Ten Eight Fifty

"Only 26.2 miles to go!" - so says the banner as you leave the London Marathon Running Show at ExCeL in London.  Only.

Most of my blog posts end up forcing some slightly tortured metaphor into a comment on living with diabetes, but not today.  Diabetes is shit, hard work and makes nearly everything more complicated that it could possibly need to be.  There endeth that lesson for today.

The beginning

Training for the marathon has been a rollercoaster and then some.  Having put aside the shock of actually getting through the ballot in the first place, I vaguely rediscovered my love of running, only to end up with pain in my knee that slowed me down quite a lot.  Having managed that, I found some of my old rhythm, but pulled a calf muscle at the start of what ended up being a 10 mile run and took most of December off.

It's fair to say training was as up and down as most of the routes you can find to run around Sheffield.

January came and brought with it new trainers that immediately fixed the burning pain in my shins, and then training got pretty serious.  I had a plan (of sorts) though I daren't write in down for fear of jinxing myself further.  I'd not opened the London Marathon magazine I got in October because it felt too scary to properly face up to it.  Instead I stuck to three runs each week, trying to find routes around London (and Taunton and Liverpool) while I was away with work and sticking to a long run on my old routes while I was at home.

The middle

I think the sweet spot will always be training up to about 16 miles.  It's over half-marathon distance, but it's not so ridiculously far that you dread lacing your shoes up to train.  Once I got to 18, 20 and 22 miles, I'd pretty much fallen out of love with it, and that sense of self-righteousness/smugness that came from doing 12, 14 or 16 miles was replaced with a mix of loathing and nausea.

But something unexpected had happened... I'd somehow managed to do those long distances, up hills and through the countryside at a pace faster than my best time over a marathon course.  By blind luck, will power and some sense of training, I'd actually done something pretty positive.  Doing it, and doing it well seemed like a real possibility!

But nothing is really that straightforward and it all fell on it's arse pretty soon after that.  The start of my first full week of tapering began with a pleasant 8 mile stretch along the Norfolk coastline.  I'd picked up my fifth and sixth blister by this point so was managing pain and discomfort in a variety of ways already.  A couple of days later I went out to repeat the same route - after all it's rare you get to run by the beach in Sheffield.  And then something went.  Not with a bang or crash, but with a twinge and a "ah bastard" muttered under my breath.

I walked/limped the last three miles home, convinced that I'd blown it, that six months of training, pain and sacrifice had been washed away like the tide on the beach.  The last three weeks have been filled with ibuprofen, Deep Heat, massage, phyio and acupuncture - anything to get me ready.  What's been missing is running, and with that comes doubt.

The end

The marathon is three days away and the build up to race day is like the build up to your exams at school.  "Have I done enough?", "What if I just tried a bit more?", "I don't think I'm ready" - all that stuff floods your mind and really it becomes a battle of your own mental state, not your physical one.  I've been preparing myself for the worst because I'm a glass-half-empty person a lot of the time.  It's easier to imagine the bad stuff than the good stuff.  It's easier to think that my leg will give way inside the first mile, rather than think that if I get to Tower Bridge and the halfway point, I've done the worst of it and it's running home from there.

The physio has narrowed my pain down to tight hamstring in my right leg, but is supremely confident that if I'm sensible and leave Mo Farah to run his own race, I'll get round mine.  And she's right. Of course she is.  No it won't be pain free, but it wasn't going to be anyway.  It'll hurt, but I can make it from start to finish.

This is me

What's been hardest to stomach is that fact that I'd put myself into an improbable position that at a month before my 38th birthday I could have run a personal best for a distance I'd not seriously considered until six months ago, didn't really start training for until four months ago, and that I last did 5 years ago.  That's gone now - I know that - but as we're all our own worst critics, I can't stop beating myself up for it, even though it's completely out of my control.

Too many people have put their faith in me for me to not make it round.  Too many people have donated their money to a cause and a charity I care so desperately about for me not to finish.  Too many of my colleagues will be around the course on the day to cheer me, the other 145 Diabetes UK runners, and the other 40,000 people for me to fail.  I might fall a little short of my own standards or expectations, but theirs are the ones that count the most.

Only 26.2 miles to go...

I'm raising money for Diabetes UK because I've lived with Type 1 diabetes for something like 17 years and it's crap.  I manage it pretty well, but it's devastating condition that can lead to sight lost, lower limb amputation and a whole host of other dreadful things that nobody should have to live with.  If you'd like to donate to them, you can do so via my fundraising page, and please believe me that every pound makes a massive difference.  While I work for Diabetes UK, I have no control over how your donation is spent.

 

If you want to follow my progress on the day, you can download the London Marathon app and track me using bib number 10850, or look out for updates before, during and after on my Twitter

Back again

I've dusted off my password and come back to write something.

If you've been keeping up-to-date with any of my social media, you'll know I'm running the London Marathon in just under five weeks.  Whilst this post is loosely based around that, it's also some thoughts on change.

I was in a similar position seven years ago as I prepared to line up for my first ever marathon.  Back then it was all unknown territory for me - how do you run 18, 20 or 26 miles?  How do you do it whilst managing a health condition like Type 1 diabetes?  How do you keep going when it's easier to give up?

Thankfully I managed to find answers to all those questions, and now I find myself reflecting on what's changed, and what's stayed the same since 2012.

Well, I'm still not built for running so I'm fairly sure my training schedule isn't keeping Eliud Kipchoge or Mo Farah awake at night.  And of course I still have diabetes to contend with, which is very much the added X-factor when it comes to long distance running (for me at least).

What's changed?

Of course lots of things have changed too.  For my first marathon, insulin pens were my treatment regime and so reduced basal injections the night before and the morning of the run were vital for keeping my bloods under control.  Looking back now, it seems pretty crude, but it definitely did the job.  By 2014, for my second marathon, I'd switched to a pump and the added level of finesse to tweaking basal rates was hugely helpful.

Technology has come a long way since then, and so this year I'll line up with a flash glucose monitor sending my blood sugar readings to my watch every five minutes (assuming it holds up under a sea of Bluetooth interference).  That should help even more as I should be able to ward off any signs of low blood sugar a long time in advance.

'Score one for older and wiser...'

I've also not managed to defy the aging process and so I'll head off a month shy of my 38th birthday and feeling every single day that I've aged since last time.  It's clearly affected my memory as well, because I'd forgotten how unrelenting the training is to be able to run/walk/shobble/stagger over 26 miles.  That said, the wonder that is Facebook's "on this day" feature told me my recent 20 mile run was 30 mins faster than my first attempt over that difference way back in 2012.  Score one for 'older and wiser' there I think...

I've changed jobs since my last effort too, and so there's an added layer of tiredness to factor in beyond a) the actual training and b) being nearly 40.  I'm usually travelling around the country once or twice a week, so earlier starts and fitting runs in early before work, or after a long day have become the new norm - but a manageable norm.

'How do you keep going when it's easier to give up?'

For me, the big question was the last one I posed at the start... "How do you keep going when it's easier to give up?".   Of course, that's really a life question, not just a running one, though it definitely applies when you're feeling sick after 18 miles.

It's invariably a diabetes question too, and I guess the answer is really the same for everything - "I don't really have a choice".  It's not a cure for Type 1 I'm desperately after, it's a day off.  It is utterly relentless and at times it's all consuming.  The advent of technology I celebrated a few paragraphs ago also brings with it some tougher aspects.  If it's hard to switch off from a chronic condition when you're connected to an insulin pump, it's basically impossible if everytime you unlock your phone, there's a blood glucose reading staring you in the face.

Sometimes it's OK.  Sometimes it's mocking you for a bad decision you made a few hours earlier.  But it's always there.  I've long thought that diabetes has me so tight in it's Stockholm Syndrome-like grip that I'd be lost without it in my life.  But when that's all said and done I'd take a 24 hour respite in an instant.

So... how do you keep going when it's easier to give up?  I guess the answer is 'by any means necessary'.  On marathon day, it'll be the promise of a medal (and my first bit of proper junk food in months).  With diabetes I fundamentally don't have a choice and it's remembering that I'm doing the best with the tools, knowledge and wisdom that I've got.

Anyone can have a bad day, and we'll always be our own worst critic, seeing ourselves in a crueller light than anyone else ever would.  I'm not going to compare my finish time to anyone else's, and I won't do the same with my health.


I'm running the London Marathon on Sunday April 28th for Diabetes UK - a charity very close to my heart for a lot of reasons.  If you'd like to support them by sponsoring me, you can visit my JustGiving page to donate, and to get regular updates on my training as the day approaches.  Despite working for Diabetes UK, I have no say over how your donation is spent.

Weight watching

Mondays pretty much start the same way for me every week… The alarm goes off around 5:45am, and, silently cursing, I take stock of how I’m feeling… light-headed (hypo), a bit stiff (hyper) or just tired (‘in range’)?  I drag myself to the bathroom and stand on the bathroom scales.  And I sigh.

 

Diabetes is an enormous daily battle that I won’t rehash for the millionth time here and now.  I’ve lived with diabetes for long enough now to be able make most days ‘better’ days, though I’m not impervious to the bad days by any means.

 

I’ve started writing this blog post a few times and I’ve held back – I’m scared of straying into unchartered waters and accidentally throwing opinions around on things I (and many other people) don’t really understand.  But here we go.

 

I can tolerate Type 1 diabetes most of the time, but where I struggle every day is with my weight.

 

About 18 months ago I devoted a huge amount of energy and effort to tackling my weight and lost 3 (and a bit) stone to get to a position I was vaguely happy with.  I cut my diet back to about 1200 (net) calories a day, ran 20-30 miles a week as well as doing four or five mornings a week on my exercise bike.  It was exhausting and took over my life, but I did it.  But that’s when it started to get difficult…

 

I’ve always found it (kind of) manageable to lose weight, but I’ve equally found it far too easy to put it back on again within a few months.  This time I feel like something is a little different.  I’ve had fluctuations obviously, but I’ve pretty much avoided piling the pounds back on.  But it’s much harder work than it was to get to this position in the first place.

 

What I’ve discovered is that actually, my body only really needs around 120-1300 (net) calories a day anyway and regularly eating above that means I’ll put weight on.  My diabetes consultant refers to it as being a ‘thrifty phenotype’ – basically if there’s an apocalypse, you’ll probably starve before me (sorry), but basically I don’t need a lot of food to keep ticking over.

 

This creates a number of problems for me.  The first, and most obvious one is that I LOVE food so I feel like I’m constantly faced with the choice of skipping one meal in favour of another.  Or I have the chance to go out and run 6 miles to be able have something.  Whilst I both love and loathe running (it feels like life support to some degree), my life doesn’t allow the same number of opportunities a week to pound the pavement, so more and more I feel like I’m choosing breakfast plus one other meal.

 

The second problem is food guilt.  I’m sadly not immune to the temptations of an occasional takeaway.   Having skimped on calories for the rest of the day (and/or been for a run), I’ve been known to dabble in a chicken chow mein from time to time.  The thing is that pretty much as soon as I’ve eaten it, I have an overwhelming feeling of guilt about what it’ll do for my weight and I’ll compensate for days afterwards too.  I have genuine regret about something I’ve treated myself to, and I’m pretty sure it’s not healthy (the guilt that is, the takeaway definitely isn’t…).  If I’m eating out at restaurants, I’ll pick a salad more often than not because it’s not a guilt-inducing.  Having a hypo is a nightmare when I feel like this – I’m eating calories that I don’t want to correct it and I resent them for it. 

 

The last problem is how it makes me feel.  I’m writing this after stepping on the scales to find out I’ve put an improbable 4lbs on this week, and it’s pretty much all I’ve thought about all day.  I knew last week I would have put a few on (about 3lbs) as I’d been away for Easter and it’s a lot harder to stick to a calorie goal while you’re away.  But being back home hasn’t improved things.  I know I used to be a lot heavier, but I look in the mirror and I’m fundamentally unhappy with how I feel.  I hate the nagging from my inner voice before I eat anything…

 

I’m used to seeing food as numbers – it’s impossible not to when you’re doing mental arithmetic before you eat anything.  But I see calories everywhere too, and calories scare me a lot.   Having diabetes puts me at a greater risk of stroke, heart disease and cardio vascular disease, than people who aren’t ‘in the club’.  I’m about twice as likely to suffer from one or more of those as a result of my diabetes, and being overweight doesn’t help my chances much either.

 

I’ve noticed that gradually, I’ve stopped cooking new things almost entirely because I know I can rely on the knowledge that what I eat most days, falls into safe zone and I don’t want to stray from that safety.  I know when I do stray, I’ll have put weight on. And when I put weight on I’ll be miserable until I’ve lost it all.  I feel like I’m resigned to logging everything I eat for the rest of my life to be able to stay at a healthy(ish) weight, and the though of that exhausts me.

 

I wrote recently about how a day off from having diabetes would be nice.  Having a day off from this food guilt and unassailable obsession with my weight would be nice too.

Glasgow 2016 - some personal highlights

There's more serious stuff to come from #DPC16 - a lot more.  But the conferences (#YDEF16 included) did have a personal side to them as well, and I wanted to get things down on paper before I forget them.

There's a good chance I'll return to this as and when another memory fights its way through the current brain fog, but these are the things that have stood out for me on a personal level over the last four days:

• Meeting members of the #doc.  It's always top of the list when you get to meet people you spend so much time talking to.  Finally getting to meet (in no particular order) Laura, Kelly, Kris, Sandie, Dani, Mike, Ellie, Bob, Helen, Partha, Pratik, Emma, Becky, Ali, Neil, Pete, Sophie, Lis, Jon, Jane, Amy, Hannah, Jane-Claire and anyone else who I've definitely forgotten (sorry - can barely remember my own name right now).  Memories were made - I thank you.

• Getting to speak at both conferences.  I think Kelly and I delivered a solid couple of workshops at #YDEF16 to say we'd only met for the first time the night before (and only had one practice run).  Standing up in the Arena on the first day of the conference and being given a platform to give my experiences on education at #DPC16 was a real highlight and I'm grateful to Bridget from Diabetes UK for allowing me to share the stage

• Watching my friends speak.  I saw Kelly deliver a great speech about her Sugarbuddies experience, and Laura talk so passionately about NICE guidelines, both within a few hours of each other.

• The 5k fun run.  It take a lot to motivate me out for a run before 7am.  But it WAS fun (sorry Ali) and it lead tomy fastest 5k time and the creation of...

• The #DPC16 #DOC T-Shirt... a sixth form leavers present for the Conference Age

• Sanofi Coffee.   The Sanofi stand was the default meeting place for everyone and I think it was a unanimous vote that their coffee was the best (other pharma coffee stands are/were available)

• Seeing people you weren't expecting to.  Basically half of my diabetes team in Sheffield showed up for the conference which is not wholly unexpected, but running into so many of them in such a busy environment was a surprise, but a very welcome one

• Hearing the conclusion of something I'd been a part of.  The very first lecture at #DPC16 gave the results of the clinical trial I took part in for two years.  I'd heard the headline news, but to see the presentation was very interesting (and a little controversial)

• Meeting so many people.  Obviously putting faces to names from the #doc was incredible, but having the chance for a few words with those who'd spoken so passionately or chaired incredible discussions was a great opportunity.

• Being part of something.  I wrote a quick overview of what seemed to be the messages of #DPC16 and I think to have been there and be part of that rising tide of change was a real highlight.  Having the chance to add my voice to the huge buzz that was already there is a highlight, and to be able to share what's going on with everyone was a real privilege

• A couple of quotes.  Nick Oliver said at #YDEF16 "I don't know if any of you have had a hypo, but we tell people with diabetes to eat 15g of carbs and wait 15 minutes.  I dare you to do that".  Partha Kar told a room full of diabetes clinicians "None of you are experts. People with diabetes are the experts. We're all just specialists, at best".  It's reassuring how much they get it.

I think there's more to add to that list, and I'll no doubt return to this in the coming days as my brain settles down.  But for now, that's just a few of so many things that made this week special.

Pain

A very rare post from me on my own blog.

 

I keep a lot of plates spinning most of the time, and sadly that means some fall to the ground from time to time.  I maintain a monthly blog over on the Diabetes UK website, but rarely seem to find time to come back here.

 

At the weekend, I finished my last competitive run for 2015.  That took my yearly mileage to 1066 (just short of 151 hours in total).  I’ve been tired for a while and the last couple of miles on Sunday felt like a real struggle.  Having finished, I feel like I’ve shifted some pressure off myself which is a much bigger sense of relief than I’d expected.

 

Switching off that area of my brain (for the most part at least) has been nice.  I’d lost the sense of why I enjoyed running and it felt like a job I had to do, rather than something I wanted to do.  Hopefully a few weeks off will allow me to regain some perspective.

 

The problem with switching your attention off something is that it doesn’t really allow you time to actually relax – that fleeting spare capacity is merely taken over by something else.  Last night as I was finding it somewhat difficult to fall asleep, I became reacquainted with pain, and suddenly became conscious of every small niggle and ache that I’d ignored for the last few months.

 

I’m quite lucky with my diabetes that (touch wood), it doesn’t really cause me much direct pain.  There’s the occasional time I’ll half press the button on the needle before doing a finger-prick test because I know it’s going to be more ‘uncomfortable’ than usual.  There’s also the extra deep breath and moment of hesitation before I insert a new cannula because I can’t see the hidden bruises beneath the skin.  Sticking a needle (even a short one) into a bruise you can’t see is extraordinarily unpleasant. 

 

After 13 years, I’m pretty much prepared for these daily pangs, though I’m not beyond muttering the odd expletive under my breath from time to time.  But I’m lucky.  I’ve got a chronic illness and it doesn’t cause me constant pain or discomfort and I can mostly live my life without giving it much thought.  (As I type that, I realise my cannula is currently in at a non-work friendly height as I bash it against the desk…)

 

But laid in bed last night I just felt pain everywhere.  Laying perfectly still, I could feel throbbing in my foot, a sharp pain in my ankle, an ache across my neck and shoulder... not constant, unbearable pain, just a dull sense of something not being right – a reminder that whilst I might occasionally live like I’m 20 years old, I’m definitely not.  And despite thinking that I’ve managed diabetes into a place where it plays a supporting role in my life as opposed to being the leading light, that’s really not true.  As much as I’d rather not admit it, diabetes deserves respect.  But only enough to keep it in line, not so much as it takes over my life.

 

I’m trying to allow myself to take it easy for the next couple of weeks.  Not switching off from everything, but reducing the amount of time I give over to certain things.  I’ve got fewer early morning runs to accommodate and my charity commitments for the year will mostly be over in a couple of weeks.  Christmas is around the corner and it’s the one certain time I can spend with family and friends without the distractions that the other 50 weeks of the year often bring.

 

Stay happy.

6489

So this is my final blog post anywhere before Sunday's Yorkshire Marathon attempt.

I say attempt because that's exactly what it is.  Despite all the training and hard work that's lead me up to this point, there's absolutely no guarantees of anything and I need to carry this determination over the start line and around York to get me to the end.

That's not to say I don't feel prepared because I think I am.  Definitely more so than I was two and a half years ago in London.  I've paid a lot more attention to my diet and training and I've focused on more than simply just logging miles.

I said recently that almost every day this year has been a lead up to this race.  Whilst I know I don't have anything to prove to anyone, I still feel like I owe myself something - that the first time I did a marathon wasn't really a true reflection of what I might be capable of.

I boldly said at the start of the year that I could knock an hour off my last time (5:30:41) and I still think that with some good conditions and a little bit of luck, that might be possible on Sunday. I think 4:45 is a more achievable time but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to do anything until 18 or 19 miles in.

Experience tells me that the last 7-8 miles are the hardest and I'm hoping I can put myself in contention with something I can personally be proud of at that point.   If not, then maybe it just wasn't my day and whatever happens, I'll be glad to get round.

I read somewhere recently that running a marathon has become "normalised" to some degree.  Back in 1981 when the first London Marathon was staged, running 26.2 miles was a rare thing that few people outside of elite athletes even attempted.  My dad doing the 1989 marathon was what hooked me in from an early age.

Nowadays there are so many opportunities open to people that want to go that full distance (which I think is fantastic), but what I think it means is the effort that goes into preparing for a marathon gets lost.  Basically it's incredibly hard work for your average Joe like me. 

To give you some idea of what it takes to get to the start line, I've run 507.33 miles so far this year - roughly the distance from Sheffield to John and I've spent 86 hours, 16 minutes and 25 seconds training.  It's a huge commitment and it's very tiring.   But compare that to 2012 when I'd logged just under 195 miles (and just 36 hours running) it's a huge step forward.

Whilst running is mostly fun (and running in a big race with a big crowd is almost certainly the closest I'll ever get to being a rock star), it also has it's downsides.  It can be very painful, at distances over about 18 miles it can make you want to be horribly sick and you can ache in places you never knew existed.

Of course I have to manage diabetes alongside all that too which makes it a little more complicated.  I'm hoping I've had enough practice this year to have a clear strategy set out, and I'm hoping the jelly babies I'll be scoffing every few miles won't make me throw up (though you never can tell.

In short, I'm not taking anything for granted, but I'm hoping I can get round in a reasonable time and do so without injuring myself!

In 2012 I spent the day before the race watching The Hunger Games at the Odeon in Leicester Square.  This year I'll be at a networking day for Diabetes UK (conveniently held in York) meeting volunteers and other local group members, before having dinner and an early night.  It's good to have something to take my mind off it all and I'm hoping there'll be a lot to think about which will distract me whilst I'm running the next day.

Going to York is very much like going home, as I lived there for 10 years, and the start/finish will be at York University where I studied for four years.  I'm hoping it'll be a great weekend all round.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone who's supported me in one way or another.  I've received a lot of encouragement from friends and family and it's been great to see so many people generously donate to Diabetes UK.  I've raised £635 so far and I'm really hoping I can make it to £1000 before the end of the year.  I won't tell you all again, how much good that money will do (check any of my last blogs to see what I mean) but trust me, it really will make such a huge difference.  If you want to donate, then please visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead or text BROO81 10 to 7007 to donate £10.

I'll see you all on the other side with the verdict on how it went.

Thanks for reading.

Andy

Reasons to be cheerful

The Yorkshire Marathon is 20 days away now and I’m now fully focused on the last nine (NINE!) training runs before the big day.

 

I did my longest run yesterday – 22.2 miles – which is the furthest I’ve ever done in training and the second furthest I’ve ever done in my life.  The time of 4 hours 10 was a little outside what I’d hoped, but nothing too demoralising so I felt pretty pleased with it all things considered.  I didn’t push hard at all to be honest – didn’t tackle any of the major inclines on my route as I was trying to leave a bit of energy for the later, more gruelling miles.

 

I got to about 19 miles before I really felt like I was struggling but, that said, a lot of the last 3 miles was uphill which I took at a walking pace.  I’m also having to do these longer runs with a backpack carrying spare water as I can’t convince people to set up impromptu water stations for me around Sheffield.  Losing that bit of weight might make a difference.

 

I’ve decided that while a sub 4:30 marathon might still be a remote possibility for me, a lot of that will come down to conditions on the day.  You can train, plan and prepare as much as possible but sometimes things just won’t quite click and you’ll not get the performance you wanted.  Conversely, you can feel under-prepared and go out and have a great run.  I’m prepared to accept that unknown factor so I’ll just take it as it comes.  I feel confident I’ll beat my last time (5:30:41) and I’m quietly confident I can do sub-5.  Anything after that is a bonus.

 

This coming weekend will be interesting as I’m doing 20 miles on Saturday followed by another 6 on Sunday morning as part of the Great Yorkshire Run.  After that it’s some swift tapering before Race Day.

 

I’m also feeling pretty pleased about my weight for once as I’ve finally managed to get below 180lbs for the first time in about 5 years.  It’s fair to say that marathon training whilst dieting has played a major part in that, but I’m now looking to  just try and maintain this new weight.  It feels strange actively trying to find extra calories to eat (rather than avoid!) but I’m hoping it’ll build up my energy stores over the next few weeks and maybe make those last few miles a bit more bearable.

 

My diabetes seems to be behaving itself as well with all my post run blood glucose levels being in a ‘normal’ range.  I’m having to scoff most of a bag of jelly babies throughout the course of a long run but it seems to be paying off.  Hopefully that’s going to continue without incident.  It’s an added variable I have to take into account on each run and the longer I can keep it well controlled the better.

 

Finally it’s been a pleasing week from a fundraising perspective with people generously donating another £30 to take the total raised to £215 so far.  There’s still a long way to go to the £1000 target but it’s great to see the notifications come through about new donations – it really is an added incentive to get out and run.

 

I read something recently discussing how running a marathon had become ‘normalised’ because of the number of events and the number of people signing up for each one.  I think that is true to a large degree because it is a lot easier to find an event that it was 15-20 years ago.  But what that doesn’t do is normalise the amount of work that goes into preparing for running 26.2 miles.  It’s still an incredibly hard slog and the support that comes in from friends, colleagues and family makes a real difference.

 

As you probably know by now, I’m raising money for Diabetes UK so they can help to support the millions of people living with diabetes on a daily basis.  Diabetes is a chronic condition that directly affects more than 4 million people in the UK (and over 30,000 in my home city alone).   There’s also an estimated 700,000 people who may have undiagnosed diabetes at present, and seven million adults are currently at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

The money I’m hoping to raise will pay for 20 qualified assessors to help people at risk understand what changes they can make to reduce their risk and be able to live a long and healthy life.

 

If you feel like you can spare a few pounds to help this incredibly worthwhile cause, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead or text BROO81 + your donation to 70070 (e.g. BROO81 5 to donate £5).

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

Andy

 

Five weeks to go

I’m conscious I’ve not done an update for a while and with just under five weeks to go until the Yorkshire Marathon, I thought I let you know how I’ve been getting on.

 

I’ve logged just over 380 miles this year now and I’m on track to go over the 600 I’d planned for 2014 in total.  That’s quite encouraging in a sense because while I started the year pretty well, I had a huge dip around March/April after I’d done the Retford Half Marathon and it took quite a lot of motivation to get back out running at all, never mind training for a marathon.

 

I’m now very much at the business end of the training – three weeks of long runs and lots of miles, followed by two weeks of tapering (when I basically try not to undo all the hard work a fortnight before the big day!).  I logged 101 miles for August and I think September will be close to 120.

 

It was great to see the coverage of the Great North Run this weekend as I find it incredibly motivational to see all those people pushing themselves to their personal limits to get round the course.  Hopefully that’ll be what I can manage in a few weeks’ time.

 

Whilst running is obviously very much about overcoming physical barriers, it’s also crucial to be able to overcome the mental barriers too.  I’ve had my training plan set out for a few months now, but when it came to entering the last few long runs into my diary, I started thinking a lot more about what it means to run 18/20/22 miles just for training purposes, never mind the 26.2 miles for the actual race.  My wife has pointed out how physically and emotionally exhausted I was last time I tried this and she’s right – I was a complete wreck by the time I’d finished.  But at the same time, I’d like to think that no-one goes into a marathon thinking it’ll be anything but exhausting in every way. 

 

As a way of trying to promote a positive mind-set, I’ve been contrasting my first and second marathons:

 2012 London Marathon

Started training with one mile runs, having not run at all for over a year

Completely unknown territory – previous best distance was 13 miles about 15 year previously

Average mile times were about 11-12 minutes in training

Diet was mixed with no real information around the relationship between nutrition and running

Unsure how to deal with illness and injury – missed 5 or 6 training runs in the build up

Ran twice a week as pain meant any more wasn’t possible

Managing my diabetes whilst doing distance running was completely alien – lot of trial and error involved

2014 Yorkshire Marathon

Had logged over 700 miles in the run up to training

Know exactly what I’m getting into in terms of distance and the required mind-set

Average mile times are between 9.5-10.5 minutes and less than 11 minutes on hilly routes

More structured diet, eating the right foods at the right time

Able to handle niggles/aches/pain more effectively and better at preventing them

Run three times a week plus including non-impact training as well

Ready-made strategy to manage blood glucose levels whilst running and start/finish readings often almost identical

 

As you might gather from that, I feel like I’m in a lot better place physically which is very reassuring with my eye on Saturday morning’s 18 mile run.  I also think that mentally I’m a lot more clued up.  I know it’s going to hurt, I know I’m going to feel sick, that I’m going to have impossibly sore legs, and probably lose a toe nail or two along the way.  But ultimately I’m OK with that because it’s all temporary and I’ll live to tell the tale.  What I need to concentrate on is running my own race and not getting caught up in what other people are doing.  I’m not built to run a marathon in 3 or even 4 hours so putting myself down while reading about other people’s training isn’t going to help, and neither is trying to keep up with them on the day.  I’ve got to just zone out and do my best to ignore what everyone else does.

 

My training is currently focused on the end of September when I’ll do my 22 mile run on Saturday afternoon, and get up to do the Great Yorkshire Run (GYR) on the Sunday.  Thankfully I’m not looking to run any sort of fast time in the GYR and I’m just using it as a cool down run.  After that, my distances will drop to no more than 10 miles and I’ll be concentrating on keeping my legs fresh and injury free.

 

I feel like my diabetes has been incredibly stable over the last few weeks too which is good.  It often takes a while for me to get into a cycle where I can almost manage it without thinking and I feel like my current diet and exercise regime is really helping me at the moment.  I’m eating fresh, healthy food for every meal and I’m exercising regularly and that definitely shows in my blood glucose readings every day.  I’ve got an annual review coming up at the hospital in a couple of weeks so I’m hoping my consultant is going to be as pleased as I am.

 

As always, for those of you that made it this far, I’m going to finish with a little bit about the charity I’m running for this year – Diabetes UK.  There’s been a lot of press about charity recently and chances are unless you’ve been in outer space, you’ll be familiar with the Ice Bucket Challenge and the incredible amounts of money it’s raised for charities all around the world.  What you might not be so familiar with is how much charities like Diabetes UK rely on fundraising and donations to help the millions of people in the UK who either have diabetes, or are at risk of developing it.  As I may have mentioned before, almost 4 million people in the UK currently have diagnosed diabetes, with almost another 750,000 people who may have it but be undiagnosed.  Another 7 million adults are at risk of developing the condition in the future.

 

As I wrote last time, diabetes currently accounts for almost 10% of the prescribing costs of the NHS and this will only increase as more people get diagnosed.   Helping to educate those at risk to reduce the number of people with diabetes is critical, as is the ongoing support and education of those already diagnosed to reduce the chances of them developing serious long term complications such as blindness.  As if helping and educating all these people isn’t a big enough task in itself, Diabetes UK is a charity with a relatively limited budget.

 

To use another UK charity for comparison, Macmillan spent more than one-and-a-half times  the entire Diabetes UK’s 2013 annual income on their fundraising activities alone (£58.1m on fundraising vs £38m annual income).

 

Fundraising and donations are crucial to helping those with diabetes be able to live their lives and you can make a huge difference to millions of people by donating.   By running a full marathon, a half marathon and three 10km races, I’m hoping to raise £1,000 this year to make a difference to people with diabetes.  If you have anything you can spare, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead or text BROO81 + your donation to 70070 (e.g. BROO81 10 to donate £10).

 

Thank you.

Progress

Another week down and the miles are stacking up now.  I’ve now covered over 300 miles this year which is quite satisfying.  You may remember from a previous post that I covered 450 miles throughout all of 2013 and I was hoping to make 600 miles for 2014.  Whilst I might only have just gone over halfway to that target (with almost two thirds of the year gone), I think I’ll make 600 comfortably by New Year’s Eve.

 

It’d been a slightly mixed week with my first “long” run of the training now behind me.  It probably went about as well as I’d expected – a quick first 6 miles followed by a slower return home giving me an average pace of10:22 per mile.  It’s easy to pick out the negatives (the return was a lot slower than I would have liked) and the positives (that overall pace would get me a 4:30 marathon time) but I think I’m just content to have managed 12 miles without injury.   I’ve got some longer distances ahead of me over the next 8 weeks, including 16, 18, 20 and 22 miles before the race so drawing on the positives is going to be key over the next couple of months.

 

This week’s training began yesterday with (a little over) 4 miles.  It felt quite slow and broken as I couldn’t seemed to find a rhythm or any power in my legs (despite 3 days off from running) but actually it was actually better than I thought.  Perhaps I’ve been setting some higher (and slightly unrealistic) expectations of myself recently and I need to look at setting a reasonable pace and trying to stick to it for longer distances.  Saturday will be a 14 mile run – my longest of 2014 so that will be a good opportunity to get some proper race practice.

 

In more exciting news, my weekly dual with the bathroom scales showed I’d dropped to my lowest weight of 2014 which is really encouraging.  Again, 188lbs is possibly not something you’d want to shout from the rooftops (just an internet blog…) it’s good to see that there’s another payoff to dieting and running.  A quick check of a BMI calculator says I’m still overweight which I knew and that really to have a “healthy” BMI score, I’d need to lose over another stone.  I’m fairly sure that’s ambitious and really unsustainable in the long term but I’m quite happy to see where my reduced calorie diet and exercise program will take me.

 

A word on food and nutrition before I finish.  Having Type 1 diabetes means I fixate on food a lot more than a lot of other people I know.  My daily life is a series of maths problems regarding carbohydrate content, insulin doses and blood glucose levels.  I suppose in some ways, that makes dieting easier as I’m always looking at food labels before I eat anyway – now I’m just checking calorie content as well as carbs.  I’m currently on a diet of 1200 net calories a day which is about as fun and restrictive as it sounds.  But it does mean I’m losing some weight and I’m making more healthy decisions around what I eat.

 

Work days are all fairly similar – salad for lunch with some oatcakes for low GI carbs to keep me going.  My evening meal is usually grilled  fish or white meat with some green vegetables and either wholemeal bread on rest days (to keep a slow release of energy) or some pasta after running (to quickly replenish the energy I’ve used from exercising).  I know as I start really picking up the distance that 1200 calories a day just isn’t going to be practical, but by then I’m hoping I’ll be at a lower weight that I can sustain with more food on a daily basis.  But for the time being, this diet focuses me on making sensible, healthy choices with what I eat and it seems to be working well for my overall health and wellbeing.

 

As usual, a final mention of my fundraising page.  I’ve raised £160 so far against a target of £1,000 for the year.  I’m incredibly grateful to all those who have generously parted with their hard earned money to donate to Diabetes UK.  Raising £1,000 would mean that Diabetes UK could train 20 risk-assessment volunteers who work at Lifestyle roadshows, connecting with some of the 7 million people at risk of Type 2 diabetes and helping them to make sensible diet and lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of getting diabetes in the future.      Prescribing is the second highest area of spend in the NHS (after staffing costs) and in 2013-4, diabetes prescribing accounted for almost 10% of that cost (up from 6.6% in 2005-6).  Helping to educate people at risk will not only make their lives better in the long run, but will go some way to reducing the huge strain that diabetes places on the NHS.

 

If you can spare anything at all, please click on the link to the fundraising page and donate, or test BROO81 £5 to 70070 to donate via text.

 

Thanks.

Rainswept

The most intense training week I've probably ever had is finally behind me...and I actually feel pretty good about it.

If you remember from last week, I was planning on 2, 3, 4 and 5 mile runs this week, using the shorter ones to try and have some actual speed and the longer ones to translate that into some pace over more miles.

Family and charity commitments over the next week or so meant I actually had to pull one of Week 4's runs forward into this week so I had an additional 6 mile effort in there too, making it 20 miles for two consecutive weeks which is something to be pretty proud of!

To say I've done 5 runs in 7 days (something I've never attempted before) I feel pretty good and my times have reflected that.   My average pace across the last 20 miles is 9:26 minute miles compared with an average of 10:13 for the previous week.

I know for most people, they aren't anything amazing to write home about (and I look at others on Twitter who are training for the same race and they're a lot faster).  The one thing about marathon running is that for 99% of people entering you're only really racing yourself - it doesn't matter how everyone else does so I'm trying not to pay too much attention to other people and just focus on doing what I'm doing.

I talked last time about how conditions are something you need to bear in mind when running and managing your diabetes.  This week the weather has given me a fair few challenges, varying between warm sunshine and monsoon rain.  Fortunately I've managed to take most of that in my stride (pun unintended).

The most difficult run this week was the 6 miler this morning (Sunday).  Having been out four times already meant I was pretty tired but I'd had one of those nights with my diabetes that meant it was all the more difficult to motivate myself to get going.  I'd replaced my cannula just before bed as the adhesive had lost its usefulness but this is something you should generally avoid because if you put the new one in wrong and you don't get insulin properly, it can be pretty catastrophic and you're unlikely to know during the night.

For some reason I still don't understand, the new one only lasted about 20 minutes so I was still up at nearly midnight putting a third cannula in (and sticking it down with surgical tape to be certain).  To make sure I was going to be OK, I set an alarm for 1:30am to get up and check my blood glucose (which was fortunately OK).  I then had a hypo at 5:30am so I was up again to eat and raise my blood before I set off to run.  That's a fairly good (but thankfully rare) example of a diabetes rollercoaster - highs and lows and the physical strain of dealing with everything in between too.

Thankfully I managed to get round in a pretty decent time and made it home in the rain before it properly bucketed it down.

Next week is relatively easy, two runs and some non-impact/strength work. I'll be doing 5 miles tomorrow (Monday) and then 12 miles on Thursday after work.  That definitely won't be fun as I'm not a huge fan of doing my long runs midweek, but needs must this time.  The distances are going to start getting bigger pretty quickly now so the next 6 weeks are crucial now.

I'll finish, as always, with a mention of the fantastic work that Diabetes UK do and why I'm raising money for them.  Living with diabetes isn't an easy thing to do a lot of the time.  Having a self managed chronic illness  takes a lot out you and knowing there's someone there who can support you is an incredible help.  Diabetes UK offer that help and support to millions of people like me who need it and to say it makes actually living life easier is a huge understatement.  If you can spare anything to help me reach my £1,000 target for 2014, then please visit http:www.justgiving.com/broomhead - I'm incredibly grateful for your support.

Thanks

Peas in a pod

So that’s week two out of the way and my first 20 mile week since late January/early Feb.  As usual, it had its ups and downs with a pretty good 5 miler followed up by a pretty atrocious one, all rounded off with an average 10 mile run at the weekend.

 

While I was out and about, it struck me how many similarities there are between running and having diabetes:

 

·         They’re both unpredictable.  Take my two 5 mile runs.  The first was excellent – one of the fastest I’ve done in months, and my 7thfastest time of the year.  I came back feeling really pleased and confident that I had finally started to get to a place where I could push on and start to make some serious progress.  The second of those runs a few days later was abysmal.  I’d prepared in the same way I usually do – checked my blood, had a couple of jelly babies to stop my blood going low while I was running, had a few puffs on my inhaler to help my breathing and did a few (albeit brief) stretches.  After 3 miles I was a wreck – with an aching back, pain in my left side and I couldn’t catch my breath (and worse still, my inhaler I carry with me had run out).  Now I’ve been running long enough to know things like that will happen without any obvious reason and having diabetes can be the same.  You can have one day where your blood glucose readings are pretty much ‘perfect’ and the next day, you’ll do exactly the same things, weigh your carbs out as usual and your blood glucose levels will be bouncing around between painfully high or sickeningly low.  Being able to accept that and try and again the next day is key.

 

·         They’re both affected by many things.   Obviously things like the terrain, route and weather will affect how you run.  Running uphill on uneven ground will definitely yield different results to running on a nice flat, even path.  Well it definitely will for me at least.  Diabetes is very similar.  Insulin absorption is affected by temperature (it absorbs faster when it’s warm) so you need to think about how your body will behave differently in the heat of summer compared to cooler days.  A lot of people with diabetes will tell you that they have more hypos in the summer.  Even the time of day has an effect on the amount of insulin you need.  Many people have different insulin to carb ratios at different times of the day and a lot of people also see a rise in blood glucose in the morning, which may mean they need more insulin first thing.  Foods with higher fat content will affect the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream which means you need to adjust the way in which you administer insulin.   Being aware of the things that are going to affect you is important.

 

·         They both require proper planning.   I foolishly underestimated the weather on Saturday morning as I set off for my 10 mile effort.  It was overcast and a bit breezy so I set off in a t-shirt with a litre of water, thinking I’d have some to spare by the time I got home.  After about 6 miles, the sun had broken through the clouds, it had got a lot muggier and I was rationing my water to make sure I had enough to get me through the last mile.  I got home cursing myself for not starting with an extra half a litre and a running vest.  A lot of my life is given over to planning how to manage diabetes.  I went to a wedding on Saturday night and stayed over in a nearby hotel.  Fortunately it was little over an hour away from home so I decided not to take my usual bag full of spares and supplies, but still made sure I had a couple of spare cannulas and my inserter with me just in case.  I’d refilled my pump with insulin after my run that morning so I knew I’d be OK for insulin (a full pump will last me at least 3 days).  Really I should have packed a spare vial, a couple of reservoirs for the pump, plus all the kit in case the pump failed and I had to revert to pens.  I took a chance that being relatively close to home meant I’d be able to sort it out fairly quickly if anything went seriously awry.  That said, I still forgot extra blood testing strips so had to ration them a bit.  Not great when my evening readings started to go high and I wanted to keep checking!  Prior planning will affect performance.

 

·         They’re both tiring.  This might be an obvious one in some sense but it’s definitely a big similarity.  Obviously running make you tired and running on a muggy summer’s morning makes you extra tired.  Thankfully my legs recovered pretty quickly after this 20 mile week.  It’ll get harder as the weekly miles increase (and I know I’ll start to feel the longer runs when they start!)  Having diabetes is quite frankly exhausting sometimes.  Not so much physically, but mentally it can take its toll.  A lot of the self-management becomes second nature after a while.  You keep your medication and supplies in the same place, you can almost test your blood without looking and inject or use a pump as a reflex.  But as I mentioned in another post I wrote for Diabetes UK, it can be difficult to switch off from diabetes.  You constantly have to consider whether you have enough insulin to get through the day, when the battery on your pump will run out, how many carbs are present in a biscuit that someone brings into work…. The list feels never ending, and having to manage all that information in your mind 24/7 takes its toll.  If you ask people with diabetes what they want more than anything, I’d wager the most popular answer to that question (besides “a cure”) would be “a day off”.  We all know what it’s like to be tired and being able to manage that as best we can is all we can do.

 

I could go on and on with that list, but I’ve rambled a fair bit already.  This week is supposed to be an “easy” week to let your body adapt to the training.  I’m mostly going to adhere to that philosophy but I might stick an extra run in so instead of doing 2, 4 and 5 miles, there’ll be an extra 3 miler in there to help me try and rediscover that confidence I had at the start of last week.  I can also use the shorter runs to focus on pace and the longer runs to practice holding  steady pace for longer distances.  It all depends what I can fit in really.

 

Finally, as always, a word about why I’m doing all this (besides the promise of a medal at the end of it all!)  I’m raising money for Diabetes UK who are the leading charity who care for and campaign on behalf of all people with diabetes in the UK.  As you may know, I’m involved in some of the work they do already by writing a monthly blog for their site as well as being chairman of the Sheffield Group of Diabetes UK.  The work the charity does benefit millions of people across the country who can struggle to manage their condition and have their voice heard when it comes to getting the appropriate level of healthcare and support.  I’ve had diabetes for 13 years and still rely a lot on the support they offer – these services are so valuable for people who have either type of diabetes, regardless of how long they’ve had it.

 

If you can spare anything at all, please help me try and raise £1000 ahead of the Yorkshire Marathon in October by visiting  http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead and donating whatever you can.

 

Thanks

 

Andy

 

1 week down

Eleven weeks left to go.  I’ve done a little over 18 miles this week without any real ill effects so I think that’s probably got to be a success.  I have learned a few things so far though:

 

·         Training in the summer for an autumn marathon is harder than training in the winter for a spring marathon.  As you’re almost certainly aware, it is HOT out there at the moment and this has obvious impacts for anyone thinking of running middle to longer distances.  Plenty of fluids are a must so I’m lugging (at least) a litre of water around with me each time I go out.  The heat has an impact on my diabetes as well.  Insulin is absorbed more rapidly in the heat so it can lead to hypoglycaemic episodes if you’re not careful.  Basically, it means I can end up with too little sugar in my bloodstream and that can cause dizziness and disorientation – not good when you’re miles from home!

 

·         I am still embarrassingly overweight.  I tipped the scales at 199lbs this morning – now a good 12-14lbs heavier than I’d like to be.  This is bad for three main reasons.  Firstly there’s the unflattering sight of an overweight man in his (near) mid-30s lumbering about in a running vest.  No-one wants to see that.  Secondly, it’s obviously not good for your health to be overweight – avoiding some sort of heart attack while I’m running is fairly high up on my to-do list.  Finally, it’s a lot harder to run carrying a load of unnecessary weight.   I’ve resolved to fix this problem so hopefully I’ll be able to report a downward trend in my weight over the next few weeks.

 

·         I definitely need to pay more attention to warming up and cooling down.   It seems like an obvious thing to say but it’s something I tend to ignore for the most part.  A lot of that is down to time pressures.  Fitting in 3 runs a week around a job, family life and my commitments to the local Diabetes UK group mean I’m usually up against it so warming up is the thing that’s sacrificed.  I’ve felt a few twinges while I’ve been out this week and I’m going to be more diligent in doing some warming up and stretching before running now.  There’s no point in skipping on a warm up only to get injured is there?

 

This week will be my first 20 mile week for quite some time - at least 6 months if not longer.  I feel like I’m starting to get more mentally focused on what lies ahead of me which is good.  Towards the end of last year, I was running regularly and I felt a lot better physically than I had done for a while.  Hopefully I can drop a few pounds this week and string a few confidence boosting performances together over this week.

 

My ultimate target of a 4:30 marathon means I need an average mile pace of 10mins 18secs over 26.2 miles.  In 2012 I averaged 12min 35secs a mile so it’s a big challenge to come down by 2 minutes a mile.  At the moment I’m certainly in the right area (between 9:55 and 10:20 typically) but I’ve not done more than 10 miles for quite some time!  The next few weeks will be crucial I think.

 

Finally, another mention of the charity I’m running for.  Diabetes UK work tirelessly to support people of all ages with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.  They run events across the country, offer risk assessments and support voluntary groups across the UK.  Whilst diabetes is estimated to affect around 1 in 12 people in the UK, Diabetes UK rely on donations to ensure they can continue to help people.  I’m trying to raise £1000 this year which would be enough to send two families on a Care Event weekend, allowing them to learn more about how to manage diabetes and understand the impacts it can have on family life.  If you can spare anything at all, you can donate at http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead

 

Thanks

 

Andy

 

286 to go

It feels a bit strange blogging back on Hoverboards.  I know it’s been a long time since I posted here, and whilst that hiatus was never planned, life and other things got in the way.  I do still blog at least once a month over on the Diabetes UK blog site, but I somehow never found the time to come back to where it all started.  Until now.

 

I’ve returned to talk about a familiar theme – running.  In just under 12 weeks, I’ll be lining up at the start of my second marathon, this time in my native Yorkshire as I put myself through the mill for 26.2 miles.  I realise that blogging about marathon training is nothing new here but I’ve returned to it for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, being able to approach this race with an element of hindsight after my endeavours in London in 2012 is helpful.  Surely I’ve learned something from that process right?  Secondly, whilst some of my battles remain the same (unsurprisingly I still have type 1 diabetes, I still struggle with my weight, I still get shin splints….) some of my circumstances have also changed.

 

For the time being (until December at least) I’m now using an insulin pump rather than my old regime of two separate pens for injections.  Overall I think the impact on my quality of life over the last 18 months since getting the pump has been incredibly positive and I’m hoping I can transfer that into my running.  I’m also starting from a different place physically than I was before.  Last time I hadn’t run for a long time and I was starting out with one mile runs to get up to a decent level of fitness.  This time I’ve covered just over 220 miles so far this year, having done 450 miles in 2013.

 

I’m also being a bit more ambitious with my target this time round.  I’d desperately love to run under4:30 (knocking an hour off my London time) when October rolls around.  I know that’s incredibly aspirational but it’s good to have it in mind while I’m training.  I know I’m not built to run quickly – my frame, weight and fragile shins mean it’s pretty much impossible that I’d ever run under 4 hours so I’m setting myself a target that is potentially in reach if everything goes well over the next 3 months.  This year is also the first year that I’ll have done both a half and a full marathon in the same year.  That’s not necessarily something incredible in itself, but for an average Joe, it’s something worth celebrating.

 

The title for this post relates to my training plan.  All being well I’ve got 286 miles to run between now and crossing the finishing line in York on October 12th.  By the time I get to the start line, I’ll already have covered the equivalent of 19 marathons this year (although mercifully that’ll be over 9 months!)  As before, this blog will really serve two purposes.  Firstly, it’s a great way for me to document the training journey and have something to look back on that stretches beyond logging numbers in a spreadsheet.  Secondly it’s to share the highs, lows, pains and successes that doing something like this will give you.  For every race there’s countless hours of training, and for every ‘perfect’ training run there’s an equally atrocious one that makes you wonder why you bother.  Being able to communicate those highs and lows is great motivation for me.

 

As I do every year, I’m raising money for Diabetes UK, with this year’s target being £1000.  Following on from my half marathon exploits earlier this year, I’ve already raised £115 which is very pleasing.  I also did the Fun Run with my 4 year old daughter at this year’s Sheffield Half Marathon.  I’ll also be doing the Great Yorkshire Run in September and (hopefully) the Sheffield 10km in October too.  Whilst I run primarily for the personal challenge/satisfaction and health benefits, I try and raise money as well – mostly because I don’t know how to do it any other way.

 

Anyone who knows me or has the (mis)fortune to chat to me on Twitter probably knows how important Diabetes UK is to me and millions of other people with diabetes of any type.   I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to get personally involved with the Diabetes UK voluntary group in Sheffield and I know first-hand how much of a difference the support of others can mean to people living with diabetes every day.  If you’d like to donate, then anything you can spare will be gratefully received.  Visit http://www.justgiving.com/broomhead to make a donation.

 

Training starts tonight with a gentle 4.5 mile run.  The basic plan is to do three runs a week with one longer run included.  Anyone who followed my 2012 training will remember that there came a point when three runs a week became too much – I’m hoping that’s not the case this time.  My longest run so far this year is 13.2 miles but that’s all going to change in the next few weeks!

 

If you made it this far then thanks.  I appreciate that a blog about running and chronic illness isn’t the sexiest of combinations.  I’ll be interspersing it with the odd snippet of something else to try and keep it interesting.  Having lived in York for 10 years, I’m really looking forward to being able to do a marathon there so hopefully I’ll be here in 12 weeks’ time with a picture of a finisher’s medal as a reward.

You can find me lamenting my weight and extolling the virtues of bacon on twitter @broomowl
 

Take care

 

Andy

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:

• 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)

A Bientot Running

Hello again

As many of you know, I've had a love/hate relationship with running over the last year or so.  If you're unfamiliar with that, you might want to re-read the opening post of this blog and the one describing my finest hour (but don't feel obliged).

Tonight will mark my penultimate run of 2012, with my grand finale being the Great Yorkshire Run on Sunday.  It's a difficult decision to turn my back on it for a while, but it's the right one to make.

In truth, I've not felt right since the marathon in April and I've held on to the notion that having races like the upcoming 10km at the weekend will keep me fit and solve all of my problems.  The reality is much different.

Without rehashing old ground too much, I've found myself back at almost the exact same place I was a year ago.  I'm not as fit as I was in March and my inability to find any kind of consistent exercise has meant I've piled on about 2 stone since the end of April.  I'm probably a bit better off in the sense that my diabetes is more controlled than this time 12 months ago (though it's still be no means perfect).

I'm also battling quite severe shin splints.  No matter how much I try and convince myself it's not a problem, I know deep down it is.  I'm at the stage where a long drive in the car causes me pain from holding my foot on the accelerator in the same position.  Fortunately I rarely drive more than about 30 miles at a time.

The only real treatment for shin splints is rest and so I find myself in the situation where I'll be stopping my running adventure for this year when I cross the finish line on Sunday.  I suppose if I was less stubborn, I wouldn't even bother on Sunday, but I've paid my entrance fee and with the opportunity to get a medal as well, I'm not prepared to give up (I'm all about the glory really).

Instead I've turned my attention to a low impact form of exercise and I've bought an exercise bike which is currently in front of the TV in my living room (much to my wife's disdain).  I'm on a mission to lose around 35lbs by Christmas all being well and I'm hoping that 2 bursts a day on the bike will help with that.  It'll be more regular exercise than I've had in years so I'm hoping the "little and often" approach will work.

Of course I'll never manage twice a day every day, but if I keep my targets realistic then I'm confident I'll start to see a difference eventually and I'll allow my body the time it needs to properly recover.  I managed 7km before breakfast this morning and hopefully that can continue alongside a longer burst in the evenings.

I know I'm going to have a certain amount of jealousy when I see other people out running but I'm trying to look at the positives and come back fighting fit in 2013.  The date of the Sheffield half marathon is 12th May 2013 and I'm determined to finally beat the distance.  I'm aiming to start training after the New Year so I've got 4 months of cycling and dieting to get me into the right position for that.

My sponsorship page for the Great Yorkshire Run is still open and you can find it by following this link.  I've not actually raised anything yet, and I feel a bit cheeky asking people to dip into their pockets again given how incredibly generous people were at the start of the year, but if you have two quid spare, then The Children's Hospital and Diabetes UK would be really grateful of it.  I'm going to stagger over the line come what may and I'm optimistic of beating my 10km time from three weeks ago (68 minutes).

Before I go, I should wish Dan and Ben all the best for Sunday as well.  I know they're both running and will do a much better (faster) job of it than I will.  I'd also like to mention Sam who's running the Berlin Marathon on 30th September for Children With Cancer.  I'm sure Sam will attest to the fact that distance running isn't without pain and suffering and you can follow her journey on her blog.

Thanks to everyone who's supported my running/fundraising efforts this year - I do appreciate it all so much.  Hopefully I'll be back next year asking for your money and support again.  The blog will continue in the meantime...

Take care

Andy

Concerning Sport

Hello

After a ridiculous absence I'm back.  It's not been a conscious decision to stay away - I've just struggled to find something meaningful to write about.

The last few weeks saw the country gripped with Olympic fever and I was no exception.  I was fortunate enough to get tickets to 4 events (football, tennis, handball and volleyball) and I was so enthralled with the buzz of the Olympic Park that I signed up for Paralympic tickets as soon as I got home.  I'll finally get to go inside the Olympic Stadium this Friday for two sessions of athletics.

I took my daughter to the tennis at Wimbledon as well and she was remarkably well behaved for a 2 year old.  I wanted her to know that she'd been part of this great spectacle, even if she wasn't necessarily ever going to remember it herself.  Aside from being asked to leave Court 2 at one point for walking around and shouting, she survived a full day of sport unscathed.

Last weekend, the football season returned to fill that void left by London 2012.  A number of people (including journalists far and wide and those at the FA) were quick to note the differences between top flight footballers and our Olympic athletes and 'demand' something be done about it.  Privately I think I was one of those people too.  Having been a follower of football (in one way or another) for a good 27 of my 31 years, it's fair to say I'd forgotten how brilliant other sports can be, and how humble and gracious other sportspeople can be too.

Football is a worldwide "brand" (I hate that term) and due to it's lucrative appeal it has over a number of years descended into a soap opera of sorts.  For those less familiar with this, you only have to look at Sky Sports' self-parody of a Transfer Deadline Day to see what I mean.  I've tried to stay away from "articles" about what Rio Ferdinand tweets or who Ashley Cole has dinner with - such things fill me with an inner rage that isn't good for my health.

Compare the daily, relentless, in-your-face minutiae of football with the Olympics and the difference is so refreshing you'd think someone had thrown a glass of water in your face.  As you'll no doubt be aware, our Olympians work incredibly hard for a fraction of the recognition (and for the most part, a fraction of the financial reward) of top flight footballers and, it seems, do so with a graciousness you'd be hard pressed to believe.

And so, for the first time, my enthusiasm for the start of the football season was subdued.  This is the first year I've ever had a season ticket for my club (Sheffield Wednesday), and yet somehow I was struggling to motivate myself submerge myself back into football. 

Admittedly, a lot of that went out of the window on Tuesday night as I turned up at Hillsborough for our first home game of the season.  I sang as passinately as I've always done and shouted as loudly as ever when we scored, but it felt a bit different watching the game.  Seeing players (ours and theirs) shouting at the referee for calls that were never going to go their way seemed cheap somehow.  My Dad turned to me at one point and said "you wouldn't have see that [player rolling around on the floor after a 'foul'] at the women's football the other week".  And he was right.

I don't mean this to sound like some incredible revelation - it's quite the opposite really.  To anyone who's not a football fan (and to a lot that are) this is old news. 

Football is, and will always be, my first love.  I've been going to Hillsborough for about 26 years now and I'll keep going as long as I can.  But I think the Olympics has changed my view of it as a sport - in the short term at least.  There's a good chance that the spirit of London 2012 will die away (the reasons for that are numerous and probably another post in their own right), but for now, the daily gossip columns and "Breaking news" stories can go whistle.  I've long understood that football is only a part of llife, but now, more than ever, I'm starting to insulate myself from the trivialities of it all.

My best football memories make me smile - I haven't cried about football since I was 9 years old - but I'm still not yet past the stage of watching Jessica Ennis win the 800m without welling up.

Whether London 2012 inspires a generation remains to be seen.  It's inspired me to look at my sporting life differently and that feels like a good thing.

I know this is just a set of random thoughts, but I felt like I needed to write it down.  If you made it this far, then thanks.

I'll be back again soon no doubt.

Andy

P.S. As part of my final fundraising attempts of 2012, I ran a 10km the weekend the Olympics finished.  I worked out if I was 2.5 faster, I'd give Mo Farah a run for his money.  My Olympic dream may be over.  I'm running my second and final 10km next Sunday (2nd September) and like the other one, I'll be doing so in quite a bit of pain, having struggled badly with shin splints since the London Marathon. This will be my last run of this year as I'll be switching to low impact exercise afterwards to give myself some proper rest ahead of training for a half marathon next year.  I won't post a fantastic time, and it'll hurt like hell, but I'm going to do it anyway.  If you want to put a few quid towards my attempts to raise £200 then you can do so by following this link to my fundraising page.  Thank you.