Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted! And this installment’s title is pretty much why. Again, I’m sticking with my music-themed titles. Sometimes, they just write themselves. “Marathon” by Rush has special meaning to me on more than one level. But we’ll get to that!
I’ve been away from blog writing because I’ve been training (yet again) for a full marathon! This time I finally did it! I like to joke à la Michael Scott that I’m not superstitious, but I am definitely “a little stitious” about talking about a goal race that I’m training for. This time out, I really didn’t tell anyone about it, save a for a few very close people. It took me three tries to complete my first half marathon too! I was injured the first two attempts. The exact same thing happened when I set out to run a full marathon! The first two attempts were plagued by injuries!
I know I’m not the first, nor the only, Type 1 diabetic to run a marathon, but it feels great to be able to say I did it. It feels even better to say that I overcame all those curve balls that living with Type 1 diabetes throws at you and I still got there. I’m reminded of a quote by Neil Peart (of Rush, natch):Â “Playing a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon while solving equations.”
Hey, Neil! That is exactly what I did! It’s what all T1s who run marathons do! We are constantly doing equations in our heads – while running an actual marathon. For example, my blood sugar is 219 but holding steady. I’ve been running for one hour now. My basal is currently at 20%. I need to eat a couple energy chews at a total of 24 grams of carbohydrates.What insulin to carb ratio am I using? How much should I bolus for those chews? Should I bolus for those chews? Should I raise my basal up to cover them instead? If I do that, how long should I run the new temp basal for? Is the energy I’m currently expending enough to not worry about insulin coverage for those carbs? Do I want to be aggressive and bring that blood sugar number down a bit or do I wait to see if the initial adrenaline spike from the beginning of the race calms down? And as the race goes on for hours, what temp basals do I want to keep running?
We train and train for mileage just like everyone else who runs, but we also have to train with trial and error for what works best for us regarding keeping our blood sugar levels stable while running and how to handle the unexpected numbers because they will happen no matter how well prepared you are. Not too high and not too low – the ever-elusive goal. The most frustrating bit is that you can do the exact same thing every day with food, exercise, etc., but you will not get the exact same results. It’s a crap shoot and it makes it more challenging for T1 runners than your average runner. Maybe that’s why so many of us want to do it. We want to defy the odds.
I worked hard to get here. I can look back now and see the areas where I would do things differently. Number one on that list is eat more. I know I didn’t eat enough for training. I would feel that near the end of long runs. I certainly felt it at the end of 26.2 miles! It’s really hard for me to eat enough before a long run. I have a usual morning blood sugar spike that if I attack too aggressively, will have me crashing in a couple hours – I don’t want that crash while at mile 15 or 16 of a long run. If I ignore it, I may spike even higher than I would on non-run days. It’s maddening. Most times, I give half my usual bolus and run a slightly higher temp basal – still lower than 100% though – maybe 50% or 70% depending on my starting number. I’ll down several glucose tablets if I’m lower than 140 and/or dropping at whatever number and maybe even suspend my basal for a bit. (Hey Neil! I’m at it again with the equations!)
I’m also someone who can’t eat when upset or nervous. Nerves before a race or even long runs in training make my stomach knot up and I just can’t even think of food. I force myself to eat bananas, even though I don’t like the way they taste. That balance is so critical for anyone, but it throws all those equations way out of whack for a T1.
Now, all that said, it was an incredible experience! I ran the New Hampshire Marathon in Bristol, NH on Saturday, September 29, 2018. My original goal was to run a marathon before I turned 50 – well, an injury last year during training prevented that. I’m still 50 and I ran a marathon! My birthday is in December and it just so happens to be my diaversary too. I’m coming up on 41 years with T1 and as you can see, it has not stopped me.
The scenery for the marathon was gorgeous! We wound our way around Newfound Lake amidst spectacular views. The
weather was perfect – 50s and 60s and clear. Everyone who ran this marathon, from the organizers to the volunteers were so incredibly helpful and nice! I fell into pace with a woman who has a T1 husband, so we chatted for most of the first half of the race. We split up around mile 14 as she ran ahead. I was starting to fade – lack of food taking its toll. I could tell she felt a bit responsible for me and was reluctant to leave me. I assured her I’d check in at an aid station if I needed help. I slowed down a bit and got some electrolytes and an energy bar. That revived me and I kept a good pace over the remaining 12 miles in! My running pal was there along with my boyfriend cheering me on as I crossed the finish line! What a great feeling!
Any Rush fan who runs has a special connection to their song, “Marathon.” To quote, “something always fires the light that gets in your eyes.” Pretty much says it all. I started dating my boyfriend right after I ran my first half marathon, years ago now. I had come to Boston with a friend and, with a bunch of other friends, saw his (coincidentally a Rush tribute) band play while in town. He had met us out for dinner the night before and I kept joking that his band needed to play “Marathon” for me the next night, but he only needed to play half of it. Oh boy, was I corny!! Well, they did play it and he even dedicated it to me. We’ve been together from then on and since then, our running (ha!) joke has been that one day he’d get to play the whole song for me!
I also got a bit obsessed with the race horse, Seabiscuit, in the midst of my marathon training. I had seen the movie years ago when it first came out, but hadn’t thought much about it since then. My boyfriend’s uncle was visiting us over the summer and
we wound up with a copy of the book, “Seabiscuit” in our house, given to him by my boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend. (Say that three times fast!) I expressed interest in the book and he left it for me to borrow. I was so inspired by that little brown horse that could and all the odds he had to overcome. I’m certainly not fast like Seabiscuit, but I felt like I had my own odds to overcome and a certain kinship to the horse. When I was lagging during training, I’d think about him and give it a little more.
As I’ve said before, anything worth doing takes sacrifice and hard work. I’ll add that it also takes support. My boyfriend, Chris, is my biggest supporter. He made sure I had everything I needed for the race and was always cheering me on during those long months of training. (He’s a runner too, but is dealing with his own foot injury right now.) I really don’t think I could have done this without him. My kids and mom have supported me and watched me through all the training too, and I think frankly wondered why the hell I was doing this to myself. My boss/best friend, Natalie, gave me the room in my work schedule to train, which is huge!
I wanted to run a marathon for the challenge of it, because I like to run, because it takes more for a T1 to figure out. I didn’t start running until I was 39 and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. When people ask me why I run that many miles or just why I run in the first place – you know all those injuries – I tell them “because I can.” I want to show my daughter, who also has Type 1 diabetes, that she can do anything she wants to. Diabetes does not define her, nor will it ever stop her from achieving the goals she sets for herself.
