Pedal Pumper. Cyclist. Diabetic.

Advocate. What is it?

2011-12-05T22:22:00.001-05:00

Update. Well, I am lacking in the blog post/advocate area.

Life has been stressful.... Work, money, health, family, work. I want to say lately, or in the last couple months, but that would be lying. Ups and downs are all a part of life, deal with it right? This is not a bitch blog where I always complain about life, or diabetes, or poor me. I don't want to start doing that here today either. So I'll explain it another way.

Outlets. We all need one. Or two. Writing blogs and advocating Diabetes is something I want to make more of a priority. Advocating Diabetes is a cause that I believe in, and a cause that I believe in educating others on. Even though I am diabetic, and it is a priority, it is still hard to find the time. I am not one to post just because I feel like I have to, and as a consequence, I am not getting as many reads or page views as I would like. So here is a different take on advocating. The definition of advocating is variable in my opinion, and it is not constrained to social media or any other means, but rather about making a small connection. Even if it is one, two, or three at a time.

(BRC Shedd Park CX Race. Lowell, MA)

My outlet lately has been racing my Cyclocross bike on the weekends when possible. I have done 10 races this season so far. I always have the best intentions of writing after a weekend of racing. I want to write and inform people about my blood glucose levels (BG's), nutrition, on the bike basal rates and all of that. I'm not always proud of my race, my BG's, my diet, or my attitude. The race I did on Sunday I was proud of, but not because of the results. The fact is I got my ass handed to me. But, the best advocation I have done all year happened unexpectedly at the start line Sunday when I made a small connection.

Usually near the start of a race I will check BG's and intake carbs as necessary. We were all lined up and waiting for the whistle, and nervously I was checking the front of my MiniMed pump which I always wear on my upper left arm, and it displays the results of my CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor, it displays an approximation of my BG). It read 82. I was a bit worried (82 is a tad low for a Type 1 race start) even though I consumed a Hammer Gel a few minutes prior. I also knew that my liver would spit out some carbs and bring my BG up after some anaerobic throttling of my cardiovascular system. Not knowing the guy next to me was watching, he said "is that an iPod?" I told him I was type 1 and it was an insulin pump. When I looked up there were about 5 guys and some spectators watching me.

I don't know what any of those people were thinking, but at that point I was advocating Diabetes more than any blog, tweet, or status update I ever wrote could. At the end of the race, still breathing hard and sweating, I was checking my CGM again for my approximate BG. Another racer came up alongside me and said "Great job! My girlfriend is Type 1 and races in the Cat 3 Women's race".

I hope she checked her BG or CGM at the starting line of her race and had the same connection on 5 additional people. It was a great result.

CX Racing tomorrow!

2011-09-24T21:22:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I have posted, no excuses, but I will start writing more frequently now that Fall is upon us... As well as cyclocross season!

I'm at my lightest wieght in 5 years and ready to ride Suckerbrooke Cross tomorrow am... Then off to church.

My Sunday steed:

Update

2011-07-18T22:55:00.004-04:00

(8 days post crash)

It has been 8 days since my crash at FOMBA. My leg is still very sore to the touch, but I managed to ride today for the first time since. Although it is sore, I feel like the muscle is mostly healed and the swelling is 90% gone. The worst part is when I hit a bump (the pot holes here are EPIC, as are the drivers) my leg jiggles a we bit... that seems to bother a 14 inch bruise quite a bit. Maybe not too healthy to ride yet, but I really needed to be on my bike.

I got chased down by a messenger while into a head wind, but he never passed me. He stayed a couple car lengths behind and when he turned at the rotary I saw he had at least a 47x16 gear. I ride a 42x17 and probably need to bump that up al la James White style, but he didn't try to pass all the way from Boston (TD Garden) to the Route (pronounced root) 16/99 rotary in Everett. I should bump that gear up, but right now there is only 1 bike I am worried about.

I sent my Yeti back on Wednesday and they received it on Thursday. I have not heard back yet about the state of the warranty decision. I hope that I can get my bike back soon as there are some major events planned for kids with Diabetes and MTB'ing that I need my bike for. There is also talk of a 24 hour ride at Great Glen in New Hampshire, 2 person Type 1 team.

Diet and Diabetes update: So I learned something form a person who has only had diabetes for about 6 weeks, and I decided to keep an open mind and give it a shot. My newly acquired, newly diagnosed T1 friend Cody from Colorado started the Paleo Diet and has since not needed to take insulin. I do not expect these results with this diet and it is not my goal, but great for him! I need to drop some weight that was acquired from bad eating habits and 18 hours work days, and if my D #'s get better doings so, I'll give it a shot.

I have been on the diet for 2 weeks and 1 day. I have lost 14 pounds, all while eating Veggies, fruit, meats, and a few other things that were available to early humans. All that weight loss is great, and I am eating plenty of healthy foods doing it. I feel great, I'm not hungry, and I have plenty of energy. But the best part is my D #'s. Take a look...

(The only real questionable area is at noon. Basal change will fix that)

The green area is a good blood glucose range for me. It is 70 at the bottom, and 140 at the top. The black dotted line is my 7 day average. The dotted line for me has never been in the green 100% of a 7 day period in my life, and I consider myself to be a responsible diabetic. I have had a few issues with high BG's, and I am learning about how and when my liver emits glucose during hard exercise.

This is a learning process and I have had to cheat a couple times when I have had low BG's and eat glucose tablets (no processed food allowed on the Paleo Diet), but I am not willing to compromise my life to stay 100% to the diet. For now I cant argue with the numbers or the way I feel so I am going to stick with it! I'll report again with more data...

Crashed the Yeti at FOMBA

2011-07-12T16:43:00.000-04:00

So life has been pretty busy as of late. I have been riding a fair amount since the Bruin's won the Stanley Cup and my work schedule has lightened up. I have started a new diet that I will get more in depth in after a little more time goes but, but so far am impressed. It's not really so much of a diet as it a 'Hey You, eat healthy'! More to come....

I was riding at one of my favorite New England trail areas, FOMBA (Lake Massabesic) this past weekend. I was to ride all the trails finishing with Fireline, and then turn around and do Fireline again backwards. I was about 1/4 of the way through Long Trail and I heard a loud bang, it was kind of like the same sound as when you are cruising down a rocky trail and a BFR hits your rim/crank/downtube. But it wasn't any of those! By tire immediately locked up and I began skidding out of control. I went over the bars and landed side thigh first on another BFR, and my bike went ass over tea kettle hitting yet another BFR right on the seat stay/drop out junction. The stays are made of carbon fiber and the crash resulted in a bulged and splintered carbon seat stay. The loud bang I heard was the drop out cracking.

I talked to my dealer back in Colorado and got an RA # from Yeti. I FedEx overnighted (is that a word?) it today and hope to hear good news soon. I am very hopeful that Yeti will replace the frame as I have many events coming up including a MTB skills camp for type 1 diabetic kids in the Boston area. This will be difficult without my bike. Yeti has a great reputation and I have nothing bad to say about the bike itself, I just cant afford to be without a bike right now.... will keep you posted!

Type1Rider Trailer

2011-05-20T11:19:00.010-04:00

Tony Cervati has Type 1 Diabetes and is racing his bike in the Tour Divide to show everyone that people with diabetes have no limitations. Tour Divide is a 2,845 mile mountain bike race from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, NM (Mexico/US border) along the great divide. This race climbs a total of over 200,000 ft from start to finish, and takes an average of 3-4 weeks. The race must be done unsupported. All racers must utilize the same facilities that are available to everyone on the route, and no racers can pre-arrange any sort of stop for anything, including supplies. This will be an epic feat for him and for diabetes.

Please help Tony and TapRoot Films create the film. Go to the Kick Starter page below and show your support. Please share this information in all your social media outlets, blogs, email and websites so that this film can happen. I know every single person who reads this is in someway affected by diabetes

Tony: @type1rider on Twitter
TapRootFilms: @taprootfilms on Twitter
Kick Starter site: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/taprootfilms/type-1-rider-the-film

Please check out the trailer for the film that will help Tony help all of those who are affected with diabetes.

Quick ride post

2011-05-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

Rode Willowdale again today..... in the pouring rain. But I had a great ride and even met up with Dave and Jean from the team, and rode with them for a while. I had a tough time with BG's today and was chasing low's all day. I think it has to do with yesterdays lingering effects of working until almost 2am and then motivating for a ride when my body just didn't want to. I never got below 90mg/dl on my ride, but was constantly eating. Life in the D! Had fun, got muddy, a little over 10 miles single-track, and stayed upright! Good Day!

First dry Willowdale Ride!

2011-05-12T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yeti Big Top 29er + Singletrack = :-)

Got out for a quick lap at Willowdale State Forrest. A little drizzle in the air, but I'll call it dry as my last ride out there was pouring and 40°F. Trails were in very good shape this time around, and the ride was great.

I started the day with a couple pieces of Double Protein toast with strawberry jelly. I added my 40g carbs and BG of 98 into the Bolus Wizard of my MiniMed pump and it delivered a bolus of 4.9U. I went for an easy 1hr hike with dogs, and when I returned home to get ready for my ride I was low at 65. My CGM warned me of the approaching low, but I was out of glucose tablets in the car. You may think this is deplorable, but it happens, and I fixed the issue the same day and replenished. Set a temp basal of 55% a little after 2pm for a 3:30pm start time.

The start of the ride was chilly but I warmed up pretty quickly. I am convinced that the cold weather has an impact on insulin sensitivity. I can't back it with any medical resource at this time, but I feel like low BG's are more apt to happen in colder weather. I digress. My only complaint on my ride was a little lower back pain. I'm not sure if I am getting used to wearing a hydration pack or if riding a single-speed could be the culprit, but those are the only things that have changed recently.

I did a little research on my Garmin Connect site, comparing all the rides I have done at Willowdale. It seems that I had my fastest lap time ever on this ride. Even faster than my race from last year! My avg speed was up 2.8 mph and my avg heart rate was down almost 20bpm. This is a good sign as I wasn't really time trialing at all. I hope I can ride as much this summer as I did last summer to keep getting faster. Below are my ride details and Daily Log from my CGM.

2011-05-10

Help from the DOC!

2011-05-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to write a blog post asking for everyone to help out a member of the DOC (diabetes online community). Tony Cervati is a Type 1 diabetic who is riding the Tour Divide mountain bike race. This race starts in Banff, Canada and goes to Mexico along the Great Divide. That's right over 2,800 miles and it is mostly off road on trails in the wilderness. Oh yeah, and it is self supported! That means there is no team car or help along the way. In comparison the Tour de France is about 2200 miles and is all on roads. This will be an epic challenge!

Taprootfilms is trying to capture the race and create a film about Tony's experience. I think this film will be a great way for other diabetics to see how diabetes does not have to be a limiting factor in our lives, and that we can attempt anything.

Please read through the links I have oprovided, and go to type1riderthefilm.com and learn about Tony's story and why this film is important. If anything, please link to these sites/stories in your own blog posts, Facebook, and Twitter so that others can be exposed to the great things these people are trying to do.

Good luck Tony and Taprootfilms, we will be following you the best we can during your race!

I don't care....

2011-04-07T16:17:00.002-04:00

(To be clear, Diabetes is not reversible. At all. Ever.)

This upcoming article in 'Readers Digest' has come up this week in some diabetes blogs that I read. It states that you can reverse diabetes, which is a false statement. A lot of people are very frustrated and feel that this is somewhat of an outrage. I can't disagree with how they feel. My words would be that this is irresponsible of 'Readers Digest', and I think it would behoove them to title it 'Reverse Complications of Diabetes' or something similar.

People misunderstand diabetes and how it is brought about, and articles like this are trying to be helpful. I would encourage 'Readers Digest' to spend a little more money on their editors to prevent potential dis-information, especially on titles of articles and publications. I am betting that this article has some suggestions along the lines of healthy eating, exercise and some general tips on healthy living the would definitely not hurt a person with diabetes.

25.8 million people in the U.S. have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, unless you are one of them or you are a heath care professional working around diabetes, you probably don't take the time to know the disease like those of us who have it. In fact there are many people with diabetes that don't know, or care to know the intricacies of the disease. It is claimed that 7 million people out of the 25.8 million don't even know they have the disease. Those people are probably not the most informed or educated either. 'Readers Digest' may be failing at informing people about our disease, at least in the title of this publication.

My stance is - I don't care. I have never been a 'Ra-Ra' cheerleader, or 'poor me' type of guy when it comes to my diabetes. I am VERY open about having diabetes, and have never hidden it nor have I ever felt embarrassed about it. I always talk to people about it when they ask, or if I find they have it or have a loved one who has it. I know that no matter how much I wish it would happen, people are not going to understand what it is like to have diabetes unless they do have it and attack it everyday like I do.

I blog not because I want people to know what it is like to have diabetes, but to help teach people that diabetes is not a limiting factor. The only way diabetes is a limiting factor is if you think it is. I can honestly say I have never missed out on anything in life because of my diabetes. I went to every camp and school event, I played sports, I race my bike, and always did all the things my friends were doing. I was a river guide in the Grand Canyon and have guided over fifty 8-14 day trips through the canyon where I was no where near civilization. I have traveled the country, even alone sometimes, and have gone to foreign countries without letting diabetes stop me.

(Grand Canyon, entering Hermit Rapid. Mile 95)

This is not to say that I didn't have hang-ups along the way, but the key is to be prepared and organized with your diabetes. Take the time to really understand the disease, and the technology you have to mange the disease with. I was on a river trip on the Salt River in Arizona a couple years ago with some great friends. As soon as we got on the water, and there was no turning back, my insulin pump locked up and was unresponsive to anything. I tried for a couple hours, but got nothing. I still had 5 days to go until the end and had no choice but to continue on. No cell phone coverage at all, and we did not have a satellite phone. I was screwed right? No, I was organized and prepared so I grabbed my spare syringes (which I have with me at all times), and emergency bottle of Lantus insulin, and along with my glucometer and Novolog insulin I was able to manage diabetes the way I did before I had a pump. I was drinking beer and rowing my boat without a hick-up and had a great trip. I had everything I needed in case shit went bad, and when it did - I was organized and knew I would be OK.

Fight diabetes with proper knowledge and the right tools. Fight diabetes with confidence and don't be scared of it. Know that there is nothing that you, or your loved ones, are limited to if they are diabetic.

So, I don't care. I don't care if the neighbor down the street reads this 'Readers Digest' article and is mis-informed. Bottom line is, if you are diabetic and using readers digest to manage it, then there are bigger problems that need attention. You are responsible for your own knowledge. If you are the parent or guardian of a child with diabetes, you are responsible for their knowledge. Teach them and give them confidence and organizational skills so that they can live limitless.

This weeks riding....

2011-04-06T20:28:00.018-04:00

I think I have turned the motivational corner, and have started getting into more of a regular exercise schedule. The weather has NOT cooperated. It has been raining, cold and windy. My job does not allow any sort of normal schedule for eating, sleeping or exercise so I just have to suck it up and get it done. Some days (rarely) I will work 8am-5pm, some game days I might do a 11am-11pm, and weekends may be a double header. It has yet to fail that my day off is gloomy, windy, snowy, cold and rainy. Even though all this can, and will, deteriorate motivation to get out and exercise I have to suck it up and get out.

I have started regularly commuting to work. It is only 5 miles each way but I'll take it. I ride a single-speed cyclocross bike with a 42x17 gearing and that can be tough in spots. I can get some intervals in if I choose, and it is really great how the wind knows when I am riding and changes direction to give me a harder workout. In the past year I have invested in some good rain gear (actually, great), a good commuter pack, and most recently a light that seems to be brighter than most cars on the road. Commuting is a lot easier to motivate for when you have the correct tools. I have also created a work 'tote thing' that has lit a weeks worth of work cloths. Now i don't need to carry all that crap with me, and since my wife works at the same place I do, I just put the dirty 'tote thingy' in the car at the end of the week. Lesson: Beat 'motivation killers' with organization!

So this week I have gotten 50 miles commuting, each in the wind, rain and cold. I topped it off on Monday, my day off, with about 2 hours of single track at Willowdale in the pouring rain at about 40°F. I was a little hesitant when I arrived at the trail, but I climbed out of the 4Runner and pushed on. I was glad I did! I get some sort of strange satisfaction out of using my gear in inclement or extreme conditions. Rain jacket was perfect, not a single drop got through, same with the pack as everything was dry. Bike ran flawlessly, although it is also set up as a single-speed so there isn't much to go wrong. My ride was about 12 miles, but I forgot to press start on my GPS so it didn't register the little warm-up loop I did, or the first part of the 10 mile loop. By the end I was getting a little cold in the hands and feet, but I was really glad I got out.

The 'D' numbers:
I set a temp basal rate of 55% 1 hour before ride start. Started my ride with a BG of 161mg/dl. During the ride I took in a cliff mini (25g carb), 6-8 oz of Endurox R4 drink mix (18g carb?) and a GU (20g carb). I finished with a BG of 88 mg/dl. I took 1.85 units after my ride to prevent the post ride BG spike. I set an overnight (8 hour) temp basal at 8pm of 85% and had no low BG's overnight and woke up the next day at 111 mg/dl.

Diabetic Safety

2011-03-28T11:36:00.000-04:00

***This post is important to everyone, but especially people with Diabetes***

Get an identification accessory. My wife would be so proud that I used the term accessory with out her encouragement! Back in the day people had no choice but to wear those big clunky medical ID bracelets or necklaces. Today there are many choices. I am in no way affiliated with this company but will give them a plug anyway. I use a Road ID Elite. You can have it say whatever you want, and they have many colors, styles and other products besides bracelets.

I chose to have the interactive version which has an minimal annual fee. It is comfortable it stays on even during hard and bumpy mountain bike rides, and it doesn't smell after being exposed to sweat. The interactive version has a serial number and pin on the back that will allow responders to call or get online to get your emergency contact info. When a responder calls the number an automated system reads to them all the items that you have input to your profile. You can add address and other contact info, emergency contacts, physician info, insurance info, medical information and history, medication types and dosages, along with a notes section.

If the responder wants to view the online profile they will go to MyRoadID.com and see your profile

This is not just for athletes or people with diabetes or other diseases. If I had kids, they would be wearing them. My dogs wear a similar product. Everyone should wear it. So why not you? I wear it because I am almost always surrounded by people who have no idea I am diabetic. I wear it because 75% of the time that I am on my bike or hiking, I am by myself. This gives me some piece of mind, and it is smart.

First MTB ride of the year

2011-03-26T11:40:00.007-04:00

My new Rig - Yeti Big Top 29er

I can't believe how fast the snow melted. At one point this winter, and I am not joking, you could not see a UPS truck drive down the street the snow banks were so high. Stop sings were covered. But I managed to find dry trails last weekend and got out for a 1.5 hour ride.

There was a very Fall like feel outside with temps in the mid 40's, lots of dry leaves on the trails, and a few wet spots to avoid. I even saw some deer crossing the trail in front of me at one point, which is an unexpected bonus considering where I was riding.

As previously written, I have struggled a bit with where to put all my 'D-Crap', and it is also true while riding. Not to mention the Dexcom CGM is not water resistant, and I still have not found a good way to mount it to my handlebar or arm for easy access during rides. It's not a big deal to keep it in my pocket, but to stop that often to see my trends is a pain. I also have been having a few issues with the Omnipod Pod itself on rides. It jiggles with all the chatter bumps and trail terrain and it actually hurts. I have used Coban to try to settle the Pod if it is placed near my triceps, but that isn't a great solution. I'll keep working on it until the Minimed transmitter gets approved.

All in all it was a great ride. I stopped a lot to tinker on saddle position, brake lever angle, and the likes, but I also had a good work out. I have not hit a heart rate of 190 in a while, did it a few times on this ride! I think riding single speed is going to be a great challenge for me this year.

Can I have 2 Pump/CGM's?

2011-03-18T20:44:00.008-04:00

I was on a Minimed pump/CGM system for the past 7 years. Most recently the Real Time Revel system. I stopped using Minimed because of a customer service issue that I thought was unacceptable.

I have been doing a little research trying to figure out when OmniPod and Dexcom are going to integrate. Basically this integration would mean that the CGM data would be available on the Omnipod PDM and I would only need to carry 1 device. I am also trying to decide if I want to switch back to my Minimed Real Time Revel pump/cgm. I came upon this article (2nd entry) in my research and it sounds like there is going to be a long delay in getting the integrations done.

After using the Dexcom/Omnipod for the past 6 months I have come to a few realizations that are making me want to go back to the Medtronic Minimed system (reluctantly). Mainly, I have had several instances where I wanted to eat, but didn't have my PDM with me. Some examples would be going out to hike with the dogs, then do some grocery shopping and errands. This could take 4 or 5 hours, and I still don't always remember to bring the PDM even after 6 months. Without the PDM I can't bolus for what I eat, so I can't eat. Second, when I do remember to bring my PDM I now feel inundated with all the crap I have to carry, especially at work. At work I would have PDM, CGM, Work blackberry, wallet, multi-tool and flashlight! That is too much! Third, neither Dexcom nor Omnipod are weather proof and I am on my bike or hiking in rainy, snowy or muddy conditions a lot. As much as I hate to say it, the Medtronic Minimed system solves all of these, but it does tether me to my pump/CGM with it's tubing.

(This all goes on my belt plus a little id badge holder...)

I have made a call to Minimed to see about getting a new transmitter. I have all the other parts, in fact the pump is brand new (warranty replacement). So if it gets approved I will have 2 working pumps and CGM's that I could alternate between. I suppose this would make me a little spoiled, but I also don't think there is anything wrong with trying out other systems to find which one works best. I figure I can utilize them both. When I am biking or at work I can use the tubed and water resistant Minimed, and when I am say, road-tripping to Montana, I can use the Omnipod/Dexcom and not have to dig in my pocket for my pump.

No hitter?

2011-02-23T15:52:00.001-05:00

Depends when I start counting, but I got a no hitter going.....

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It's in!

2011-01-28T22:43:00.003-05:00

Got a new project in the mail today... Thank you Totally Wired Cyclery! Will post pictures when I'm done building it. Too bad there is about a 3 foot snow pack right now :-(

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Strippers in my phone!?!

2011-01-28T11:56:00.001-05:00

I have a HTC Droid Incredible phone. I got it in August and have not had a single problem with it, until Tuesday night. I was about to brush my teeth when it beeped, so I pushed the button to light up the screen and saw the 'Your Battery is dead, shutting down phone' message. I set it down and began to brush em'.. I never leave the watter running, but this day I did, and when I turned to say something to my wife I bumped it into the sink! I scrambled to get the phone dried off and battery out, all while my wife in the other room is wondering why I was cussing right after I said her name.

I got the phone dried off, it really didn't even get wet, and powered up the next day. The software was running funky so I did a factory reset after backing up contacts and such. After I re imported my contacts I decided to go through and clean them up, you know how sometimes you out a random number in your phone, but you really don't need it long term... So I'm going through and I get to 'Daisy' and its not ringing a bell. It's a local number. Thinking nothing I hit Delete. I move on and get to Mercedes, again a local number, and I have NO CLUE who she is! Now I start to wonder what would happen if my wife had seen my phone... I deleted the entry, and moved on. Patiently going through the rest I come to Pebbles! OK, WTF is going on! Local number again.... and I finally realize what is going on and nearly choked as I laughed uncontrollably.... at work!

I take my dogs hiking most days at an area that has lots of trails and a designated 'Dog Park' area for them to socialize. Occasionally I come across a sign for a missing dog, or an owner who is looking for their dog, and I put their phone number in my phone with the dogs name. These 3 entries were all missing dogs from earlier in the summer! I am not sure why my mind went with strippers/call girls on the sight of these entries, but we got a pretty good laugh out of it!

Pretty good day!

2011-01-21T16:53:00.003-05:00

A little high after lunch, but so far so good!

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Snowstorm = No biking

2011-01-13T22:36:00.001-05:00

Too much snow in the latest storm to be out on the bike so I have teaken the dogs hiking the last couple days. We had fresh tracks at the park today on most of the trails. A pretty good New England 'Bluebird' day!

Back in the saddle again

2011-01-11T21:07:00.003-05:00

It's time to shed these pounds after a couple months of hibernating. I have been hiking on most days off, but nothing I would consider training. I have done a little training for Oktoberfest, but that's another post for another day! This weeks is full of work. Games are scheduled every night for the TD Garden including a double header for Saturday. The good thing about working game days is that I typically don't have to be in until about 1pm and this will allow for some am exercise. Factor in 2 dogs and my options are limited! Factor in 24 degrees.... and I wish I could take my dogs to the beautiful gym inside my apartment complex and put them on the tread mill!

This week I am trying to get out everyday and include the dogs in MY training instead of making my exercise be hiking... again. So I piled the dogs and my Cyclocross bike in the car and headed to the Fells, with a lot of layers! I figured I had time for about an hour ride and that would suffice both the dogs and I. There are quite a bit of dirt roads at the Fells and the water department keeps them clear. There are a few hills I could work out on and make an OK work-out of it. When we got out there most of the roads were packed in and frozen foot traffic, so pretty bumpy!

I woke up with a BG or 119 (spot on) and set a temp basal of 55% of regular basal about 1 hr before my ride. I ate a Cliff Crunch (27 carbs) and did not bolus for it. This set me up perfect for a 180 BG at ride start. I like to start exercise about 160 normally, but in the winter I like it to be 180. When I am outside in the cold my blood glucose seems to drop quicker than normal.

I rode for about 1 hour and let the dogs play in the open field with some other pups while I rode circles to cool down for about 10-15 minutes. Finished with a 147 BG, headed home, showered and went to work. I was low 3 times later in the day and quickly realized that I did not set a post ride temp basal. One of the joys of being busy, however it also meant I got to eat M&M's.

Today, I didn't really have time to repeat the ride from yesterday. It was effective for the dogs but the car wasn't available today so instead I went for a run. I HATE running. It is an awful activity. But the dogs needed it, so I agreed (with myself) to go for a quick run with them and then ride my bike to work. Got the Dogs ready and prepared for about 1.5 mile (24 degrees) run..... the first run in 2 or 3 years. Take a look at the heart rate chart. Pegged! Granted this was a short run and the dogs were pulling quite a bit, but a 173 bpm over a mile and a half is really high! I hate running. I digress. I got home and showered and dressed to ride into work. It is only like a 5 mile ride in to work so I tried to make the best of it and did some short intervals. I love biking. My body was meant to ride not run!

Today was pretty much the same story with blood sugars except I didn't get the lows post exercise. I remembered to set a temp basal of 85% for 4 hours once I got to work and that did the trick. A rather large snowstorm is in the forecast for tonight so as long as the roads are navigable I will hike with the dogs tomorrow, but I will up the tempo. I love the dogs and wouldn't trade them for the world, but it does take a lot of extra time and some compromises. I would rather stay in and use the gym, but they need to get exercise too!

I'm still here..... barely!

2011-01-06T20:13:00.003-05:00

So after a long 5 weeks with no posting I figured it was about 4 weeks past due! I have failed at blogging......

Within a day of my last post I was running a temperature anywhere from 97-101, had most of the minor flu-like symptoms, and felt terrible! Like most people with diabetes, the common cold makes managing my diabetes very difficult. My basal rates can get thrown out the window. My insulin to carb ratio's can get flushed, and my insulin correction sensitivities need Midol!

After a few days of high temps and nausea it migrated into the a head cold that would not budge. For about 4 weeks I have been a mucus coughing/spitting machine, feeling less than stellar. I missed all 5 remaining cyclocross races (although 3 would have been missed due to work schedule changes anyway). So the only exercise I have gotten has come from hikes with the dogs since the Shedd Park race. This has been somewhat self inflicted with the Holidays and all.

On top of the Holiday relaxation and extra pounds (8 lbs, yikes) I have been working a lot, six days a week! I am feeling more energetic and since my wife is now over the illness I passed onto her, the household is back to a somewhat normal state. Since being ill, I didn't really feel like posting, especially since my numbers have been so crappy. I have since realized that if this blog is to be of any motivational value to anyone out there with diabetes that I SHOULD post those numbers and what I am doing to combat them. From now on, I post, even if it is not pretty!

Some light training and hopefully commuting will commence in the next week to prepare for the upcoming MTB season. I do feel that I am considerably better shape now than this time last year, and plan to build on that. My new bike has arrived at the factory and is just waiting on a fork before it gets sent to the shop. I will write more on this soon, but here's a teaser. Yeti - Big Top 29er!

Shedd Park Cyclocross Report

2010-11-21T17:47:00.011-05:00

photo by someone in the J. White clan, maybe
Jamie he was done well before me!

So the guys on the team decided that for this weeks race we should all ride in the same category so we could represent! Jamie, Glen, David, Rob and I all lined up in our black Racer-X jerseys and shivered until the race promoter blew the whistle. High temps for the day were scheduled for 39 degrees, but it was more like 34 when we started at 9:45am! It was chilly but managed to bundle up enough to stay warm until I got in a couple mile pre-ride and a warm up lap on the course.

This was my first race in a while (about a month) and my first on the new Omnipod insulin pump, and Dexcom CGM (continuous glucose monitor). I had in stalled my pod last night on my left under arm
where there is some fatty tissue. It was AWESOME to leave the PDM (personal Diabetes Manager, its a hand held control unit for the pod) in the car, and ride tubless! Most of the mountain bikers are saying, "huh, like dude... why would you not ride tubeless dude? Whoa...", but I am talking about the tubing that existed on my last insulin pump system. The pod that is now on my arm contains the insulin and electronics, and the PDM controls it. The pod will remmeber all my basal rates and other settings even if it is not near the PDM. This was great, the only thing I need to do different is to put some Coban tape around my pod and arm. It was shaking around quite a bit on the bumpy sections and was uncomfortable. All was good with my new CGM, results very accurate!

I hadn't been on the bike in while but NEEDED to do this race, and need to do as many more as I can this season. I have been working a lot, and not exercising nearly enough, and the races help motivate me. I can't say I had a great race as far as results, but I had very good blood sugar control.

I woke up with a 160 mg/dl, ate a Cliff Crunch and bolused in full for it. An hour and a half before my race start I set a temp basal of 55% for 2 hours. If my calculations were correct, this would have my pod switch to my normal basal rate with about 10-15 minutes worth of racing remaining. A cyclocross race is typically 40 or 45 minutes for my age/category. Race start 9:45am, race end 10:30am(ish). At 9:30am, after doing about 20 minutes of warm up I noticed the trend arrow on my CGM pointing downward which means my blood sugar is dropping at a rate of 2mg/dl per minute. Even though my blood sugar is hovering around 200mg/dl (a little high, 160 race start is perfect for me) I didn't want to start a cyclocross race with dropping sugar, so I ate another Cliff Mini (22 grams carb). It looks to have worked out perfect... as far as blood sugar anyway! Never got low even post race, and I never did a post race bolus to prevent the typical blood sugar spike that happens due to the reduced basal rate at the very end of the race. This is why I programmed my pod to start giving me my normal (not reduced) basal rate with about 15 minutes left to race. It seems to have worked for today, but it was a bit of a gamble and I will need more testing. Good thing there are 2 races next weekend!

The Cat 1-4 race was very fast compared to the Cat 4 races i have done before. But then again I had to race against people like Jamie and Glenn (both who lapped me) as well as other super fit freaks! It was fun, but I think I will stick with the Cat 4 category in the future.

My new tools...

2010-11-12T10:07:00.006-05:00

Here is my new insulin pump PDM, and CGM (continuous glucose monitor). The PDM, on the left, has a built in Freestyle glucose meter that I check my blood sugar with. The CGM is on the left and shows current blood sugar, trend arrows, and a 1-24 hour graph tracking my blood sugar. I only need to carry the PDM when I am going to bolus insulin. Bolus insulin is insulin given to correct a high blood sugar or to cover crabs eaten. The PDM sends the basal programs to the pod, and the pod will remember it on its own. Basal insulin is the small about per hour of
insulin that is needed to keep blood sugar in check 24 hours a day. My basal rate changes anywhere from .75 to 1.05 units per hour.

The only downside I have noticed is that since I don't need to carry the PDM at all times, I sometimes don't have it on me when I want to eat. So far the worst that has happened is I had to walk back to my office and grab it. Sometime during a game at the Garden I may be up on level 9 wanting to eat and have to go to level 2 to my desk, and withh all the people can take 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. It is a little bit of a pain to carry both devices, test strips, lancing device (finger pricker), as well as my Leatherman and flashlight while at work. Well worth it though, and as soon as the 2 companies merge I will be able to see the data from the CGM on the PDM and will only need to carry that..... and all my dorky IT tools!

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Doctor report and new tools!

2010-11-09T23:28:00.016-05:00

I have been working a lot and have not had a ton of time to keep up on the blog, or ride for that matter! But alas, I have much to tell! Mostly on the agenda is a report about my appointment at the Joslin Diabetes Center with my new CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator). Oh, and also I made a major change in my CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and Insulin pump..... as in I got new ones!

I guess I have a race report too.... from 3 weeks ago! Here is a run down. I got a new frame in the mail thanks to Jamie for a tip on a great deal for a KHS CX200. Jamie built it up with all his spare parts (thanks dude!), and I raced it the next day at the Minuteman Road Club cyclocross race in Lancaster, MA. The bike rode flawlessly, however it has been determined that my MTB roots led me to believe that lower tire pressure would handle better on the slick grass. The KHS worked great until lap 2 and somehow the tire rolled off the rim after getting rubbed by another rider and, or, some bumpy corners and the wrong weight distribution peeled it right off. I enjoyed photography and heckling my teammates for the remainder of the day!

So here's the stuff! I saw the new CDE at the Joslin Dibetes Center on Wednesday last week. It was a much better experience this go around. I didn't have a lot of data for her to look at but we chatted about what my goals were and how/if she could help. It was clear that she was more able to assist in helping me achieve some of my exercise goals, and also suggested seeing the exercise physiologist they have on staff next time. We got all my prescriptions up to date and faxed, and talked about the data I should bring next time so we could get more in depth with my insulin pump and CGM settings. So why didn't I have any data to bring in?

When I go to the CDE or Endocrinologist I bring in reports so we can see any potential trends for high or low blood sugars that might be able to be corrected with some setting on my insulin pump. I didn't have any this time. Here is the short reason. I was on a Medtronic Minimed CGM. I called to order some supplies and was asking about my warranty periods. They told me the warranty was due on my CGM 2 years ago, and that they only guarantee its results for 6 months! Mine was 2 1/2 years old and if you go back and read my blogs you can see how unhappy I was with its results over that last summer! I thought I was doing something wrong and blamed it on everything from the humidity to bad glucose monitors! They had never told me about the inaccuracies after 6 months, nor had they bothered to tell me it was out of warranty when I called each month to order new sensors. This along with other issues forced me to look elsewhere.

After much research I found two new companies. Omipod (Insulet Corp.) is out of Boston and they make my new insulin pump. Dexcom out of California makes my new CGM. I'll say right off the bat that this is a disadvantage compared to the Minimed Real Time Revel system. I now have to carry two devices instead of one! However, they are merging in the very near future and this will be resolved. Also, technically I don't have to carry both all the time. So the main advantage for me going to this system is that there is no tubing! With the Minimed system you are tethered to a 23-43 inch long tubing that dispenses insulin to the infusion set 24 hours a day. With my new Omnipod there is a 'Pod' (pictured above attached to my under arm) that holds some electrical parts and a 200 unit supply of insulin. The pod gets changed out every 3 days and is controlled by a 'PDM' (personal diabetes manager) that is kinda like a cell phone or a Palm type of device. The PDM also has a built in glucose meter, so I don't need to carry one anymore. The PDM only needs to be near me while I am correcting a high blood sugar or eating food that I need to take insulin for (bolus). The pod remembers my basal patterns and can run those programs with its on board memory and pump. So far I am really happy with the pump and pod. It may sound funny, but it is really empowering not to be attached to the cord from the old pump and getting tangled in it everyday!

My new CGM is from Dexcom. It is a little smaller than the Minimed CGM, but the main benefit is that you can wear it for 7 days as opposed to 3 days. It also has a hand held device like a cell phone where I can read the current blood sugar and see other trends and details about my current blood sugar. This will be integrated to the Omnipod PDM in the near future so I will only need the one device to see everything going on. So far (9days) the Dexcom is very accurate. I would say it is more accurate than the Minimed ever was, and I am really happy with my new system. I am excited to see the new PDM that will talk to my CGM, and will struggle carrying the 2 devices in the meantime, but I think it will be worth the wait! Not having the tubing is going to help with my bike riding and racing, I won't get tangled in the night, and.... I never could find a good place to put my old pump when I was naked! Now I can just set the PDM on my nightstand and forget about it!

Hopefully a new race report will come Sunday evening after the Plymouth, MA cross race this weekend!

Catch up!.....

2010-10-25T22:27:00.002-04:00

Not the kind I like to put on most foods...

So it has been a couple weeks since I have written a post, and in a way I am glad! Lets just say it has been a while since I last worked. 16 months to be exact. I have now been back to work for 4 weeks, and it feels great! I have a paycheck, adults to talk to, problems to solve, and time to manage!

But, WTF...... my riding has taken a back seat to this shit show? I have been spoiled with riding time in the recent past! With over 60 hours of work each week, I am hoping that a slow down will happen with my job, and also the field of racers in my cyclocross category!

I am going through a lot right now that I would like to write about, but cannot find the time. I have a had a CX (cyclocross) race to update about, I have the all important DR. (CDE/exercise physiologist) appointment on 11/3/2010 to update about, and I am also changing my insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor to a different brand. This last part is HUGE, but unfortunately is also a long story....... More to come later this week!

Btw..... my CX race was cut short due to a flat tire! It was the first race I had to DNF all year so I guess I am lucky! Write more soon!

New cross frame...

2010-10-11T08:56:00.003-04:00

Have been working non stop since I started my new job. I do IT at the TD garden in Boston, and it is very fast paced. My sugars have been consistently low at work so an adjustment in my basal rates is imminent!

I have been working a ton, so to help work through that I ordered on of these! $200 and some change on ebay or from Bikeman.com....

Thanks to Jamie who has a spare pit bike. Yeah a spare pit bike! It must be nice to be so wicked fast (hey, I live in Boston) that companies just throw race bikes at you like that! More to come....... back to work!

Cyclocross Race in Gloucester, MA

2010-10-05T22:44:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I was talked into doing a cyclocross race. It really wasn't that hard to talk me into it, but I did at one point a few months ago say that there was no way I would do a cross race! Mainly I didn't want to do a race because my cross bike is my commuter bike and it is a single speed. Taking a single speed cross bike to a race is kinda like taking a tooth pick to a gun fight! Alas, I was up for the challenge.

So, I have come to terms that for the most part I am the 'middle of the pack sport guy' right now, and that is ok. My fitness will improve. My goals are all focused around managing my
diabetes on the bike. A ride or race that I have to stop early is due to low blood sugar is worse than a DNF or DFL (this is of coarse a personal opinion). That being said, cross racing was going to introduce a whole new set of challenges for me. Ideally during a cross race you would prefer to not carry a H2O bottle of Endurox, cliff bars, GU or anything else in-case of low blood sugar, like I normally would! Instead, I had to 'spike' my blood sugar the proper amount just before the race so that when I finished it would be in the recovery range (90-120 & dropping) so I could take on a post ride recovery drink and a bit (1-3u) of insulin to make up for the temp basal post ride spike. These things are all different than any of the mountain bike races I have done this year.

Take race length and heart rate for example. My heart rate (HR) was up for the entire dross race compared to a MTB race, but those typically last a minimum of 2 hours. This race was 40 minutes and this chart was my HR. I was PEGGED!

I hoped that I had my insulin pump set properly (basal rate 45%)to get me through the race. I had a GU at 10 minutes before start with a sugar of 200. I was hoping for a blood sugar of 165 at 10 pre race so I could down a GU (which has a bit of a delayed response to blood sugar), but it was a bit high and I downed the GU anyway. I finished the race with sugar about 212, but dropping FAST! 20 minutes later I was at 90 with a cliff mini and a chance of an Oatmeal Stout in the near future. I need a few more cross races to get some good data, and learn a system for cross races. My body, and diabetes, reacts to differently to MTB vs. cyclocross races, and I just need more experience to learn what I need for cross races.... Good thing I am now hooked! Here are some pics!

First Day of Work....

2010-09-27T13:11:00.006-04:00

I have been unemployed for the past 16 months. Normally I have hiked with the dogs, and started getting ready for a bike ride by this time on most days. Today, I am installing software on my work computer.... not complaining as a job has been a long time coming. Blood sugar is running higher than normal! Transition, the four letter word for a diabetic!

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Kingdom Trails Again!

2010-09-24T11:16:00.009-04:00

Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT have to be some of my favorite since moving to Boston. It's a 3 hour drive up, but is worth it! A few weeks ago the trip to Kingdom Trails was a bit of an adventure with my blood sugars, as I could not get my sugar up even though I was taking in plenty of carbs. Just one of those days!

I set a temp basal at approximately 9am, of 55%, and was monitoring sugar with my CGM and also verifying with my meter. I have been getting unusually inaccurate results with my CGM lately, so I am doing extra finger pricks than normal. I had eaten a piece of double protein toast with jelly at 6am, and on drive up I had eaten 2 Cliff mini's and 4 Fig newtons. At ride start (11:15am) I had less than 1 unit of active/on board insulin, and my sugar was at about 160. At this time I also ate a GU to help with the sugar crash I usually get in the first half hour.

We road Knight Slayer first! Fun downhill with banked corners, table top jumps, and some other stuff that... well just watch here (this isn't us, but gives a good idea of the trail):

So we rode this and then climbed back up to the car (850 ft gain), loaded up and went over to the Darling Hill Road side where we continued to do about 20 more miles of single track.

It was a good day! My sugars stayed stable, and I didn't really need to eat much. I had a Cliff Mini, and a GU at about 2 at a planned stop. I took 1.8u of insulin so I wouldn't spike, as my sugar was in the 150 range. We continued to ride about another hour, and I began to drop fast once at the car. I went from 179 at 2:40pm to 79 at the car at 3:40pm. I usually take a bit of insulin (3 units if my ride/temp basal is over 2 hours) to prevent a post ride spike, but I didn't need to do this today. I drank the rest of my Endurox drink to get my sugar back up, I guess I didn't need the 1.8u after all!

In the future I am going to try to make time to study what heart rate zones make my sugars drop at what rate. I don't really want to go lower than 50% on the temp basal because I also need to get the calories while I am riding, and I'd like to do it without taking bolus insulin. Munching on a few Cliff mini's and GU is almost killing 2 birds with one stone. An average heart rate of 154 over 3 ours of riding is going to deplete the body of fuel, and if I can eat with out taking bolus insulin, and keep my sugar from spiking, I seem to stay away from the low sugars that can end rides! Here is my log for the day.

Finding a Doctor

2010-09-14T23:28:00.005-04:00

I may have found a Doctor. After going to see 3 endocrinologists, and 2 CDE's (Certified Diabetes Educators), and one primary care doctor since moving to Boston, I may have found the one...... but I won't know until Nov. 3rd! And, that's Ok.....

I want to try to start this entry by giving credit. I will have had diabetes for 21 years this Thanksgiving. In that amount of time you meet a lot of doctors, CDE's, specialists, pharmacists, salesmen, etc. By far, hands down the best healthcare professional I have ever had the fortune to work with is Leigh MacHaffie. She works in Colorado at a small endocrine clinic that I had the fortune of being a patient. Leigh is largely responsible for me utilizing technology to take control of my diabetes. She was a motivator for me to take care of myself and never showed any doubt that I could tackle the bike riding I wanted to do. She took all the time that I needed to make sure I understood what was happening with my pump, continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and more importantly the data that I was receiving from these tools. She even put me in touch with some semi-pro racers with Type 1 that could help me with specifics of long rides and such. After being in Boston for nearly a year, I am about ready to fly back to Colorado (with my bike) for appointments just so I can see Leigh again!

Instead of telling a bad story about the doctors I have seen since moving here, I just wanted to write a bit about who I may have found. I have already seen doctors at the Joslin Center for Diabetes, the worlds most renowned diabetes research and care center, which is here in Boston. After weeding out a few doctors and CDE's, I finally talked to someone yesterday that was pretty excited to hear about the things I was asking for. I am not in the market for the run of the mill appointment where they ask how things are, and then say "oh you took your A1C from 7.3% in March to 6.7% in June, your good". I want someone to really go over my data and my lifestyle to help me manage, someone who is excited a little!

Normally when you make an appointment a receptionist just tells you which doctor's and CDE's are taking new patients, and then they will schedule you. I called and asked if it was possible to talk to the doctors/CDE's before I made an appointment to see if they could help with my specifics. And they let me! I left a few voice-mails with CDE's and told them I was looking for someone to help me with specific things, and if they couldn't help, could they recommend someone who could. It took some time but I have an appointment with the Insulin Pump and CGM program's head CDE, and an exercise physiologist on Nov. 3rd! She sounded excited to talk to me and told me of other diabetic athletes that she works with.

Sometimes it's really hard to accept healthcare when you feel like you know more than the CDE your working with, or when the endocrinologist says that you do! Don't settle. I basically called and interviewed people to be my healthcare providers. I felt like I needed specific and more advanced care than an averagely educated diabetic, and after a few calls I hope I found it! It is going to be tough to get someone like Leigh MacHaffie, but I'll let you know after Nov. 3rd!

Willowdale Ride

2010-09-11T21:17:00.001-04:00

So I haven't really been on a ride since my FOMBA adventures last week. I have been on a few hikes with the dogs, but nothing to blog about. I went for a short ride out at Willowdale today. It was about 10 miles (full loop), and it was the same course as the race on 5/21/2010, with a little extra single track at the end. Legs were not feeling that great when the ride started, it took me about a half hour before I really felt warmed up. In addition, my glucose sensors have not been real accurate in the last couple weeks, and today was no exception. I suppose this is an entirely separate issue/post, but the sensors have not been recognizing rapid or drastic changes in blood glucose, which is kinda one of the main features! I was using sensors that were a tad on the old side, so a new one will be inserted tonight for a Sunday morning calibration and hope for better results this week.

Basically how the glucose sensors works is that there is a transmitter that wirelessly transmits blood sugar data to my insulin pump. Attached to the transmitter, and inserted into my abdominal area, is a sensor. It has a tiny tube that, after insertion, lies in ythe interstitial fluid and measures blood glucose. There is a possible slight lag in the glucose readings from the interstitial fluid and actual blood glucose (blood sugar) levels, but Medtronic says 20% accuracy. That means if the sensor reading says your blood sugar is 100, and actual finger prick reading should be between 120-80 roughly.

So I started my ride at 185 mg/dl. That's a good place to start a ride, it usually drops like a rock in the first half hour for me even though I have temp basal rate set. Today I set a 55% temp basal, and I did it 1.5 hours before ride start. I normally do it 1 hour before ride start, but I am trying to work on the 'drop like a rock' blood sugars in the first half hour! My sugar stayed elevated today, even up to 209 according to the sensor 50:19 minutes into the ride. I was running a little low on energy so ate a GU. Do you really eat those? They really can't be chewed, or swallowed whole... I guess it's more like chewing gum with no dentures! I digress. So the ride was finished by 1hour 17 minutes, and sensor was still hanging at 205. I checked with the glucometer and it said 274! Ouch! I took 3 units for correction, and another 3 an hour later, and threw the sensor away and opened a new box.

All in all it was a good ride, although the 274 says why I wasn't feeling that great. I got in around 10 miles, mostly single track, and rode for about 1:17. I did take 11 minutes off my time from the race on 5/21/2010 on the same course so I was pretty pleased with that! Might have to time trial this in the weeks to come for a good spring to fall fitness comparison!! Go ride!

Roller Coaster @ FOMBA

2010-09-03T22:01:00.003-04:00

So I had the bike ready, the backpack packed, food & water ready and I hit the road by 6:30am. Blood sugar at wake up was 133, and my CGM said 135 which was really accurate. On the drive to the trails I got a low alarm (89) on my insulin pump. Odd.... I had already set a temp basal and had a Cliff Mini, and took bolus insulin for the carbs so I knew it wasn't low. I checked with a glucose meter and it was 190. I calibrated my CGM hoping it would be accurate by ride time. Not the case. I checked with a glucose meter again at the start of my ride and it was still 190 with CGM at about 100... I started the ride and within 45 minutes I was feeling low. I ate a Cliff Mini, and a GU 15 minutes later, but CGM said I was now trending up above 150! Grrrr.

On a bike note, I was seeing all the rocks, big roots and the lines I wanted to take. Problem was I was riding into all those obstacles head on, often nearly endo-ing into next said obstacle! It was one of those days! Blood sugar up and down and MTB skills like Jamie.... I was on a MTB Roller Coaster!

The day wouldn't get better as I would have to stop 10 miles into my planned 3 hour ride. I had a strange pain on the top oh my hand above my right wrist. I tried to shake it off (literally), and I felt something pop. After this point I couldn't grip the handlebar with any control and the pain was hardly tolerable. After navigating the rest of Lady Slipper with a couple close calls, I decided to call it a day. I couldn't squeeze a water bottle on the drive home or grip the steering wheel.

I got a total of 10 miles in out of a planned 20ish so I was bummed. I planned to finish with Fireline in both directions, and I didn't get to ride it in either direction. My blood sugar was up to 260 at this point, so I was again bummed. My pace was 1 mph faster at that point than my previous rides at FOMBA so I was headed home to soak my sorrows in an ICB (ice cold beer).

Here is my graph from the last 12 hours, you can see the roller coaster! Although not a fun one, these days will happen now and again and you need to take them with a grain of salt! I still got in an hour and some change on the bike, and I was in the forest! I also didn't die, and after an ibuprofen and a nap my hand is oddly enough feeling almost 100%! Cross bike ride to come soon and hopefully with better blood sugar and less amusement park!

29er tested...

2010-08-30T22:57:00.002-04:00

I ended up battling traffic and made the trek to the Specialized demo ride. Glad I made it! I did two laps (they had short test ride lap setup, maybe 2-3 miles) on the carbon hardtail with Sram XX. The bike fit pretty well, but would need some proper fitting. Well, after my two laps I was sold! Not necessarily on the Specialized, but on the 29er platform. It felt fast and I was amazed we how well it went over the rocky and rooty sections. I did seem to hit my pedals in a couple corners that I don't think would have on my 26", but I did not analyze crank length or bb clearance.

Blood sugar still a little on the low side, may run a slight temp basal tonight. Good night and sweet (29er) dreams!

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Another rest day, sort of!

2010-08-30T16:34:00.001-04:00

Blood sugar has been running on the low side for the last couple days. Not sure why. I'm on a new statin medication, but I don't think that is one of the side effects. Went on an easy 2 hour hike with the dogs (no temp nasal, but I never do for dog hikes), and was planning on hitting up the Specialized demo day at Willowdale State Forest. We'll see if I feel like plugging through traffic to get there, also need to get the sugar up! If I go test a new 29er you'll be the first to know!

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3 hour review...

2010-08-28T23:30:00.002-04:00

Not a bad 3 hours...

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Rest day today!

2010-08-28T22:22:00.005-04:00

Maggie had to work, and I had a rest day planned for the most part. I took the dogs on hike at the park, but that was short and they spent most of the time swimming (didn't set a temp basal). I also moved a bunch of stuff to our new storage unit down the hall, and that took more effort than I planned. I got low a few times throughout the day (never less than 80) and probably could have avoided that with a temp basal while hiking/moving storage units. Here is my daily log. Much better day today!

Kingdom Trails 08-27-2010

2010-08-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

So Kingdom Trails lived up to the hype! Really nice and well maintained single track. It had a few sections that had me thinking I was in Fruita, CO with a Jungle view! I will be back and hopefully sooner than later! We rode 18.9 miles (via wheel magnet) and David said we only hit a portion of the trails. Here is the GPS info:

As for the diabetes control.... I have to say it was a tough day for the blood sugar. It didn't help that Maggie and I went to a last minute BBQ/wine party at our apartment complex and stayed up until 1:30am. Nonetheless, it was an off day, maybe still feeling the effects of the 6hr race from last Saturday.

I set a temp Basal of 65% at 9:45am (ride time ended up being 11:10am) and had a breakfast of 1 peanut crunch cliff bar at 8:15am, and had plenty of water (100oz) on the 3hr drive up. Here is my daily log from the glucose sensor (you can also see it on the Glucose Logs page at 2010-08-27). After begining the ride, I fast approached a low sugar (down to 100 from 161) within the first 45 minutes, and began to mow on Clif-mini bars every 15 minutes for the next hour as the sugar would not come up. Mixed in with a full bottle of Endurox R4 (52 carbs, 2 scoops) and 2 GU gels (25 grams of carb each), I still could not get sugar out of the 90's. This was VERY strange, and was actually more carb intake than I had at the entire 6 hours of the VT race last weekend. We took a good 20 minute break and sure enough it started to come up fast! We continued to ride, but I took an easy pace and by the time we finished my sugar was 150. Secretly, my legs were killing me, still feeling the effects of last weeks race. I did a post ride bolus of 4.5 units (higher than normal because of the food intake) and canceled temp basal for now. Had subway for lunch within an hour and headed home. Set temp basal at approximately 9:45pm for 8 hours.

Heading to Kingdom Trails Tomorrow

2010-08-26T16:19:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow a few of the riders from Racer-X are heading up to Kingdom Trails in Burke, VT. From what I have been hearing, this is a MTB mecca for the Northeast! We are headed out early and plan to get a few hours of riding. Hope the legs are feeling good after the 6 hour race last Saturday at the VT30. Full ride report to follow as well as nutrition and glucose log.

VT 30 (6 Hour) MTB Race

2010-08-23T16:46:00.006-04:00

I competed in the VT30 6 hour mountain bike race in Pittsfield, VT near Killington Ski area on August 21st. This was going to be the longest race I have ever done as far as hours in the saddle, and was going to be one of my biggest challenges as far as managing my diabetes.

Here were the rules:
1. Finish 3 laps in order to finish (although I don't think they actually gave out any DNF's)
2. Do as many laps in 6 hours as you can
3. Your last lap must start before the 6 hour limit, this means you could go for a final lap if you crossed the line at 5:59:59.

We arrived at camp on Friday afternoon where we were to meet up with Rob & Renee, Dave & Jean, and Jamie all from the Racer-X team. Maggie and I set up camp, started a shish kabob dinner, made a fire, and had a few beers! Life was good!

Blood sugars were doing well also, got a little low while setting up camp so a few Cliff Mini bars did the trick until dinner. Got to bed around 10pm, and most was well overnight, although I needed about 25g of glucose tablets about 1:20am. Woke up around 6am with blood sugar around 160. I did the usual pre-ride breakfast of a slice Arnold Double Protein toast, and a couple Cliff Mini's. Race start was at 9am and my sugar was hovering around 180, which I was happy with. Temp basal was set at 50% 1.5 hours before race time.

The lap was 10 miles long as measured by my wheel magnet. Here is the profile of a lap, basically straight up, then straight down. Each lap consisted of about 1800ft climbing total. Mostly steady switch back climbing, with a couple sections that kick pretty steep! The promoters had an aid station set up at the top with some drinks, food, and fruit. I had to utilize this on every lap to check sugar, reload and refill. Racer-X also had a tent set up at the start/finish line and Maggie was there with filled water bottles, food, and had all my stuff ready when I came around each lap. I also would check sugar here, and after lap 1 it became apparent the the CGM (continuois glucose monitor) was not as accurate as I had hoped. It said I was 143 but when I checked it, I was at 208. This is not terrible, but I like around 150 during rides, especially since my heart rate was going to average in the 160's most of the day. The harder the effort, the faster the blood sugar will drop, even with a temp basal of 50%.

My goals for the day were to finish the race, ride at least 6 hours, and to have successful glucose management. A good result would have been welcome also! I continued to ride each lap stopping at the top and bottom of the climb to check blood sugar, and refuel. I had to lube my chain on lap 3, but there were plenty of tools and such in the Racer-X pit to fix that. I came down after lap 3 unofficially with 1.5 hours left until the 6 hour cutoff. I was putting in elapsed lap times of 1hr 30min, and this included my stops at both the top and bottom of the climb. I left for my forth lap and never stopped at the top! CGM said my sugar was 140 so I kept on going. I was headed for my fastest lap, but more impressive to me was that my lap times were all within 3 minutes of each other.

For some reason I was actually considering going out for a 5th lap if I crossed the start/finish line with under 6:00 on the clock. I descended as fast as I could and came around the start/finish line at 6:03 and some change. I was not aloud to go for a fifth lap by 3 minutes! This would actually be a good thing as my sugar was now at 80 (checked with the meter at finish), and could not have started that climb without getting some carb intake and a short rest. Maybe next year! I figured I could shave at least 10 minutes per lap off my time if I didn't need to stop, but this was not an option for me this year. I was actually planning my strategy for next year while I was still on the course. Next year I will have a some sort of wooden stake set up in a couple places on the coarse with water bottles of Edurox or Heed. I will also have more experience managing my sugar over a long race and maybe won't need to stop for sugar checks. I am also hoping I can use a new insulin pump and CGM that is a little more accurate. If I can accomplish that i think I can turn 1:10-1:15 lap times which should put me in line for 5 laps.

All in all I accomplished all my goals. I rode 4 laps, 40 miles, in 6:03:XX, climbed 8000+/- feet, had good blood sugars (here is my log for the day), and I finished 14th in Sport Men which was way better than I had anticipated! We were all back at camp enjoying a few beers by the camp fire, eating food and sharing stories about our rides..... that's what biking is all about! Can't wait for next year!!