Crawling out of my Cave

Not sure if anyone will even notice, but this is my first post since my Chicago Marathon report. I've been running, but I feel like I don't have anything blog worthy. Then I started thinking, my blog is my thoughts, it doesn't really matter if anyone is out there reading it. If you are....Bonus! This week I started my 20 week training program for the Flying Pig Marathon. I've run the 1/2 Pig twice, and I'm very excited to tackle the Full. I've decided to use the Hanson's for my training guidance. I'm very excited to work with the Program that Luke Humphrey has set forward. I'm shooting for a 3:20:00 at this year's Pig, with the ultimate goal of running Boston in either 2010 or 2011. This WILL happen! I'm going to try to update more often. On the Diabetes side, not much has changed. I'm really looking forward to something new from Medtronic, as they haven't really had much new in the last year.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Thursday - Travel

We left Thursday night, and got to Hotel 71 on E. Wacker and Michigan at about 10:30 local time. Not much going on, so we hit the sack almost immediately.

Friday

Got up around 8 am, and went out for a short little jaunt, we ended up doing 3.75 miles. After the run Amanda went up to the room and showered, while I got us coffee at Starbucks, and a pastry. After I showered quickly we headed out to meet my sister Betsy for lunch at COSI. We were then off to the Expo, I was actually a bit disappointed, my favorite shoe maker (Adidas) was inexplicably not in attendance. Asics and Nike had quite the setup, and I did purchase a few things, but not near as much as last year at the Marine Corps Marathon. The highlight of the expo had to be seeing that Bart Yasso was set up at the Runners World booth, and I stopped in to talk to him. I met him at the Flying Pig expo and bought his book My Life on the Run. This book is about, well, just what is says, his life on the run. He has run many, many marathons, ultra's, and other kind of races. I told him that I met him in Cincinnati earlier in the year when I bought his book, and that I absolutely LOVED it. I started to walk away, but then I asked him if he had any recommendations for Sunday (because of the heat). He said, indeed I do, then went on to tell me to buy a sponge, soak it with water at all of the water stops, and use it to keep me cool. He also said to get a bandana and keep it nice and wet throughout the marathon. I did both of these things, and I must say, Thank God for Bart! We then left the expo and headed for Michigan Avenue and did some shopping. We had an early dinner reservation at LaScrolla where I loaded up on the carbs.  I wanted to load up on the carbs on Friday night because it's difficult to control my blood sugar after eating spaghetti. After this we went to Bin 36 where we met up with Erika, Kyle, Britt, and Marc. Meeting them is by far the best thing to come out of my short "blogging life". We had a great time over a few glasses of wine, and I hope to be able to do it again some time. As we were finishing up with them my Sister and her new boyfriend walked in with my Parents and we had a drink with them. Total for the night I think I had 3 glasses of wine and 1/2 a beer, which was a little more than what I was planning on. Saturday

We slept in, when I first got up, I inserted my new sensor so that it could be calibrated and working great on Sunday.  I'll get back to this one later, as I was doing this, Amanda went for a run, and I waited, and waited, and waited on her.  She got back and I asked her how it was, she said it was F*$#@*^ HOT. This was when I started to tinker with the idea of not running and waiting till Columbus next weekend. We ate lunch at the Corner Bakery (LOVE IT). Then, you guessed it, more shopping. This was cut short for Amanda though as I told her I had to get off of my feet and I wanted to watch the Buckeyes. We met up with my sisters, and Mom at ESPNZone and watched the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The game was pretty uneventful, but a Buckeye win nonetheless. We left hear and attended mass at Holy Name Cathedral, beautiful church, wonderful priest, GREAT Mass.  We then met my family and had a wonderful dinner before calling it a night.  

I didn't mention this earlier but on 3 occasions during the day, I lost the signal on my Glucose Sensor.  This is not a good thing, and if it happened during the day doing nothing, it would probably happen during the marathon.  Unfortunately, it was in my buttocks, this is the easiest, least painful site, but it seems to be the site where I always get a "weak" signal.  After dinner, I inserted a new sensor, this was at about 10pm.  I knew that I'd have to get up in the middle of the night to Calibrate, but no biggie.  In the meantime, I put my number on my shirt, and set out all of my stuff.  At about 11pm, I received a lovely "Sensor Error", and I started to freak out.  I cleared the error, and hoped that it would not cause a problem.  Luckily, an hour later, it asked for a BG reading. In the clear!

Sunday

I woke up at about 4:50am, 5 minutes before my alarm.  To say I was excited would be an understatement.  I really wanted to run this race!  I ate a blueberry bagel (that I got at Corner Bakery the day before), I drank 2 cups of coffee (to aid my GI issues), and ate a Southbeach diet bar that was absolutely phenomenal (I picked this one up at a Seven Eleven store, I think, but I need to get more of these).  

The Race

My goal was anything under 3:30:00.  When I walked out of the hotel room on Sunday morning to meet Craig (my brother-in-law), I knew this probably wasn't possible.  It was about 64F and I didn't feel the least bit of chill in the air.  The thought of scrapping the marathon snuck into my head again, and I quickly dispelled it because I was SOOO excited to run through this beautiful city.  When I ran the Marine Corps Marathon last year, I pretty much enjoyed every minute of the race.  During this race, I never really felt that comfortable out on the course.  The crowd support was amazing.  In the first 5 miles I saw my Mom, Dad, Amanda, Darrin, Kim, Stacey and the kids on 2 different occasions.  I did catch myself smiling on a number of occasions early on because the crowd support, not to mention the chills that all of the people caused.

At about mile 18, we lost the "shade" that came from the buildings and trees early on in the course.  As the sun beat down on me, I could feel my energy drying up.  I was able to keep running, and I gutted out the last 8 miles.  I feel very strong that the reason I was able to finish was due to my new friend Bart Yasso.  Yes, I hydrated very well in the week leading up to the marathon, but in order to get through those conditions, I needed to keep as cool as possible during the race.  At mile 25 I saw Amanda, Darrin, & Kim, who by the way were amazing!  They also helped me get through these extremely difficult conditions.

My splits were M1 = 6:36, M2 = 8:03, M3 = 8:08, M4 = 7:37, M5 = 7:39, M6 = 8:07, M7 = 7:56, M8 = 7:31, M9 = 8:00, M10 = 7:59, M11 = 8:00, M12 = 7:50, M13 = 7:43, Half = 1:44:011, M14 = 8:00, M15 = 8:04, M16 = 7:58, M17 = 8:03, M18 = 7:55, M19 = 8:22, M20 = 8:30, M21 = 8:21, M22 = 8:20, M23 = 8:47, M24 = 8:56, M25 = 8:48, M26 = 9:06, M26.56 = 4:39.  My garmin showed 26.56 which is probably closer to what I ran, b/c I obviously didn't run the "marathon line".  

To those who didn't "finish"

I realize that there are only a few people who actually read this blog, and I think those 2 people ran in the marathon.  We are all living a marathon and we are not "finished" yet, THANK GOD for that!  There will be many, many more races, I think it's safe to say, we're all disappointed in the conditions we were dealt on Sunday.  We have to remember, at least we're still able to be in the Race!

Less Than 1 week

The second I finished the Marine Corps Marathon (my first marathon), I stated that I couldn't wait to run another.  I am SO extremely excited to start this race, I can barely contain myself.  

This Marathon is also going to be a very much needed vacation.  Amanda and I are leaving after work on Thursday and not coming back till Monday.  

I have followed this McMillan Training plan exactly to the T.  On Saturday I ran 12 miles, with the last 6 at 7:20 pace.  This left me feeling really, really good, hence really, really excited.

See you in Chicago!

5 weeks out

I completed my second 20 miler this past weekend.  I ran it by myself, because the group I typically run with was only doing 13.  It went ok.  I wasn't thinking and didn't eat anything before the run, I think this is what caused my stomach problems around mile 13.  These persisted for the next 7 miles.  

I'm feeling pretty good about my training, I did have some stiffness in my quad's and hamstrings during my run on Saturday.  I'm hoping that my new purchase will help alleviate this tightness.  Steve over at Phedippidations turned me onto this, and after using it one time, I really think I'm going to like it.  There are 3 different tools that you use to "manipulate" the muscles in your leg, this "manipulation" helps keep the elasticity in the muscles.  This benefits every muscle in the body, and I'm looking for it to pay huge dividends in my training.  

This past week I logged my biggest week ever, a grand total of 45.76 miles.  All systems are GO!

I think I'll have a really good idea of where I stand after Thursday's 10 x 800m Yasso workout.  

Did I mention, I think I'm getting a puppy?  I put a deposit down on a Chocolate Goldendoodle.  I'll post pics as soon as I have them.   

JDRF a VERY Special Cause

For the 5 or so people that read my blog, if you haven't yet, PLEASE consider donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  It means SO much to me, with your help, maybe some day my blog will be called "Ran Thru Diabetes".  I've been involved in the JDRF for the last 4 years, last year my team raised a little over $9,800.00, I really want to reach that $10,000.00 mark.  

Please, Please, Please, if you haven't yet donated to the JDRF, visit my JDRF Site and Donate.  To see how close I am to my goal click here.

Any amount is GREATLY appreciated, if we all give a little we can make a huge difference.  

Near Tragedy...Not Really "Tragedy"..but I was pretty bummed.

Saturday, the stars seemed to be aligned.  I was doing my longest run (16 miles) since training for the Marine Corps Marathon last year, and the temp was about58 F when I was to start my run at 6:30.  Well, because my  blood sugar was too high, I delayed my start till 8, which turned into 8:30, because I couldn't get my sh!t together.  

Still, at 8:30 it was EXTREMELY comfortable for any time of the year, let alone the "Dog Days" of August.  So, it started out well, felt great.  At about the the 3 mile mark I felt "something" in the top of my right foot, it was a dull pain, but it caught my attention.  It came and went, lasted about 30 seconds.  At about the 7 mile mark it reared it's head again, then at the 11 mile mark was the last time.  I have 4 close friends who have had stress fractures in the last 4 months.  I convinced myself that I had one.  I called Amanda, and she came to pick me up.  So, being me, I went to the 2 running stores in Cincinnati and talked to about 4 or 5 different experienced runners.  The prevailing theme was that I should take off the rest of Saturday, and Sunday.  Most were pretty noncommittal but a few thought that it was just a sock or lacing issue.

This morning I called my Podiatrist first thing, and they got me in at 8:45.  First thing he said was that it doesn't sound like a Stress Fracture, I breathed a sigh of relief, but still wasn't convinced.  The X-Rays confirmed what the Doc had told me, it was a small bone spur that he said could eventually become an issue, but I should be fine for a good while.  

 So tonight, with a little trepidation, I went out for a 5 mile run.  I felt AWESOME.  Great feeling, I'm very relieved.  

Charlie, Erika, I'm happy to say I'll still be seeing you in the Windy City!

Diabetes.......

Well, I had my quarterly appointment with my Endo ( er Internal Medicine Doc.).  By the way, I LOVE Doc. Parilo, he is THE man, and I hope I never see another Doc. for my diabetes. 

 I have some "weird" stuff going on with my body / diabetes right now.  I'm closing in on 10 years with diabetes, the first 9 have been pretty predictable.  Meaning, I count my carbs, take my insulin and have a blood sugar that is fairly predictable.  I have recently been experiencing MANY unpredictables (if that's a word).  Especially in the evening, if I eat late, let's say, 75g carbs, fairly fattening, at about 8pm (normal BS, let's say 105).  I'll bolus my normal 8.5 units.  I'll go to bed at 65 (11pm)  and eat some carbs (Red Vine licorice is my carb of choice right now).  Set my alarm for 2am, and check at 145, do not bolus.  Alarm on CGMS goes off at 3am over 200 bolus 2 units, alarm goes off at 4am 255.  Bolus 3 units.  This is becoming WAY to common.  

My A1C at my appointment last Thursday was 6.4, one might say: this is good.  Well, I'm riding the rollercoaster, and I'm not liking it.  I have been consistently under 6.0, with very steady blood sugars.  On this rollercoaster I'm riding I'l go from 41 to 260 in 1 hour.  My Doc has set me up with an appt. with the Medtronic Nurse to go over my Basal and Bolus testing, I pray that this is the problem.  I feel like I'm doing everything right, I could probably be a little more disciplined in what I eat, but right now, I don't want to. If this "testing" doesn't work, I will do what I have to.  I am determined to live my life with diabetes, as I don't have diabetes, BUT, I don't want to deal with any of the complications, and I know this takes discipline.  

I'll get to my running tomorrow, things are going well, except for this DAMNED humidity. 

Hot, Hot, Hot & NYC here I come

I guess I've been so spoiled by the mild weather this summer I forgot what heat and humidity can do to you. It was about 84 F and Humid!  The plan was to warmup and do 8 x 2.5 minute Fartlek's with a 1.5 minute rest interval, then a 20 minute cool down.  I completed the workout, but I struggled.  I have yet to look at my times, no need to, they weren't good.  The important thing is that I got the workout in! 7.5 miles to be exact.  

Amanda (my lady) and I, found out over a month ago that we were both "accepted" into the NYC 1/2 marathon on July 27th.  We've been debating on wether or not we were going to run in it.  Well, this past weekend we booked the flights to NYC!  We cannot wait!  I booked the hotel rooms today, so we're all set.  It will be a fine tune up for Chicago.  If anyone out there has run the Nike NYC 1/2 please let me know your thoughts, I hope it's not too warm.

Garmin 405 Technology Review 2

Now that I have almost 2 months under my belt with the new Garmin 405, I can give a more thorough review.

This thing ROCKS! It's smaller, lighter, more accurate, and last but not least, it's A LOT easier to use. On the 305, I had issues with the charge contacts on back corroding. They have eliminated this possibility by sinking these holes into the watch and having a clip like charger. It's really cool, but hard to explain. This is a definite improvement.

Before I get into this, if you are new to the Garmin 405 check out the training videos on the Garmin Website. These are very helpful. Most definitely the coolest thing about it is the training setups you can do. This will teach you many of the nuances of the 405, and they're adding things weekly to help us learn how to use this wonderful tool. If you're in to this like I am, it's also very easy to just play around and figure it out. , I use the interval mode a lot. Here's one example. When I go out for Yasso 800's, I click on the Menu, Click Training, Workouts, Interval, then you choose if you want this workout to be gauged by time or distance (for Yasso's I click distance), then choose the distance (.50 miles), then rest type, I choose distance (.25), then choose how many reps (8), then it asks about a warmup and a cooldown (I choose yes). This takes all of about 1 minute to set up.

I have used the Virtual training partner, but I haven't fallen in love with this yet. It's kind of hard for me to tell if I'm ahead or behind, I have to look really close to be able to tell. I can see this being a nice feature, especially in a 5k or 10k race. I have gotten over the sensitivity of the bezel, it takes a little getting used to, but once you do, it's really not an issue.

Now, the complaints, my biggest complaint is that the ANT agent is still not compatible with Mac's. They say this is coming in the Fall, so I'm going to hold them to it. Luckily, I have access to a PC where I can download my information. I do have issue with the watch not giving detailed Heart Rate information. I can only get my Average Heart Rate by downloading my information to the PC, then I have to look at the Heart Rate statistics. I've notice when I'm sweating a lot, if sweat drips on the bezel it gets a little crazy beepy. Hopefully this doesn't cause problems when I really start dripping this summer.

Overall, to me, this watch is a major upgrade. In defense of the 305, I never really used the training features, but I think that's because it was too complicated. This is a very nice tool to help in training no matter what the distance.

Is it really June?

WOW! I went for a track workout tonight at 6pm, and boy did I enjoy it.  The temp was about 70 F and there was a nice cool breeze blowing.  It is almost July, right?

I'm into my 4th week of a 20 week training program for the Chicago Marathon.  I have to say it's going pretty well.  Last year I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and started my training in early July.  My knee started bothering me that first week, and stayed with me up until about February of this year.  

Back to my training. Last week in the heat, I did Yasso 800's, and my goal time was 3:20.  My best time was a 3:26, and I only managed to do 6 of them.  Tonight, I did 8 of them, with my fastest being at 3:18, slowest at 3:28, but most of them right at 3:20.  I felt really good, and it gave me the confidence that I need to reach my Marathon Goal of 3:20 -3:25. 

I also want to throw a shout out to my friend Charlie for all of his encouragement.  Look for my more in depth review of the Garmin 405, I'll give you a hint:  I LOVE IT!

On the Diabetes front: As I increase my mileage, I've noticed that my blood sugars have been much better.  I noticed that Jamie over at DR has stated the same thing.  This just proves what we've always known, EXERCISE IS GOOD!  I also wanted to mention a new "Diabetic Runner Friend" Erika, check out her amazing blog.  

We can all learn a little from each other.  Keep exercising, and keep them sugars steady! 

Training Programs

I bit the bullet and decided to buy one of Greg McMillan's personal training program.  I bought the 20 week program, and I will start my training for the Chicago Marathon on this coming monday, Memorial Day.  My overall health is pretty good, definitely better than I felt going in to training last year for the Marine Corps Marathon.  I'm changing my training up a bit this year.  Last year I used a modified version of the FIRST method, where I only ran 3 times a week and complemented that with 2 days of cross training.  I expect to be running 5 days a week and logging approximately 15 - 20 miles more a week.  It's exciting to get started towards a new goal!

I ran in the Flying Pig Half Marathon on Sunday. I PR'd by almost 7 minutes, but I really didn't have that good of a race. My stomach bothered me almost the whole race, and at the six mile mark I had to take a "pit stop" at the Porta-pot. I'm guessing this took about 2 minutes, and it just wasn't my day. As the day went on it got worse. After the race I ate half a banana, a small bag of potato chips, half a blueberry bagel, and just about anything I could get my hands on. I bolused for everything, and when I got home we had brunch. My blood sugar steadily rose, once it got to 300, I checked my infusion site. Somehow my infusion set had twisted off, but was still "attached". The reason I know this is I pulled it right off (without twisting) and there was insulin on my fingers. Not knowing how long it had been disconnected I bolused 11 units to try and cover me. It was a little too late, my blood sugar kept going up, topping out at 489. I did not throw up, but I felt HORRIBLE. This has only happened to me one other time, which resulted in me vomiting. Definitely NOT a pleasant experience.

I would love to hear any recommendations anyone has on how to "unload" before a race. This is something I've struggled with and it was bound to bite me sooner or later.

Technology Review

I received my new Garmin 405 via UPS Next Day Air on Thursday.  I have used the Garmin 305 for over a year now, and other than the bulkiness, I really like it.  The 405 is going to take a little time to get used to, and I think I'm really going to like it.  First, I'll give you the positives: The most obvious improvement is the size of the watch, you no longer look like you have a microwave oven strapped to your wrist.  Second, the touch bezel makes it much easier to navigate through the menus, which is VERY nice.  Because of the touch bezel, it makes it much easier to go from screen to screen, all you have to do is touch the bezel and it will jump to the next screen.  On each screen you can view up to 3 different "statistics", and you can set up 4 of these screens.   Another major improvement is the start /stop and lap / reset functions are now like a stop watch.  On the previous model I often hit the wrong button and didn't record all of m run.  

The only real negative I have with the watch will probably come with using it.  It's the sensitivity of the bezel.  As much as I stated that I like the bezel, it can also cause some problems.  You may be deep into one menu, then you accidentally touch the bezel and it takes you out of that menu and into another.  The only other complaint I have is the software is not Mac compatible yet, though Garmin is working on it.  I have trouble settling on specific screens, so if anyone has any recommendations for good things to watch while you're running, I'd love to hear.  

On the Diabetes front, I just received the good news that my sensors for my CGMS will now be covered by my insurance. If you haven't pushed you Doctor to write you a letter of medical necessity, I would recommend it.  I have been paying for these out of pocket for a year and half, it's not till I called Medtronic to see what they could do, they called my Doc, and within a few weeks they gave me the good news.  

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been neglecting my blog, mostly because I've been pretty busy with work and travels, but also because I don't feel like I have anything interesting to say.  Then I thought, that's crazy, and I looked up the definition of a blog which states: A website in which an individual or group of individuals produces an ongoing narrative.  So I think, I don't have a blog if it's not ongoing, here I go! 

CONGRATULATIONS to Steve Runner at Phidippidations on completing the Boston Marathon, I know that someday soon Steve will break the 4 hour mark. I myself am striving to Qualify for the Boston Marathon.  If you haven't listened to his podcast, do yourself a favor and download an episode, he is EXCELLENT, and it's really like running with someone else.  

Now, on to me, If anyone out there has any recommendations how I can improve my tempo runs, I'm begging you, PLEASE HELP.  I ran my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:40:07, and I have to get to a 3:10:59, in order to qualify. I feel pretty confident I can get to a 3:30, possibly even a 3:25 this year in Chicago.  Mostly because I now have a Marathon under my belt, but also because the course is a little easier, and I feel I'm in better shape.  I do have a little over 5 months till the marathon, and I feel like there is plenty of time to improve.  

I also would be remiss if I didn't throw a big shout out to Jamie over at Diabetic Runner, I absolutely love his blog.  His creativity is awesome, and his content is second to none.  A fellow Diabetic Runner who truly embraces his Diabetes and doesn't let it stop him from doing ANYTHING!  If you haven't joined his Diabetic Runner 1000 or 500, do so NOW.

While I'm rambling, I want to see if anyone can tell me the etiquette when it comes to putting a link to someone else's blog on your "blog roll"? Steve Runner mentioned a blog called Got Lactate and I found it very interesting.  I just thought I'd pass this on, but I wanted to know from fellow bloggers if I should ask the Lactate Man if it's ok to link to his Blog?  

Balancing Carbs and Boluses(pre, during, and post), with Running

Jamie over at Diabetic Runner touched recently on bolusing post run.  Tonight, I ran 9 miles.  Before my run I tested my BS and it read 105, so as I always do before a run, I ate a Protein Bar with 31g Carbs.  At about mile mile 5, my CGMS read 94 so I ate 3 Cliff Shot Bloks.  From this point on my CGMS showed readings between 94 and 130, and when I got home I checked my BS and it read 127.  At this point I bolused 2 Units, and then ate dinner which was about 40g Carbs. This is a tricky scenario, that can sometimes be a tough juggling act.  I do think it's important to eat something that is low in fat as high fat foods can cause more problems (for me).

P.R. (I love saying those 2 letters!)

I ran in the 31st 15K HEART MINI MARATHON today.  This is the 4th consecutive year I've run this event, and my 4th consecutive PR.  Today I ran in 1:11:16.  Some day I would like to break 1 hour, but that is a few years away, just as my Boston Qualifier is a year or 2 away.  

I've been experiencing much better BG levels recently too.  I've been watching my diet a little closer, and as I've always know, diet is the key!

Frustration with Infusion Sets & Glucose Sensors

My love / hate relationship with all of this new Diabetes technology.   I absolutely love how much easier the Pump and CGMS have made my life with Diabetes.  There is no doubt because of this wonderful company, I will live a longer, happier, healthier life.   I do have some issues though.  

#1. I'm a pretty lean person and I don't have a whole lot of spots where I can put the infusion set, and / or CGMS.  I usually resort to my abdomen, and my back near the "love handles".  This leads me to 

#2. I think I'm starting to develop some scar tissue in some of these areas which leads to poor absorption.

#3. I realize the Sensor is very "new" technology and the people I talk to at Medtronic refer to it as the "model T" of sensor technology.  In 2 years these sensors will probably be amazingly different than now.  My problem is that I started a new sensor yesterday, I was very stable when I calibrated, and everything seemed to be fine.  Well, about 3 hours later, my CGMS reading was about 134, and my finger-stick was 255.  This usually doesn't happen with the sensors, but when these rare occurrences happen, it is VERY frustrating.  I think it makes it worse that I pay $35 per sensor.  

#4. Doing the Basal testing SUCKS! It's even worse for us runners.  If I want to do testing, I have to take a day off. I'm in dire need of doing testing, but it's sooo hard to get it in.  

Ok, I think I'm done venting, if anyone has any recommendations.  Please let me know. 

Six Word Memoir

I have been "tagged" by Jamie over at the Diabetic Runner, to come up with a Six Word Memoir that best describes me and my life.  Here are the rules. 

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you'd like.

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.

4. Tag at least five more blogs with links. 

5. And don't forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.  

After much deliberation and thinking on an 8 mile run, here is what I came up with:

Passionate Diabetic-Runner, Scared Dream Chaser.

Pump Support Group Meetings

My friends make fun of me when I say I'm going to a Pump Support Group Meeting, they say "is that like AA?"  If you're a Diabetic, whether you're on the pump or not, I would HIGHLY recommend going to one.  I go to the meetings in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Sidney, Ohio.  You can learn a lot at these, and it really is interesting talking to other Diabetics about how they deal with certain situations.  

As for last nights meeting, Medtronic spoke about their CGMS.  Since I've been on it for 18 months it's not that exciting to me anymore.   Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I was hoping to hear about a smaller, less invasive sensor, or a new feature.  Unfortunately no new news.  The coolest thing I heard last night was more an insurance issue.  The Doctor who runs the group is getting almost all of his patients CGMS covered by insurance.  I'm still paying out of pocket, so this is great!

DREADMILL (I stole this from Steve Runner)

Well, it's raining HARD, word is, cats and dogs are coming down tomorrow.  I've never really talked to other people about this, but running on the Dreadmill is HARD.  I can normally run a 6 mile run around 8 minute miles or faster.  I really struggled to keep it around 8:30's.  On a positive note regarding the Dreadmill.  They're doing some pretty cool things with those machines.  I'm sure many companies are doing this, but it's the first I've seen.  The treadmill has a USB port in it, and when your workout is over, you just push the button about the USB and save the workout to the USB drive.  I will then use this information to log my workout on Buckeye Outdoors. 

Check back tomorrow, I'm going to a Pump Support Group meeting, and they're talking about the Continuous Glucose Monitor.  Hopefully I'll have some neat new stuff to report.  

Diabetic Runner

If you're reading my blog, you're probably a diabetic and a runner.  You may have stumbled upon my website from a link from the original Diabetic Runner Jamie.  He is a new friend of mine in this new and exciting world I'm joining.  I absolutely love reading about other Diabetics stories, and also hearing about other Runners stories.  When you put the two of them together, I can read all night.  

I only have one body, I have Diabetes, there is nothing I can do about this.  I have to live with it.  Running is just one thing that makes life with Diabetes easier.  If I didn't have Diabetes, I don't think I would be running.  For this I am Thankful!

New Shoes

So I'm a shoe / apparel whore.  Being a runner and a diabetic, shoes are VERY important.  I have found a shoe the Adidas Adistar Control 5 that works very well for me.  I have been on a mission to find another shoe to rotate in with the Adistar Control.  I can think of about 10 different shoes that I have tried, and I think I've finally found the answer.  Tonight I ran in the Nike Air Equalon +2, the ride was very cushioned, and my feet felt great.  I have noticed after just a few miles in the other shoes a discomfort in different areas of my feet.  One thing I did notice in the Air Equalon was a tightness in my groin and achilles after the run.  I did extra stretching after the run, but this is something I'll have to monitor before I decide to keep these shoes or not.  

Along with me being a shoe / apparel whore, I'm kind of the same with technology.  What I'm getting at is I'm a very big fan of the Medtronic Continuous Glucose Monitor and the Garmin 305.  The CGM assists me so much on my runs, but make no mistake about it, you still have to check your blood sugars with a finger-stick because it is not exact.  My blood sugar to start the run was 114, with that I took 3 shot bloks.  After 4.5 miles I checked my blood sugar and it was 121, I then took 3 more shot bloks and set out for another 4.5.  About 2 miles in I looked down at the CGM (138) so I took 3 more bloks.  When I finished I did a fingerstick and ckecked out at 118.  

If anyone has any ideas on the sore achilles and groin please help.  As for now I'm chalking it up to soreness from the cold weather.  

Icey Rain

Well, I thought I was going to get a run in today.  Mother Nature definitely did not.  It started raining at about 9am this morning, and from that point on it got colder and colder.  The end result is a lot of branches down all over town, and ice all over the place.  

There aren't too many times that the weather will keep me inside, but today it was just too cold and too wet.  I decided to do a quick weight workout and then got on the elliptical and watched my disappointing Buckeyes, who are now in overtime.

I started a new Blood Glucose sensor today, and there is a little bit of pain at the site, but not near as bad as last week when I had to remove the sensor.  As I stated yesterday, I'm ready to start watching more closely what I'm eating, as I'm having too many unexplained highs.  If anyone has any tips on how to make this blog better, please advise.  

Back from Vacation

Ok, so we got back from our ski trip on Thursday the 28th.  I ran 8 miles that night and felt pretty good.  My plan was to take  Friday off, and run 12 on Saturday.  Well, that didn't go as planned.  I felt like crap after 5.5 miles, and Amanda picked me up.  I decided to run on Sunday, and it didn't go much better, though I did get 10 miles in.

After the vacation, I have decided that I'm going to think longer and harder about what I eat.  I've been having WAY too many highs for my liking.  In order to cut down on these, I feel like I have to start watching what I eat. On days where my blood sugars are way out of whack, I eat a lot more carbs.  I'm going to see how it goes by cutting down on my carbohydrates.  I would like to keep my exercise up, especially on the elliptical, I feel like it is really good for my blood sugars.  

I'm going to try to post on a daily basis, even though I'm not happy with the format of this blog.  

Starting Out

I've been wanting to do this for months. So, Here it goes.  

As I have time, I'm going to chronicle my life with diabetes, and how I have begun taking better care of myself.  Diabetes has changed my life in so many ways, as has running.  Hopefully in a couple of weeks, maybe months, I'll be up to present day.

I was diagnosed with diabetes in September of 1999.  Initially I thought I was dying, when I found out it was "just" diabetes, I was relieved.  If diabetes is not taken seriously, it can be a very debilitating disease.  I'm a Type 1 diabetic, meaning I'm insulin dependent (my body no longer produces insulin).  Most diabetics in the world are Type 2, which means their bodies resist the insulin that their bodies create.

I often tell people that I feel that me contracting diabetes has been a blessing.  Having to deal with the complexities of this disease has caused me to take better care of myself, and I think it will allow me to live a longer life.