Beginning Taper

The Philadelphia Marathon is 3 weeks from yesterday. I'm ready, bring it!

I have some very exciting news to announce. I am a proud new member of Team Type 1, as I type there are 10 courageous Type 1 Diabetics on there way across the country. They started in Oceanside, CA on Thursday October 27th, and they hope to end on November 14th WORLD DIABETES DAY in New York City. That is 10 men 3,000 miles in less than 3 weeks! What we do is raise awareness for Diabetes, and show that with proper care and treatment, there are No Limitations. I'm very excited about what lies ahead.

I did participate in a 5k on October 22nd, and there is a reason I am just now mentioning it. It was ugly. The race was supposed to start at 8am, I met a friend down by the start at 7am to start our warmup. We did a couple of slow miles, and a couple of striders. Then we went back to the car to drop our warmup clothes. When we got back (at about 7:54) there was no one at the start line. We asked a few people who looked like race officials if we were at the start line, they laughed and said you missed the start. I was not happy, but we went anyways. My performance was terrible, hard to even know an official "chip" time because they only chip timed the finish, not the start. So, my official time was 24:xx. So I ran an almost 1 minute per mile pace SLOWER than my Half Marathon PR the week prior. I will get this 20 minute mark, and I hope to get it before 2012 comes.

On another note, I have my quarterly appointment with my Specialist. As always, I'm very excited to see Doc Parilo and his wonderful staff. I'm expecting a sub 6 A1C because this whole diabetes thing has gotten so much easier with all of the miles I'm logging.

Keep Running!

Race Report

In preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon I raced in the Columbus Half Marathon this past weekend. Coming into the weekend my Half PR was 1:35:28, my goal was anything better than this, but I kind of had 1:32:30 as a number I'd like to hit.

I got up at 4:30am to get "ready" for the race. I ate my pre-race PB&J, then drove down to the Arena District at around 6am to park the car near the finish. The start is very close to the Columbus Convention Center which is very convenient. I was able to stay warm in the Hyatt until about 7am. I then checked my BG 120 and ate my pre-race protein bar, and promptly started my warmup of approximately 1.5 miles.

I arrived in my corral at about 7:20 for perfect timing. I was able to get a couple of quick strides in, in front of the corral. Soon after the start I was a bit surprised to see a 3:05 pacer, but then quickly realized that is the new BQ time necessary for men younger than 35 years old. Mile 1 was 7:09, Mile 2 was 7:01, and the pace didn't feel comfortable, at this point was staying a little ahead of the pacer but felt too much pressure of the pacer and pack being on my butt. So around mile 3 I decided to fall behind them. Mile 3 was 7:03. It was somewhere around Mile 4 (7:15 ) that I started to settle into the pace. Mile 5 was 6:59, 6 @ 6:49, 7 was 7:14, 8 @ 7:01, 9 @ 6:49, I kept reminding myself to stay in the mile and not think about the end, but I was feeling pretty confident. Mile 10 was a little labored hence the 7:10 time, but I knew it would pass and at mile 11 I decided I'd push the pace. Which I did and clocked a 6:50. I was a little surprised by my mile12 pace 7:03 ( I thought it would be faster), and 13 was 6:53. I saw the clock was counting down to 1:32 and went into an all out sprint. The last tenth was about 31 seconds. I finished in 1:31:47 and I felt great at the finish.

If you would have told me a 2 years ago that I had this time in me, I'd have called you crazy. Now I'm thinking I have a sub 1:30 in me.

My BG when I got back to the car was 120, perfect!

I can't wait to run in the Beat the Pumpkin 5k in Cincinnati this Saturday. This is when I go for my first sub 20 5k. I now have the confidence that I can break through that mark.

Keep Running!

Running...The Perfect Drug!

It oftentimes annoys me when people find out I have Diabetes, and they say: "My uncle has diabetes". Then I ask a couple of questions, and come to find out that they're Type 2. I then explain the difference, but usually add in: "Type 2's have a choice, if they eat right and exercise, they can almost eliminate the disease, I don't, my pancreas no longer produces insulin". Now I know there are cases where they can exercise till the cows come home and eat right, and they still have the complications.

Type 2's aren't the only ones that can benefit from exercise. RIght now, I'm in the thick of marathon training. On Saturday, I had my best ever long run. 24 miles 3 hrs. 17 minutes, 27 seconds. The structure to this run was 30 minutes easy, 10 x (1 minute (about 7 minute pace) followed by 5 minutes easy), this was immediately followed by 5 x ( 1 mile pickups (about 7:20 pace) followed by 5 minutes easy). The run ended with about 45 minutes easy (around 8:15 pace). After finishing this run and feeling great, I was reflecting about how "easy" my diabetes has been recently. It's almost as if the more miles I run, the easier it is to control my BG's. I see my specialist every 3 months, and right now I'm about midway between appointments. A few weeks ago I purchased one of the At Home A1C kits, I thought it would be a good time to check. The result, 5.8, and this is with VERY FEW highs and lows.

Now I realize, there are certain cases where Type 1's or 2's can eat right, exercise, and it's still almost impossible. In most cases, I think that exercise and eating better can send you on your way to exceptional A1C's!

I'm hopeful that these great workouts of late will translate to some PR's in the coming weeks. The ultimate goal is the Marathon, and I've finally picked one. I'll be running the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20th. Leading up to this I'll also be running a couple of key races. The Columbus Half Marathon on October 16th, and the Beat the Pumpkin 5k in Cincinnati on October 22nd.

I don't want to end this post without giving a shoutout to Marcus Grimm, and the rest of the Team Type 1 athletes that will be running in the Chicago Marathon. I look forward to meeting these fine men and women soon. They are doing some amazing things!

I'm Ba-aaack

Now it will be interesting if anyone notices!

Since my last post in May of 2009 I've completed 3 marathons. The two immediately after The Flying Pig were Columbus (2009) and New York City (2010). The Flying Pig was a personal best on a difficult course, so I was confident I'd run a great race in Columbus. It wasn't my day. I ran a personal worst 3:48:55, then followed that up in NYC in 2010 with a new personal worst in 3:51:47. So after running my first three marathons and getting a personal best in each, I had these two subpar performances. Back to the drawing board I ran the 2011 Louisville Marathon, and did finish with a new PR, 3:29:38, not quite what I was shooting for, but a PR none-the-less.

I'm now working with the AMAZING Missy Foy, and per her recommendation I've signed up for 2 marathons in the fall, the Marine Corps Marathon and California International Marathon. I will only be running one of these, and that depends on when Missy and I think that I'm peaking. Missy is well known in Diabetic Running circles as she's the only diabetic I'm aware of that has qualified for the Olympic trials. She is amazing to work with and has helped me immensely.

On the diabetes front, thankfully not much has changed. My last A1C was 5.9, I've been recording my numbers on index cards recently, and I've noticed much more consistent numbers. I'm anxiously awaiting Medtronic's update on the sensor that has gained approval in the EU. I think I'm building up some pretty nice scar tissue in my abdomen from the harpoon like insertion for the current sensor. Here's to the FDA wrapping this one up quickly!

That is all for now, I'm going to try my best to update on a regular basis, please check back soon.

Flying Pig Marathon 2009

Race Day

I slept horrible and woke up at 3:45am, with a blood sugar reading of 67. I ate two English muffins with Peanut Butter & Jelly and took my normal Bolus minus the correction. At about 5:40 I left my house for the 1.5 mile walk to the start line. About half way there I checked my blood sugar 125, and I started eating a protein bar with about 24 carbs, and Bolused for half. I washed this down with a small bottle of water. I arrived at the start line around 6:00am, and I spoke to the 3:20 pacer then left for my visit to the Porta-Pot. Without getting into the specifics, this was my second “failure” of the day, and I would pay for this later. The temperature was in the mid 50’s and there was a very light drizzle. Even though 55 is a decent, I would have much preferred 45, especially after training in temps ranging from 0 – 55 degrees. The rain also added a touch of humidity to the air.

I arrived back to the start line around 6:27 with little time to spare. The first few miles were easy, but not as easy as they should have been. Around mile 5 my stomach started to rumble. Through 6.8 miles I was at an 8:02 pace. I was shooting for a 7:49 pace, which was fine because the hills were almost over. Unfortunately my stomach was still bothering me and I knew a Porta-Pot stop was inevitable. Around Mile 12 I finally gave in and stopped, I was in and out (of the Porta-Pot) in less than a minute, and felt much better.

I crossed the half-way point in 1:44:13, a little disappointing, but considering the circumstances, I was satisfied. I thought if my stomach would cooperate I could finish with a negative split. Unfortunately around the 15 mile mark, I started to feel the rumble again, and again I tried to put it off. Around mile 16 I started to feel nauseous / light headed, wasn't quite sure what was going on, so I decided to check my blood sugar. As I was running I pulled my meter out and continued going. My CGMS had me at 145 and the finger stick showed 180. This gave me peace of mind and the nausea passed. Unfortunately my stomach didn't cooperate and I succumbed to the Porta Pot at mile 18, unfortunately this stop was a little longer. When I came out, I saw that the 3:30:00 pacer had passed me by. The rest of the way I tried to reign him in, but I wasn’t able to close the distance. I finished in 3:30:20.

What I learned.

First off, it wasn’t my day. Next marathon, I’m going to eat the carb (heavy) meal 2 nights before the marathon, and eat something more “simple” the night before. I would like to get up and eat breakfast 4 hours before the marathon, but for a 6:30am start, that is awfully difficult. This was my third marathon. My first was the ‘07 Marine Corps 3:40:06, I didn’t know what to expect, and my biggest goal was to finish. My second was ’08 Chicago 3:35:06, and I think I would have fared much better if it weren’t for the dreaded heat. The Flying Pig Marathon was definitely the toughest course of the 3, and I did manage an almost 5 minute PR.

What’s to come?

I’m still very hungry and think that a BQ is definitely in my future. I have signed up for the Columbus Marathon on October 18^th. This will be a much “friendlier” course, and one that I think I will really enjoy. I don’t think it’s out of the question to shoot for a 3:20:00 or maybe even a 3:15:00, which the ladder would qualify me for the 2011 Boston Marathon. I'll keep trying till I get that "Perfect" day, where I get great weather, a great course, and I feel great.

Race Day Chart of Blood Sugars

Unfortunately I haven't been able to attach the PDF to this post, but during the race my number kept within the 100 - 190 range. Though I'm not happy with my race result, this control is VERY satisfying!

Taper Madness

I'm tapering...so I have many things to think about, which for me, is not good. On Saturday my "coach" asked me what my race plan was, which really got me thinking. My "goal" time is 3:20:00, my "stretch goal" is 3:18:00, and my "satisfied goal" is 3:25:00. I really feel like I'm trained well enough to run a 3:20:00, though there are SO many variables that can come into this. My plan is to run the first half in 1:42:30 (7:49 / mile). This will help me get through the hills which are for the most part, over at the 8.5 mile mark. Then I can gradually "step on the gas" and finish the second half in 1:37:30 (7:28 / mile). Diabetes "plan" during the Marathon I will carry 4 packs of Clif Shot Blocks with me out on the course, and I will give one pack to my girlfriend for an emergency. Race starts at 6:30, so I will be up at3:30-4 am to start my day. I want to get everything "taken care of" before I walk out my door at 5:30 (I live about 2 miles from the start). I will be carrying a meter and strips along with me, but do not plan on using them during the race, I rely soley on my CGMS . HEAT. I was starting to worry that we were going to skip Spring and go right into Summer. My Saturday morning run was miserable, and I've been watching the forecast rather close. The current forecast is showing a high of 70 and a low of 49, with a chance of showers. Not perfect, but close to ideal. In preparation for Sunday I'm trying to get to bed earlier, and trying to drink 100 oz. of water a day. Fall Marathon Unfortunately I was not chosen as a Global Hero for Medtronic. I really wanted to run the Twin Cities Marathon, but now I feel a bit of bitterness, and I'm looking at other options. If everything goes right this will be a BQ attmept, so I'd like to run a "fast" course. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Another caveat is that I want to run NYC, but just to enjoy the sights, I will not be racing NYC. So, I would like to have atleast a few weeks separation between NYC and my BQ attempt. Happy Running & Blood Sugars!

Catching Up!

I woke up Sunday morning (3/29) and went to 7am mass. It was bone dry and about 45F, perfect running weather. I come out of church at 8am and it's raining and gusty, Grrrrr! So being the borderline OCD person I am, I debate in my head for the next hour on what I should wear. I had shorts on, then I decided to put pants on (over top of the shorts mind you), with a long sleeve T and a vest. We parked downtown at about 9:30, and for whatever reason I didn't shed the pants and vest?? My plan was to split the race into 3 5k races getting progressively faster. Well, considering I was burning up after 1 mile, I had a disappointing race. It was a 15k, and I PR'd, with a time of 1:10:13 (a 7:32 pace), I was shooting for a 1:05:00 or so. We'll get 'em next year! On Thursday April 2nd, I had my quarterly appointment with Doctor Parilo. My A1C was 6.2, though I'm happy with that number, I know there is room for improvement. This may hurt me more than it helps me because when I'm not "perfect" it bothers me. I like to look at my CGM chart on my pump and see a straight line on about 105, unfortunately this doesn't happen much. I spent the usual 45 minutes with Doc Parilo, and talked about everything in my life, much more than Diabetes. One of the many reasons he is the best Doc out there, see Diabetic Queen, for confirmation on this! On Sunday April 5th I concluded my week with 53.38 miles. I hit a small blip there in early to mid March with a hip issue, but that seems to have subsided. I'm feeling pretty good. Here is a breakdown of my training for the week of 3/30. Monday - 6 miles Easy Tuesday - 3 x 2 mile at 7:20 - 7:25 pace Wednesday - OFF Thursday - 8 mile Tempo at GMP (7:35-7:40) Friday - OFF Saturday - 18 mile run wit miles 14-17 at GMP (7:35-7:40) Sunday - 8 miles Easy The key run of the week was the 8 tempo, and it went great!