Catching Up

I think Martin's look when I explained all of this week's happenings to him says it all...



The calendar this past week was packed with workouts and another sprint tri race – and as icing on the cake my pump failed on Wednesday after my morning run. Wasn’t too sore after the Chattanooga race, but it was nice to have a rest day Monday. Still felt decent on Tuesday though the weather in DC was pretty humid. Not sure what we did before the moisture wicking shirts – but I know I’m able to wring quite a bit of water out of mine after my morning runs this summer. Wednesday was scheduled to be a 8 mile run, which I completed, though wishing for most of the run that I had remembered to pack my hydration belt. When I got back the pump alarm started beeping – and a “button error” message was flashing on the screen. Called the 800 number for an explanation of the error – response was “have you been holding one of the buttons down for more than 3 minutes?” Didn’t take long for the “no, I’ve been running for the past hour and a half” response to be blurted out on my end. But the bad news was that the pump needed to be replaced (2nd time in 2 years).

So that caused a little shuffling in the morning, but having been through Cub Scouts many years ago I was prepared (thanks to the valuable lessons learned from my den mother – thanks mom!!) I was able to break out the syringes, cover breakfast and the short term with Humalog, call the doctor for a long-acting prescription and a few more syringes, have the pharmacy not check their messages so I could enjoy the interior of a downtown drug store for “just a few more minutes”, and play blood sugar pinball trying to get things adjusted for the next 36 hours. Fortunately the pump company was able to overnight a pump – however, it went to my house in Georgia, not the hotel in Virginia so it took an extra 12 hours to actually get hooked back up. Probably another hour to get all the settings configured they way they had been previously (all important temp basal to the % being one of the last). All in all not too bad – that is to say it could have been worse (like it was when I was in Canada and the pump quit working on a weekend – and they couldn’t ship anything there because I was coming back to the States).

Anyway, the new pump seems to be working fine. Did a group ride with some good cyclists (in my book anyway) on Saturday morning. Rode from the Fit2Tri (http://www.fit2triusa.com/) store in Gainesville for about 32 miles. Others took the 50 mile or 80 mile options. Some are training for IMFL in November. Several are tied into the Tri2Remember group (http://www.tri2remember.com/ - supporting finding a cure of Alzheimer’s) that I had dinner with in Chattanooga the previous weekend, however, most of those folks were about 15 miles away handing out bags for the sprint race the following day.

The sprint was in a “lake” – short, crowded swim in muddy water (water temp in the 80s) and again I found that I don’t like swimming in large crowds, but that’s why I keep doing these. Bike was a fairly level route on a 4 lane – very well handled by the local law enforcement community and I felt pretty good on the bike (passing many of those who managed to get through the swim more quickly than I did). And the run was around the “lake” – on a muddy trail with a never-ending hill. Not used to that type of course – but got through it. Overall time wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, but the race was better than the previous sprint. Another one coming up this weekend – this one in the N. Georgia mountains, with a little longer swim, a little hillier bike, and I’m sure a little hillier run. Hopefully the end result will not be a lot more time.

Also found out that I will get to try the Dexcom for a week to prove to the insurance company that I’m a worthy candidate. That starts next Friday – no race that weekend so it may be a little easier in some respects. Finally, looking forward to the visit from Blair and Alison next week as they continue their journey around the country documenting this year’s Triabetes team. For those who haven’t seen it – check http://www.triabetesmediaproject.wordpress.com/in a couple weeks to see my update.

Chattanooga Follow Up

Nicole decided that day number two of the Triathon trip would not be as exciting to report on - so I will finish, especially since she wasn't able to see parts of the race. But to thank her for being a good sport, a great helper (usually), and a good big sister, her picture post registration (without frozen lemonade) is included "posing" in front of the finish line - the other 2 people with her obviously enjoying the act.

The day started with about a 14 block ride from my hotel to the transition area. As I departed in the darkness about 5:30am with my bag over my shoulder, I saw several others coming from different hotels along the way, and we formed a nice little parade heading to the waterfront. Some with headlights, some with blinky red lights, some with no lights, some with a friend (or two), some clipped in - but all with a goal once the sun was up. As far as I know - I was the only one with an insulin pump.

Chattanooga was my first Olympic distance tri, and also the first where my pump would be removed and left a mile downstream in the transition area while a school bus carted me upstream to the swim start. Anyone who reads the Peanuts comic strip can probably relate to Linus without his blanket. Not a comfortable feeling but something I need to practice if I'll be swimming 2.4 miles. Swimmers were supposed to board the bus by number - I was #165 out of about 1400, and boarded the 3rd or fourth bus. Lesson learned - the by numbers thing is a myth - stay on the pump longer.

However, getting to transition early did give me a chance to set up the bike and place my gear appropriately, walk the area where we'd run in from the swim and the area where we'd head out to mount the bike, and do it all in reverse when finishing the bike and transitioning to the run. Several mental notes made (stay off the sand, who else is nearby and what color towels do they have, how many racks down). Bike helmet and glasses set on the socks, which were on top of the shoes, running shoes with race belt in between and hat on top. Towel down - gels out, water bottle with Hammer Heed in place - and one meter (the waterproof one) tucked safely away for T1 testing.

Boarded the bus and headed to the start as noted above. Got there too early and sat with meter #2 and a bottle of Humalog and a syringe waiting and testing as the start drew nearer. Saw several friends from the Tri2Remember team from Gainesville that I train with on occasion. Off the pump for an hour - saw the BGs rising into the 170s - did a 2nd low dose to cover that and the adreneline rush that I knew was coming and headed to the swim start area.

People line up on a huge practice field in numerical order. Groups of about 15-20 at a time were led to the river, sat on a dock and went into the water one at a time, feet first, had about 10 yards till the clock officially started, and then headed down river for a swim that was just shy of a mile. "River" usually makes me think current. And while it was rumored that there was one - I certainly couldn't seem to find it. Tried to stay away from the edge where the markers were (and the current supposedly was), and to avoid the panic attacks which have caused me some frustration in the past. Sure enough they did start - but I managed to get my mind focused on other things - kicking, longer strokes and pulling through. Not much of a crowd in the water due to the way the start was handled. Started to see some yellow caps (women) moving by at a fairly rapid pace after a while. Focus was on just getting to the end - and as the bridges approached I knew that was about to happen. For the last part of the swim I stayed fairly close to the dock overlooking the river - lots of people there watching, filming, taking pictures, and cheering. As I passed I wondered how slow I was really going (race results prove that it was slow) - and had lots of time to look at them because I was only breathing on the left side. Finally got to the end of the swim - a bit of a hard turn to the left (easier for me because I was already on that side) and a group of people in blue shirts helping swimmers get to the bottom step to get out of the water. From there up a long flight of steps surrounded by cheering spectators - and into transition. Water on the way in (not that I didn't drink enough in the river - but thought it might taste a bit better from a cup).

Pretty good T1 - meter on, helmet, socks, shoes on, test - in the 100s, gel, sunglasses and out. Of course I was on the far side of transition so I had a bit of running to do in the ever comfortable bike shoes - but I had walked it earlier so had it in mind as I was heading out. Off for a 26 mile ride - most of it on the interstate. As I was leaving I heard an announcement that the pros had hit the turnaround on the bike and were heading back - at least I'd get to see them in this race! And about 5 miles in I did see them, first one, then a few more, very smooth in aero position, peddling down hill - which of course meant I was peddling up hill on the opposite side. Passed a few people - was passed by a few people (mostly younger and looking more fit). But overall felt pretty good. Didn't push too hard and kept the heart rate down around 140 or lower. A few bumps in the road (imagine what you hear in your car when it thumps across the cracks in the road) which had me worried about popping a tire on several occasions. Lots of bike support vehicles and race officials scouring the course, and a few riders needing a new tube - but no serious injuries. It was also nice to be toward the front of the pack, knowing that others had a long way to go to catch up - though many of them had started well after I did.

Dismount - into T2 - bike gear off, running shoes on (need those Yankz laces in these shoes), where's the meter, number on, hat on, glasses back on - where's the meter? Oh, one of my rack mates appears to have been in a hurry (this is a qualifier for nationals afterall) and it's a couple yards down, out in the sun. So no gel, that goes in the waistband.

Let's see - I've had a frozen meter during a marathon which I was able to warm up in my hand - would reverse logic apply here - could I take the overheated meter with me and have it cool off? I put it into the pocket in the back of my race shirt so I won't have to carry it in my hand (or so I think). Jog out of transition onto the street, make the first turn, hear the meter hitting the street behind me, say a few things to myself that won't be repeated here, hoping it isn't damaged and head onward for my last hour of fun in the sun. Decide to try the meter again after about a mile. It works (but it's a pain to carry - think of it as running with a double thick cell phone in hand for 6 miles). BG is in the low 100s - gel is in my stomach - water is available every mile - ice cold towel is available at miles 2 and 5. Sun and heat are starting to slow people down - including me. I find a group to follow (yes we walked a bit). One of them is a deaf triathlete according to what is says on her lower back. Finally back to the last 1/2 mile or so. Pick up the pace - just not much left in the tank. I try to sprint to the finish - a 20 year old catches me and easily passes - maybe he can try again when he's my age - see how he feels then!

Post race goodies are great - BBQ, pizza, beer, diet coke - all good things for a diabetic to have (OK, maybe not - but I try them anyway!!) Back out into the heat to find the family - which ends up being easier than I thought it would. On my way I see an older gentleman who I passed during the run - the number 81 on the back of his left calf. An 81 year old finishing this race - amazing!! I thought I had seen it all last year when I saw the guy who I'd read about at a race. He had never done a tri until he retired in his 60s and was still going strong 15 years later. Someone shouted "good job" to which he replied - "job, haven't had one of those in 15 years!"

All in all a decent race for me - time is a bit higher than I had hoped, but practice is what I really wanted from this race and I got what I needed. BGs stayed in the 100s till the end when they dipped into the 70s post race. Ready to do this one again next year. Any other Triabetes folks want to make this a regional event?

And as for Nicole - she got another frozen lemonade - went for a swim with me in the hotel pool and took a nap on the ride back to Atlanta. Pics will be posted at some point so the rest of the support team (Jolanta and Martin) are visible too. Yes, the life of a 10 year old...

Nicole's View of Triathlon - Registration Day

IThis weekend's update is provided by my 10 year old daughter Nicole, who is attending her first triathlon at the Chattanooga Waterfront Olympic distance tri). As a viewer and novice blogger I would think in the title you would have to twist the words a little bit.

So my view of the triathlon is that there are a whole bunch of tents and booths set up right by a river, with a fountain a ways away, that has a whole bunch of people by it, watching some other guys going around trying to get the stuff they need (swim caps, numbers, etc.) They've got food too! My favorite is the frozen lemonade (but there are other flavors as well).

I like the hotel a lot and it has a nice outdoor pool that we didn't get to go in (yet). I also like the elevator that has a view of the outside and is made of glass - so we can see "stuff". I'm looking forward to getting up tomorrow morning to have breakfast and watch dad's race (more of the first than the second - and they have a Cold Stone near transition - MMMMM).

Happy Birthday USA

Made the annual run down Peachtree Road this morning along with 54,999 other people. Was fortunate (fast??) enough to have a group C corral start, so I didn't have to wait for an hour after the start to actually cross the starting line (only 11 minutes). Finished in under an hour - which I was happy with due to being a bit under the weather for the past few days.

Had a chance to connect with Will Cross - a fellow Allegheny College alum - earlier this week (http://www.diabetic.friendsinhighplaces.org/more-will-cross). Completing an Ironman seems to be a small task when compared to the "events" he has completed (7 Peaks and both Poles). Amazing stories and an inspiration to many (old and young), whether they have diabetes or not. If you ever have the opportunity to hear his story - take advantage of it!

Finally, just a note to those who may read this and don't already know, but we have some great folks leading the way at iD - Peter, Nate, and John. Can't say enough about how these 3 "unique personalities" (sorry I couldn't come up with a more "Nate-like" phrasing here John) work so well together to keep things moving behind the scenes with their outreach and recruiting efforts. Looking forward to more great things for iD in the future.

Happy Birthday USA!

A Day at the Races

Was hoping this would be a good one to start the season (first sprint tri of the year) - however, that's not the case. In thinking about what needs to change next time (pretty much everything) - I've determined I can cut at least half, if not all, of the time off that would have enabled me to reach my goal for this race.

Things to work on, set up, another couple minutes to rethink transition instead of rushing through it and I would have already had the pump on 50% for the duration of the event rather than remembering that about a mile into the bike leg and having to balance the bike and reduce basal (heard a lot of on your left for some reason during that time). And since I'm setting records for transition speed (or slowness) - item #2 on the list would be having the monitor ready to go - and practicing more with it. Since sprint event #1 a year ago, where I went through about half a bottle of test strips because it was raining, my hands were wet, and as a result the strips were wet (the meter doesn't like that) I did get a self contained unit (strips inside so you don't have to touch them) - but haven't practiced with it enough (note to self - perfect practice makes perfect).

Warm up - what warm up? The water was 86 degrees - isn't that warm enough? Again pressed for time - need to get in the water and swim a bit (even though it was a bit "murky"). Final thought - the nice people in the boats are there for the racers safety - however, I don't wish to stop and see them again. At the start HR was about 35 BPM higher than normal. Also decided to start in the middle of the pack as most people had spread out single file down the shore line. Did alright on the first 200 (of 600 yards) - rounded the bouy, and then I don't know what happened. Lost my rhythm, lost my mojo, had a panic attack seeing the pink swim caps catching up, whatever, but couldn't seem to relax. Headed to the boat at 400 and waited till the HR was below 160 - then finished it out - but by that time there was no catching up to the rest of the green caps. In practice HR is usually in the 140s at tops. Speaking of caps - need to practice with one of those on too.

As noted - transition needs to change - one more question in a sprint tri for a diabetic is to sock, or not to sock? I prefer to avoid potential blisters - but maybe trying it without socks (after practicing this way of course) would help - I can't afford to have double the transition time (twice) in a short race? And for the run - got a pair of Yankz Saturday afternoon. Actually was happy with the bike time, not overly satisfied with the run, but (final lesson of the day) - didn't know what I was getting into before I did it. At least I wasn't last in my age group.

And for icing on the cake - BGs were in the 200s (not where I like them) for both the bike and the run. Morals of the story - practice the way you're going to play (how many times have I said that as a coach?) Learn from your mistakes. Remember there is a bigger goal in mind next May.

And as a PS - congrats to Coach Ed Leibowitz (Triabetes coach) on completing IM CDA Saturday. Lots to learn from the resources we have available - hope this helps someone along the way as well. Next up is a 10k on the 4th of July (with 50,000 friends in the Peachtree Road Race) - then an Oly in Chattenooga on July 11th. In the meantime working on the things that can be improved...May is still a long way off.

End of a Long Week

Had a decent week of workouts (until today - maybe Sunday's don't like me for some reason). Wednesday I spent over 2 hours on a stationary bike - not a pleasant experience - probably lost 5 lbs. of water weight on that one - but stable blood sugars (I've been experimenting with various types of breakfast bar and following some other guidance from Coach Ed L.)

Thursday was a good 7 miler on the streets of Alexandria, VA - not too hot, not too humid. A bit of knee pain toward the end - but overall a good workout. Friday as a swimming day (Sunday should have been) and I continued to slowly progress in terms of stroke strength and breathing technique/capability. Hopefully I'll be good to go this coming weekend when I have to do 600 in a lake at one of the state parks (sprint tri #1 for the season).

Saturday was the Jackson County Brevet - a ride to benefit those with Aplastic Anemia. For a first time event they had pretty good attendance - about 500 from what I was told. I opted for the short (35 mile) course - though many others did the 65 and 100 mile routes. Everyone was together for the first 14 miles - after that the groups thinned out and I was able to use my brakes less. Was chased by 2 stray dogs (wondered how that was going to work out if they actually caught me and I was still "clipped in") - saw a llama (or something similar) in someone's front yard (we're talking rural Georgia here - and no, I didn't spike the water bottle). Overall a nice ride - roads were in better shape than some of other areas I've ridden - no traffic - and they were less hilly.

Sunday I learned yet another lesson (I see Bart Simpson writing this on the blackboard for me primarily because that's something he does, and I'm too tired to do it) "I will not do my long distance runs in the middle of the afternoon". It was 94 - humidity not too bad - decided a nice 3 mile loop - somewhat shady - would be in order for the day. Mistake. Felt like I was carrying a ton of bricks the entire time (adding another ton each time around). And this was supposed to be a day to keep the HR in Zone 1 - it was there about the time I walked to the back of the car - should have stopped at that point.

Early mornings from now on if at all possible. Looking forward to the day off (from training) tomorrow, and of course my "later" flight to DC (leaving at 7:25 instead of an hour earlier - get to sleep in!!).

Enjoyable trip home

So much for the wish for low humidity - 88% on Sunday, but at least the temps were in the 70s. Actually had a very nice run early Saturday on the Montour Trail - fairly close to the Pittsburgh Airport (for anyone ever travelling in that area) http://www.montourtrail.org. It's a railroad bed that's been converted to a multi-use trail - nice flat run along a creek, below the hills that surround the area. Did an out and back loop - saw a few people on bikes, a running group moving at a decent clip, some walkers and even someone out reading.

Sunday was sort of a trip down memory lane - I ran in my hometown of Titusville, PA. Most of the run was on the streets (some that need repaving work done in a few places) of the town where I grew up. Many of the Facebook friends I have grew up in homes along the route - was thinking about that along the way. Ran most of the old Charity Classic route (a 10k that was held while I was growing up) and through Drake Well Park (world's first oil well over 150 years ago now) and ended up still being able to run up Spruce Street Hill (it seemed much easier when I was in my teens) to finish up. A quick weekend visit but some quality running time - and with good blood sugars this weekend!