean a lot to me. You can find me on Twitter (@BroomOwl) if you want to get in touch.
Take care - have a good week
Andy
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Back on track
Training miles completed this week: 5
Total training miles completed: 96
Training miles left: 127 + taper off period
Training runs left: 20 + taper off period
Hello
It feels like a very long time since I wrote the last post, though it has only been a week as usual.
First and foremost, it's been good to get back out running. The last week and a half has felt very frustrating and being back out tonight for a steady 5 miles felt really good. I managed the distance in 56 minutes which is consistent with every other time over that route. My foot started to feel a bit stiff towards the end but I think that's to be expected really. Rest for the next day or so before heading out for a big distance on Friday night.
I've adjusted the distances on my next couple of runs to avoid doing too much too soon and leaving myself open to a possible setback. Instead of 14 miles this weekend I'm going to conquer the 10 mile barrier instead and push on from there. I think that having been out of action for a little while will mean my ankle is a bit stiffer and I just need to be sensible. I'll still have done more than 200 miles of training before April so I think erring on the side of caution is probably best.
It's been a slightly up and down week from a diabetes perspective, but sadly it's all self inflicted. The weekend mostly consisted of takeaway (I had a rare weekend to myself whilst my wife went to visit some friends) and as I've mentioned a few times, insulin doses tend to be a bit of guess work. I think those indulgences, coupled with a lack of running meant the last few days haven't been quite as controlled as I'd like but I'm close to a return to normality.
Fundraising has gone pretty well again this week which is nice considering I've felt very lazy and done little that should encourage people to donate. We've added £55 to the total since last week bringing it within touching distance of halfway at £482. I've got a few friends and family to lean on yet as well so hopefully I can make the push towards £600 in the next couple of weeks. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
Given my takeaway indulgences this last week I'm somewhat surprised to have lost another 1.4lbs to be down to 188.6lbs overall. I do, however, remain sceptical about getting weighed after running so if there's little change (or a pound goes back on) next week I won't really be too shocked
A final word before I leave it for this week... There are only 66 days left until race day now so I'm inside the final 10 weeks and I think the hard slog is really going to start - there are some huge milestones coming up. The furthest I've ever run (training or event) is 15 miles. That was 4 years ago and that was the distance that lead to my foot getting injured. In the next 5 weeks alone, I'll be going beyond that distance 3 times (16, 18 and 20 miles) and that's quite a scary thought for a number of reasons.
Firstly, making those distances is psychologically important for me. If you've been with the blog from the beginning then you'll know that all the training and diabetes control has been a series of steps and small progressions to get me to this point. Getting out running at all was the first step, gradually upping the distances until I got through 3 intensive weeks at the end of January was another. Doing 10 miles this weekend will be the next one. After that, I need to prove to myself that I can run these long distances without my body giving up.
Secondly, the 20 mile run at the end of March is critical for so many reasons. It's the longest run of the training plan and it means that understanding mile times, my ability to pace myself properly and my ability to perfectly control my diabetes will be tested. If I can manage that distance and still be standing (metaphorically at least) then I'll know I can go to London and give a good account of myself which is all I want to do.
I'm not ashamed to say I'm scared or nervous because I am (and because I think it's probably quite natural given the circumstances) but I've come this far and I'm determined to do it.
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read this - it's great to have so much support. If you do have even a couple of quid going spare, then please consider donating it using the link above - it's not even the price of a pint these days (so I'm lead to believe) and it would make all the difference.
Take care, and have a great week - I'll speak to you next week
Thanks
Andy
Total training miles completed: 96
Training miles left: 127 + taper off period
Training runs left: 20 + taper off period
Hello
It feels like a very long time since I wrote the last post, though it has only been a week as usual.
First and foremost, it's been good to get back out running. The last week and a half has felt very frustrating and being back out tonight for a steady 5 miles felt really good. I managed the distance in 56 minutes which is consistent with every other time over that route. My foot started to feel a bit stiff towards the end but I think that's to be expected really. Rest for the next day or so before heading out for a big distance on Friday night.
I've adjusted the distances on my next couple of runs to avoid doing too much too soon and leaving myself open to a possible setback. Instead of 14 miles this weekend I'm going to conquer the 10 mile barrier instead and push on from there. I think that having been out of action for a little while will mean my ankle is a bit stiffer and I just need to be sensible. I'll still have done more than 200 miles of training before April so I think erring on the side of caution is probably best.
It's been a slightly up and down week from a diabetes perspective, but sadly it's all self inflicted. The weekend mostly consisted of takeaway (I had a rare weekend to myself whilst my wife went to visit some friends) and as I've mentioned a few times, insulin doses tend to be a bit of guess work. I think those indulgences, coupled with a lack of running meant the last few days haven't been quite as controlled as I'd like but I'm close to a return to normality.
Fundraising has gone pretty well again this week which is nice considering I've felt very lazy and done little that should encourage people to donate. We've added £55 to the total since last week bringing it within touching distance of halfway at £482. I've got a few friends and family to lean on yet as well so hopefully I can make the push towards £600 in the next couple of weeks. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
Given my takeaway indulgences this last week I'm somewhat surprised to have lost another 1.4lbs to be down to 188.6lbs overall. I do, however, remain sceptical about getting weighed after running so if there's little change (or a pound goes back on) next week I won't really be too shocked
A final word before I leave it for this week... There are only 66 days left until race day now so I'm inside the final 10 weeks and I think the hard slog is really going to start - there are some huge milestones coming up. The furthest I've ever run (training or event) is 15 miles. That was 4 years ago and that was the distance that lead to my foot getting injured. In the next 5 weeks alone, I'll be going beyond that distance 3 times (16, 18 and 20 miles) and that's quite a scary thought for a number of reasons.
Firstly, making those distances is psychologically important for me. If you've been with the blog from the beginning then you'll know that all the training and diabetes control has been a series of steps and small progressions to get me to this point. Getting out running at all was the first step, gradually upping the distances until I got through 3 intensive weeks at the end of January was another. Doing 10 miles this weekend will be the next one. After that, I need to prove to myself that I can run these long distances without my body giving up.
Secondly, the 20 mile run at the end of March is critical for so many reasons. It's the longest run of the training plan and it means that understanding mile times, my ability to pace myself properly and my ability to perfectly control my diabetes will be tested. If I can manage that distance and still be standing (metaphorically at least) then I'll know I can go to London and give a good account of myself which is all I want to do.
I'm not ashamed to say I'm scared or nervous because I am (and because I think it's probably quite natural given the circumstances) but I've come this far and I'm determined to do it.
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read this - it's great to have so much support. If you do have even a couple of quid going spare, then please consider donating it using the link above - it's not even the price of a pint these days (so I'm lead to believe) and it would make all the difference.
Take care, and have a great week - I'll speak to you next week
Thanks
Andy
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
A frustrating week
Training miles completed this week: 0
Total training miles completed: 91
Training miles left: 140 + taper off period
Training runs left: 22 + taper off period
Hello again - thanks for dropping in this week.
I've been dreading writing this week's post as it's made me feel like I'm stepping into a huge confessional box ready to announce an unforgivable sin...
I haven't run this week.
After last week's post, I finally succumbed to the cold/flu that my wife and daughter have had and it knocked the stuffing out of me a bit. I was in no fit state to run on Friday night (temperature, aches, cough etc) and I've still got a bit of a chesty cough lingering around at the moment. I've felt really guilty about the whole thing all week.
I've also felt very frustrated. I'd been psyching myself up for that first 10 mile run since New Year and to miss it felt like a real blow. I'm not convinced I'll be able to run this coming Friday either which will mean I'll have missed three overall. I'm hoping I'll be feeling 100% by next Wednesday.
I've spent a lot of time this week trying to gain some perspective and talk myself out of some of this guilt and my reasoning is this... It's that time of year when there's a good chance you're going to catch something and having a chronic illness like diabetes actually means your immune system isn't as effective at dealing with or fighting off those sorts of things. I also discovered from some reading around, that running and exercising in general can also reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. You can read the science of that here if that's your sort of thing. As that article also suggests, running with anything on your chest as it can end up affecting your heart with potentially fatal consequences.
I also decided that I'm obviously not the first person to train for the marathon, I'm not the first person to get a bit of flu while doing it and I'm not the first person who's had to miss a few training runs so, whilst I may feel guilty, I probably shouldn't. And besides, it's probably better to miss a couple in February rather than get to the end of March and miss the bigger distances and head to London feeling underprepared. My final thought on the subject is that I may have dodged all the snow we're going to get as well so the risk of slipping and breaking something may also have been avoided.
Hopefully I'll return to some form of running by next week.
As I've written previously, having a bit of a cold also affects your blood sugar levels, so after last week's good news from the hospital, I've spent most of the time since, battling high blood sugar. It becomes very much about guess work when you're ill as the normal ratios and guides I use to keep control no longer apply. Thankfully my levels seem to have just about returned to normal over the last day or two so this hopefully bodes very well for a return to action very soon.
It's been another good week for fundraising, adding another £70 to the total, making it £427 overall and another 73 days to find the rest before the big race! Thanks again to everyone who's donated so far - it's very generous of you. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
The one plus point I've taken away from this week's frustration is that I have little appetite when I'm under the weather and so I've managed to lose 1lb this week despite the lack of running - I'm now at 190lbs and I've lost about half the weight I wanted to lose. If I can maintain that then I should be around 180lbs by race day which would be an extra bonus.
I'll end it there for this week - I won't take up any more of your valuable time. Apologies there's not much positive news this week - hopefully that'll change next time I post. Thanks for reading this one - I appreciate they're not always brilliant and this week has been particularly self indulgent. Thanks for sticking with me - your support really helps and motivates me to keep going.
I hope you're all well and I'm looking forward to having better news to report next week.
Take care
Andy
Total training miles completed: 91
Training miles left: 140 + taper off period
Training runs left: 22 + taper off period
Hello again - thanks for dropping in this week.
I've been dreading writing this week's post as it's made me feel like I'm stepping into a huge confessional box ready to announce an unforgivable sin...
I haven't run this week.
After last week's post, I finally succumbed to the cold/flu that my wife and daughter have had and it knocked the stuffing out of me a bit. I was in no fit state to run on Friday night (temperature, aches, cough etc) and I've still got a bit of a chesty cough lingering around at the moment. I've felt really guilty about the whole thing all week.
I've also felt very frustrated. I'd been psyching myself up for that first 10 mile run since New Year and to miss it felt like a real blow. I'm not convinced I'll be able to run this coming Friday either which will mean I'll have missed three overall. I'm hoping I'll be feeling 100% by next Wednesday.
I've spent a lot of time this week trying to gain some perspective and talk myself out of some of this guilt and my reasoning is this... It's that time of year when there's a good chance you're going to catch something and having a chronic illness like diabetes actually means your immune system isn't as effective at dealing with or fighting off those sorts of things. I also discovered from some reading around, that running and exercising in general can also reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. You can read the science of that here if that's your sort of thing. As that article also suggests, running with anything on your chest as it can end up affecting your heart with potentially fatal consequences.
I also decided that I'm obviously not the first person to train for the marathon, I'm not the first person to get a bit of flu while doing it and I'm not the first person who's had to miss a few training runs so, whilst I may feel guilty, I probably shouldn't. And besides, it's probably better to miss a couple in February rather than get to the end of March and miss the bigger distances and head to London feeling underprepared. My final thought on the subject is that I may have dodged all the snow we're going to get as well so the risk of slipping and breaking something may also have been avoided.
Hopefully I'll return to some form of running by next week.
As I've written previously, having a bit of a cold also affects your blood sugar levels, so after last week's good news from the hospital, I've spent most of the time since, battling high blood sugar. It becomes very much about guess work when you're ill as the normal ratios and guides I use to keep control no longer apply. Thankfully my levels seem to have just about returned to normal over the last day or two so this hopefully bodes very well for a return to action very soon.
It's been another good week for fundraising, adding another £70 to the total, making it £427 overall and another 73 days to find the rest before the big race! Thanks again to everyone who's donated so far - it's very generous of you. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity - two very worthy causes.
The one plus point I've taken away from this week's frustration is that I have little appetite when I'm under the weather and so I've managed to lose 1lb this week despite the lack of running - I'm now at 190lbs and I've lost about half the weight I wanted to lose. If I can maintain that then I should be around 180lbs by race day which would be an extra bonus.
I'll end it there for this week - I won't take up any more of your valuable time. Apologies there's not much positive news this week - hopefully that'll change next time I post. Thanks for reading this one - I appreciate they're not always brilliant and this week has been particularly self indulgent. Thanks for sticking with me - your support really helps and motivates me to keep going.
I hope you're all well and I'm looking forward to having better news to report next week.
Take care
Andy
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Sacrifices and good news
Training miles completed this week: 12.5
Total training miles completed: 91
Training miles left: 155 + taper off period
Training runs left: 24 + taper off period
Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this week's post.
I've been deliberating whether to write this post for a few weeks now and I've decided to give it a shot. I'm a bit worried that it won't sound quite right and I'll end up coming across as a bit self-aggrandising. I hope regular readers and those who know me would back me up in saying that's not how this is meant to be.
The trigger for actually writing this came from an advert of all places - specifically this one:
I suppose it struck a chord with me because, whilst I knew that training for a marathon was no mean feat, I'd never really understood the actual extent of what it takes until I started doing it myself. I've got friends who've run the London Marathon, and my sister and my dad have both done it too, but I've never really grasped the enormity of the challenge until very recently. The line in the above that says "I am all the days you don't see" pretty much sums it up for me.
The thing is, that it's not really me that's making the sacrifices - it's my family. At the moment, my wife has to put our daughter to bed on her own twice a week while I'm out running and as I start getting above 12 miles in the next few weeks, I'll be taking large chunks out of our weekends to prepare.
Whilst I do make sacrifices of sorts (getting up early for weekend runs, not getting home til 9pm some nights) I'm doing that voluntarily. My family take the extra burden to let me do this and I think that aspect is overlooked as much as "all the days that you don't see". I hope I've articulated that in a decent way.
Back to running and I've banked a decent 12.5 miles this week. A 7.5 mile run last Friday night was a good test and despite feeling a bit of a twinge in my thigh muscle and feeling like I'd lost a lot of energy after 5 miles, I still put in a respectable 80 minute time. Going back to last week's post again, I'm not setting out to run any of these distances in a "good" time - I'm setting out with the hope of getting back in one piece. I'm keeping an eye on the mile times, but only as a reference, not a target to beat. Fortunately that twinge in my thigh subsided quite quickly and I've not felt any additional pain in my foot yet.
It's been cold in Sheffield this week but the 5 miles last night felt pretty good. A solid 55 minute time with no reaction afterwards is good. I think it's a sign of how far I've come that when my wife asked me how far I was going I replied "only 5 miles". In September, doing a mile filled me with fear and now 5 miles doesn't feel like much.
I had my diabetes review at the hospital today and had some really good news! My long term blood sugar level (used in essence to monitor how well you're managing your condition) has dropped from 10.1 to 7.4 since August which is very pleasing. I know it may not mean much out of context so I've handily got a picture (below) which might illustrate it better.
On a fundraising note, it's been another good week as I've managed to add another £100 to the total - taking it to £357 so far - more than a third of the way there. I just need to find another 65 friends who have a tenner to spare to make the target now! In all seriousness, people have been incredibly generous so far and I never even dreamed I'd have raised this much by January! I'm still committed to making up any shortfall via a company donation, but it would feel even better to add money on top of the £1000 if I can reach the target. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity
A final mention on my weightloss target. It's felt like another good week of eating sensibly and the Weigh-In has me at 191lbs (a loss of 1.2lbs since last week). I think that's decent as I'm still slightly suspicious about last week's weigh in - 8.4lbs lost in 3 weeks is good - another 11 to go though!
I'll leave it there for this week - appreciate that's been a long post so thanks for sticking with it and for indulging me a bit at the start. Once again, your continued support means a lot to me so thank you very much. The blog passed the 1000 view mark last week - I never thought we'd get that far so that was a pleasant surprise. I appreciate you all taking the time out to read this. I won't let you down.
Have a good week and take care
Andy
P.S. Other brands of trainers are available etc etc - I'm not endorsed or sponsored by Asics - the advert just struck a chord with me.
Total training miles completed: 91
Training miles left: 155 + taper off period
Training runs left: 24 + taper off period
Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this week's post.
I've been deliberating whether to write this post for a few weeks now and I've decided to give it a shot. I'm a bit worried that it won't sound quite right and I'll end up coming across as a bit self-aggrandising. I hope regular readers and those who know me would back me up in saying that's not how this is meant to be.
The trigger for actually writing this came from an advert of all places - specifically this one:
I suppose it struck a chord with me because, whilst I knew that training for a marathon was no mean feat, I'd never really understood the actual extent of what it takes until I started doing it myself. I've got friends who've run the London Marathon, and my sister and my dad have both done it too, but I've never really grasped the enormity of the challenge until very recently. The line in the above that says "I am all the days you don't see" pretty much sums it up for me.
The thing is, that it's not really me that's making the sacrifices - it's my family. At the moment, my wife has to put our daughter to bed on her own twice a week while I'm out running and as I start getting above 12 miles in the next few weeks, I'll be taking large chunks out of our weekends to prepare.
Whilst I do make sacrifices of sorts (getting up early for weekend runs, not getting home til 9pm some nights) I'm doing that voluntarily. My family take the extra burden to let me do this and I think that aspect is overlooked as much as "all the days that you don't see". I hope I've articulated that in a decent way.
Back to running and I've banked a decent 12.5 miles this week. A 7.5 mile run last Friday night was a good test and despite feeling a bit of a twinge in my thigh muscle and feeling like I'd lost a lot of energy after 5 miles, I still put in a respectable 80 minute time. Going back to last week's post again, I'm not setting out to run any of these distances in a "good" time - I'm setting out with the hope of getting back in one piece. I'm keeping an eye on the mile times, but only as a reference, not a target to beat. Fortunately that twinge in my thigh subsided quite quickly and I've not felt any additional pain in my foot yet.
It's been cold in Sheffield this week but the 5 miles last night felt pretty good. A solid 55 minute time with no reaction afterwards is good. I think it's a sign of how far I've come that when my wife asked me how far I was going I replied "only 5 miles". In September, doing a mile filled me with fear and now 5 miles doesn't feel like much.
I had my diabetes review at the hospital today and had some really good news! My long term blood sugar level (used in essence to monitor how well you're managing your condition) has dropped from 10.1 to 7.4 since August which is very pleasing. I know it may not mean much out of context so I've handily got a picture (below) which might illustrate it better.
You should be able to pick out roughly where 10.1% is using the top scale and roughly where 7.4% is too. Basically moving from red to green is the good new story of today!
I'm hoping to get to see a specialist nurse or dietician about running the marathon with diabetes as the consultant felt that would be the best approach. Hopefully I'll get to do that sooner rather than later as there's some big distances coming up soon.
On a fundraising note, it's been another good week as I've managed to add another £100 to the total - taking it to £357 so far - more than a third of the way there. I just need to find another 65 friends who have a tenner to spare to make the target now! In all seriousness, people have been incredibly generous so far and I never even dreamed I'd have raised this much by January! I'm still committed to making up any shortfall via a company donation, but it would feel even better to add money on top of the £1000 if I can reach the target. As a reminder, you can visit the fundraising page by clicking on the link. All money raised is being split between Diabetes UK and The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity
A final mention on my weightloss target. It's felt like another good week of eating sensibly and the Weigh-In has me at 191lbs (a loss of 1.2lbs since last week). I think that's decent as I'm still slightly suspicious about last week's weigh in - 8.4lbs lost in 3 weeks is good - another 11 to go though!
I'll leave it there for this week - appreciate that's been a long post so thanks for sticking with it and for indulging me a bit at the start. Once again, your continued support means a lot to me so thank you very much. The blog passed the 1000 view mark last week - I never thought we'd get that far so that was a pleasant surprise. I appreciate you all taking the time out to read this. I won't let you down.
Have a good week and take care
Andy
P.S. Other brands of trainers are available etc etc - I'm not endorsed or sponsored by Asics - the advert just struck a chord with me.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Easy does it
Training miles completed this week: 10
Total training miles completed: 78.5
Training miles left: 167.5
Training runs left: 26 + taper off period
Hello - Happy Wednesday - thanks for dropping in.
Another 10 miles down this week and I've gone through the first psychological milestone on my plan. I'm very much focussed on taking this one run at a time now and being able to tick the miles off every week is becoming very satisfying.
My weekend run was brought forward slightly to Friday night due to commitments I had at the weekend. I managed the whole distance in 69 minutes and also managed the first 3.3 miles non-stop. Whilst that felt like a good time (for me at least) and it felt really good to do a significant part of the distance in one burst, I realised that I'm starting to let my focus shift from my real goal - to do the marathon.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of knowing how fast I can cover a set distance and knowing my mile split times etc but I feel like I'm starting to convince myself that every run must be better than the last but really that simply isn't true. I do feel very satisfied when I post a good time, but I also know that pushing myself harder each time I step out of the door isn't really going to help in the long term.
My guide time (and I think it'll help if I refer to it as such) is a 12 minute mile average. I've consistently run inside this for a few weeks now which is good over a relatively short distance, but in a month's time I'll be talking about a 14 mile run not 6 miles. Pushing myself over a shorter distance is one thing, but my approach and mindset will need to be completely different for the proper distance runs and I need to concentrate on adjusting my attitude for what's coming up if I want to avoid another injury.
With that in mind my 3.5 mile run tonight was an easy one - I took it at a gentle place, stopped a couple of times (partially due to an annoying stitch - symptoms of wrong food at the wrong time and not enough water I think) and still managed the distance in a respectable 39 minutes. What was most interesting was how the extra rest day affected me. I thought I'd be a lot fresher and find it easy going. In fact this morning I was actively looking forward to getting out there. The reality was slightly different. My ankle started to feel a lot stiffer and harder to run on after a while which was unexpected. I think regular exercise is benefiting it more than I thought and perhaps I need to focus on the steady pace and minimising the impact. Hopefully Saturday morning will be easier going.
As an aside, to give you an idea of what's coming up, in the next 4 weeks, I'll run 61.5 miles with a maximum distance of 14 miles!
My diabetes has been slightly better behaved this week but I remain convinced that my immediate approach to my insulin has to change, as well as how I medicate myself in the run up to the marathon. Yesterday was the first day in a few weeks where I made it from breakfast to lunch without the need for a snack or something to boost my blood sugar mid-morning.
As I think I mentioned last week, I've got a consultant appointment next Wednesday (Feb 1st) which will give me a good chance to sit and talk through all my concerns about training in detail. Hopefully next week I'll be able to elaborate a bit more on what it's going to mean.
It's been a good week on the sponsorship front as well - I've raised another £100 since the last blog taking the current total to £257 - just over a quarter of the way there. I'm very fortunate to have the support of so many generous people. There's 13 more weeks until race day to raise the remaining £743 and I think the fundraising page stays open until the end of July so hopefully I can get close to the target by then. All money raised will be split between Diabetes UK and Sheffield Children's Hospital so if you have £1 to spare, then please consider clicking on the fundraising page link above and donating it.
I talked last week about keeping a better eye on my weight and trying to lose 20lbs over the next few weeks in time for the marathon. As well as feeling and looking fitter, it's a lot of weight I won't have to carry round the course with me so it can only be a good thing. My starting weight a fortnight ago was 199.4lbs. By last Wednesday I was down to 197lbs and tonight I'm at 192.2lbs which is surprising (I've had Chinese and cake this week) but pleasing. It adds a bit of support to my theory of lagged weight loss - expect minimal change next week. I'm doing this weight loss with a couple of friends and having their support has been really great and inspiring so long may this continue :-)
I think I'll come to a close there. It feels like it's been a really good week which is nice to be able to say after so long. I was thinking back to the posts in early September about how positive it felt to finally be able to go out and run a mile (with walk breaks) and now I'll be doing a minimum of 13 miles a week. Progress indeed.
Take care and thanks again for your support
Andy
Total training miles completed: 78.5
Training miles left: 167.5
Training runs left: 26 + taper off period
Hello - Happy Wednesday - thanks for dropping in.
Another 10 miles down this week and I've gone through the first psychological milestone on my plan. I'm very much focussed on taking this one run at a time now and being able to tick the miles off every week is becoming very satisfying.
My weekend run was brought forward slightly to Friday night due to commitments I had at the weekend. I managed the whole distance in 69 minutes and also managed the first 3.3 miles non-stop. Whilst that felt like a good time (for me at least) and it felt really good to do a significant part of the distance in one burst, I realised that I'm starting to let my focus shift from my real goal - to do the marathon.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of knowing how fast I can cover a set distance and knowing my mile split times etc but I feel like I'm starting to convince myself that every run must be better than the last but really that simply isn't true. I do feel very satisfied when I post a good time, but I also know that pushing myself harder each time I step out of the door isn't really going to help in the long term.
My guide time (and I think it'll help if I refer to it as such) is a 12 minute mile average. I've consistently run inside this for a few weeks now which is good over a relatively short distance, but in a month's time I'll be talking about a 14 mile run not 6 miles. Pushing myself over a shorter distance is one thing, but my approach and mindset will need to be completely different for the proper distance runs and I need to concentrate on adjusting my attitude for what's coming up if I want to avoid another injury.
With that in mind my 3.5 mile run tonight was an easy one - I took it at a gentle place, stopped a couple of times (partially due to an annoying stitch - symptoms of wrong food at the wrong time and not enough water I think) and still managed the distance in a respectable 39 minutes. What was most interesting was how the extra rest day affected me. I thought I'd be a lot fresher and find it easy going. In fact this morning I was actively looking forward to getting out there. The reality was slightly different. My ankle started to feel a lot stiffer and harder to run on after a while which was unexpected. I think regular exercise is benefiting it more than I thought and perhaps I need to focus on the steady pace and minimising the impact. Hopefully Saturday morning will be easier going.
As an aside, to give you an idea of what's coming up, in the next 4 weeks, I'll run 61.5 miles with a maximum distance of 14 miles!
My diabetes has been slightly better behaved this week but I remain convinced that my immediate approach to my insulin has to change, as well as how I medicate myself in the run up to the marathon. Yesterday was the first day in a few weeks where I made it from breakfast to lunch without the need for a snack or something to boost my blood sugar mid-morning.
As I think I mentioned last week, I've got a consultant appointment next Wednesday (Feb 1st) which will give me a good chance to sit and talk through all my concerns about training in detail. Hopefully next week I'll be able to elaborate a bit more on what it's going to mean.
It's been a good week on the sponsorship front as well - I've raised another £100 since the last blog taking the current total to £257 - just over a quarter of the way there. I'm very fortunate to have the support of so many generous people. There's 13 more weeks until race day to raise the remaining £743 and I think the fundraising page stays open until the end of July so hopefully I can get close to the target by then. All money raised will be split between Diabetes UK and Sheffield Children's Hospital so if you have £1 to spare, then please consider clicking on the fundraising page link above and donating it.
I talked last week about keeping a better eye on my weight and trying to lose 20lbs over the next few weeks in time for the marathon. As well as feeling and looking fitter, it's a lot of weight I won't have to carry round the course with me so it can only be a good thing. My starting weight a fortnight ago was 199.4lbs. By last Wednesday I was down to 197lbs and tonight I'm at 192.2lbs which is surprising (I've had Chinese and cake this week) but pleasing. It adds a bit of support to my theory of lagged weight loss - expect minimal change next week. I'm doing this weight loss with a couple of friends and having their support has been really great and inspiring so long may this continue :-)
I think I'll come to a close there. It feels like it's been a really good week which is nice to be able to say after so long. I was thinking back to the posts in early September about how positive it felt to finally be able to go out and run a mile (with walk breaks) and now I'll be doing a minimum of 13 miles a week. Progress indeed.
Take care and thanks again for your support
Andy
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