Finding Your 100% Today

Running With Type 1 Diabetes Is More Than Training

Most of us look at a training plan and think about pace, distance, recovery and whether we actually want to get out of bed.

Sofie Schunk has a few more things on the list.

Blood sugar. Insulin. Fueling. A CGM. A pump. And the constant decisions required to keep all of those things working together while she’s trying to do the same thing every other athlete wants to do: Run.

Sofie is an ultrarunner, coach and athlete living with Type 1 diabetes. During our Fireside Chat, she explained how easy it would be to avoid carbohydrates to keep blood sugar looking perfect.

There’s just one small fucking problem. You’re still an athlete. You still need fuel.

Sofie says exactly that while explaining why she wants other Type 1 athletes to learn from the failures and successes that shaped her own journey. fireside-chat-_-sofie-schunk-Se…

When 100% Changes

One moment from our conversation stuck with me. Sofie talked about finding her 100% on the day.

Sometimes that means running fast. Sometimes it means taking the dog out for an easy run.

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Neither One Makes You Less Of An Athlete

That’s something every endurance athlete can understand.

We’re really fucking good at comparing today’s body to yesterday’s body, somebody else’s Strava file or whatever number our watch decided represents our self-worth this morning.

Sofie’s experience makes listening to her body non-negotiable. But the lesson applies to the rest of us too.

Your body is giving you information. Are you actually listening?

The Person Comes Before The Training Plan

That may be what I enjoyed most about this conversation.

Sofie doesn’t coach a spreadsheet. She coaches a person.

That person has a job. Stress. Family. Fatigue. Goals. Good days. Shitty days. And sometimes a body that simply isn’t interested in cooperating.

The goal isn’t finding an excuse to stop. It’s understanding what you have available today and using it.

Sofie has raced at an extraordinarily high level while managing Type 1 diabetes, but that’s not what makes this conversation worth hearing.

It’s her willingness to say she doesn’t always get the balance right either. Because none of us do.

Listen to the full Fireside Chat and then ask yourself one question: What does my 100% look like today?

Listen On Apple Podcasts

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