Running Without an Insulin Pump

I decided to see what would happen if I disconnected from my insulin pump and ran without it. So last week, after deciding to try it, and against the advice of some pumpers, I did it. I woke up an hour before my run reduced my basal rate to 30% like I always do, had my coffee and got ready to run. Before heading out I checked my blood sugar, suspended my pump and took it off.

It felt great. I felt free. I still had a pack with my glucose meter, gels and keys around my waist but there was something liberating about not having the pump and tubing on me. I ran a short 6 mile run, but still stopped to check my blood sugar a few times. My blood sugar was fine and I didn’t need a gel to keep my blood sugar in a see range. The only thing the bothered me was my infusion site which itched from the minute I started to sweat. I realized it was time to switch sets anyway so a couple of miles in to my run I ripped the set out and threw it in a garbage can. This, too, felt strangely liberating.  If only you could rip out diabetes and throw it in the trash.

The next day (last Wednesday) I decided to try running pumpless again, but this time for a longer run – 9 miles. I did need a gel after around 3 miles but that was it. I had another good run although my blood sugar was a bit high when I had finished – 168. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad. It had been 6 miles since I had taken a gel and my blood sugar was too high to take another. Would it have come down had I continued running another couple miles? I’m not at all sure.

For the next run – what was supposed to be a 20 mile run, but ended up being a terrible 13 miler on a treadmill at CWD Friends for Life, I decided I wasn’t taking any chances and kept my pump on at the usual rate (30%). Again I consumed 3 gels, two of them with in the first 4 miles of my run.

So considering my need for gels so early in the run, I decided to to try running pumpless for my next shorter runs. I ran 3 and a little miles on Saturday afternoon and then Monday morning I ran 10 miles. I had a great run in the early morning Orlando humidity, but again my blood sugar seemed to be a little too high. I had 1 gel and finished my run at around 170.

I ran a couple more pumpless runs and had similar results. So this morning, I decided to try something else. I was supposed to run 19 miles and was scared to try it with out a pump. I was also going to be running alone near my uncle’s house outside of Atlanta. I  lowered my basal to 20% and drove down to the river, parked the car (where I left a big bottle of water) checked my blood sugar – 135 – and was out running by 5:00 a.m. I ran the first few miles in the dark not seeing any other runners. I stopped after 3 miles to check my blood sugar it was 69. I had a gel and a little water and continued running.

I ran another six miles and checked my blood sugar again, it was 88, I had another gel and continued. I checked my blood sugar a few more times but my blood sugar was above 150 throughout my run. I actually felt like I needed a gel, for energy not for blood sugar control, but was too high to have one.

I ran 17.5 miles, less than I had intended but still a good distance. I’m going to have to figure something else out since it seems like lowering my basal rate and disconnecting will not work for the long runs. I need to be able to take gels throughout the run not just during the first few miles.   And if I’m going to take gels, I need to have insulin.

Michael Aviad

Michael Aviad is co-founder of ASweetLife. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2002. Michael was born in Santa Barbara and grew up in Jerusalem. He studied law and after passing his bar exam went on to get an MBA with a major in finance. Michael worked for many years as an economist. He and his wife Jess, also a type 1 diabetic, have three sons. Michael loves to run and is always training for the next marathon.

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