My what is quickly becoming usual pre-dawn location:

Training Hours: Ride: 02:09
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: xx.xx units
Meal: 14.00u
Corr: 1.70u
Basal: 23.37u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 178g

As I headed over to the UNC Wellness Center after work, I set a temporary basal rate of a 60% reduction in preparation for a ride.  The weather has been warming up to normal temps, and everything frozen over has melted.  So it was once again the Chapel Hill Rain Loop that was to be our route.

Our?  I was fortunate enough to catch up my good friend Greg Smith who was down with going me on the wet, muddy, chilly ride (although he didn't wear gloves which made me nuts as my hands and feet were kinda cold).

We left the parking lot right at 17:30.  The ride was good and the company was great. I hadn't seen him in a while, so it was good to chat with him as we road (which made lots of mud end up in my mouth.  LOL!)

The hard things about training in this weather is that it stays very tough to keep up with the standard nutrition plan.  The performance bar was solid and the Nuun and maltodextrose mixed water was ice, ice cold.

I did fall behind, and ended up back at the car at 19:39 having taking in only a tooth damaging bit of a performance bar.

Greg and I came up with a crazy competition (to be completed sometime in the future) to see who could ride longer and farther with out ANY nutrition.  Now Chris at Endurance NEWTrition is dialing the phone as she reads this, I think it is a great idea.

Truthfully, a insulin dependent diabetic SHOULD have an advantage in a duel like that.  :)  Shhhh.  Don't tell Greg.  :)

BG when I got back to the car was an 80, and I bolused 3.75u to prevent the usual post ride BG spike.

When I finally went to bed, I did set an over night post ride temp basal of 80% for 6 hours.  This eliminates the over night lows that would occur following an early evening ride.

Just some strength training tomorrow, and then a 4hr ride both Sat and Sun.  Temps on those days will be 65 and 55 respectively.  Anyone in for an MTB ride?  :)

Training Hours:
Ride: 01:58
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 48.95x units
Meal: 16.45u
Corr: 7.45u
Basal: 25.05u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 217g

Training Hours: 
Ride: 02:44
Run: 00:00Other: 01:01

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 40.73 units
Meal: 14.30u
Corr: 4.10u
Basal: 22.33u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 176g

After spending the time with the boys going to the hardware store to purchase 2x4s and a 8x4 sheet of plywood for the train and electric slot car table, I set my basal rate to a 70% reduction at 13:03 in prep for the afternoon's training session.

Although Monday is typically a rest day, with the snow yesterday I wanted to make up the hours.

I arrived at the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont a tick before 14:00, and spend the next hour strength training with the focus on legs and core.  Had a fantastic session, and tried some new variations on old favorites.

I then climbed on the '10 Superfly and headed out to do the Chapel Hill rain loop - which today was covered with a mix of water, mud, slush, snow, and ice.

Got back to the truck at 17:44 with a BG of 105.  Not too shabby.

I still haven't gotten to ride the new Superfly yet, as this snow and frigid weather as kept me from working on the fit and positioning.  I have been looking at different options for wheels and tires though.  I think I might try a lite higher volume tire like a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 or something similar.

Not sure about wheels yet.  Would like to run another set of I9s, but might try a set of the Stan's ZTRs.  I do believe my rim of choice will be a Stan's Arch.  I have had great luck with those, and they are lite and strong.

Decisions, decisions....

Weather looks to be headed back to normal with highs in the 50s.  Hopefully, this snow and wet will leave soon so we can return to our normally scheduled program.  :)

A HUGE thank you to Jeff, Dave, and Ryan at Trek Bicycles of Raleigh for this early Christmas gift. I really cannot express how much I appreciate it.

Swapped to a temp longer stem just so I could go for a ride/race with J. :) I STILL can't beat him.

Hope to get sine quality time on it this weekend. Very quick first impressions:

The 2x10 drivetrain is so unbelievably sweet. Gear changes are instant, especially up front. I mean, they feel 3x faster then the X0 3x9 of last year.

X0 brakes are amazing. Feel more positive than the Elixer's of last year. Of course break to come.

Didn't ride it long. All next week off, and I can't WAIT!!

Hope to have it more setup (tubeless, diff tires, I9s, etc) by next week.















Integrated chain stay protector is a nice touch. Same as the carbon armor on the down tube. All the RXL lettering is blacked out - wheels, seatpost, stem, etc. The saddle looks like it might be a winner to. Similar to my Evolve road saddle I love.

It still always makes me so excited to get a bike. Nothing - NOTHING - better.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I have just submitted the required Letter of Intent to participate in the 2011 Tour Divide.  Although not posted  on the Tour Divide site yet, it reads as follows:

Since founding the Type1Rider organization in 2005 I have lived all aspects of my life as a Type 1 diabetic with the covers removed. I have transparently used endurance mountain bike racing and training to further my personal mission of raising awareness, promoting education, providing support, and fostering encouragement for all people affected by this relentless disease. During this time I have shared via posts and during speaking engagements all the highs and lows (literally), the victories and defeats, and everything I do, feel, and have learned about living with this disease since being diagnosed with it 34 years ago.

Over the past 20 months I have been quietly working with a tight knit group of supporters on the logistics of possibly competing in the Tour Divide as a pump wearing juvenile diabetic. While I know the challenges will be immense, there is no denying the rewards would be insurmountable. Participating in a race such as this would completely shatter all doubt surrounding any person living with diabetes.

Over the years I have spoken to 1000s of people affected by diabetes, and have witnessed first hand the terrible and deep running effects this disease has on individuals and families alike. All of their experiences are eerily similar - living with diabetes makes “control” sometimes seem unattainable and fear a constant companion.

My dream and focus is to foster an understanding that those affected can successfully live with this disease, to help people with diabetes conquer their fears, and to better manage the issues that it brings to our daily lives. To have them truly believe that diabetes is indeed manageable, and, with that, comes a world without personal limits.

In my mind, completing the Tour Divide would indeed make a historic diabetic statement, and prove to each and every diabetic out there that they do, indeed, have control. Every single pedal stroke and step I take along the 2745 mile route will be traveled with the other 24,000,000 Americans that have diabetes.

Of course an undertaking of this stature cannot be attempted without personal passion and conviction. This race is something I feel I have been, in one way or another, actually been preparing for my entire life. All of my experiences and interactions have led me down this path. While many view endurance races as opportunities to beat a field of other riders, it has always been to me much more about testing myself and beating this disease.

I do hereby state I will be lining up in Banff on June 10th, and, along with the band of other riders, and the spirit of TPG, competing in the 2011 Tour Divide.   

I am now ALL IN and an officially entered in the 2011 version of this event.  

Training Hours:
Ride: 02:56
Run: 00:00
Other: 01:13

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 39.30 units
Meal: 11.50u
Corr: 3.95u
Basal: 23.85u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 143g

It's been a couple of days since I have managed to get a post up. It's not been that I haven't been doing anything - it's just been between work, training, the upcoming Holiday season, and family events and parties, I just literally have not been able to find the time.  Besides the full work schedule the past week and a half, I have put in over 22 hours of training (even with the bad weather - more on that later), attended two school functions, dealt with school closings and delays, and gotten through MOST of my holiday preparations. 

A huge problem I have been dealing with lately is that my sleep patterns have been a wreck.  Some caused by being a little sick, some by stress, and other night's interrupted by "normal" stuff (i.e. children sick, bad dreams, etc).  This has been adding to the inability of mine to really be on top of things like normal.

The days have been flying by as we approach the end of the year.  There are so many things happening all at once.  I am normally very good at multitasking, but lately it seems the only thing is focus is the one I am concentrating on.  Everything else looks like blurs going by at 1,000mph.  To be truthful, it has been a little disconcerting. 

I feel pretty good that as we get through the end of this year, and put the extra load of the holidays behind us, things will get back to normal.  Or so I hope.  :)

The last week has seen some of the most bizzarre and unusual weather for us here in NC.  Weather.com has the normal temps for us in December at high 40s low 50s.  We have been settled in to low to mid 30s for about 10 days.  We even saw snow on 2 days in the past 10.  NOT NORMAL.  Of course for a lot of people in the country that is nothing - I know that.  However, we just don't experience that here very often.  I have spend a ton of time lately browsing the Craft and Pearl Izumi sites looking for more layers. 

Today I got up and early today to head over to the UNC Wellness Center to get through the scheduled 60 minutes of leg and core strength training.  My BG was at a perfect 93 when I was leaving the house.  I made a comment on twitter about needing coffee, which is always the case.  ;)

The workout felt great!  I can feel myself becoming more accustomed to strength training every other day, and getting into that groove.

I found one of the sweetest things as I headed back out to the car to head for home.  There was a little folded piece of paper under my windshield wiper, and in it was a gift certificate to a local coffee shop.  The note read "This is to help with your early morning training.  Go Type1Rider! -  Stacy (type 1) age 9 & her mom".  


I was completely floored.  Stacy - Thank you SO MUCH! You have no idea how much this gesture touched my heart. If your mom could sent me an email, I would like to contact both of your personally to say thanks.

After I got home, I moved prepared for Chris and Jay from Endurance NEWTrition to come by and pick up some baby furniture.  It was a little weird to see it go, as I have lots of memories with my boys and that furniture.  Those memories will stay with me forever though.  So excited for Chris!

I set my pump to a temp basal of a 60% reduction around 12:00, in preparation for a 3 hour ride starting 60 minutes later.  BG was a 177, so I just did a little trim bolus to try and get near my on bike target BG of 150.

All the trails near my house are closed due to all the ice, sleet, rain, and snow we have been having.  I figured I would just do today's training on the American Tobacco Trail, since it normally dries quickly and it would probably be almost empty do to the near freezing temp.

Well, at least I was right on 1 account.  It was almost empty.

I struggled a bit to stay on the normal hydration and carb intake schedule due to the cold and the mud/water spray.  I eventually ran out of clean spots of clothing to wipe the bottle off with, and with every bite of a performance bar I was treated to dirt. 

BGs were not ideal and hovered in the low 80s for the ride.  Near the end I was running out of gas, but I was able to arrive back home a little bit ahead of schedule.  BG was an 88 at the ride end, and I bolused 3.3u to prevent the normal BG surge.

Rest of the day was pretty normal.  BGs stayed in the 89-113 range, but did dip a little before bed.

I went to bed with an overnite post ride temp basal of 75%

On the bike again tomorrow... hey look, it's sleeting outside... great.  :)

It's been an interesting couple of days, for sure.  The weather here in central NC is abysmal - for North Carolina anyway.  The average high at this time of year in this part of the country is 53.  Today we got to 33.  Right now it's only 25.  Oh yeah, these are indeed in Fahrenheit.  Still paying that karma thing from last week.  :)

Due to the extreme cold, I have been mainly indoors at the UNC Wellness Center doing some strength training, or hitting the indoor track.  Fun?  No.  Warm? Yes.  Looks like temps get back to normal in a couple of days.  I  literally just don't have the arsenal of cold weather riding gear to deal with this day in and day out.  Yes, yes, I know my friend Nancy from Michigan will be all "we deal with those temp all the time.  Heck, that's practically the high in May!".  I can hear it now.  :)

In any case as I was running around the indoor track I got tired of counting all the concrete blocks, and my mind began to focus on Tour Divide issues that need solving.  One of the biggest facing me right now is how to store all of the extra diabetes supplies that I will need to carry.  The list is LONG:

• Spare pump
• 6 CGM transmitters
• 6-10mL of insulin
• 4 infusion sets (w/ tubing)
• 3 syringes
• 3 BG meters
• 100 test strips (2 canisters)
• Batteries for all devices

I contacted Eric at Revelate Designs to begin the processes of how to carry and protect these specific items.  I sent him a bunch of detailed information about each item, including weight, dimensions, etc.  My idea was to have him construct a "safe" inside one of his custom frame bag to carry these items.  Eric actually came up with a much easier solution - a Pelican Case. (He is definetly a LOT smarter than me, as that idea never occurred to me.  I even have these at work for laptops.  Duh.) 

So I think I am all set.  I just need to get a case or two of the approximate size I think I will need and see how the items fit.  Then I need to find the frame dimensions of a 17.5" 2011 Trek Superfly so I can get my orders in.  He has about an 8 week lead time, so I should be all good as long as I get this to him in a week or two.  

Oh yeah, and find some $$$.  Minor detail.  :)  

Given our weather here, maybe I should order the Pogies first?

The other thing that has come up on the Children With Diabetes message boards, is the question of the smell of insulin and wild animals.  Of course animals (like the bears routinely found on the Tour Divide) can smell insulin, the question is what does it smell like to them?  Food?  Repellent?  The Pelican case should prevent the smell of insulin from escaping, but I would like to get a little more insight into this.  For non diabetics, insulin basically smells like Band-Aids.  Sounds ridiculous, but that is what it smells like.

The last thought I had time to process was that of insulin survivability given the range of temps I could possibly encounter while doing the race.  I need to dig around a little more and discover the average temps along the route, both in low lying areas and at altitude.  I think I am going to be ok in terms of insulin and temps, but I need to confirm that.

Yeah, good idea.  

Hoping for warmer weather tomorrow and Thursday.  

Any chance?  Um, a little.  LOL!

Thinking and remembering all men and women who stand in harms way on this the 69th anniversary of the attach on Pearl Harbor.

Thank you all for all you have sacrificed for our freedom and our way of life.

Ride Hours: 01:52

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 44.94 units
Meal: 17.50u
Corr: 3.10u
Basal: 24.34u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 208g

Well, it must have the comment to my friend Nancy in Florida I made last week.  She mentioned that her window needed to be scraped in the morning.  So I went on, and on about getting her an ice scraper with a build in lined glove, with fake fur, blah, blah, blah, blah....

Karma is indeed still very active in the universe.

Afterward,  I started to prepare for a 14:00 mtb ride.  It was a little chilly out for sure (high of only 38 or so yesterday), but I was looking forward to it.  Activated a tmp basal of a 60% reduction at 13:10, and grabbed half a pb&j sandwhich.

Grabbed my cold weather gear and put in my bag, got the bike ready.  You know the usual.

There was ice on the windows in Florida last week.

So I left the UNC Wellness Center parking lot on the S'Fly at 14:25 with wet and heavy snow falling at a pretty good clip.  It wasn't to bad really, as riding in the snow is awesome fun.

By the time I got the 10 miles or so to the trails, I had a coating of snow on me, my helmet, my glasses, and the front of the bike.

For those in the colder winter climates, this is nothing.  However, we only saw the white stuff twice last winter.  This is pretty cool and exciting.

I stayed off the single track as the trails were wet, but had a really good time riding the double track, and the fire roads, and over the railroad trestle (although that was more sketch then I would have prefered).

When I popped back out onto the pavement to head home, I discovered just how wicked Karma can be.

Of course the snow had changed to a rain/sleet mix.  Air temp was down to just above freezing.  The roads had developed a nice 1/2-1" coating of very wet slush on the shoulder.

Were bikes usually travel.  I literally laughed out load.

By the time I was half way home, I was soaked to the bone every where except my upper body which was covered by this really fantastic Pearl Izumi soft shell jacket I just got as a birthday present a few weeks ago.

The water had frozen on my helmet, the outsides of my gloves, everywhere.  My shoes were filled with ice water.  I was freezing - literally.  :)

The screen on my pump wasn't very readable, but I did set my basal rate back to normal when I was about 25 minutes out from getting back to the Wellness Center.

When I got back I stripped out of all my wet clothes, basically all my clothes, got changed, and sat in the car laughing with the heat blasting.  At least the iPod worked the whole time today.  No HRM data though.  Go figure.

My BG was at an 83, and I bolused for 3.75u to prevent the normal post ride spike.  Was a little low on nutrition intake during the ride. 

When I went to bed I set a over night post ride temp basal rate of 75%.  Went a little lower on the basal rate tonight as I didn't take in much during or post ride.

Hey look... tomorrow is going to be sunny and 45 degrees.  You don't say.  LOL!

Ride Hours: 01:17 Ride Hours: 00:26

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 41.60 units
Meal: 9.90u
Corr: 6.60u
Basal: 25.10u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 154g

After work I headed home to get my prescribed daily dose of base training in. Wanted to be moving by 17:30.  As I was leaving work at 16:33 I could tell I was a bit high, but didn't get a chance to test for a few minutes.  Wasn't to worried, just figured I won't active the normal pre workout temp basal until closer to ride time.

When I finally did get a chance almost 50 minutes had gone by.   I was at a 240 at 17:20, and it was easy to see why.  Somehow between the end of my last meeting at 15:30 and now I had broken my infusion set down the middle.  Cracked the plastic completely in half, and it was being held "together" by the clip at the end of the tubing. 

Replaced infusion set, bolused 1.75u to take the edge off, and then headed out for my the ride portion of my workout without a temp basal set.  Original plan was to active a tmp rate 30 minutes after I began.

Got all my single leg and interval work in on the Superfly in the first 45 minutes, and was about 7 miles down the American Tabbaco Trail when I felt the front of the bike begin to feel sluggish.  Yup.  You guessed it... FLAT.

So I open the seat bag, and, duh... the tube and CO2 cartridge had been replaced by a bag of M&Ms.  That's not good.  At that point I noticed the rear tire was starting to deflate as well.  Hmmm..... definitely ran something over. 

So I road the bike back on the flats.  Just taking my time so as not to damage the rims.  No worries, it happens.

Got back to the house after 1:17 of pedaling.  Took a look at my HRM and discovered that it wasn't working.  Seriously?  I just put a new battery in it too... ok. Must be the cold.  No problem.  Just change to my running shoes and get the last part of this workout in. 

Just after lacing up my shoes my iPod went dead.  Laughable.

Got the run in just fine, and was happy to be home at 19:20 with a BG of 112.  I never did activate a temp rate, and took in no nutrition at all during the workout.  With the base level pace, the shorter length of the session, and the BG high at the start, I figured it wasn't necessary.  Got right on that one.

Cool thing about running through the neighborhood this time of year is the holiday decorations. Funny how some streets ALL the houses are done, and others NONE are done.

 

BG was pretty normal the rest of the night, w/ readings of 109 and 141. 

Went to bed without setting a tmp basal.  I think I got enough of a recovery meal in me, and, again, the base level of the workout should leave me ok in the morning.

This is Andrew, the son of a friend of mine.  He was diagnosed with Type 1 earlier this year just a few days before he turned 4.  His mom is one tough cookie, and, like all mom's of small Type 1 kids, spends her life worrying and caring for her son.  It is, as a lot of you already know first hand, a full time, around the clock job which she does completely by herself.  It takes it's toll.  Her reward for her solo tireless work, from what I can tell, is one happy, brave, completely normal little boy.

This young guy, like the SO MANY other children with Type 1, know of a life with infusion sets, ketones, injections, endless finger pricks, and insulin pumps.

Their parents are battle hardened individuals who have the scars of frustration, fear, and sleepless nights of dealing with the 'D'.  People I know and have spoken to like Jessica, Diane, Aaron, Claire, Melissa, Katie, and thousands of others are true silent heroes whom each and everyday are battling, at times, the complete unknown.

Both these young patients and their Warrior parents so inspire me.  I am in awe of what they do.

Andrew has been very sick lately, naturally causing his BGs to be way off, and he was admitted to the hospital for treatment today.  I wanted to personally let him and his mom Diane know that I and the entire DOC are thinking about them, and that I hope Andrew is feeling better very, very soon.

There is one person, like Andrew, diagnosed with diabetes every 21 seconds.  That's 4,320 people a DAY, everyday.

Without stop.

We need to work to find a cure.

We have a few more items in the Type1Rider store.

A little play on the Triathlon and Marathon theme with the Type1Rider logo on the front:

Type1Rider Tour Divide T-Shirt by type1rider
More Type1rider T-Shirts

Type1Rider logo hoodie with World Diabetes Day logo on the back:

Type1Rider WDD by type1rider
Browse other t-shirt designs made on zazzle.com

A couple of other new things out there as well.  Check them out and let me know what you think and if you have any items for Type1Rider store products.