Warm Weather Training in the Month of May?

This month has been a great month for training in athletics, I've been able to train outdoors because of the beautiful weather. Normally I would train indoors because my coach and training group are based at an indoor facility. However, the upcoming athletics season will be outdoors so it's always good to get some practice in! It's surprising how quickly you forget what it's like to compete in all weather conditions like the wind and rain, which are the norm whilst training in Wales.

Luckily the weather took a turn for the better this month with the sunshine, but that meant that for someone like me with diabetes and who does sport; other things need to be taken into consideration. Last year when the weather picked up and the sun could still be found shining late into the evening, I found myself particularly exhausted after a run and measured a blood sugar of 2.0 mmol. I wasn't prepared for that to happen again so blood sugars were a priority for training in the sun. Sprinting can often cause dramatic highs and lows as it is, so I began the preparation process with measuring my blood sugars between 2 hours after lunch until the start of training and every recovery break in between the session. I chose to start my training sessions with blood sugars over 10 mmol, as I felt that for me this was a safer measurement.

I also reduced my background insulin on my pump by 70% during my warm-up drills, 40% less than on a normal training day. As my sensitivity to insulin increases during exercise and also whilst out in the sun, regardless of whether I'm doing sport. I took sugary snacks on board an hour before training and had them to hand to give energy and maintain blood sugar levels during training too. My training kit is almost as important in my warm-weather training essentials kit and my Protect it socks were amazing in the warm weather. One of the things that happens when you get onto a track that has been in the sun all day is that the soles of your feet can start to burn as a result of the heat, friction and power of movement. Especially when you're running around the bend of the track, as I often do.

My Protect it socks served important functions during the environment of warm weather. The first was that the socks acted as an essential barrier between my feet and the hot track, during my drills and training session. They also worked as an anti-blister barrier, as normally the combination of heat and friction would be a recipe for blisters but not for me with these on. Secondly the intelligent construction of my Protect it socks absorbed the excess moisture when my feet started getting hot and sweaty and prevented my feet from slipping around inside my shoe (also a good thing for my achilles). Finally they kept my feet cool by bringing the moisture absorbed from my feet to the surface and allowing it to evaporate into the air.

As you can see in the picture below, after a hard training session my Protect it socks were also great for putting my feet up and recovering whilst watching the sun go down!