Running with Diabetes Again: The Tel Aviv Half Marathon

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 the finish line in under 1:54:05 – my half marathon personal record. The plan was to run the first 3 miles at a heart rate of 135-140 and increase my pace and HR (by 5) every 3 miles, so the last 4 miles would be run at an average HR of around 155.

It started well. I ran the first 2 miles at a faster pace than I had planned and at an average HR of 135. But then after 2 miles my HR shot up to 175 and wouldn’t come down.  I didn’t stop. I ate a dried apricot thinking that would help but it didn’t. So I did what I did in the Rotterdam marathon – I just ran.  I ran and ran and ran, as if it was fine. I did have some morbid thoughts along the way, but they just made me run faster.  For a moment I doubted whether I was going to finish the race, but since I knew my HR wouldn’t get much lower if I slowed down, I just kept on going. I was trying to beat my PR even if it meant I might crash before the end.

As you already know, this race has a happy ending.  My result: 1:52:38 – almost a minute and a half less than my previous best.

The truth is I find myself very mixed up at the end of this season. I’ve run more miles in the last 8 months than I thought I could, but I have as many questions and unresolved issues as I did going in to the season (I probably have more).  What makes my heart rate go crazy when I run and why doesn’t it happen every time I run? Do I have too much insulin in my body? Is my BS going too high, too low or is it something else? Is an insulin pump the answer or would it not make any difference if I wore one?

I guess I’m going to run with my glucometer and try and figure it out before I start training for my next marathon.

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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