18 replies to this topic

[markc]

gday all,

Just wondering if anyone has had the same experience or whether it may be a common occurance with running..

Seems after a strenuous interval or tempo run I wind up quite shaky and lightheaded, so I've tested myself with a Accutest and my blood sugar is 4.2mmol/L which i believe is on the low side.. normally I'm around 6.2, I have been checked for diabetes and I do not have it.

This seems to occur exclusively after a hard run.. easy aerobic runs I'm fine with. I'm not worried, more curious as it's easily fixed with a can of coke or something sweet.

If anyone else has had this happen and any preventative measures, would be appreciated!

Cheers!

M

[bruncle]

Seems logical to me. Jelly legs, blurred vision, light headedness, etc. are all post race symptoms for me. If you recover quickly afterwards, what's the problem? They're hard sessions, and you're putting your body under a lot of stress, so wouldn't you expect to be feeling bad afterwards? Be thankful you haven't reached the point of vomiting yet;)

I'd surmise that when one runs quickly enough to have a significant amount of metabolism happening anaerobically, the inefficiency of the process would mean that a heck of a lot more sugar would have to start being trucked in from the liver to supplement muscle stores. Hungry mitochondria would suck up as much of the glucose in the blood as they can get, hence the accucheck reading.

[markc]

bruncle, on Jul 28 2008, 09:44 PM, said:

Seems logical to me. Jelly legs, blurred vision, light headedness, etc. are all post race symptoms for me. If you recover quickly afterwards, what's the problem? They're hard sessions, and you're putting your body under a lot of stress, so wouldn't you expect to be feeling bad afterwards? Be thankful you haven't reached the point of vomiting yet;)

I'd surmise that when one runs quickly enough to have a significant amount of metabolism happening anaerobically, the inefficiency of the process would mean that a heck of a lot more sugar would have to start being trucked in from the liver to supplement muscle stores. Hungry mitochondria would suck up as much of the glucose in the blood as they can get, hence the accucheck reading.

Ok.. sounds pretty logical.. I mean I have ramped it up a fair bit so perhaps the body needs to adjust, or I just need some jelly beans or something on hand for glucose. I am running harder and faster than ever before.. and this never used to occur, so I'll just summise your explanation is accurate!

I used to vomit after a fast 400m ;-) Not pleasant!!!!!!

Is there any advantage in sugar loading beforehand? I don't mind the odd chocolate....

M

[Mick]

markc, on Jul 28 2008, 11:07 PM, said:

Seems after a strenuous interval or tempo run I wind up quite shaky and lightheaded, so I've tested myself with a Accutest and my blood sugar is 4.2mmol/L which i believe is on the low side.. normally I'm around 6.2, I have been checked for diabetes and I do not have it.

I've had similiar occur on a very occasional basis and I normally have some quick energy food to recover. If it was happening to me on a regular basis I would be having something prior to your workout, perhaps some sports drink or banana 30-60min before. I think it would probably increase the quality of your workout too ...

[lavenderlilly]

I have a banana just before my interval session or a long run (16-20k).
It makes it a big difference.

[Bellthorpe]

markc, on Jul 28 2008, 11:07 PM, said:

Seems after a strenuous interval or tempo run I wind up quite shaky and lightheaded, so I've tested myself with a Accutest and my blood sugar is 4.2mmol/L which i believe is on the low side.. normally I'm around 6.2, I have been checked for diabetes and I do not have it.

This seems to occur exclusively after a hard run.. easy aerobic runs I'm fine with. I'm not worried, more curious as it's easily fixed with a can of coke or something sweet.

If anyone else has had this happen and any preventative measures, would be appreciated!

Just have something to eat. Anything.

There's nothing to be 'fixed', and there's no reason to try to prevent it. It has no implications at all.

[glenda]

I suffer with it also after a long run or particularly hard race. Cold sweat, faint, shaky. I generally need to eat sugar straight away or else I will pass out. Nothing I do beforehand seems to make any difference. Just make sure you have some food, drink nearby to get into you as soon as you finish. PS, coffee straight after is not a good idea. I think it makes me worse.

[southy]

I am the same after a hard session or race if I don't eat something very soon. Light headed, get chilled, start shivering. I always take something with me to eat or drink after training or racing. In the winter I sometimes take a thermous of hot chocolate for after training or racing, summer I take a sports drink at least. Otherwise I will feel awful and I get sick a lot more too. It's so easy to just to put some fruit in your bag. Not a problem.

[Tim 2]

markc, on Jul 28 2008, 07:07 AM, said:

gday all,

Just wondering if anyone has had the same experience or whether it may be a common occurance with running..

Seems after a strenuous interval or tempo run I wind up quite shaky and lightheaded, so I've tested myself with a Accutest and my blood sugar is 4.2mmol/L which i believe is on the low side.. normally I'm around 6.2, I have been checked for diabetes and I do not have it.

This seems to occur exclusively after a hard run.. easy aerobic runs I'm fine with. I'm not worried, more curious as it's easily fixed with a can of coke or something sweet.

If anyone else has had this happen and any preventative measures, would be appreciated!

Cheers!

M

4.2mmol/L is lowish but wouldn't necessarily cause symptoms (although it may in some people). Blood sugar is controlled by the liver and pancreas. Exercise related low blood sugar is usually related to a depletion of liver glycogen. This generally takes at least 90 to 120 mins but depends on whether stores were full when you started exercising. If its a early morning session and you haven't eaten for many hours then it will happen sooner. The majority of glucose used in exercise comes from muscle stores but muscles do draw some from the blood which needs to be replenished by the liver's stores. Muscle glycogen can't be used to fuel brain and other vital organ function so this is dependent on liver stores or metabolism which generates new glucose.

There are some other things that can leave you feeling lightheaded and shaky such as low blood pressure related to dehydration or to the sudden drop in adrenaline and other hormones which are high when exercising hard but may drop suddenly if you stop suddenly rather than easing down.

I agree its unlikely to be serious and a trial of eating/drinking a carbohydrate rich food/drink prior to or during exercise may give you an answer.

Tim

[markc]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I'll try a few of the suggestions and see which one suits.. I did buy some of those glucose jelly beans from the chemist last night before training with the intent to have them after.. however I plain forget I had them with me!

I do find though If I have a gel before a longer run or a hard intervals session I'm ok, however that could become a very expensive exercise.

Nice to know I'm not alone on this!

Cheers

Mark

[southy]

I would not rely on glucose gels and such. Other than being expensive, they also are just a quick burst of simple sugars. Why not try some fruit or a simple peanut butter sandwich or a meusli bar an hour or so before you train? Then afterweards some more fruit or juice or some yoghurt & fruit ? It really isn't necessary to buy expensive products when just good old normal food will do the job.

[Slow Roastin' TURKEY]

I've certainly had similar symptoms in the past which have been put down to low blood sugar.
I've found that gels during & before long runs and a quality sports drink with a high carb component eg High 5 have made a big difference. I also regularly take a couple of Glucodin tablets before most runs & whenever I'm feeling a bit fatigued. As well as or instead of the jelly beans you can use Buderim Ginger "Gingerbons" which are individually wrapped ginger candys which cost approx. $2.50 a packet in the supermarkets.
I know a "wily ol Scotsman" who swears by raisins and honey. He has a small plastic bag of raisins after every run and often during his long runs. He also carries a large syringe full of honey and squirts that down his throat as needed. I've tried his methods and they work however I lean towards the convenience of the gels and sports drinks.
A bit of experimentation will teach you what works best for you.

Good luck.

[Rudolf]

as Bellthorpe said, there is actually no issue at all.

You have designed the training session to burn sugars as quickly as possible and so the session is doing the job, You should be happy and proud.


on the economic side of it :


1kg of honey cost about $7

[markc]

Rudolf, on Jul 29 2008, 10:31 AM, said:

as Bellthorpe said, there is actually no issue at all.

You have designed the training session to burn sugars as quickly as possible and so the session is doing the job, You should be happy and proud.


on the economic side of it :


1kg of honey cost about $7

Well, thats good then.. means I've worked hard. Could also be that I've just got over a cold. But if the session is doing it's job, I'm more than happy.

.. and I do like my honey.

Cheers!

M

[Mick]

Rudolf, on Jul 29 2008, 12:31 PM, said:

1kg of honey cost about $7

Coles charge $5.88 for 500g of Capilano ...

Where do you get 1kg for $7 ?

[Rudolf]

Mick377, on Jul 29 2008, 01:20 PM, said:

Coles charge $5.88 for 500g of Capilano ...

Where do you get 1kg for $7 ?

1kg box of 3 varieties to choose from at 6.99 at local veg&fruit shop called Get fresh.

in the local organic shop, the RAW ORGANIC honey is for $12.70 per 1kg


(Coles is american company)

[Bellthorpe]

I pay about the same as Rudolf for honey, or a little less.

By the way, Coles is owned by Wesfarmers, which is a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

[Rudolf]

Bellthorpe, on Jul 29 2008, 02:40 PM, said:

By the way, Coles is owned by Wesfarmers, which is a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

ooops, I forgot about this recent takeover thingy

[Jason M]

Quote

Seems after a strenuous interval or tempo run I wind up quite shaky and lightheaded, so I've tested myself with a Accutest and my blood sugar is 4.2mmol/L which i believe is on the low side.. normally I'm around 6.2, I have been checked for diabetes and I do not have it.

This seems to occur exclusively after a hard run.. easy aerobic runs I'm fine with. I'm not worried, more curious as it's easily fixed with a can of coke or something sweet.

There are no problems at all with your blood suger (BSL) readings. They are very normal. 4.2mmol/l would be expected after a strenuous run, but would still be considered normo-glycaemic.

Hypoglycaemia (low BSL) is below 4.0mmol/l, sometimes defined as less than 3.5 (depending on where you read) and would need other symptoms to go with it to actually be treated.

In intervals and tempo runs your body is using its various sources of carbohydrates at a fuel. That includes the carbohydrate stored in the liver, muscles plus what is circulating in the blood stream. To access it all as best the body can there are a multitude of hormones released during exercise (including but not limited to, adrenaline, noradrenaline, anti-diuretic hormone, growth hormone, glucagon, insulin release is depressed during exercise). These all work to access the carbohydrates (sugars). Post exercise there will be a change in these hormones and typically for 30-90 minutes the body will take up sugar from the blood at an increased rate to refill the stores already used. This will often show up as a small and transitory drop in BSL.

If you were an untreated diabetic, then it would show up as hyperglycaemia, very high BSL well and truly above 20mmol/l. When diabetes have their "hypos" it usually as a result of not balancing their insulin or other BSL lowering medication with their food intake very well.