Natures Trail Guardian

"Ran into" this buck during tonight's ride. Eventually he turned to face me and stomped his foot a few times.

He was mostly just annoyed I was there.

What did y'all see tonight?

Keep Choppin'!

What Pre-programmed Temp Basals Do You Have?

Training Hours: Ride: 02:33 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 42.90 units
Bolus (43%) 18.50u
Basal: (57%) 24.40u

After a busy day of taking care of some things, I was able to plan on getting out on the bike for a little bit.  I set my normal riding temp basal rate of a 65% reduction at 13:55 in prep for rolling out by 15:00. My BG at the time was 143, and I did not do a creative bolus for that.  I also set my target BG to my ride standard 150 mg/dL from the normal 100.

People ask frequently what types of pre programmed temp basal rates I have in my PDM.  I have about 5 that I reach for frequently.

I was able to get rolling right on time, and, is often the case here in the summer, was concerned about late afternoon t-storms.  I was hopeful that I might see rain only.  I brought a Pelican case for my PDM just in case.

I was about an hour or so into my ride, and I could tell my BG was a little off the mark.  I stopped in a clearing after a difficult rocky section and tested at a 51.

I changed the temp basal rate to a 90% reduction using my pre-defined RideLow90 program, and took in about 35g of simple Cs.

I waited about 10 minutes and then continued on at a slower pace, while I waited for my BG to get closer into the target range.

It didn't take long and I was back at pace, completing the mileage I had hoped to ride.

The woods were e-m-p-t-y, and I only saw 1 other person on an MTB while out.  The weather was a little bit toasty & humid, so that might have been the culprits. :)

I got back at 17:21 and my BG was a 109.  I cancelled my temp basal rate, and set my target back to 100 mg/dL.  I also bolused 2.0u to try to prevent the norm post ride BG spike I get.

I miscalculated this for sure, as my BG was up at 201 right before 19:00.

Before bed I set a normal post ride overnight temp basal of a 25% reduction to help deal with the increased sensitivity rides usually create.

It was great to get out and put some milage on the single speed today.  Hot temps and all.

I love my bike.  ;)

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

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 40.65 units
Bolus (36%) 14.70u
Basal: (64%) 25.95u

After getting work done today I was able to get out on a MTB for a little while to enjoy some scenic trails and rolling hills.

I set my standard preprogrammed 65% reduction temp basal on my OmniPod PDM right at 15:30, and was able to get out on the bike approximately one hour later.

Although not 100% sure where I was going, I figured I would just head into the woods and go for 80 minutes.  No matter where I was, I would then turn back and descend into town.

My only concern was the weather as some storms where passing by, but the clouds all seemed to circle on around me as I worked my way up one rocky steep after another.

At the 80 minute mark, I broke through to the top of what I was riding.  It was awesome.

I didn't see another soul either heading out or back.

Made it back in just a smidge under 2 hours.  BG was a 73.  I cancelled the temp basal, set my target BG back to 100, and bolused a single unit of insulin to prevent the normal post ride BG spike.

I got a email a few days ago for a small little rider named Sam from Auburn, WA.  He was asking about the "Cars" I have on the stems of all my bikes.  I explained to him that the idea came from my two boys a few years ago, and I always ride with one for good luck.

So, Mr. Sam, here is a video of Nitrade taking a spin with me on this ride.

Keep Choppin' Sam!!

TC

Training Hours: Ride: 01:33 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 52.60 units
Bolus (50%) 26.20u
Basal: (50%) 26.40u

Today proved to be a another fantastic example of the affects of exercise has on BG control.

I spent the day working, and, although extremely busy, nothing very much out of the ordinary occurred.  We headed to a lunch meeting, and my BG was 162 at 13:03.

I obviously miss "SWAG'd" a lunch meeting meal, and by 15:12 I was way up at 289.  I bolused, and rechecked 2 hours later.  Still 316.  PFFFTTTTTT.

My normal cal'd bolus for this BG would normally be a tick over 4 units.  I had the opportunity to get out a bike after work, and didn't have the time to set a temp basal rate early enough.

So... I only bolused 1u for that 316, and, 60 minutes later I was heading out for ride.

It was a very spirited ride, and I was able to find some off road trails with a good, rocky, steep, rooty climb to attempt.  (I didn't clean it all btw - but it sure was fun)!

The ride only lasted 90 minutes, before I was back. I took in no carbs during the ride.  (Mostly as I was smiling way to much).

My BG was 78 at 18:43.

So, with 1u and 90 minutes of exercise, my BG dropped 238 mg/dLs.

As the evening drove on my BGs where 110 and then 112 before bed.  Another interesting data point of note, is the 50/50 balance of bolus to basal.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

An amazing real life example of how important exercise is to insulin sensitivity, BG control,  and overall positive influence on the health of someone with diabetes.

Training Hours: Ride: 01:23 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 31.65 units
Bolus (37%) 11.60u
Basal: (63%) 20.05u

After putting in a busy, productive, long, stressful week at work and traveling... I was able to find some time afterwork to get out on Kona for a little while.

I didn't have time to set a temp basal before I headed out, and I carried almost nothing with me.

I had a super fun time, and it felt great to cover some pavement, snow, mud, rocky miles.

I dig this bike!!

When I got back my BG was 53, but it was a quick fix.  No post ride bolus given due to the lower BG, although I was on the fence.

I am digging the daylight time change... and am hoping to get out a few more times this week, travel and work schedule allowing.  :)

Spring & summer are right around the corner.

Keep choppin'!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It has been an absolutely crazy busy and hectic week here.  Seems SO much going on, and not all of it great.  However, I did manage to cross a bunch of items of the list in terms of Tour Divide preparation, and that is always a good thing.

I managed to get all the travel arrangements done, which, to be truthful, is no small feat.  Car to plane, to bus, to hotel - with a bike and gear.  It feels pretty good to have those logistics done, and the calendar is starting to get strung together quite nicely.

Air Canada is pretty cool with only a $50 charge for bicycles.  I totally dig that.  Flying through Montreal instead of Toronto this time.  Looking forward to it!!

I was also successful at getting in a bunch of miles, especially during long commute loops this week.  Went out through RDU airport (no, they don't get many bikes riding through the passenger pickup area of Terminal 2).  LOL!!

I was surprised at how to close to the planes you could get simply by pedaling up.  :)

Headed through Raleigh and Umstead State Park for some dirt gravel work as well.  Looked kinda like Tour Divide route for just a minute:

Got the Superfly to Trek Raleigh for the last time (hopefully) before it gets packed up for the trip to Canada. We weighted it with the rigid fork and all the bags (empty of course) and I was surprised to find it at 22.1lbs.  I love that bike.  :)  Given the gear list and equipment compared to last year, we will be riding near 8lbs lighter.  Dig that.

Looking forward to relaxing this weekend some, possibly getting the Superfly back on Sunday.  Going to enjoy some sun, some pool time, and be busy being a dad.  My FAVORITE job ever.  :)

Keep Choppin'!!!!!

"Between our dreams and actions, lies this world..."


Pouring rain ride in to work this morning on the Ion.  Chilly rain, slight breeze, and mid 60s temps.


Absolutely perfect.  :)

Have a great day, each and all!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Training Hours: Ride: 04:08 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 31.65 units
Bolus (37%) 11.60u
Basal: (63%) 20.05u

I woke up with two thoughts today....

The first was that I was low and needed some carbs.  The other was how was that was going to affect my ride I was planning on today.

I decided that the best course of action was to use one of my Kryptonite foods - cold cereal.  For me, it's kinda like pizza or ice cream. A bowl of raisin bran with some Soy Milk does it everytime.  Regardless of how many carbs I bolus for.  A few hours after eating it and a spike comes booming through.

Perfect.

I was up to a 61 at 08:56 when I set a temp basal of a 65% reduction.  Figured to be out the door by 10:00 or so.

I was rolling with the Superfly by 10:20.  Not to bad for a holiday.  :)

By 11:31 I could feel my BG was a little high.  Stopping to test I was indeed a 224.  I did make a slight bolus (about half as much as indicated) and rolled on.

I was amazed at just how HOT it was today.  It was only supposed to be in the 80s, but while on the road in the sun it was baking.  Just baking.

Along my chosen route I passed the very famous Durham Bulls Park:

and found this war veterans monument being cared for on UNC Chapel Hill:

The ride was fun, but SO hot.  When I reached the woods, single track, and fire roads is was much much better.

About 40 miles in, I began to notice a constant noise coming from the drivetrain.  It continued to get worse as the miles ticked on. It was very loud with a short amount of time.  I couldn't tell if it was coming from the rear wheel, the frame, the bottom bracket, or all three.

I slowed down and nursed the bike back to the barn.  Seems to be a re-occurring theme this week. :(

I arrived back home at 15:27 with a BG of 98.  Perfect.  I performed a standard post ride bolus of 2.25u.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the chapter for the book, making a little lite dinner, and then getting ready for the commute into the gig tomorrow.

Was running low before bed, so I jammed in some carbs (juice actually) and set a post ride over night temp basal of 70%.

Looks like with both mtbs in need of repair, I will be making a trip to my good friends at Trek Raleigh during the week.  :)

Training Hours: Ride: 03:24 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 38.00 units
Bolus (37%) 13.95u
Basal: (63%) 24.05u

Weird day on the bike today.  Not a bad day, just a weird day.

I was planning on riding the Tour Divide prepared and loaded S'fly today, but then just had an urge to go and play.  No training, no HRM, no GPS, nothing.  Just wanted to go and rip around and listen to loud music on my iPod.

I set a temp basal of a 65% reduction at 9:36 in hopes to be out the door by 10:45.

Since I was leaving the Superfly at home, I headed out on the deck to grab the HiFi. I opened the door and walked out and was immediately surrounded by a cloud of wasps.  I was stung on the back about 5 or 6 times before I got back into the house and slammed the door.

OUCH!!

I snuck out the other door on the other side, and grabbed the bike from the other direction.  Seems that a couple of families of wasps moved in over night.  I just let this whole incident slide... and will get Orkin to work on it on Tuesday.

Since I got waylaid slightly by the wasps, and changed bikes (repair kit, water bottle, fast acting, etc) I didn't get out the door on the bike until nearly 11:25.

No worries.

It took about 15 minutes and I was thinking to myself.... dang.  My legs are tired today.  What is the problem?

The whole ride kinda went that way.  Just off.  Tired legs.  Bike felt slow. I was slow.  Etc....

Weather was amazing however, and I took a few minutes to ride through UNC Chapel Hill campus.  I say it all the time, but I love this place!!

Well, about 3 hours later I discovered the problem with the bike. I was descending a hill heading into town, and, without touching it, the rear wheel simply began locking up. Releasing. Then locking up. Seems the rear caliper was grabbing the rotor the entire time.

Well THAT made me feel MUCH better. About the everything.

I cancelled my temp basal rate, detached the rear brake, and limped the bike back home.

When I got there at 14:45 my BG was a 65.  I waited 30 minutes, and then administered the standard post ride bolus.  I figured 2 units should cover it.

 By 15:56 I was 137.  Perfect.

I spent the evening working on the GPS and getting the Tour Divide maps loaded into it.  To do so I needed to download and install a new DeLorme Topo application, and I fiddled with that for a while.  I haven't quite figured it out completely yet, but, hopefully, before next weekends Tour de Cure ride I will have it down.

Went to bed running a pretty normal post ride overnight temp basal rate of 85%.

Training Hours: Ride: 03:47 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:

Daily Insulin Totals: 44.05u
Bolus (47%) 20.85u
Basal (53%) 23.20u

After driving the kids to school in the morning, and checking in at work for a few hours, I raced home at lunch to grab the Superfly. Last night I loaded up the bag and the pack, and figured to get in a good 4 hours of riding in today.




I set my first 65% reduction temp basal of the day at 11:00am as I was in the office and preparing for my noon time return trip.

Once I got home I grabbed a quick lite bite just to have something in my stomach, and bolused at the normal pre-ride ration of 1:20 (instead of the normal 1:15).

The ride back to the gig was perfect, and the weather could not have been any better. When I got back to the office, my BG was a solid 88 at 13:14.




I have been using the GPS extensively lately, and it showed a decent pace of 13.78mph on the way back in. Fully loaded on the mtb, I was pretty pleased with this.

The post work training ride was pretty much the same. I set my 65% reduct temp basal a little late, only around 15:55, and it caught me out a few hours later during the ride with a BG of 57 at 18:21.

I did find a pleasant place to stop and correct that BG though.



After a slight delay (extended by the work emergency on-call pager going off) the rest of the ride home was perfect.

I arrived back at my place with a BG of 84, and it was 19:34.

Averaged just at the 13.5mph mark for the 47 miles or so I covered today. Travels included road, single track, fire road, and bike path with just shy of 3K of vertical in total.

Once I got changed I was, however, just overcome with exhaustion. It's been a fairly busy couple of weeks.

Good weeks... but busy.

I shut it all down and was in bed with a standard post ride overnight temp basal of 85% at 20:43. My BG was a 175, and although I follow the 150 rule during a situation like this, I just left it uncovered.

Thinking more about TD lately. My hip is coming along, and I am trying very hard to stay relaxed about the situation from last year. I am in someways WAY more prepared than last year, and yet, in others, not quite as prepared.

I need to focus simply on starting, just like all of us with diabetes do each and every morning, and enjoying the fact I am riding my bike.

Which I have done for MILLIONs of miles before.

Which I enjoy more than almost anything.

Which never gets old.

Keep Choppin' everyone.

JUST. KEEP. CHOPPIN'!




- Posted using BlogPress using my iPad from somewhere in the universe

Training Hours: Ride: 02:04 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 53.15 units
Bolus (54%) 28.50u
Basal: (46%) 24.65u

Whew.  Sometimes it takes a LOT of work to get the BGs to co-operate, sometimes not so much.

Today was an example of the former.  :)

Work up a little after 09:00 with a nearly perfect BG of 107.  (I mean, yes, 7% off target, but in the ballpark right?  LOL!)

Had a great breakfast of Veggie Eggs Benedict (english muffin, tomatoe, and an egg), and a small (legit) helping of blueberry pancakes.

By 12:30 I was a little high, 165.  Not to surprising given the pancakes sampling as they usually cause a slight rise about 3 hours post.

Now, the BG day got interesting....

By early afternoon I was at 225.  I bolused, and, do to other factors (lunch, other activities) I ran a positive temp basal of 135% for a few hours.  I wanted to prevent the climb, and figured the BG would be creeping up due to my schedule of events.

I ended up being correct, and ended up at a perfect 99 at 16:03.  SWEET!!

What I forgot, was to set my normal pre-ride temp basal rate of a 65% reduction at 15:30, which would have been an hour before my ride start.

Since I was on a schedule and needed to get my ride in, I needed to try to figure out what might work to allow a stable BG target of 150 while on the bike.

What I did was set a temp basal rate of a 85% reduction for 4 hours to cover the ride.  This was done at about 30 minutes before ride start.  I also took in a generous 60g of simple Cs to cover the insulin that was active from the positive temp basal I was running about 3 hours earlier.

Make sense? I agree, lots going on there...  ;)

103 at ride start time of 16:35. Looks good.

About 40 minutes into the ride I could feel that my BG was off the mark.  Obviously too much insulin still around, and the exercise induced insulin sensitivity beginning to take hold.  Tested at 17:11 at a 42 mg/dL.

Hmmmm.... well.... that didn't work as expected.

Stopped at convenience store and took in a 34gC soft drink.  Also, counting on my normal post ride spike, I paused the ride for about 15-20 minutes.  Figured this would correct me and get me back where I needed to be.

Bingo.

At 17:33 I was an 87 and back on the bike and rolling.  I made no modification to the 85% temp basal reduction.

The next hour and 25 minutes where great.  I was able to get my single legged climbing drills and interval work in.  I didn't cover the miles I wanted (loosing that 20 minutes) but I did reach my vertical and HR goals for today.   A great training ride!!  I totally love my Ion CX.  So much fun!

BGs for the rest of the ride where 104, 124, and 93.

Cancelled my temp basal about 30 minutes before the end of the ride, and got off the bike with a BG of 78. Not ideal, but not unexpected given the earlier lower event.

I did not do a standard post ride bolus that I normally do, as the BGs where slightly trending down for the second half of the ride.

As was re-enforced to me today, life with diabetes will, inevitably, not always go exactly as planned.

It will, in fact, through you a curve ball.

It may try to stand as barrier to your success, and take you off your game.

But that is completely ok.  Completely OK.

Just be prepared, make adjustments, have a little patience, and KEEP CHOPPIN'.

Nothing will stand in your way.

Training Hours: Ride: 01:33 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 50.30units
Bolus: (47%) 23.40u
Basal: (53%) 26.90u

After a hectic day, including 336 emails and an office move, I was able to get out after work for a ride on the Superfly.  I just needed a day to go ride and enjoy the perfect temps and blue Carolina sky.

No heart rate monitor.  No loaded pack.  No cycling kit.

So I set a normal temp basal ride rate of a 65% reduction a little late in terms of ride start time, only about 30 minutes before, but the ride was going to be an easy spin.  So no worries.

BG was a 75 as I slid out the door of my apartment.  As I walked down the stairs I took in a quick 25g of simple Cs.

The ride was great and very refreshing.  Shook the dust of the day off.  Refreshed the soul and mind.

Chatted with others on the American Tobacco Trail who where out doing the same as I.

Playing with their toys.  :)

About an hour into the ride I cancelled my temp basal rate.  30 minutes later I was pulling up to check my mail.

BG was a 65 when I dismounted.  Not ideal, but understandable given the late temp basal start and no carbs in at all during the ride.

Perfect for making great post ride meal for dinner.  :)

Nothing runs like a deer....





- Posted using BlogPress using my iPad from somewhere in the universe

Got a new office mate today....

As the weather is taking a major turn towards, perfect,  the miles and hours are beginning to pickup a bunch.  Left the CX at home today an road in on the Superfly to test out some tire combos, and the placement of the bar-ends and control positioning.

Hopefully, I will be close to 4 hours of saddle time today before I get home before dark tonight.

I am trying to find a good balance between useable on the street and still very successful on the fire roads and dry single track we have in the area now.  It seems that the Bontrager Team Issue 29-3 in 2.0 size on the back and the Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 on the front make for a good mix.  It rolled pretty well on the 12 miles of blacktop on the way in today. I am running them tubeless, btw.

We have some wind moving through the area tomorrow, so it will be a great day to test the positioning of the bar ends.... we shall see.

I have just set a temp basal of a 65% reduction for 5hrs in preparation for the ride home tonight.  I am going to loop through the Chapel Hill North Forest, so I will get a good mix of road and single track.  CAN'T WAIT!!  :)

I hope everyone is having a GREAT day...  I can't wait to get outta here in about an hour to go for a ride!

Keep Choppin'!!

Training Hours: Ride: 03:51 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary: Daily Total: 38.85 units
Bolus: 17.30u (45%)
Basal: 21.55u (55%)

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 125g

Well.... Sunday started our like a normal ride day.  I mean, besides seeing Lil Wayne at 6:25am in Morrisville, NC..... but that's a whole other story.... true... but a WHOLE other story......

I set a temp basal of a 65% reduction a few minutes at noon in order to be prepared to leave my apartment on my Cyclo Cross bike 13:00.  It had rained pretty heavy overnight, and LOTS of trails where still be reported as closed.... so I though I would put some road miles in, in between some parks with fire roads and the American Tobacco Trail.  Perfect use for Trek Ion.

I was only about 20 minutes in, on a very moist ATT, when I got a flat.  I remember thinking, ok.... the ride is going to go like this eh?  :) No worries.

Took about 2 minutes and I was rolling again.

As I approached the road I needed to take towards Umstead State Park it happened again..... a flat in the other wheel.  Oy.  I literally laughed out loud as I took the 3 minutes to change the rear tube this time.

I figured the bad luck was all behind me at this point, I started to put some miles down.  Took my first BG test after an hour, just as I was going to enter Umstead, at 14:11.  BG was a bit down at 58, so I chose to suspend insulin delivery for an hour and take in about 30 grams of carbs (M&Ms.  Natch.)

The miles through the Umstead fire roads went quick, and I was heading back out when... yup.... front wheel went suddenly flat again.  I was totally laughing hysterically at this point.  3 in one ride.  Never Happens!

I realized that I was out of tubes, so I just continued to roll on the flat.  Nothing else I could do.  I passed a nice guy named Mr. Frost on one of the climbs, and he as kind enough to offer me a tube.  He was riding a 29er, so he actually had a 700x23-28 cross tube on him.  I thanked him a ton for his generosity, and I hope he reaches out soon so I can repay him.  Thank you sir!!

I found the small nail that I had picked up in Umstead, made the change, and figured the ride home was going to be routine.  Yup..... routine.....

Although I remember that I re-entered Harris Lake County park, then next thing I can remember is sitting on the bottom of a paved hill with my helmet off and two other cyclists talking to me.

It seems that I had passed one of them a few minutes earlier... and he had come upon me laying unconscious  on asphalt.  He and another gentleman named Gary, (riding a SS Voodoo 29er) , called EMS and we were awaiting their arrival.  There was no damage to my helmet, but I was covered in road rash, and my neck and head were pounding......  apparently I was traveling quickly and slid the bike on the wet downhill pavement.  Rider error.  :)

My BG was tested using my meter and the one brought by EMS and I was at 96 and 115 at 15:28  respectfully.

Cary EMS and Fire wheeled me to the ambulance and checked me out.  I spent about 45 or so from crash to signing the release waiver refusing transport.  Although I was sore, I was alert and nothing hurt much.  I needed to ride home and clean the road rash out... ripped bib shorts and all.  LOL!!  BG was at a close to target 158.

I wanted to add that I was able to show and demonstrate the OmniPod to the Cary EMS folks while in their ambulance.  They had stated that they had never seen a pump like this, and where interested in checking it out.  We discussed me coming to one of their training sessions to show how it works, and how to read the history of BGs and doses off of a device like this.

Took my time covering the remaining 15 miles home, looking at a slightly tore up bicycle.  (You know you are ok, when your bike becomes the center of focus - right?)

When I arrived home, I realized something was wrong.  I couldn't get off my bike very easily.  My left hip and upper leg where causing a good bit of pain. It took me almost 20 minutes to get up the stairs into my apartment.... not good.

I did set my basal rate back to normal at 17:57 with a BG of 164.  I bolused for that, and, unable to move at all, I called Durham County EMS.

They arrived shortly, and, after hearing what happened, put me in a C-Collar on a backboard, and transported me to UNC Hospitals.

The staff there X-Ray'd my leg, pelvis, and hips as well as CT'd my neck and head.  it seems everything checked out (thank goodness), but I have a small hip fracture. The good news is that being able to cycle home from the crash indicates that everything (muscles, ligaments, etc) is intact and where it needs to be.  So it is simply a pain management, and don't fall on the left side for a "while" diagnosis.

I was discharged at 02:40 this morning, and I was able to call a cab to come and get "shoeless" me and my crutches.

BGs ran well during my time at the ER, and I did my own management with my meter and equipment. (I also brought my own spare Pod, insulin, and fast acting).  BGs ran:

22:07 196 (no bolus)
23:13 181 (no bolus)
00:56 78 (15g C of regular soda)

Yup.  Just a routine ride.....

Much like a day ALL people who have to deal with diabetes face all the time.... adapt to the unexpected,  deal with the unknown, and be prepared for anything. :)

Keep Choppin All!!!

Just Keep Choppin!!!!!!!

Training Hours: Ride: 03:17 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 45.50 units
Basal: 24.00u (53%)
Bolus: 21.50u (47%)

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 163g

As most of you who follow this blog know, 2011 has been a year of great joy and bitter defeats for me.

At the end, I am still standing, still breathing, and much happier than ever before.  Clearer in thought.  More focused.  More conscious of living each and every day to the fullest - not just saying it.

Doing it.

For the last and final day of 2011 I thought I would get out and enjoy the 65 degree temps and put some miles on the bike to put the final shovel fulls of dirt on this year.

2011 had one last gasp before being put to bed.

It was an interesting day diabetes and ride timing wise.  I set my temp basal to the usual 60% reduction at 11:38.  I was running a BG of 160, so I bolused only 1/2 of the suggested amount, knowing I was getting on the bike.

When I was getting on the bike at 12:57, my BG was up at 306.  Odd.  Could have been a lot of things... being 20 minutes late getting on the bike at the temp rate.  Lunch time snack.  The 1/2 bolus from earlier?  In any case I just felt terrible.  Wanted to just lay on the ground and nap.

I was on the phone with Diane at the time and we tossed some ideas around to how to best treat and get rolling.  Bolus called for 4u to treat that BG.  THAT would be a poor choice as my sensitivity quickly goes up when riding.  After a few minutes, we decided that a 1/2 bolus would be the best bet.  I took in 2u and waited for it drop below 250 (or, until I started to feel a bit more like myself).

At 13:44 it was down to 244, I felt like riding again, and I headed off.  Made my way along the American Tobacco Trail on my Superfly, with Lake Crabtree County Park being my destination.  A quick loop of the 7 miles there, and then back towards home.

By 14:43 my BG was down to 82, and I took in my first nutrition of 25g of Carbs via a sports bar.  Seems that the early decisions we made where spot on.

When I was on my return trip, about 6 miles from home, things got interesting.

I was at the Hwy 55, I-540 intersection when I picked up this wood screw (heck, I don't know what kind of screw it is... I am not a This Old House watcher. natch).

After unpacking my backpack for a tube and some CO2 cartridges, I realized I was not as prepared for this repair as I could have been.

I mention a lot about how endurance cycling is a lot like being a diabetic and dealing with diabetes.  Almost exactly like it.

I didn't have the right size tube for the tire, as my last ride was on my road bike.  So I unpacked the 700c 18-25 tube, took out the tubless valve stem, attached the used performance bar wrapper to the inside of the tube with a little gum, and installed the road tube.  I filled it up using the 16 gram cartridge.

Guess what?

It looked unsightly, and lumpy, but it worked.  Held air.  Rideable.  Fixed.

You may not have the fast acting of choice, or the one you are most comfortable with, if you go hypoglycemic.  You just use what you have and adapt to rectify the blood glucose.  It may change correction time, or how much of a bounce you will get.

But you make do.  You adapt.  You keep choppin.

As did I with the road tube.

I check the BG after the repair was complete and it was a picture perfect 109 at 16:09.  I actually gave a little bolus at this point as sitting for 12 minutes making the repair would certainly cause a slight incline of the BG.

Limped the bike back home to the trail head.  By the time I was there, the severely damaged tire had begun to deteriorate, and, in turn, the tube was eventually punctured.  2 or 3 miles riding on the flat.  Bike rolled on.

Just as we do with diabetes.  Everyday. Everyday.

Back at the car I shut my temp basal rate off, and tested at a 144 at 17:01 after packing up and changing my clothes.  A small 2u bolus to combat the usual post ride spike.

I had to laugh to myself as 2011 threw the last little bit it had at me.

Who knows what 2012 hold in store?  I am expecting some great things, some awesome adventures, and some fantastic victories and celebrations.  Too be sure. I imagine that things will be rough going at times.  I know they will be.

Just like life with diabetes.  You can turn the page, but the bumps continue.

I don't usually become overly bogged down with the start of a new year.

I am making an exception this year.

I am relieved that 2011 is behind me, and welcome the challenges of 2012.