Another Good 'Un

3K @7'23

Today's run was great. I woke up kind of grumpy and stuffy. The weather looked fabulous and it was. A slight breeze in the direction that I was running when I headed out, clear skies, and bright sun. Plus, a great pace time and a short run. Instant upper.

One of the issues that I handle when I run is my Diabetes. Basically the blood sugar in my system can't be processed and it naturally high. It means that my blood doesn't flow through my body as easily as it should and there are sugar particles in my system. They also scratch up my blood vessels.

When my blood sugar (technically, blood glucose) gets too high it really affects me. I get really thirsty, really tired, really sluggish and really irritable. When you're body's out of whack it does some crazy things. Exercise naturally lowers blood sugars. Taking medications to control my blood glucose I have to be really careful because I can go too low. Then I get shaky. Thankfully I've never gone too low.

Blood glucose control reduces complications like nerve damage and kidney disease. There are 3 different times when I measure my blood glucose. What is high and low, you may be wondering. There's an A1C test which is taking every 3 months and determines the average over those 3 months. The goal for this is to keep my level at 7% or lower. My fasting glucose can be taken through a lab or I can test it at home. This one is done after not eating for 8 hours. It lets me determine how well my sugars are generally being controlled. My goal for this one is 4-7 mmol/L. I don't know what a mmol/L is but all I know is that when I check my glucometer I want to see any number between 4 & 7. Another test that I do at home is the one 2 hours after eating. Naturally sugars increase as carbs are being processed. After I've eaten typically I aim for between 5& 10 mmol/L. This number is under debate currently amidst the medical profession. My nurse explained that this number may be too stringent as people who are not Diabetic also show noticeable increases post-meal.

Of course I am closely followed by my family doctor and the diabetic clinic which includes a staff of a nurse, dietitian and social worker. I have ensured that I have built a support team around me that are easily accessible and who I trust. I didn't particularly feel comfortable with the first dietitian that I saw. It was just our personalities. So, when booking my next appointment to see a dietitian I just requested that I see another dietitian. No questions asked, I was booked in to see the other team member. It is important to feel comfortable with who you're going to see you want to ensure that you're going to get the best care possible. Your health is important.

"Other People May Not Have High Expectations of Me...

but I have high expectations for myself." -- Shannon Miller
5.54@ 7'47

Happy Easter, everybody!

On this Good Friday I ran my least favourite route which is North up Upper Ottawa. The way back is mostly a slight incline and as much as I enjoy running uphill I don't enjoy running up slope. As I've discussed, I often contemplate my blog while I run. Today I was at a bit of a loss. Perfect weather, running a normal route, mediocre pace time...but, it is Good Friday and I started thinking about sacrifice.

What do I sacrifice to run? I really came up with nothing. As I went along I came up with time, money and walking. With running you risk injury, as I've experienced. So I sacrificed walking for a few weeks and still occasionally experience pain from that. Money- I need shoes and I do invest in some proper running clothes. As for time? I give up about two hours a week to run. If I were to weigh all of these sacrifices they still outweigh the positive that I get from running.

The pain is insignificant, and had I been more assertive in pursuing proper diagnosis and seeing a Dr who would have been better able to understand the injury I would have recovered sooner. So to my readers: go to your GP, ER and walk in clinic Drs do not have a specialized enough knowledge to diagnosis. There- that sacrifice has now benefited tens of readers. The sacrifice of cash is outweighed by the physical and mental benefits of running. My blood pressure and sugars are lower when I run, those are immediate results that I can measure as soon as I get home. There are multiple other benefits, my agility has improved and I walk into far less things, I can run to catch buses faster and over greater distance and not be out of breath when I get on, and my weight hasn't significantly increased even though I eat like garbage (yes, it's not the best for my Diabetes but something I am going to start to work on this month since my exercise schedule has reached a level I am content with). I invest about $200 a year in clothes for running. Largely due to shoes. This year I've run 30 times. This means I have paid $6.67 per run. In 3 months. Technically this year I have paid a grand total of $15 for a headband. So, I have paid 50 cents per run this year. Doing this math actually made me feel pretty good about running. Before the end of the year I may have to invest in new shoes, really, that's the priciest piece of equipment.  Lastly, running also gives me two hours to myself where my mind can wander and I can have a bit of peace. I often find myself focused on running or the music I'm listening to, my mind is clear. This is something I can never achieve at any other time. Meditation is NOT my thing. What I realized is that running is not a sacrifice. I gain so much more from it that I had ever expected.

I enjoyed my mini reflection today while I ran and what I've accomplished in 3 months. I've dropped my pace time by about 30 seconds and my average distance has increased by a kilometre. That's pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

I also want to take the opportunity to thank  my Dad, Mandy, Sarah and Crystal for their support and donation to me for my race. There's currently a foodbank shortage so I know the money will go far to feed hundreds with the Daily Bread Foodbank. Even greater I want to thank those who read and respond to my blog. It offers me great motivation to continue.

The Silver Lining

4 K @ 8'09

Today there was no procrastinating. I was ready to get out there, regardless of the grey day and sub zero temperature. I laced those shoes up went out the door and started. I was displeased. It wasn't until the 2nd Kilometre that I was feelin' it today and as I had planned a 4K I was halfway through before I started to enjoy myself. My music was not enjoyable today. The post run cool down was nice though and I was in better spirits once I'd finished that. 

I have taken to checking my blood sugar and blood pressure when I get back to ensure that I am not going to pass out. My BP was fine and so were my sugars. My blood sugar being a 5.5 was astonishing! As long as I've had Diabetes (Diagnosed in June) it's never been normal. My dr's been trying to control it using other meds that are not insulin without much success. She switched up my meds a couple of weeks ago but it had still remained high. The ideal range is between 3 & 6 and I was twice or three times that. I found it frustrating because I had adjusted my diet (somewhat) and I've obviously been more active than before and had not seen any results. So as much as I hated the run today there IS something good to come out of it. That's the tricky thing about running, every time I go, no matter what- there's always something nice that comes of it. I'll surprise myself with a great pace time, the weather will be beautiful, I'll catch an amazing sunrise... I should remind myself of this more often when I am mentally grumbling about heading out.

If you would like more information on Diabetes you can head to: http://www.diabetes.ca/. I actually got my free blood glucose (sugar) testing kit from them.