My first 5k!

I ran my first 5k yesterday! It was a really big moment for me because 1) I never understood why people ran for fun and 2) I never thought I would be able to do it with my diabetes. Of course I know other diabetics have done it and some are even Olympians, but I never thought I would be able to control my blood sugars and be able to finish the race, well in this case the run. But I did! I actually completed it and after was still running around pumped up with endorphins.

To prep for the race I ran about twice a week for around 20 min. nothing major, just something small to get me ready for it. I bought new running shoes, broke them in, and started to feel like a runner. I always run nearby by my house just in case something goes wrong with my diabetes, which so far (thankfully) nothing has gone wrong. I started talking with one of the other diabetics in my group who runs half marathons and she gave me some pointers as well as this awesome fanny pack looking thing to hold all of the essentials I might need during my run i.e. juice, pump, blood checker. Instead of carrying my juice I put some sports beans in the little pouch because it wouldn’t be as bulky. The sports beans are basically jellybeans that give you that extra boost you may need for a long bike route or run.

On the day of the race I woke up with plenty of time to eat. I had a yogurt and a piece of cinnamon raisin toast. I should have given myself a little less for what I ate, but it was early and I didn’t think about it and gave myself the normal dose. I decided to have a small apple to help give me a boost if I would need it and off we went to the park. Before we headed to the starting line I checked my blood sugars and made sure I was above 100mg/dl, and I was, my blood sugars were at 112mg/dl and I was ready to go. During the 5k I paced myself at a steady jog and paid attention to my body to make sure I wasn’t going low or too high. Normally when I work out if I am getting low blood sugars I sweat more and everything is a lot harder to do. When my numbers start to raise, I get a little foggy and extreme thirst sets in. Luckily, none of those symptoms set in and I was handling my first 5k pretty well.

Color me rad was a total blast. I had so much fun color bombing the people around me, especially my sister. I ran around acting like a 5 year old and was so happy that my diabetes wasn’t an issue at all. After our run we all went out to eat as a family and when I checked my blood sugar I was at 61mg/dl. My blood sugars did drop, but at least I made it through the race. I am one of those weirdo’s who believed when I was first diagnosed that having diabetes meant you can’t do anything active, but almost 8 years later I am learning that I was completely wrong. I have been participating in a boot camp class for almost a year now, and finally completed my first 5k my diabetes hasn’t gotten in the way of either one.