Personal best
Taking up exercise usually means deciding to join a keep fit class, or taking up tennis or golf. For most of us it doesn’t mean becoming a sprinting champion. But that’s exactly what Dave Woolley, a Talking Diabetes reader, did. Dave, a civil servant who has had type 1 diabetes for about 50 years, described himself as “never inactive, never overactive. I took the occasional stroll and pottered in the garden. I was careful with my diet, however, and my French wife saw to it that our eating habits were strictly continental so that fruit and vegetables were part of everyday eating.”
It was taking part in a parents vs. children relay race in 1991 that made Dave realise that his fitness level might need some extra work. “I set off full of determination but, after 40 metres, I had had it and struggled to make the line.” Red in the face, from both exertion and embarrassment, Dave promised himself that he would do better next time. “I bought some trainers and started practising to run 100 metres. One year later, in the same relay race, I ran the last leg in 13.8 seconds.” No red faces this time.
Dave was spurred on to take his sprinting more seriously. “I got serious. I stepped up training, bought some spikes and eventually starting blocks. I got in with a coach and a sprint group and, at 44, won a county 100 metres race.” Then came more successes – two more race wins and a silver medal in the National Veterans 200 metres. But even greater success came when Dave was invited to compete in the Veterans World Championships in Buffalo, USA.
“I set a personal best of 12.1 seconds for the 100 metres and got to the semi-finals in two races. I was part of the silver medal-winning 400 metres and, for the 100 metres relay, I ran the anchor leg for Great Britain, moving the team up from 5th to 2nd place. I felt euphoric.”
Dave was fully aware of the difference sprinting made to his life as a whole. “I have continued running, I feel healthier and my GP and consultant encourage me to continue. I think more positively about myself and exercise seems to combat stress.”
And what about his diabetes? Did it stop him competing as well as he would like? Dave explained: “My diabetes does give me the occasional problem. I run best with a blood sugar of around 8 for 200 metres and 400 metres. For the 100 metres, it’s 6. This is because the first 27 seconds of any running burns sugar. So I always carry concentrated squash drinks with me and, on race days, will test my blood as much as a dozen times.”
So what about the future? Dave was determined that his running should not become less important to him as he matured: “As I get older, I do get slower but essentially I am running for my well-being and so I can cope with slower times. I was Civil Service 400 metres champion and hold silvers in the South West Vets 100 metres and 200 metres.”
Dave found that having diabetes did not stopped him from achieving any of his goals. He was full of enthusiasm for the benefits of running!
Exercise – getting started
If Dave's story has inspired you to try to increase your exercise levels,here are some useful tips:
- Make sure your blood sugar is well controlled before you take up exercise
- Monitor your blood sugar levels before, during and after you exercise, particularly during the first few weeks
- If you have heart disease, high blood pressure or are a smoker, check with your doctor before taking up any new exercise
- Be prepared for the possibility of hypos and learn how to prevent and manage them
- Always warm up and cool down when taking strenuous exercise
- Make sure your footwear is comfortable and check your feet regularly after exercise
- Remember – vigorous activities such as gardening or walking also count as exercise
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INS/778/0207
Last updated: May 2007