I had the pleasure to speak at the Diabetic Parent Support Group at the Childrens' Hospital of Pennsylvania last weekend. If I didn't know it was only their third meeting, ever, I wouldn't have guessed. The event was well attended and while there were new faces in the room, it was obvious that many of the people had met each other before.
For me, it was a chance to speak about some of the basics of managing diabetes and exercise and to share a bit about Team Type 1. I'd say the group was fairly typical in that regard; most in the audience knew a little about us, but few knew about all of the teams and what some of our amazing athletes have accomplished. That in and of itself is valuable, I think, because it sends a message that diabetes isn't a limiting factor in your life.
At events like this, I'm always struck by the awesomeness of the people; how connected, engaged and interesting they are. But truth be told, it is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Who chooses to attend an event about becoming a better diabetic? The same type of person who cares about self improvement in a lot of things. Inevitably, those people are connected and engaged and interesting.
In the end, I hoped to do my part to let the young athletes know that role models exist to help them. I talked at length about newly minted PhD Andy Mead to a 17 year old aspiring biologist who wants to cure diabetes. And I spoke about collegiate track champion, Mandy Marquardt, to a newly diagnosed velodrome racer, concerned about what diabetes will mean to his favorite hobby. These are the stories that I am blessed to know and that I am equally blessed to be able to tell.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Out-thinking Winter
Of all the reasons I don't enjoy Winter (and truth be told, there are many), one of the trickiest is trying to plan key workouts around finicky weather. Take last weekend, for instance. Please.
The plan called for me to do the Squirrely Tail Twail Wun, a half marathon trail race on Sunday.
To prepare for this race, I'd foregone my regular Thursday tempo run. While not a big deal, it's also not easy decision. We're about 9 weeks from the Boston Marathon, which means there are approximately 25 key workouts left. A decision to skip one shouldn't be taken lightly, and I didn't.
And then Saturday turned out to be mini snow squall after mini snow squall, and there I was deciding whether or not I was going to do this race on Sunday.
On the plus side was the fact that Sunday's forecast was for 30mph wind gusts and morning temps around 15-20 degrees; in other words crappy for running a workout. Far better to be distracted by a race.
But there were two big minuses. The first was the fact that the race had some technical areas and if they were slick, there was a chance I could hurt myself. Usually, that wouldn't bother me, but this time around, it's Boston I'm training for and who knows when I'll get back there? I couldn't ignore this possibility.
But the bigger minus for me was my fear that the course would be so slippery that the race would turn into a half marathon walk, which would negate any positive workout effects. It's tough to convince myself to run 13 instead of 20 on the weekend... To hike it would've, quite frankly, felt like a waste.
And so after changing my mind about 7 times during the course of Saturday, at 8pm I decided I wasn't racing. And while the decision relieved me, there was still the matter of how to get in a quality workout on a cold and blustery Sunday. (And to be clear: the weather has to be near deadly for me to consider getting on my treadmill.)
I opted to go on the Conewago rail trail, running from Colebrook to Lebanon and back. This course has the advantage of being somewhat shielded from the wind.
I'd settled on the idea of running it easy and then trying to drop in 5-7 7:15 miles. But once I got on the course, I had to change plans for winter YET again. The blustery snow squalls of the previous day had made the course fairly runnable but also unpredictable. Some miles the trail was bare. Other miles had up to 2 inches of snow on it. Most of it was somewhere in between. So I ran fast when I could and slower when I couldn't.
In the end, I finished the 20 miler at a 7:41 pace. This included 2 at 7:18 pace and a ton of them around 7:30. All in all, it was my fastest run of more than 18 miles in 3 years, and the quality type of workout I want as we head toward Boston. So I was pleased, which wasn't where I thought I'd end up. You can see all of my splits here.
It wasn't perfect, though... I pushed enough into the anaerobic zone that my blood sugar was 300 near the end. I would've known this if it hadn't been so cold, but my meter froze. Nevertheless, as the speed creeps up on the long runs, I'll need to watch my blood sugars a bit more.
Even so, I'd rather out-think diabetes than winter any day. For me, the former is far more predictable.
The plan called for me to do the Squirrely Tail Twail Wun, a half marathon trail race on Sunday.
To prepare for this race, I'd foregone my regular Thursday tempo run. While not a big deal, it's also not easy decision. We're about 9 weeks from the Boston Marathon, which means there are approximately 25 key workouts left. A decision to skip one shouldn't be taken lightly, and I didn't.
And then Saturday turned out to be mini snow squall after mini snow squall, and there I was deciding whether or not I was going to do this race on Sunday.
On the plus side was the fact that Sunday's forecast was for 30mph wind gusts and morning temps around 15-20 degrees; in other words crappy for running a workout. Far better to be distracted by a race.
But there were two big minuses. The first was the fact that the race had some technical areas and if they were slick, there was a chance I could hurt myself. Usually, that wouldn't bother me, but this time around, it's Boston I'm training for and who knows when I'll get back there? I couldn't ignore this possibility.
But the bigger minus for me was my fear that the course would be so slippery that the race would turn into a half marathon walk, which would negate any positive workout effects. It's tough to convince myself to run 13 instead of 20 on the weekend... To hike it would've, quite frankly, felt like a waste.
And so after changing my mind about 7 times during the course of Saturday, at 8pm I decided I wasn't racing. And while the decision relieved me, there was still the matter of how to get in a quality workout on a cold and blustery Sunday. (And to be clear: the weather has to be near deadly for me to consider getting on my treadmill.)
I opted to go on the Conewago rail trail, running from Colebrook to Lebanon and back. This course has the advantage of being somewhat shielded from the wind.
I'd settled on the idea of running it easy and then trying to drop in 5-7 7:15 miles. But once I got on the course, I had to change plans for winter YET again. The blustery snow squalls of the previous day had made the course fairly runnable but also unpredictable. Some miles the trail was bare. Other miles had up to 2 inches of snow on it. Most of it was somewhere in between. So I ran fast when I could and slower when I couldn't.
In the end, I finished the 20 miler at a 7:41 pace. This included 2 at 7:18 pace and a ton of them around 7:30. All in all, it was my fastest run of more than 18 miles in 3 years, and the quality type of workout I want as we head toward Boston. So I was pleased, which wasn't where I thought I'd end up. You can see all of my splits here.
It wasn't perfect, though... I pushed enough into the anaerobic zone that my blood sugar was 300 near the end. I would've known this if it hadn't been so cold, but my meter froze. Nevertheless, as the speed creeps up on the long runs, I'll need to watch my blood sugars a bit more.
Even so, I'd rather out-think diabetes than winter any day. For me, the former is far more predictable.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
January Review - Pre Boston Marathon
Thanks to surprisingly good January weather, the month wrapped up really well workout-wise. To sum:
* Missed workouts - 0. I've found that work, weather and health issues usually knock me out at least 1-2 days per month, but January was flawless. I had 4 planned rest days and took 4. One workout had to get moved due to weather, but that was it.
* Total mileage was 204. That's my third highest total of the past 12 months. Perhaps more important, it's a very nice volume for me so far before the Boston Marathon. It bodes well for a good build.
* Re-introduction of speedwork. The best surprise of all was 4 successful tempo runs, culminating with an 8 miler that included 7 miles @ 6:52 pace. I also did 4 hill workouts that will now turn into interval workouts.
* Diabetes-wise, things were pretty good, though not as well as I'd like. According to my numbers, I spent 3% of the time higher than 170 and .6% of the time lower than 60. Both of those figures are a bit higher than I'd like. It seems when I'm really jamming I'm only over 170 about 1.5-2% of the time, and can keep the lows to as little as .2%. But still, it wasn't horrible.
February will bring my annual trip to our UK office, but this one will be a couple of days shorter than other years, which means I shouldn't have trouble hitting all of my long runs prior to and immediately after the trip. With jet lag and work, I keep things casual running-wise on those trips, getting in easy miles when I can and not sweating it if I can't. The shorter trip this time means it shouldn't hurt my fitness much at all.
Historically speaking, I hate January more than any other month, due to the horrible weather, the limited light and inevitable head colds. This year was a pleasant surprise, and I'm happy to be on the back half of winter already.
* Missed workouts - 0. I've found that work, weather and health issues usually knock me out at least 1-2 days per month, but January was flawless. I had 4 planned rest days and took 4. One workout had to get moved due to weather, but that was it.
* Total mileage was 204. That's my third highest total of the past 12 months. Perhaps more important, it's a very nice volume for me so far before the Boston Marathon. It bodes well for a good build.
* Re-introduction of speedwork. The best surprise of all was 4 successful tempo runs, culminating with an 8 miler that included 7 miles @ 6:52 pace. I also did 4 hill workouts that will now turn into interval workouts.
* Diabetes-wise, things were pretty good, though not as well as I'd like. According to my numbers, I spent 3% of the time higher than 170 and .6% of the time lower than 60. Both of those figures are a bit higher than I'd like. It seems when I'm really jamming I'm only over 170 about 1.5-2% of the time, and can keep the lows to as little as .2%. But still, it wasn't horrible.
February will bring my annual trip to our UK office, but this one will be a couple of days shorter than other years, which means I shouldn't have trouble hitting all of my long runs prior to and immediately after the trip. With jet lag and work, I keep things casual running-wise on those trips, getting in easy miles when I can and not sweating it if I can't. The shorter trip this time means it shouldn't hurt my fitness much at all.
Historically speaking, I hate January more than any other month, due to the horrible weather, the limited light and inevitable head colds. This year was a pleasant surprise, and I'm happy to be on the back half of winter already.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Surprising 60
The plan wasn't to run 60 miles last week.
The schedule had me planning for 53 or so, just a notch up from the previous week's 50. But Saturday's scheduled long day got snowed out, which pushed the long day to Sunday. And rather than take a rest day on Saturday, I hopped on the dreadmill for about 6.5, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out today (Monday). The result? Exactly 60 miles, and the first I'd ran that far in a week since last September and only my 6th in the previous year.
Everything feels good right now, I think mostly because I'm doing the right things. I'm following up hard days, with very easy days - trying to slow those down to 9:00 miles. It makes a huge difference. I neglected to do that last Wednesday, zipping through a bunch of 8:20 miles and the result was that I got through Thursday's tempo, but it was an effort. Hard - easy, Hard - easy - it makes a difference. Not just in days, but in weeks, which is why last week's 60 mile week will be followed by one of about 40. My bg also behaved like a champ on this week's 20 miler, hanging around 120 for most of the run. I finished at 74 but knew I was falling and would've taken a gel about 2 miles sooner had I planned to be out longer.
The schedule had me planning for 53 or so, just a notch up from the previous week's 50. But Saturday's scheduled long day got snowed out, which pushed the long day to Sunday. And rather than take a rest day on Saturday, I hopped on the dreadmill for about 6.5, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out today (Monday). The result? Exactly 60 miles, and the first I'd ran that far in a week since last September and only my 6th in the previous year.
Everything feels good right now, I think mostly because I'm doing the right things. I'm following up hard days, with very easy days - trying to slow those down to 9:00 miles. It makes a huge difference. I neglected to do that last Wednesday, zipping through a bunch of 8:20 miles and the result was that I got through Thursday's tempo, but it was an effort. Hard - easy, Hard - easy - it makes a difference. Not just in days, but in weeks, which is why last week's 60 mile week will be followed by one of about 40. My bg also behaved like a champ on this week's 20 miler, hanging around 120 for most of the run. I finished at 74 but knew I was falling and would've taken a gel about 2 miles sooner had I planned to be out longer.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sh*t Diabetics Say
I love the funny video series making its way around the Net. It started with Shit Girls Say, and has spawned many funny sequels. But none for diabetics, until now!
If you like the camera work, that's my 15 year old daughter at the helm. My son was home sick from school and my daughter felt she needed a "mental health day," too. I said, "Sure... I can use your help with something, anyway!"
If you like the camera work, that's my 15 year old daughter at the helm. My son was home sick from school and my daughter felt she needed a "mental health day," too. I said, "Sure... I can use your help with something, anyway!"
Thursday, January 12, 2012
2012, and Go!
Hard to believe it's been a month since my last post, but as usual, that's generally a good sign. When things are going good, that's usually when the blogging takes a back seat.
Diabetes-wise, all is status quo. In fact, I just got back an A1c of 5.9, which I'm pretty sure is my lowest ever, if not, certainly in years. Ironically, though my CGM is certainly partly responsible for that great number, I've been sensor-less for about 3 weeks now as I miscalculated my reorder and then had to wait for new insurance info. to get sorted out. But even so, things have been excellent blood-sugar wise and the good news is that a big shipment of supplies is on its way to me, so very soon I'll be CGMing again.
Running-wise, things are also going well. After an injured November leading to a lackluster December marathon, December ending up being nearly a 200 mile month, injury-free. In addition, I started adding in tempo work and this past week awesome coach Missy had me add in hill work, which serves as the precursor to speed work. All of this is important because in 2011 I taught myself to run much higher miles than ever before, mostly injury-free; 2012 is the year I try to add in regular speed and tempo work without getting hurt. And after a month of tempos, things are going well.
The purpose for all of this is to be ready for the Boston Marathon in April. That said, running Boston is a dream come true, and I'd like to PR there, but the course and weather usually conspire to make that tough, so I'm really only concerned with being as fit as I can be there. If that means a PR, fine - if it doesn't, fine.
Coming off of Boston, there's a better than average chance I'll go for a PR at the Cleveland Marathon a month later with better weather and a friendlier course. But of course, that depends on the next 3 months and how Boston goes.
If you're a diabetic running nerd, you should know that this weekend's Olympic Trials are important, as they include only the second diabetic (and first diabetic man), ever, to run in the Olympic Marathon Trials in the US. Tommy Neal's challenge is somewhat unique, however, as he qualified for the Trials early last year, and only was diagnosed with diabetes last summer, so this will also be his first marathon as a diabetic. There's a great story about Tommy here. Here's hoping he knocks it out of the park!
And finally, Team Type 1 is going through tons of planning for a great year. The pro cyclists are gearing up in Europe while us domestic amateurs are preparing to help SANOFI here in the US. All in all, it's shaping up to be a great year.
Diabetes-wise, all is status quo. In fact, I just got back an A1c of 5.9, which I'm pretty sure is my lowest ever, if not, certainly in years. Ironically, though my CGM is certainly partly responsible for that great number, I've been sensor-less for about 3 weeks now as I miscalculated my reorder and then had to wait for new insurance info. to get sorted out. But even so, things have been excellent blood-sugar wise and the good news is that a big shipment of supplies is on its way to me, so very soon I'll be CGMing again.
Running-wise, things are also going well. After an injured November leading to a lackluster December marathon, December ending up being nearly a 200 mile month, injury-free. In addition, I started adding in tempo work and this past week awesome coach Missy had me add in hill work, which serves as the precursor to speed work. All of this is important because in 2011 I taught myself to run much higher miles than ever before, mostly injury-free; 2012 is the year I try to add in regular speed and tempo work without getting hurt. And after a month of tempos, things are going well.
The purpose for all of this is to be ready for the Boston Marathon in April. That said, running Boston is a dream come true, and I'd like to PR there, but the course and weather usually conspire to make that tough, so I'm really only concerned with being as fit as I can be there. If that means a PR, fine - if it doesn't, fine.
Coming off of Boston, there's a better than average chance I'll go for a PR at the Cleveland Marathon a month later with better weather and a friendlier course. But of course, that depends on the next 3 months and how Boston goes.
If you're a diabetic running nerd, you should know that this weekend's Olympic Trials are important, as they include only the second diabetic (and first diabetic man), ever, to run in the Olympic Marathon Trials in the US. Tommy Neal's challenge is somewhat unique, however, as he qualified for the Trials early last year, and only was diagnosed with diabetes last summer, so this will also be his first marathon as a diabetic. There's a great story about Tommy here. Here's hoping he knocks it out of the park!
And finally, Team Type 1 is going through tons of planning for a great year. The pro cyclists are gearing up in Europe while us domestic amateurs are preparing to help SANOFI here in the US. All in all, it's shaping up to be a great year.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
What Comes After Humbled
Last weekend was my third marathon of the year, in addition to one ultra, and I owe readers a race report on it. But first I'm going to spend time discussing several things that happended at the Team Type 1 Training Camp, which happened in Tucson at the same time as the Tucson Marathon.
There were a lot of reasons for the Camp to take place. For the Pro Cycling Team, it's a ten day long series of workouts in the desert and the mountains. In addition, it was a rare opportunity for us amatuer athletes to interact with one of the finest professional cycling squads, certainly in the US, and more every day, in the world.
In addition to seeing some of my best friends on the team, the Camp gives us the ability to meet "in real life" people we may have only met online. Generally speaking, Team Type 1 folks follow each other on Twitter and friend each other on Facebook, but this was the chance to actually meet. Anne Findlay, Laura Eli, Patricia Brownell, Mike Hebe, etc... The list goes on and on of friends who bdcame more than virtual this weekend.
It was also the first time the new runners and triathletes had the chance to meet with us. The running and triathlon team has gotten so much faster with the 2012 additions, which I hope to cover this more in the coming days. But selfishly, I did want to talk about finally meeting, in person, my coach, Missy Foy, as well as Ryan Nichols. Ryan and I have been online friends at least 2 years, and it was through me that Missy became Ryan's coach, so having all 3 of us together was absolutely a blast.
Saturday consisted of mostly a strategy session. Team Type 1 Sanofi is so committed to working with Sanofi for the good of everyone affected by diabetes, and it was great to discuss how we are going to do that in 2012. Specifically, look for the team to focus more energy, more appearances, more events, more races, etc. in certainly key markets. What's particularly exciting is many of these cities, thus far, havent been that exposed to Team Type 1, so everybody involved has the opportunity to truly benefit.
Saturday afternoon consisted of quick photoshoots with a man whom has worked with Lance Armstong. I doubt he was able to make me look as dangerous as Lance, but I am optimistic!
After the photoshoot, those of us running on Sunday went out for a short shakeout run. To participate in these runs really can't really be described, unless perhaps you've run cross-country with a team. The mood is light, the jokes are great, and often diabetic themed.
Saturday night was a keynote presentation by Phil Southerland, one of the founders of the team, and about the biggest superstar in the diabetes business. Before that night, I had heard "Phil stories," and we'd chatted online, but we'd never met in person. It's impossible to come away from a Phil speech without being awed and everyone involved certainly was.
Toward the end of the presentation, Phil announced that for the first time ever, the team was awarding an Amateur Athlete of the Year Award, to be given to someone who most exemplified what we stand for.
As it was described, it occurred to me that I would not have wanted to decide who to give such an award to. Truth be told, the room was full of 100 of the finest spokepeople for diabetic athletes I've ever known. Every day they inspire people. How do i know this? Because they inspire me.
As Phil went through what the athlete had done in 2011, I recognized myself right away. Qualifying for Boston was a huge highlight for me in 2011 as was the NJ Ultra Fest. But he went on to describe that Team Type 1 is about more than athletics and at length, he described my 86 mile "Tour for Advocacy" that I'd in July, when we secured support for House Bill 1338 in 9 of my local 10 local legislator's offices. At this point, I heard some of my teammates say, "it's Marcus." And I was called to the stage, in front of everone, to accept the award.
I'm a fortunate man. I've recieved awards before in my life. But two things hit me as I walking to the stage. The first was that I was being given a standing ovation and I'm certain that's never happened. The second was that I was humbled to oblivion. These people are my heroes.
How do you accept an award you couldn't have possibly won without the daily inspiration of the people you were inevitably chosen over? A day later, I don't have an answer for you.
But I know this: what I love most about Team Type 1 is that the flow of inspiration is so strong that I leave every event I do with them bound and determined to do better. I look at the athletes who out-perform me and resolve myself to train more, to train smarter and to, inevitably, get faster. And I learn about what they're doing with the diabetes community in their hometowns and find myself becoming more committed to doing the same. And though my diabetes is very well controlled, my A1c is not the best on the team. Truth be told, in everything in my life, which includes my Team Type 1 life, I can do better.
There is a scene at the end of Private Ryan where Tom Hanks knows he's dying. He looks at Matt Damon, whose life he basically has spent the entire movie saving, and says, "Earn this." While I don't know that it's possible for me to feel deserving of this award, I know this: I'm going to do everything I can to earn it.
There were a lot of reasons for the Camp to take place. For the Pro Cycling Team, it's a ten day long series of workouts in the desert and the mountains. In addition, it was a rare opportunity for us amatuer athletes to interact with one of the finest professional cycling squads, certainly in the US, and more every day, in the world.
In addition to seeing some of my best friends on the team, the Camp gives us the ability to meet "in real life" people we may have only met online. Generally speaking, Team Type 1 folks follow each other on Twitter and friend each other on Facebook, but this was the chance to actually meet. Anne Findlay, Laura Eli, Patricia Brownell, Mike Hebe, etc... The list goes on and on of friends who bdcame more than virtual this weekend.
It was also the first time the new runners and triathletes had the chance to meet with us. The running and triathlon team has gotten so much faster with the 2012 additions, which I hope to cover this more in the coming days. But selfishly, I did want to talk about finally meeting, in person, my coach, Missy Foy, as well as Ryan Nichols. Ryan and I have been online friends at least 2 years, and it was through me that Missy became Ryan's coach, so having all 3 of us together was absolutely a blast.
Saturday consisted of mostly a strategy session. Team Type 1 Sanofi is so committed to working with Sanofi for the good of everyone affected by diabetes, and it was great to discuss how we are going to do that in 2012. Specifically, look for the team to focus more energy, more appearances, more events, more races, etc. in certainly key markets. What's particularly exciting is many of these cities, thus far, havent been that exposed to Team Type 1, so everybody involved has the opportunity to truly benefit.
Saturday afternoon consisted of quick photoshoots with a man whom has worked with Lance Armstong. I doubt he was able to make me look as dangerous as Lance, but I am optimistic!
After the photoshoot, those of us running on Sunday went out for a short shakeout run. To participate in these runs really can't really be described, unless perhaps you've run cross-country with a team. The mood is light, the jokes are great, and often diabetic themed.
Saturday night was a keynote presentation by Phil Southerland, one of the founders of the team, and about the biggest superstar in the diabetes business. Before that night, I had heard "Phil stories," and we'd chatted online, but we'd never met in person. It's impossible to come away from a Phil speech without being awed and everyone involved certainly was.
Toward the end of the presentation, Phil announced that for the first time ever, the team was awarding an Amateur Athlete of the Year Award, to be given to someone who most exemplified what we stand for.
As it was described, it occurred to me that I would not have wanted to decide who to give such an award to. Truth be told, the room was full of 100 of the finest spokepeople for diabetic athletes I've ever known. Every day they inspire people. How do i know this? Because they inspire me.
As Phil went through what the athlete had done in 2011, I recognized myself right away. Qualifying for Boston was a huge highlight for me in 2011 as was the NJ Ultra Fest. But he went on to describe that Team Type 1 is about more than athletics and at length, he described my 86 mile "Tour for Advocacy" that I'd in July, when we secured support for House Bill 1338 in 9 of my local 10 local legislator's offices. At this point, I heard some of my teammates say, "it's Marcus." And I was called to the stage, in front of everone, to accept the award.
I'm a fortunate man. I've recieved awards before in my life. But two things hit me as I walking to the stage. The first was that I was being given a standing ovation and I'm certain that's never happened. The second was that I was humbled to oblivion. These people are my heroes.
How do you accept an award you couldn't have possibly won without the daily inspiration of the people you were inevitably chosen over? A day later, I don't have an answer for you.
But I know this: what I love most about Team Type 1 is that the flow of inspiration is so strong that I leave every event I do with them bound and determined to do better. I look at the athletes who out-perform me and resolve myself to train more, to train smarter and to, inevitably, get faster. And I learn about what they're doing with the diabetes community in their hometowns and find myself becoming more committed to doing the same. And though my diabetes is very well controlled, my A1c is not the best on the team. Truth be told, in everything in my life, which includes my Team Type 1 life, I can do better.
There is a scene at the end of Private Ryan where Tom Hanks knows he's dying. He looks at Matt Damon, whose life he basically has spent the entire movie saving, and says, "Earn this." While I don't know that it's possible for me to feel deserving of this award, I know this: I'm going to do everything I can to earn it.
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