MEET KAYLA
At ten years old, Kayla was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). She had always been active in dance but when she got to high school, she was inspired to join her school’s cross country team. There was a lot to learn, prepare for, and experiment with but she pushed through it all. Read more about her journey running and how its changed her life.

Tell us about when you were first diagnosed.
I was diagnosed with T1D seven years ago, at the age of 10. I was so tired all the time and I was drinking a lot of water, which for me wasn’t normal. My parents thought that I had to flu, but a trip to the doctor’s office led to a diagnosis of T1D instead. I was hospitalized for five days before being discharged. At the time of my admittance to the hospital, my blood sugar was 989.

What was your motivation to start running?
I had never run before prior my freshman year for summer cross country training. My cousin ran for the University of Delaware and I had gone to see one of her races at Princeton. Coincidentally, one of my friends decided to try out for the cross country team and I thought about giving it a try too. Seeing my cousin run inspired me and I decided to try out.

Were you hesitant about joining the Cross Country Team? What were your initial feelings?
I was very nervous about running. I had never done anything as rigorous and I had never run before. On top of being worried about my blood sugar dropping on a run, I was worried about actually being able to run a 5K and making the time trial (first time girls trying out had to run under 35 minutes). I was excited to try something new and I knew it would be hard but I wanted to give it a try.

Did you tell your coach about having T1D? Did you tell your teammates? What was the conversation like?
I told my coach about my diabetes pretty early on. It was really just to make sure that she knew and that I had an adult who knew in case something happened. We had another conversation about what I needed to do, what she needed to know, whether she needed to have anything on hand, and what she could expect once I had officially made the team. Some of my teammates knew I had T1D because they had known me outside of cross country but I wear my pump and CGM in very visible places. The girls were really nice about it and just asked what it was and I explained everything to them. My closest friends I’ve made on the team always asked if I was ok and tried to understand what was happening and if they could help if I was a having a low.

It was your first big race of the year (or your first practice of the year)… what were you thinking? How did you prepare?
The time trial was my first race like experience. For practices we could wear watches so we knew our pacing but for races we aren’t allowed. The time trial was set up to be like a race, no watches and we raced at our home course completed at full effort. I was so nervous about making the time I needed but also about my blood sugar. I made sure to eat a little something before I left for the time trial. I brought my emergency bag that has my juice, glucagon, and snacks. I checked my blood sugar before we started and made sure it was in a place I was comfortable with before I ran.

You mentioned having emergency supplies, do you bring anything with you on a run? What happens if you start to feel like your going low?
I don’t physically bring any emergency supplies with me. I bring a bag out everyday to practice that has my glucagon, juice, and snacks. My coach and I have a certain tree that she stands at while we run. I meet her there if I’m starting to feel low. I feel my lows I’d say almost every time. I start to feel shaky when my BG drops so when I start to feel shaky a friend will run back with me to the tree where I’ll take my BG and treat as necessary.

How do you prepare before a race? What do you do after a race?
Before a race, I always eat a banana in the morning. Usually, we have to be at my high school early in the morning to get to our meets. Luckily, we have a lot of meets right in town because our course is used for so many county and state races. If when I eat and when I run are pretty close together, I won’t eat anything else before I run. A lot of the time though, when I eat in the morning and when I race are hours apart. In that case, I’ll eat some almonds or a little bit of a granola bar before I warm up. Right before I warm up for a race I always take my blood glucose (BG). After I race, I let myself catch my breath and get some water. Then I’ll take my BG just to make sure I’m not dropping. If all is good then I’ll go cool down and stretch.

What have you learned through your experience running?
Running has taught me a lot. There were many times where I was fatigued and tired and in pain and I didn’t want to continue but I did anyway. Running has shown me that I am very strong and very determined. As long as I did the very best that I could every day that I ran whether it be my best time or my worst, I learned to be proud of myself. Running with diabetes brought its own challenges. From being low and missing out on workouts and races to being sick with ketones and being unable to run, it was a lot to have to figure out and it didn’t always work out the way I wanted. I learned to better manage my diabetes.

What would you say to someone who has T1D and is considering running?
I would say just go for it. Getting yourself to start is hard and it can be a little scary if you don’t know how to find the right balance between running and managing your diabetes but go for it. It may take some trial and error to find out what works but in the end, running is so good for you and it can not only help you with your diabetes but also give you some time to escape everything else. Just go for it.