Hypoglycemic and training for a half-marathon - Fuel?
Anyone else have sugar issues (not dumping) and trained for a long distance run/triathlon? How do you fuel yourself?
Surgery March 23/2011. Completed three full marathons and two half marathons, two half Ironman distances. Completed my first Full Ironman distance (4 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km (full marathon) run) in Muskoka August 30/2015. Next Ironman Lake Placid July 23/2017!
I have had bouts of low blood sugars and have done Half Iron distance.
How to fuel becomes part of your training strategy figuring out how many calories and carbs your body needs to keep going, but not taking to many that you have GI issues.
Easiest strategy is carry your own fuel. Gels, Stinger Waffles or even bags of Nuts and have enough to cover your time plus some extra for the just incase. You try gels use it at home for the first time as different gels have different sugar base and your body may react differently to different ones. GU has chomps and there are Shot Blocks, Sports beans and others that are chewable and will allow you to control more the rate at which you take it in. In my half Iron I would do half a serving on Chomps midway between my GU times.
Probably the biggest factor for me though was learning to eat a healthy and complete diet. I had to dump the no carb/low carb attitude and eat what our bodies use for fuel.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
Surgery March 23/2011. Completed three full marathons and two half marathons, two half Ironman distances. Completed my first Full Ironman distance (4 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km (full marathon) run) in Muskoka August 30/2015. Next Ironman Lake Placid July 23/2017!
Everything Paul said!
You are going to want easily digestible sources of energy, but not something that will make you dump.
You don't want something sitting in your stomach while you run, that is a very uncomfortable feeling.
Trial and error. You can also build up a tolerance with is a slippery slope. When I first started with Gels, I would add them to my water bottle it diluted the sugar over a bigger volume. So I could sip sip sip my calories and not get a big dose of sugar all at once.
Try it at home, try it on a short run, try it on a long run. Make sure it doesn't cause you any GI distress.
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
I usually have cheese and crackers 1/2 an hour before a spin class and I'm fine. I wish I could run on an empty stomach, but my levels are generally not good enough to attempt it. So eating 1/2 hour before has gotten me up to 12 k, but I was very fatigued after that. So, it really will just be a figuring it out thing for me. I like the idea of nuts, that's easy to carry and I tolerate them without any issue. And a carb-protein mix to boot (if I do get a low, I have to get juice in me and then a protein to absorb the sugar and regulate my levels after that).
Surgery March 23/2011. Completed three full marathons and two half marathons, two half Ironman distances. Completed my first Full Ironman distance (4 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km (full marathon) run) in Muskoka August 30/2015. Next Ironman Lake Placid July 23/2017!
When going a distance it isn't a matter of what you ate a half hour before you started, but more of what you have been eating leading up to that distance. You body wants to burn glycogen first and if your glycogen stores are empty then you body will go to carbs and then eventually to proteins. So you can top off your glycogen stores and do shorter runs and spin classes and not top them off again and then when you come to a longer distance your stores are empty or tapped out early in your run and that cracker you ate before the run will get you a little ways.
When doing Longer distances it is a matter of your overall nutrition and having your body in a state that it is ready to perform when needed, yeah top it off a bit before hand but if you don't have any fuel in the tank you will suffer during the run.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
Thanks so much!! I mostly just worry about falling over! Can't wait to get it all down pat!
Surgery March 23/2011. Completed three full marathons and two half marathons, two half Ironman distances. Completed my first Full Ironman distance (4 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km (full marathon) run) in Muskoka August 30/2015. Next Ironman Lake Placid July 23/2017!
Kelly I have the same issue and have to monitor everything I eat. I am doing my first half marathon in March and am terrified something will happen, dump! I have read to start fueling your body a couple hours before the marathon but I need to know some sugar free gels or something to use during run. Any suggestions to try now so I can seen how my body reacts?
Surgery March 23/2011. Completed three full marathons and two half marathons, two half Ironman distances. Completed my first Full Ironman distance (4 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km (full marathon) run) in Muskoka August 30/2015. Next Ironman Lake Placid July 23/2017!
