HMT Day 10 (5 Miles)
Today, I went out running with my friend who is running the half marathon with me. We actually ended up running 6.5miles and finished in 59 minutes with a total average 9:10 pace. I'm assuming that means that we took a much slower pace at the beginning and really sped up towards the end.
Today's run was easier, my legs felt good, even at the end of the 6.5 miles. I definitely felt like I could go for another 6.5 miles, whether or not that is actually true is yet to be seen. It definitely means that my body is becoming efficient at running roughly 6 miles, which is great news. Took roughly 10 days for my body to start adapting. =)
On the bad end, I apparently did not eat enough calories throughout the morning to sustain my blood sugar levels. I ate some grapes, a banana, a grapefruit and had a jamba juice Caribbean Passion Light (220 calories, i believe) and also a cup of Boom Chick-a-Pop popcorn. When your blood sugar levels drop below 4mM, your body starts to go into shock or a panic mode in order to bring the sugar levels back up, also known as a HYPOGLYCEMIC ATTACK.
I went out on a walk to get lunch (greens, quinoa and baked salmon) and on my way back I stopped at a starbucks with my friend to get her a drink and suddenly I realized I was having a hypoglycemic attack: You start sweating profusely (i'm talking a DOWNPOUR) and it doesn't matter what the temperature, it could be ZERO degrees outside and you would still be sweating ridiculously (I know this, because it has happened to me!). You get really bad shakes, you get dizzy and you feel like you're going to pass out and all you want to do is shove anything, everything in your mouth. The reasons for getting one of these attacks is variable; you could be diabetic, you could have worked out too much and not replenished your sugar levels (which is usually my case), or you haven't eaten all day because of work or some distraction in your life (often working new yorkers are victims of this problem). Once you get one of these attack there is nothing anyone can do, not even you to stop it from occurring, but you can shorten the length of the attack. The quickest method to stopping the attack, that I have encountered, is to grab orange juice and CHUG IT!!!
Orange juice is often used by diabetics who are also experiencing hypoglycemia. Orange juice is high in simple sugars and the sugars are therefore more easily absorbed into your blood stream, quelling the panic mode your body has now entered. Of course, if no orange juice is readily available, any sugar will do. While most medical professionals would classify my hypoglycemia as "mild". It certainly doesn't feel like a "mild" situation when you're in the middle of an attack, it feels TOTALLY and UTTERLY urgent that you make this feeling of uneasiness, anxiety and sweating come to a screeching HALT!!!
Hypoglycemia can often be an indicator of some underlying health issue as well, so if you suddenly get one for no reason, please make sure to go get checked out by a medical professional!
As for me, I recently had a full physical and blood work done and I am happy to report that results came back with me being healthy as a horse!!! Music to my ears! =) Which also means that my hypoglycemia is directly tied to my not eating enough calories to sustain my blood sugar levels post workout.
This attack was a little unexpected for me, given what I had to eat after my workout this morning, but it does remind me to be more mindful of WHAT i'm eating. I probably should have had some protein, but I really didn't think about it and after a hard workout, you should have healthy carbs and protein to help recover and sustain. I think I missed the protein this morning (BAD Sherry!).
The first time I had one of these attacks was back in 2010, that was the first time I really started amping up my workouts and changing my diet. I had hypoglyemic attacks on an almost daily basis and it took me awhile to really understand what I needed to be eating and doing and listening to my body, to really learn how to control it. It also takes an understanding of your metabolism. When you work out, it increases your metabolism which changes the way you have to nourish your body and WHEN you need to re-fuel. Paying close attention to certain cues in your body can prevent these types of situations.
There is a lot of information on hypoglycemia on the web today, so if you are having hypoglycemic attacks, please make sure you understand why you are having them and how to mitigate that situation going forward.
Here is a quick link and some information, for those who are interested:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166815.php
Sherry
