A few months ago I was lucky enough to be asked to be one of the Movers at the Vitality Move event in Windsor Park. The event is the campaign of Olympic legend Jess Ennis-Hill, a lady never to shy away from a challenge.
The aim is to get everybody of all ages and abilities to move more. Diabetes UK are the official charity for the event and I am honoured to be working with the team on this special festival. I want to use this opportunity to get the message out there that your diabetes should not be a barrier to anything in your life. For too long I was hiding behind my diabetes as an excuse for not exercising. Not anymore though, thanks to Vitality Move and Diabetes UK for this once in a lifetime chance to work with Jess on such a great event. This is an event for all the family, for any level of fitness. Come along and there will be something you can get involved with 1 mile fun runs, 5 km runs and 10 km runs whichever you choose you will move more!
So with all that in mind I had signed up for my first ever running event, the 5 km distance was my initial goal.
Make It A Challenge
If you had said to me on 31st December 2016 that I would see a 5k as not challenging enough, I would have thought you had lost the plot. Just 5 months later I have decided that a 5k just won’t push me hard enough, and with that in mind have upped my efforts and gone in for the 10K event at Vitality Move instead.
Just 3 months ago I was struggling to run a 5 km distance without stopping, and had never tried running outdoors. Now as we enter May I am confident in doing a 5 km run, without any walking breaks and at a pretty decent pace as well.
I have even taken to running outside rather than on a treadmill, and I must admit when the weather is kind, I love running outside.
Challenge Yourself
A couple of weeks ago I took part in my first ever timed running event. Have a look at my ➡ Parkrun blog for a recap on how that went. I was really happy with my pace, and set a time of just over 27 minutes on the day.
It was after this that I started to wonder if I should maybe push myself a bit harder for the Vitality Move event in September. As it is still 4 months away I figured that 5 km distances really won’t be a challenge by then, and as such I’m now going for the 10 km distance.
Along my journey from not running at all, to doing 5 km distances comfortably there have been lots of highs and far too many lows! Like everything with diabetes, it’s a learning curve. Each run is the chance to learn something new, if it all goes wrong it’s not a failure it’s just a lesson. After lots of trial and error I think I’m there now. I now know how my body reacts to running a 5K and as such can fuel myself with just the right mixture of carbs and insulin to run that distance with no big problems.
The 10K Challenge
So as we head towards the Summer I now have a new challenge to overcome. The step up from a 5k to a 10k probably won’t be all smooth sailing. I’m sure there will be many more hypos, high blood sugars and trial and error before I get the hang of it. That’s fine by me though, what is important is that I do it. It is going to be a learning curve, all over again, but I love a challenge. The thing I always keep in my mind is that diabetes will not stop me from achieving my goals. My fitness level might hinder me, but I am determined that diabetes wont be the barrier to success that it has been in my past.
Fancy Joining The Challenge
Myself and a few keen members of the ➡ T1D London Meetups Group are entering this event together. If you want a challenge, something to train towards, then why not join us.
If you would like more info please keep an eye out in the next week or so I will be putting a blog post up with all the links and details of how to join us at the Vitality Move 10K event in Windsor Park on 17th September. When the blog goes up I will include a Type1Bri.com discount code you can use to make your entry a bit cheaper to boot 🙂
Look out for the Social media channels for Vitality Move. We are on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, search for #vitalitymove
For now
Take care, get training aware
Type1Bri