2011-06-04

Week 2 Recap

Where I Am, Day 14:
  • Weight: 151.3lbs.
  • Estimated Body Fat: 16.9%
  • Estimated Bone Mass: 7.9%
  • Estimated Water Mass: 60.7%
  • Average of All Blood Glucose Readings (Last 7 Days): 10.5 mmol/L
There were some challenges this week, and I think that shows in my statistics. Working out consistently was really difficult for me, thanks to my having a slightly more erratic work schedule. I find that if I don't get home before 5pm, it is extremely difficult to start my workout. Typically, this is because my blood sugar is high from stress on those particular days.

More significantly, though, I think the Humalog I've been keeping in my refrigerator is starting to spoil a bit. I couldn't really say what the temperature is inside my refrigerator. I keep the Humalog on the door to avoid its spoiling, but we are definitely not talking about a controlled environment.

Also, despite what my electronic scale is reporting, I believe my body fat has reduced significantly over the last two weeks. I barely have anything to pinch around my abdomen. This would probably be a good thing for most people, but it makes my insulin injections difficult. Either I inject past the fat tissue (i.e. directly into the muscle), which hampers absorption, or the insulin will leak out.

Speaking of which, I injected for lunch today and held the needle in my abdomen for well over ten seconds, but when I withdrew the needle, insulin came spurting out. That's frustrating, because at that point I didn't know whether the leak consisted of "extra insulin" that had dripped out of the needle, or my bolus dose just didn't find its way in. I just tested 30 minutes ago, revealing that I did indeed lose my dose. That sucks. I'm going to eat a snack and take a correction as soon as I finish this blog post. 

But all's well that ends well. I finished the week with a 71-minute long run; over eleven miles of running. This is an achievement for me because it represents the furthest distance and the longest batch of cardiovascular training I've undertaken since my 2009 diabetes diagnosis. It was a pretty even keel, too; I tested before the run at 5.4 mmol/L and finished at 5.1 mmol/L. Basically no change in blood glucose. Amazing. 

What's In Store for Next Week
Some big changes coming up, starting tomorrow. First of all, we'll be bumping up the duration of our "basic run" to 50 minutes. Second, we'll be doing both a tempo run and a fartlek workout. Third, we'll be working out a bit more than usual during the morning. For all of these reasons, you'll notice the long run is still only 70 minutes long. I didn't want to increase absolutely every factor. 

To that end, you'll want to make sure you don't increase the resistance or number of sets/repetitions during your strength training this week. Save these increases for a week that involves a bit more manageable an increase (perhaps Week 4, 5, or 6). 

2 comments:

  1. Have you looked into automatic insulin pumps? Are there any out there suitable for an athletic life-style? I understand they operate via a catheter under the skin... not sure how this would work while running or working out aggressively.

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  2. I'm planning on getting a pump as soon as possible. Currently on the waiting list. Pumps offer a lot more blood glucose control in general. I should still be able to run with one, but in the worst case scenario, I could also take it off for the duration of my run. Hopefully I can get one soon!

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