Training Hours:
Ride: 03:31
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:56

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 35.69 units
Meal: 8.60u
Corr: 4.20u
Basal: 22.89u
Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 144g

This weekend was scheduled to the HILT, so all activities were slammed together back to back to back.  The weather was perfect however, and you just got to put your head down and get it done.  :

At 08:15 I tested the BG and was sitting at a 60.  I needed to get started with my strength work before 09:00 and on the bike by 09:45.  Since I was at a "sub-optimum" (like that tag) number I went ahead and set a temp basal rate of 1 60% reduction at this time.

My thought was the shorter more intense resistance session combined with the 30 minute earlier setting of the temp basal would lead me to a more acceptable ride start BG.  I didn't take in any carbs at this time.

I finished up a decent workout, got changed, and headed out on the bike at 09:47.  Last thing I did was re-test and I was at a 100.

That worked perfectly.

With the trail conditions in question, and all single track still closed, I just took the 2010 Superfly and road 2 loops of the tradition Chapel Hill Wet Trail Rain Loop (can't help but think of Marcee when riding here).

I stayed true on the normal ride nutrition today since I was a little lower this morning.  20oz of water mixed with my custom blend of Nuun and Maltodextrose per hour, and 25cG via a perfomance bar product.

While riding on Mt. Bolus Road (nope not kidding), a road I have used a TON, I noticed a fairly big bamboo field.

It looked like I was riding in the Pacific somewhere.  There were pretty large for NC.  I think. Maybe it's normal, but I was amazed.

I saw this on and IN the ground. I can only hope it is a bamboo root.  Or its an extraterrestrial life form.  Either way - looks scary.  :)

Got back to the truck at 13:15 and tested right at the on bike target of 150.  I did do a post ride bolus of 4.2u to correct the 150 and prevent the normal post long ride BG spike.

Sometimes, you just have to keep choppin away no matter what.  The ride and the training day turned out pretty well, even though it didn't look that way at 08:15 this morning.  :)

I set the normal post ride over night temp basal of 75% when I hit the hay.

Just got in from checking the mail, and, to my complete surprise, I have a family portrait from a young Type 1 named Andrew.  Not only can he create art like this, at the age of 4 he is also pretty astute at handling his pump and his diabetes.  These little guys and gals have to deal with a TON more than they should have to.

I wanted to share the drawing, and publicly thank my friend Andrew VERY MUCH for sending it.

I cannot express how much this picture and the accompanying letter and notes means to me.  A true gift and treasure!

See ya soon Andrew!  Thanks again!! :)

Training Hours:
Ride: 03:27
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:00 

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 39.40 units
Meal: 15.00u
Corr: 0.30u
Basal: 24.10u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 188g

The word for the day today is COLD.  COLD.  I could just end this blog post here.

I headed out at Lake Crabtree County Park at 14:11 on the Singlespeed after setting my temp basal to a 60% reduction an hour earlier.  I don't usually head out this way to ride as it is a little bit of car trip, however it was the only singletrack that was open within 30 mins of home.

The air temp at the start was 30 degrees.  That would be as warm as it would get.

Everything was pretty toasty,  save for my fingers.  20 minutes and they were ice cubes.  I barely managed to get in 2 hours before I decided the trainer (indoors) would be smarter.  Something my good friend Cricket had already figured out.  :)  When I got off the Superfly SS I tweeted "POPSICLE".

When I got back to the car to make basal adjustments, the screen on my pump was barely visible due to the cold.  Also, the meter needed to be warmed up via the car heat in order for it to not report an error.  Funny.

Took me about 25 minutes to transition from outside at LCCP to spinning on the trainer.  Spend another 1.5(ish) riding inside.

On the bike nutrition was a mess today.  The performance bars I was trying to use outside where frozen like rocks, and my water in my bottle had frozen over a bit.

I know a lot of you ride in regions a lot colder than here, no doubt.  I'm probably just getting old, and us here in North Carolina just deal with 95F and 99% humidity better than winter.  LOL!

When I went to bed I did set the standard overnite post ride temp basal of 75%.

Hoping tomorrow is warmer, maybe into the 40s even, which should make the whole day more enjoyable.

Training Hours:
Ride: 02:08
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 39.54 units
Meal: 16.70u
Corr: 0.30u
Basal: 22.54u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 188g

After what seems like an eternity of CRAZY weather here in North Carolina, we finally hit a spell of seasonable temps.  It was 60 and sunny today, and I couldn't wait for work to end so I could head out for a ride.  I set a temp basal rate of a 60% reduction at 16:16 in preparation for a ride start about an hour later.

I brought the new Superfly with me today, as I have only been on it for about an hour so far.  Figured today's near spring like weather was as good of a chance as any.  :)

Ride started with a BG of 90, and I was planning on putting in about 2 hours on the hills around Chapel Hill.  The trails are still shutdown and soupy, so no dirt for a while I'm afraid.  Even the double track and the traditional wet weather loop is too muddy to ride.  I mean could you ride on it, of course.  Should you ride on it, um, no. That's a whole other subject I'm afraid..... :)

I felt great on the bike today.  Not sure if it was the weather, the new ride, or my music selection, but it was a perfect day in the saddle.  The bike needs some fit tweaks, but it is oh so close to perfect.

On the last single legged climb up MLK Blvd today, a rider with no lights and dark clothes was headed down the hill on the wrong side of the road.  I only saw him at the last possible second, and had to squeeze between him and the city bus stop sign.  I didn't quite make it through, and the driveside chainstay scraped on the sign post.  I didn't look at it until I got home, but there are some good scratches on the frame for sure.

I guess it is now officially broken in and in service!!  ;)

While on the ride I took in 20oz of Nuun infused water, and one 40gC performance bar (half for each hour).  For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to use less nutrition while riding in anticipation of Tour Divide in June.  This is giving my an opportunity to test different BG control techniques by using different basal rates, and controlling output to specific ranges.  So far it has been going very well, but I haven't been able to nail it down just yet.

I was back at the car at 19:22 with a BG of 78.  No ideal by any stretch as I was really pushing the limited nutrition for the amount I was working today, but not the end of the world either.  :)  I set the basal rate back to normal, and did take a 2.5u bolus to ward off the usual post ride blood glucose spike.

That worked perfectly as my BG was 95 at 21:53. I'll take it!

Looking forward it's just about time to get into longer hours of saddle time again.  The weather has been a major factor here, but in the next couple of weeks it should be a viable option.  I am making plans to be able to head to the mountains here 3 weekends a month for loaded rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  That should be able to begin the first weekend in March.

One of the big issues I'm facing right now is that I am seriously running out of funds for travel and race fees, and, since I taking 5 weeks away from work this year, I am basically out of days I can take off.  This is going to make it hard to do 3 day weekends, and get away for races.  It is what it is.

When I went to bed, I did set a typical post ride over nite temp basal rate of 75%.

At lunch today I was finally able to create the template of the Superfly frame for Eric at Revelate Designs.  The template is required to construct the custom frame bag I will be using on the Tour Divide.  I will overnight this, plus the order form, to him tomorrow, and hopefully we will be good to go.

It doesn't look like much now.  In fact, it looks TINY.  But it fits like a glove in the main triangle of my bike.

The weather today is sunny and near 60!  Normal temps at last! Trails are still indeed wet, but I will be taking the Superfly out for a while tonight for some road hill repeat work.  Maybe the trails will be dry by this weekend?

Please... oh please!  :)

Image via Wikipedia

Had a good trip to Charlotte today to participate in the JDRF Charlotte Chapter Family Fun Day event at the Time Warner Cable Arena.  I had spoken to the staff at this chapter about helping out at a few of their events, and they were gracious enough to invite me down to speak at this one.

My original plan was to try to get some riding in in the Charlotte area before the event, but their weather, like ours, had all the local trails closed.  I was able to get to the arena fairly early and meet some of the tremendous staff and volunteers they have there.  It was so inspiring and invigorating to hear their stories, and experience just how dedicated the JDRF staff is here.  (Hi Lynne!)

The program started at 15:00, and I went ahead and set my "Nervous" temp basal rate of 60% a little before 14:00.  My BGs where spot on all day, but I didn't think I would get a chance to eat lunch between arriving and speaking.  PLUS, when I am nervous my BGs do trend downwards.  So better safe then sorry.  :)

I was to speak for 10-15 minutes at the new parents and first time Walk Event meeting, and then quickly go upstairs to the venue's Kid's Zone to speak with the children.  I was amazed to learn that 600 people RSVP'd for this event.  WOW! (Hence the afore mentioned temp basal - LOL).

Even with the staggering number of attendees, the event went off without a hitch.  Laura Maciag, the Director of the Charlotte chapter, and Sally Langan deserve a HUGE congratulations for doing such a fantastic job on this affair!! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it!!!

It was a special allowance to start be having the opportunity to be talking with the individuals that have minimum experience with Type 1 or with the JDRF Walk program.  I actually was able to stay within my time limit (can you believe it??), and, I hope, still be able to get my message across.

Once done I rushed upstairs to the arena's Kid Zone to speak with the children and parents in attendance.  I grabbed this shot before the program started, and the scene was intimidating.  :)   The people to the left and the right of the this view were as densely populated.

All the younger folks sat in a circle, and I spoke with them from the middle.  I saw some faces I recognized from the mountain bike clinics, which made me very happy!

I would be amiss not mention how great this group was.  The asked AMAZING questions, and almost 100% of them said all their friends knew they were Type 1.  They all also played at least one sport, and all had spare supplied and fast acting carbs with them.

I was just blown away.  A tribute to the education and outreach programs available down in this area.  Impressive.

After finishing up, it was time for the attendees to go watch the Checker's play a hockey game.   I quickly set my basal rate back to normal.

During this time I signed some autographs (such an unexpected flattering pleasure - thank you so much for affording me the time) and was able to answer some 1 on 1 questions for 30 or 40  minutes.

I left the arena and road over to Brixx Pizza to meet two Tour Divide veterans for a bit.  My friend Cricket and Stephen Huddle met with me to talk training, equipment, and share some TD tails.  It was SO great to see Cricket and for these guys to take time to meet me while I was in town.  (It just so happened Stephen was in town for work, so I got lucky).

Left town and headed for home just after 19:30.

I felt VERY blessed to be able to attend and participate in this event.  It is so amazing to meet these young T1s and hear what they say.

I learn something every single time.  These kids ROCK!!!

What I'm doing right now...





What are you doing???? ;)

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Training Hours:
Ride: 01:48
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:58

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 38.91 units
Meal: 9.70u
Corr: 5.00u
Basal: 24.21u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 149g

Although the plan was to go easy and rest this weekend, I thought with the impending snow/ice "Apocalypse" on Tues and Wed of this week it would be prudent to do as much work as possible this weekend.  Of course the weather and trail conditions made that process less then perfect, I did get some quality work in today.  (When I say work, I actually mean, "play time").

I set a temp basal rate of 60% right at 11:00 in the hopes of being in the bike by noon, following some weight training.

I fell a little behind, and only arrived at the UNC Wellness Center at 11:10 or so.  Although I wanted to rush out and ride the new Superfly, I did get in a very high quality hour of upper body strength work.

This delayed me slightly to getting on the bike, but I was still all suited up for sub freezing temps and pedaling at the Lake Crabtree trail system by 12:40 or so.

It was VERY difficult to get in ANY nutrition during the ride.  It was only about 20 minutes in when the top of my water bottle was frozen over.  Added to that, the performance bar I was carrying was frozen solid. I could have driven nails with it.  :)  With this in mind, I set my temp rate back a little more to a 70% reduction.

The ride was varied paced as I did stop to make small adjustments in the fit of the new Superfly every once and a while.  So it was a full out sprint for 20 mins, followed by a 3 min stop.  Spring for 15 minutes, stop for 2 minutes.  Etc....

I must say, I had my mind COMPLETELY BLOWN by how utterly fantastic that new Superfly is.  I have racing on a Superfly hard tail since 2009, and this new one is simply perfect.  Especially since I have yet to break it in, dial it to my liking, and get the fit spot on.  WOW.  Just an impressive bicycle.

First time riding the 2x10 drivetrain as well.  Also very, very cool and a perfect match for the 29 inch wheels on this bike.

I love this bike!!

Now if the weather would just co-operate and let stuff dry... my guess?  3-4 weeks out.  :)

As I passed the 1 hour mark on the trails, I set my basal rate back to the 100% normal.

I got to the end of the ride, and my BG was a 149.  PERFECT!!

I did an end of ride 4u bolus to intercept the normal post ride BG spike.

Later on in the afternoon we had a great birthday party for my 3 year old.  A very good day!

Lots of things are in work!  Had a very positive meeting on Friday that put a great relationship in place for '11-'12.  It is something I had been hoping for, and something I am very proud to work with and towards.

Looking forward to getting a few more items done in the next 30 days.  At that time, we will be heading to the North Carolina mountains weekly for  multi day rides and mountain training.  Too bad I still need to work, huh?  :)  LOL!

150 days left until the start of Tour Divide.  Wow, that is making me break out in a cold sweat.  :)

I appreciate all the kind emails and messages!!  I look forward to meeting some of you next weekend in Charlotte at the JDRF Family Event!

Thanks Again!!

Build out phase 1 complete. Taking it out today for a couple of hours for our first ride together. :)

New hoops and tires are in route, and I haven't set this set up tubeless yet. Where did I put those spare 29er tubes....

Thanks so much again to Trek Bicycles of Raleigh, Crankbrothers, and Trek Bicycles.

Carbor armor underneath:











First though, a little bit of strength training.... An excuse to let the temp come up 5 more degrees. :)

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Don't like the North Carolina weather?? Wait 10 minutes....

Spent the day chasing 42 degrees and sunny to 28 and snowing like mad... ugh!!

Ended up with 2.5 hours on the trainer. Hopefully out tomorrow even though I see, gulp, a morning temp of 20?!?!




It's been a busy week, with a successful meeting with the JDRF, a partial build up of the 2011 Superfly, a "battle" with Ricki Lake, and the official release of the first edition of the Tour Divide start list.

Just a tick over a month until the start of the '11 race season. I've been putting in some quality (although weather limited) training, and I'm looking forward to getting on with it.

LOTS more to do in a short time, and the heads down training and prep for Tour Divide which is just 152 days away.

Time is going to FLY!!! :)

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Some information about the annual Charlotte Chapter JDRF Family Fun Day with the Charlotte Checkers I will be attending. Lot of families and fun in store at this event!


I hope to see you there!

Training Hours:
Ride: 04:09
Run: 00:00
Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 40.08 units
Meal: 12.50u
Corr: 5.45u
Basal: 22.13u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 241g

The weather here in NC continues to be "challenging" in terms of precipitation, and temps.  It was much, much warmer today, near 65, and ALL the iced over rain and snow on the ground melted during the rain over the past 12 hours.  Everything, everything, is soaked.  I would be the local single track is going to remain closed until February.  :)

I figured I would put time on the 2010 Superfly on the Chapel Hill wet trail rain loop, and the double track at Chapel Hill North.  I set my basal rate to a 60% reduction a bit before noon, and was headed out with just leg/arm warmers and a light bast layer at 12:45pm from the UNC Wellness Center.

The plan was to meet our friend Karla, and her "Christmas Present" Trek WSD X-Caliber 29er for a maiden ride, at 13:15-13:30 near the tracks by the Unity Church.  Karla is a tri-athlete at heart, whom was looking to spent more time on the mountain bike.  She had one, but after a 29er preaching by yours truly, she has converted.  Another one one on the "Dark Side".  :)  I even got her to ride over the train tressel on that new bike.  (Um, maybe I wasn't supposed to mention that for Tracy's sake?).

he ride was pretty good, but the all the double track was extremely wet and muddy.  It was odd as it was all "surface mud", but it was flying everywhere.  Again, so singletrack was injured during today's ride.  ALL double track (that cars and town utility vehicles can use) and fire roads.

I tried to really limit my nutrition on the bike today, as part of a new experimental period to figure out exactly how little intake I can use during Tour Divide and how to manipulate the pump to achieve that goal.  So, today, over the 4 hour ride I consumed only 50g of carbs.  I ended up with a basal rate of 85% reduction for the final 3 hours on the bike.

It worked VERY well, as my BG ended up at 112 at 17:00.  The post ride bolus to prevent the BG spike was given at 75% of what I normally would have, and the BG were 118, 119, and 90 into the evening.

Spot on.

On the way back to the car near the ride end I saw these 3 cool older cars on Franklin Street.  I think it was a Cobra kit, but there was also a Vette and a Trans Am.  About 3 minutes later they ended up passing me as I rolled out of town towards home.  They all sounded great!

Looking to try and get in another 4 hours tomorrow, but it looks like another day of raining.  Wow.  Big surprise.  :)