10 miles for Diabetes UK
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2020, in my early 30s — definitely not something I expected to suddenly become part of my life as an adult.
Six years later, I've got a pretty good relationship with it.
Weirdly, there's even a side of diabetes I genuinely enjoy. I'm a bit of a data geek, so having a sensor attached to me 24/7, watching glucose graphs, spotting patterns and trying out new tech feels suspiciously like I've acquired another gadget rather than a medical device.
But the difficult part isn't really the gadgets, needles or sensors for me. It's the mental load.
Diabetes adds a ridiculous number of tiny decisions to everyday life.
Want to go to the gym? What did you just eat? How much insulin did you take? How long ago? Is your glucose going up or down? Should you wait? Do you need some carbs first? Have you got something with you in case you go low?
Eating, exercising, travelling, going for a walk — things most people can just do — come with an extra layer of planning.
I got a very literal reminder of that at the Manchester Diabetes UK walk last year.
I decided to do it about 20 minutes before it started, turned up and walked 8 miles in just over two hours. I was on course to finish in under two hours too… until my glucose dropped and I had to abandon the route, find a supermarket and buy some sweets to deal with a hypo.
About ten minutes lost to diabetes. During a diabetes walk. You couldn't really script it better.
So this year I'm making it a proper challenge.
On 27 September, I'm travelling down from Manchester and taking on the 10-mile London Bridges Wellness Walk with my cousin Arash, who's a doctor and lives in London. Then the following morning, I'm heading straight to Heathrow and flying to Toronto.
I'm walking for myself, for my brother-in-law Amir, who also lives with Type 1, and particularly for all the people living with diabetes who have a much harder time with it than I do.
I've been fortunate. I have access to the technology and insulin I need, I'm able to exercise, travel and live my life pretty normally. I don't take that for granted.
So if you'd like to sponsor our 10 miles, I'd really appreciate it. The money goes to Diabetes UK to support their work for people living with diabetes.
And this time, I'll be carrying the sweets with me.
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Last time, I gave myself 20 minutes' notice
Wednesday 16th Sep
This was the Manchester Diabetes UK Wellness Walk last year.
I decided to do it about 20 minutes before it started. No training, no preparation — unless walking Dex three times a day for the previous three and a half years counts as training.
Apparently, it does.
I ended up doing 8.07 miles in 2 hours and 3 minutes.
And I'm still slightly annoyed about those three minutes.
I was on track to finish in under two hours when, very appropriately for a diabetes walk, I had a hypo. I had to leave the route, find a supermarket, buy some sweets, wait for my glucose to come back up, and then carry on.
The most Type 1 way possible to lose ten minutes.
Looking back, that little detour is probably a pretty good example of why we called this year's team All the Extra Decisions.
The walking isn't necessarily the difficult bit. It's everything running quietly in the background: glucose levels, insulin on board, when you last ate, whether you need carbs, whether you can keep going.
This year I'm giving myself slightly more than 20 minutes' notice.
10 miles. London. 27 September.
And yes, I'm bringing the sweets with me this time.
Dex's training programme continues as normal. 🐕
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Good luck!