Surrounded by Fast Diabetics
This has been in the works now for a few weeks, but wasn't made official until recently and then I've been too busy to blog about it. And yet, running-wise and diabetes-wise, it's one of the more important things to happen to me, perhaps ever.
I recently received word that I've been accepted to join the new running team of TeamType 1 for 2011, the same organization with a professional and amateur cycling team as well as an amateur triathlon team. In a nutshell, it's made up of a lot of fairly fast to scary fast diabetic athletes.
I'm not going to go into the cycling team's goals, mainly because I don't know much more than their stated goal of getting a team into the Tour de France, ideally with a diabetic cyclist.
I'm also not going to go into the goals of the Running Team, much more than what's available on the website: we're a bunch of amateur runners, some of whom will be running across the country in October (likely not me, but more about that another time). We'll also be running some larger races as a team: The Georgia Marathon and Chicago Marathon are two of the majors on the calendar, and we'll be talking to diabetics at various events around the country. I expect to learn more about the team's entire goals at training camp.
What I can tell you is this: Why I applied, and what it means to me, in no particular order:
1) To be closer to and surrounded by some of the fastest diabetics I've ever known or read about. Guys like Matthew Patrick, with 4 marathons within a whisker of 2:45, and guys like Ryan Jones, who recently won a 12 hour race just up the road from me.
2) To be part of a team, so that I'm not just working out for me, but for the betterment of the team and the idea of diabetics competing at a higher level.
3) To make the move toward being more involved with diabetes. I've avoided this in the past, simply because I've been fortunate. I'm complication-free and still breathing. But I've used that as an excuse not to be involved. Truth is, it probably should be the reason I AM.
4) To use all of these factors toward my own personal goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I know there's at least one more sub 3:20 in me, and this is my latest scheme to find it.
My profile has been uploaded to this page of the TeamType 1 website. There's no bio, yet, but if you're reading this, you probably already know everything you need to.
I recently received word that I've been accepted to join the new running team of TeamType 1 for 2011, the same organization with a professional and amateur cycling team as well as an amateur triathlon team. In a nutshell, it's made up of a lot of fairly fast to scary fast diabetic athletes.
I'm not going to go into the cycling team's goals, mainly because I don't know much more than their stated goal of getting a team into the Tour de France, ideally with a diabetic cyclist.
I'm also not going to go into the goals of the Running Team, much more than what's available on the website: we're a bunch of amateur runners, some of whom will be running across the country in October (likely not me, but more about that another time). We'll also be running some larger races as a team: The Georgia Marathon and Chicago Marathon are two of the majors on the calendar, and we'll be talking to diabetics at various events around the country. I expect to learn more about the team's entire goals at training camp.
What I can tell you is this: Why I applied, and what it means to me, in no particular order:
1) To be closer to and surrounded by some of the fastest diabetics I've ever known or read about. Guys like Matthew Patrick, with 4 marathons within a whisker of 2:45, and guys like Ryan Jones, who recently won a 12 hour race just up the road from me.
2) To be part of a team, so that I'm not just working out for me, but for the betterment of the team and the idea of diabetics competing at a higher level.
3) To make the move toward being more involved with diabetes. I've avoided this in the past, simply because I've been fortunate. I'm complication-free and still breathing. But I've used that as an excuse not to be involved. Truth is, it probably should be the reason I AM.
4) To use all of these factors toward my own personal goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I know there's at least one more sub 3:20 in me, and this is my latest scheme to find it.
My profile has been uploaded to this page of the TeamType 1 website. There's no bio, yet, but if you're reading this, you probably already know everything you need to.
