Climbing High

Before I begin, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day!

Today I competed in the Manhattan Plaza Health Club rock climbing competition located in New York City on 43rd and 10th. I have been climbing for the past two and a half years and have competed in several competitions, mostly for fun and to satisfy my competitive side.

Starting at 1:30 today, 90 competitors from beginner to advanced, young and old put their strength and endurance to the test for the next three hours. The climbing gym is smaller than average being that it is in a confined part of the main gym which is housed in an apartment style high rise in NYC.

I started the climbing day feeling well, energized and I checked in with a blood sugar reading of 75 while having lunch an hour before the competition with my girlfriend. After a quick warm up I started to tackle the harder problems.

After a hour and a half, I felt a little tired so a short rest was in order. I supplemented my decreasing energy with a power bar which happened to be a disaster in the long run. This will teach me to test my BG level before eating anything of significant nutritional value.

I continued climbing for the next hour and a half slowly getting more and more irritated from the crowds, small spaces and inability to finish problems. My legs felt heavy and I didn't want to climb anymore. I decided to leave early with my girlfriend because of the way I felt and we needed to attend a Bar Mitzvah later that night.

We arrived at Grand Central by subway 15 minutes before our train was supposed to leave. "Do you have my water bottle?" I received a Sigg water bottle as part of my Valentines day gift. "No, is it in your backpack?" Thrashing through my bag I couldn't find the bottle. I must have left it at the gym.

I wanted to explode, scream out loud my anger. How could I lose something I had just received that morning? For some reason I couldn't handle this thought or mishap or whatever you want to call it. Sitting down on the train I pulled out my glucose monitor and tested my sugar level. 495.

It's funny how much an out of whack BG level can affect your mood and body. If I checked my sugar before eating that power bar earlier, I would have found out that I didn't need it. Maybe a shot of insulin instead, or nothing at all. I was able to manage the lowering of my glucose within the next hour by injecting myself with Apidra insulin. Another life lesson learned through a simple misstep.

Like this article? Have any questions or comments? Tell us what you're thinking by clicking on the "Comments" link below.