Managing Diabetes the Morning of a Race

Sometimes, if my blood sugar is under 100 or I know that I won't have access to fuel for some time, I drink a little bit of Heed right at the start of the race.  I don't bolus for these carbs because I know that the exercise will take care of them, but I try to avoid doing this too long before the start.

More than anything, the key to preparing my blood sugar before a race is flexibility.  Overall, I just try to keep my blood sugar as normal as possible, yet make sure that I have the fuel I need.  The more races that I do, the more that I am convinced that it just comes down to the basics: enough insulin and enough carbs.  Even though I have diabetes, my body obtains its energy the same way an as athlete without diabetes.     When you consider how my body gets that energy, it makes total sense!  Insulin is no good without carbs, and carbs are no good without insulin.  I always have to work with both in order to control the number on the meter, but more importantly, how I actually feel.