I was scheduled for a 3 mile run today, but woke up to very windy conditions outside. The wind was blowing around 30 mph, from the south, and it was a cold wind with spits of drizzle. I've learned to not worry so much about the weather for my runs, but the one thing that can truly make a run miserable is the wind. The wind is the one weather element that can make any other weather element downright nasty. So, I opted to head to the gym instead.
I did get up early this morning with my wife, around 530 am, to help her with her pain meds. She had foot surgery yesterday, and she needed some help early this morning. At that point, I ate 1/2 of cinnamon swirl bagel and went back to bed. Then, I got my daughter up for school, and then headed to the gas station to get a cup of coffee. And, I grabbed a chocolate cake doughnut, something I haven't had in a very long time. I took my daughter to school, then headed to the gym since the wind was so strong.
About 1.5 miles into my run on the treadmill, I had a bad sugar crash, or what is known medically as hypoglycemia. Now I do get these episodes occasionally, a couple times a year, but this was the worst one I've had in a long, long time. Lights started to flash in my eyes, I got dizzy, I immediately broke out into a cold sweat, my heart was racing, it was bad, I felt light-headed, etc. I stopped and went to the gym cafe to get a snack, and within 5 minutes, I was OK again. I'm curious what would have happened if I had not had quick access to food. I may have fainted (this happened once back in college).
Anyhow, lesson learned, the doughnut probably spiked my blood sugar, and my pancreas likely created a surge of insulin to compensate. Then, the exercise used up my available blood sugar very quickly, and I promptly crashed. This could also be known as "Reactive Hypoglycemia." I may want to consider carrying a snack (sugar packet, or GU, or hard candy) with me on future runs just in case this happens again.
No comments:
Post a Comment