I am struggling to keep my blood sugar levels even when running, I wondered if anyone else has had this problem. For many years I have had low blood sugar if I leave a long gap after eating - I try and eat something every 2-3 hours to keep me going. I have managed it ok in normal life but since I started running it has become a problem. I eat a snack and drink a juice before I set off but after 15-20 minutes I need to eat a sweet or glucose tablet to avoid symptoms setting in - I start feeling nauseous, very low on energy and get shaky hands. If I eat sweeties regularly sometimes I'm ok on the whole run, other times I misjudge the timings and I really struggle while I wait for the sugar to kick in.
I realise this is not normal - plenty of others runners have told me so! I went to my GP a few weeks ago and he ran blood tests (diabetes, thyroid etc) but they came back normal. I have booked another appointment for Friday because I really need some answers, I am finding it so difficult to manage. Last night I aimed to step up my Monday night run 1k to 11k with a view to gradually increasing to half marathon distance (!) but I only managed 8k because my blood sugar got too low again and I had no energy.
I have googled non-diabetic hypoglycemia and it can have various causes. Does anyone on here suffer with this or know someone who does?
Sorry for the long post, you may have dozed off by now! 😴
On a brighter note, here is a photo of the sunset at the start of my run last night 😊
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MutleyShuffle
Graduate10
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I know it's low blood sugar because the symptoms go if I eat, and go quickly if I eat something sweet. I do normally avoid sugar, just use it when running as a quick fix.
I was found to have low blood sugar when I had glucose tolerance testing done during pregnancy and was told to eat more complex carbs and small frequent meals. It has made a huge difference in my every day life. Since starting running, I find I'm incredibly hungry and really have to be cognizant of what I eat. I make sure I eat before running - whole wheat toast and peanut butter or egg on whole wheat toast. If I'm going on a longish run (greater than an hour), I take Tailwind solution tailwindnutrition.com to sip on at regular intervals and will have something higher sugar to eat (mars bites, gummy bears, nut granola bars) after my run or during my run if I feel symptoms coming on (which isn't very often). It is so important to be aware of how you're fuelling your body not just during your run but every day. I try to limit my simple sugars and choose complex carbs whenever possible. Simple sugars will bring your sugars up quickly but will also cause a spike in insulin which can cause a sugar crash shortly after. Instead of drinking juice, eating whole fruit may be better because the fibre will slow down the sugar spike. It is possible to run (and run long gruelling workouts, which I've grown to really love) but fuelling has to in the forefront of your mind.
Thank you, that's helpful. I do try to eat little and often and normally I manage ok, it's just when running I get problems. I try to eat slow release carbs anyway but I could probably improve on this. I will take a look at the Tailwind solution too. I think I need to buy a testing kit so I can go back to the GP with some solid evidence. They tested my blood sugar levels but obviously not whilst running!
Yay! I'm a huge fan if it. Not sickingly sweet and you can adjust the sweetness to your preference or intensity of your workout. I have 2 flavours - lemon and berry - and mix them for a nice combo.
i did that with the first batch. But i'm seriously having to give myself a talking to to stop myself making up batches to drink during the day, not just for running ;(
Just wanted to thank you again for your advice SaskAlliecat - today I ate 5 small meals and was careful to eat slow release carbs. I also ordered some Tailwind (it arrived super quick!) and tried it on my run tonight - I had a great run! The combo of careful eating, small meals and Tailwind really helped. This forum is great! 😁
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that. I agree, this forum is the best. I heard about Tailwind from misswobble on here last year and have been hooked ever since. It is so much nicer than the other fueling options. It was especially nice this summer when it was so bloody hot and I was sweating like a pig on every run. I have a fuel belt with 2 bottles so one would be water and the other would be Tailwind, and both would often be empty when I was done!
I have a belt like that too! I filled both with Tailwind but I only needed to drink one - but like you say when it's hot the other one could be just water. I got a trial pack of all the different flavours - tonight I had Berry which was yum - looking forward to trying them all out! 😁
If it’s any help now, I struggled with this too going through c25k (and beyond) and the additional problem of getting cramps if I try to eat within 4 hours before a run. I think the problem is the way your body keeps robbing you of the glycogen when you need it, with your body thinking it should turn it into fat instead.
There is a trick I use where I fast before a big run - the theory being your body learns to burn the fat as the glycogen is already depleted from the fasting. It works if you run at a tempo pace for a while to get your body into fat burn mode, before going quicker towards the end.
I used this technique today on the town & gown 10k and was able to speed up considerably in the last 2k, and still had plenty left in the tank. I should have sped up from the 5k mark, probably, but didn’t want to risk burning out.
I also have a diet of high protein and complex carbs, lots of veg and very little sugar. And the odd glass of wine... 😜
The important thing is to start off and stay at tempo pace - it will feel too slow but after a few k should start feeling comfortable- then try pushing a bit harder and see what happens. Good luck!
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