Diabetes, Determination & Disappointments

Diabetes, determination and disappointments is a pretty good summary of my year so far to be fair.
Way back in February I was approached to be one of the ➡ Movers for the Vitality Move event in Windsor this year. At the time I was not a runner, far from it, as such agreeing to take part in a 5k was a pretty big deal for me.

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One Of The Movers

Vitality Move wanted a person with diabetes to take on the challenge and blog about the journey along the way. This was a great opportunity for me to finally get active again and stop letting diabetes be a barrier in my life.

Diabetes, Determination and Disappointments

Ever since diagnosis and that very first Healthcare professional saying to me that exercise is really tricky with diabetes, I have avoided doing anything too active. The few times I tried it always ended up with some really unstable bloods, both high and low. To me, that was reason enough to not exercise.
About 18 months ago I was chatting on Twitter with a few Tweeps about exercise and insulin etc. This is when I decided I need to get active again. I knew that I loved the gym and cycling before diagnosis and that I still did deep down, it was just diabetes holding me back. It wasn’t diabetes stopping me, it was me stopping it happening!

I started insulin pump therapy back in November 2016, I made myself a promise that as soon as I settled into the new regime I would get back in the gym.
Good to my word, on 31st December I stepped foot back in a gym properly for the first time in 3 years.

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What’s This Strange Land

The journey back to fitness had begun, and I was feeling good about it, mentally and physically too.

Diabetes, Determination and Disappointments

I think one of the side effects of being a person with diabetes is determination. You can’t afford to not be determined when you are living with a chronic condition which demands so much from us all every day.
When Vitality approached me to work alongside them and take part in my first ever running event I really wasn’t sure. I hadn’t run since the days of cross-country at school (only a few years back, right?) As such I agreed slightly reluctantly to do a 5k run. I was determined that I would do this, so I went to the gym and got on the treadmill.

Much harder than I thought, after just 1.5k I was done, hot, sweaty and struggling to breathe. I must admit at this point I realised that running isn’t as easy as I had thought. With gritted teeth I kept at it, every other day in the gym, each time increasing the distance. Within a few weeks, I was doing 5k on the treadmill in 35 minutes. Determination set in once again, I saw a new goal for me, get that 5k done in under 30 minutes. Scroll forward a few weeks and I was doing 29 minute 5k’s on the treadmill. Then I started going outside for a run instead of the treadmill. To my surprise, I was quicker when out running than I thought I would be.

Parkrun – A Great Introduction To Exercise

I even started doing my ➡ local Parkrun, this is now the highlight of my running week.

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Parkrun Is Great Fun

Do get yourself along to your local event, they really are welcoming and great fun for all. Determination has kicked in again and a new goal of 5k in 25 minutes has been set in my head (still not quite managed it yet, but I will!). Vitality then asked me which event I was going to enter. In a moment of madness, I said ”might as well go for the 10k” determination has a lot to answer for!!

Diabetes, Determination and Disappointments

Disappointments are part and parcel of life for everybody, but with diabetes, it’s usually a pretty regular occurrence. Blood sugar readings, Endo appointments, GP appointments, hypos, hypers our world is full of possible disappointments. The key is to not let them get to you, act on them in a positive way, turn them into a positive not a negative.

Since starting running back in February there have been lots of disappointments. Hypo after hypo putting pay to a run, not getting time to go out for a run, slight muscle niggles stopping you, not making it all the way to the end of your run the list is endless. I make a point of not focusing on the disappointments.

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What Effects A 10K Has On My Bloods

I like to look at why they happened then change something to hopefully stop them happening again.
Just last week the biggest disappointment happened. The 10K vitality move event in September has been postponed, with no future date set!! As the event is organised and put on by Dame Jess Ennis-Hill, who is expecting her 2nd child around the date of the Windsor event, they have had no option but to postpone the event.

Make A Positive From A Negative

Sure for a few days, I was a bit down about it all, but have turned it into a positive. If I can’t do the event I have been training for, then I might as well do a different event. After all I had already had nearly £200 in sponsorship for Diabetes UK and couldn’t let them down. As such I have upped the ante a bit, our old friend determination reared its head, and I have entered the ➡ Royal Parks Half Marathon on 8th October. Will I be up to it by then, who knows? I have never run that far in my life, in fact the furthest to date has been 12k. What I do know is I’m determined, committed and have 4 months to get ready for it! 

If you have sponsored me already for the 10k then your very kind donation will carry over to my new JustGiving page as an ”offline donation”

If you haven’t dug deep already please feel free to sponsor me in this new tough challenge, every penny counts!
JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Diabetes Is No Barrier

Six months ago I would not have dreamed that I would be sitting here writing a blog about me doing a half marathon! (half a Snickers maybe). This is what diabetes can do for you, all you need to do is stop let it being a barrier. Embrace it, work with it and then good things do start to happen. Diabetes is not a barrier to anything in our lives, in fact it is a motivator for many of us. There are some truly inspirational people out there, just have a look around the Twitter-sphere, they are all there!

For Now

Take Care, See You There

Type1Bri

*** Special thanks to Vitality Move for giving me the opportunity to be one of the Movers. I look forward to working with you guys again in the near future. Thanks to Amy from Seven and to Laura from Diabetes UK, you guys rock ***

 

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