I'm Gavin Moorehouse, 26, and I live in Portland, Oregon, where I do tech support for a company that makes billing software, so I spend all day telling people to restart their computers. I've had type 1 diabetes since I was eleven. I also run. A lot. When I got into running I couldn't find much written by diabetics who ran, just stuff written ABOUT us, so I figured I'd put my own notes up. Maybe some kid who just got diagnosed and thinks his life is over will find this and see that it's not.

Big important disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or a nurse. Everything here is what I do, worked out with my own endocrinologist and diabetes educator. Your body is different. Talk to your doctor before you change anything.

Your pancreas has cells that make insulin, and insulin is what lets your body use the sugar in your blood for fuel. In type 1, your own immune system wipes those cells out. Nobody knows exactly why. It isn't caused by eating candy and it isn't anybody's fault. Once the cells are gone you need insulin from outside, by shots or a pump, for the rest of your life, or at least until they figure out a cure.

When I was diagnosed they called it juvenile diabetes, or IDDM. In 1997 the doctors officially switched to "type 1" and "type 2," which is good, because plenty of people get type 1 as adults. Type 2 is different: the body still makes insulin but doesn't use it well. It usually shows up later in life, and a lot of people handle it with diet, exercise and pills, although some need insulin too.

My warning signs back in 1984 were the classic ones: thirsty all the time, running to the bathroom all the time, losing weight while eating everything in the house, and wiped out. If that sounds like your kid, get them to a doctor. Today, not next week.

How things changed

In 1984 I did two shots a day and tested my urine with strips that changed color. I got my first home meter a couple of years later. It needed a big drop of blood and took two minutes to give you a number, and I thought it was space-age. Then in 1993 the results of a huge study called the DCCT came out and showed that keeping your blood sugar closer to normal really does cut down the risk of eye, kidney and nerve problems down the road. That changed how everybody treated diabetes, including my doctors and me. In 1996 Humalog came out, a faster insulin you can take right when you eat instead of half an hour before, which made my life a lot more normal.

The pump

Since April 1998 I've been on a MiniMed insulin pump. It's about the size of a pager and clips on my belt. A thin tube runs from it to a little soft tube under the skin of my stomach, and I change that every couple of days. It gives me a small steady amount of insulin all day, and I push buttons to give more when I eat.

Pros: no more shots, way more flexible eating and sleeping in, and it's been great for running. Cons: you're attached to a thing 24/7, you have to test your blood a LOT, and if the tube gets kinked or pulled out you can get into trouble fast, so you have to pay attention. It's not for everybody. My insurance made me jump through a lot of hoops first. If you're curious, ask your endocrinologist whether you'd be a good fit.

Running with type 1

I started running in 1996 because a girl at work ran and I wanted to impress her. That didn't work out but the running did. I ran the Portland Marathon in October 1997 and again last October, 3:58:40, and I'm signed up again this year.

Exercise pulls your blood sugar down, sometimes for hours afterward, so running with diabetes takes planning. I worked out my own plan with my doctor and educator and I test before, during (on long runs) and after. What I'll tell anybody:

• Talk to your doctor before you start any training program. Seriously.
• Always carry fast sugar. I have glucose tabs in every jacket pocket I own.
• Wear ID. My Medic Alert bracelet has been on my wrist since 1984.
• Tell your running buddies what a low looks like and where your stuff is.

My one mid-race low was at mile 20 in 1997. I got stubborn and skipped a test because I felt fine. I did not feel fine. A volunteer at an aid station gave me orange slices and waited with me until I could think straight again. I finished, slowly. I test on schedule now, no matter how good I feel.

Training log, September 1999

DATE   MILES  NOTES
Sep 4   14    rain the whole way, felt great anyway
Sep 5    4    easy, legs tired
Sep 8    6    tempo along the waterfront
Sep 11  18    long run, tested 3 times, all good
Sep 12   0    rest. lawn mowing counts, right?

Resources

• American Diabetes Association. Their magazine, Diabetes Forecast, is where I first read about other athletes with diabetes. They also run summer camps for kids. I went to diabetes camp three summers and it was the first time I didn't feel like the only one.
• Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International (JDF). They raise money for research toward a cure and have local chapters with family events. I do their walk every fall.
• Your diabetes educator. If you don't have one, ask your doctor. Mine taught me more than anybody.
• The newsgroup misc.health.diabetes on Usenet. Lots of opinions, some of them good. Take everything there (and here) to your doctor.
• My Dumb Questions FAQ, answering every weird thing people have asked me since sixth grade.

Questions, running routes, pump talk: [email protected]

people have stopped by since March 1997
Last updated September 12, 1999
© 1999 Gavin Moorehouse