It has been a week and a half since I started this experiment and I’ve run seven times. Each run has been different, and thankfully, my heart rate has not gone anywhere near 200 in any of the seven runs. Yesterday afternoon I ran a 6 mile easy pace run with a friend. I checked my BS before starting and it was a little low – 87. I ate something and headed out. After about a mile, I could feel my blood sugar dropping.  I was sluggish and slow but my HR didn’t exceed 135. After a couple of miles I stopped to drink and check my...

It’s been a week since I set out to discover what makes my heart rate shoot up while I run. I’ve been running with my glucometer (for the first time in my life) and checking my BS at different points during my runs. I have gone on four runs since my last post and each run has been different, both in distance and in pace. The first, last Thursday morning, was an uneventful 10.5 mile run.  My plan was to run the first 5 miles at 140 HR the next 5 miles at 150 HR (and the last half mile was a cool down). The run went as planned...

Race season is over for me and I’m happy with my accomplishments – I ran two marathons and two half marathons.  I didn’t reach my goal of a sub-4 marathon but I set a new personal record for both distances. I’ve decided to spend the summer preparing for next year, improving my speed and building a good base. But the biggest issue I need to figure out is the heart rate issue. I need to understand what happens to my body that makes my heart rate suddenly shoot up during some of my runs. I haven’t been able to find any logical...

Yes. Yes. Yes. Finally a good race. Well sort of a good race. I ran the Tel Aviv half marathon this morning. I did things right this time.  Last night before the race, I had a light dinner of eggs, salad and a couple slices of whole wheat bread and got to bed at a decent hour. I took 19 units of Lantus insulin (1 less than usual) before going to sleep. I woke up at 4:00 am checked my BS and saw I was 158, not great for a regular day but good for race day. The race started at 6:30 am.  I had a plan that was supposed to bring me to...

I like gadgets. I run with a Garmin GPS watch (I run with the Forerunner 305 because I like the large display screen). I like spending time in electronics shops looking at new products and computers (which drives Jessica up the wall). I have IPods, an Iphone and am resisting the urge to purchase IPad. But the one gadget I can’t bring myself to want is the insulin pump. Garmin Forerunner 305 My A1C levels are usually between 6.8 and 7.2. I know they could be better. From all I’ve read and been told by doctors and fellow diabetics,...

It’s been almost three weeks since I ran the Rotterdam marathon and I’m back to running 25 to 30 miles a week.  I’ve spent the last seven months marathon training – from the Tiberias marathon September 1st 2009 until April 7th 2010 when I ran the Rotterdam marathon. I know it’s time for a rest but I’ve decided to run one last race this season – the Tel Aviv half-marathon. I have four half marathons under my belt so far.  I ran three of them last season and one during my training for the Rotterdam marathon. The...

It’s been almost two weeks since I ran the Rotterdam marathon. I took a week off of running to let my body rest and started running again on Sunday with an easy 5 mile run. I was so happy to be running again that I couldn’t slow down for the first couple miles, but then my body seemed to remember that it was still trying to get over the shock of the marathon. I’ve run a couple more times since and it seems my body is slowly recovering. I’ve had enough time to think and rethink the marathon, trying to understand what...

The Rotterdam marathon is just a few days away and I’ve been sick with some kind of virus which has kept me from running.  I skipped my Sunday 10 mile run and it looks as if I may not be able to run on Tuesday or Wednesday either, which is hard. I feel stressed about not completing my training according to plan – which I rationally know doesn’t really matter a week before the race. But it’s also just frustrating because I like to run. I don’t run just because it helps me control my blood sugar levels and maintain my weight....

It’s been a week since I ran my last long run (22.5 miles) in preparation for the Rotterdam Marathon. I took 5 days off and ran again yesterday for the first time – a slow 6.5 miles. This afternoon I went out for an 8 mile progression run (it was fast and felt great). I’ve entered into what is known as the taper period, where after weeks of increased distance running you suddenly cut back and let the body rest before the marathon. It’s not that I’m not going to run at all before the marathon but there will be no more long...

I’ve been stretching before I run for as long as I can remember. I started stretching before runs because my uncle always did and since he was the “adult” runner I knew I did it too. Now I do it because it feels good, and if I don’t stretch before I run I feel like something’s missing. It’s always made sense to me that stretching muscles before using them will prepare them and help avoid injury. I mean every exercise magazine, website, and blog writes about stretching. And it seems like someone is always tooting a new...