Yesterday was the first day of my training regime for this 2 day long bike ride coming up at the end of August. It’s an MS fundraiser and here in our region it’s called the West Kootenay Glacier Challenge. It’s hellishly hard. And I really want to try and do it.
I’m going to do it.
So, yesterday was my first official training day.
And I fucked up.
It’s all good now but it was a little unsettling at the time.
OK, so I only moderately fucked up, I guess it could’ve been a lot worse.
Bike ride + bad planning= lesson learned.
I planned to go for an hour and a half, with a turn around at 45mins and I wasn’t going to check my blood sugar before that. In the past I have biked for half an hour and then checked and it’s all good and then check again in half another hour and it’s getting low, so I thought I was good… The other thing is, I usually let my BG be a little high before I go out.
Yesterday BG was 10.4 when I left. This was the start of the problem- it was only half hour after taking rapid insulin and I had taken a dosage to cover all the food I ate, instead of letting it run a bit higher…
45mins of moderate cycling later BG is 3.7.
Whoops.
OK, it’s ok, I brought lots of snacks. So sandwich. (38g of carbs).
Got me up to BG 6.2. And I still had to get home.
That’s ok, I had some dex tabs too (20g) and then started the ride back.
Easy cycling, no pushing. 20 mins in I did a recheck.
BG 6.7
Well hell. I am fighting with my insulin now. I know I did wrong with the food bolus insulin and now the exercise and insulin are working against me.
But it’s still ok, I still have snacks. Half a granola bar (15g of carbs) goes in to the bod then I bike another 20 mins.
(Yes, technically I should be almost home, time-wise, but having a low really slowed me down and I was still, at this point, 20 mins from home. It’s either that or the ride home is actually further.)
So, I stop and retest again. BG 6.9.
Ok, I know I can make it home in about 20 mins. I still have food in my bag but I am standing outside a gas station and say fuck it and buy two of those power drinks. Now I can have the carbs while I’m moving.
15 mins later I am on the ferry, 5 mins from home. I have drank almost all of 710ml of sports drink.
BG 7.4! Yay!!
I feel good, I feel proud of myself for managing. I ease my way home and have an orange and some cheese to celebrate.
Sooo, I learned some lessons yesterday… and as tired and upset as I was during the whole thing I am not cut down. I still want to do this.
Day 1 of the training for the West Kootenay Glacier Challenge has been accomplished! Today I’ll be going out again…