First up, thanks to all the comments re: last week's post. Very much appreciated!
As mentioned, it appears that the next peak race for me will be the Georgia Marathon on March 20. In between, there will be plenty of other races (including a half marathon in two weeks), but that's where my focus will shift. Once again, I'll be going after my elusive BQ and a 3:20.
That said, it's hardly a given. Georgia isn't considered to be a PR course, with a series of rolling hills and 900 foot of climb (though the same descent). Still, I think it's possible it could work out ok. Thus, in a nutshell, the plan:
1) You are what you do. You want to be better hill runner? Run hills. I've already supplanted a lot of my usual routes with hillier ones, and will be trying to avoid the treadmill-like existence I've adopted in recent years. Truth is, I actually am a good hill runner when I train for them. I just haven't in quite a while.
2) Don't peak too soon. I'm still putting together my plan but in previous seasons, it seems I have a tendency to peak a bit early. I've been reading Fitzgerald's RUN and in it - he talks about using 12 week marathon plans for runners who are at a constant state of fitness, which describes me quite well. At the same time, my marathon PR was on a 3 RUN, 2 XT week from the FIRST plan, with lots of speedwork. Thus, I'm considering trying the best of both worlds: a lot of mileage and mostly running to the end of the year, shifting into. a FIRST-like approach around the start of the year. I'm hopeful that this can get me fast without peaking too soon.
3) Get thinner, somehow. True story: I'm 11 pounds heavier than my marathon PR. The problem: I'm not over-eating. I've started documenting my food and what I feared is how it is. It's not something that I can easily fix with "simply eating less," though I have been cutting out some things, just to see if it would help. (It hasn't.) My thyroid levels continue to run a bit low, so we're bumping up the dosage a bit, but the problem is that thyroid levels and weight don't always track the same way. One person's under-active thyroid can cause them to lose weight while another person's causes them to gain. Still, it's one of the few things I can think to try so that's next. If that doesn't work, I'm going to experiment with even more mileage, but I really don't feel that's the answer at this point.
All of that said, things are great. My A1C was 6.4 last week, and while I know I can snug it a bit lower, it's under the magic *6.5.* Also, I'm running quite a bit, and had a nice 12k PR over the weekend on a course with nearly 800 feet of climb in 7+ miles (mostly because it was my first 12k ever!). And finally, my son and I have had 2 scuba classes already and are having a blast. That coupled with the TeamType 1 news sets me up for a fun fall, and that ain't bad.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
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.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Boldly Going Where Diabetics Haven't Gone Before...
... And of course, that's a lie. It's 2010, for crying out loud. Diabetics have done the Ironman, been to the Olympics, flown planes, yada, yada, yada... Truth is, it takes more than a failed pancreas to keep a good man down.
And still, there are certain things that - until recently - diabetics have been highly discouraged from doing. One of these things is scuba diving.
Truth is, I've wanted to scuba dive since I was a kid. But things have a way of getting in the way until one day you realize, "Hey, I'm almost 40 and I'm still not certified."
And then you realize that scuba diving is all about the buddy system, so you're going to need a pal. At that point, it's a good idea if your 12 year old son has a long history of being on swim team, because he can sign up without your wife worrying too much about her young boy and her diabetic husband learning to suck air underwater.
So I've looked up the DAN standards for diabetic divers, and - like a healthy Type 1 Diabetic - I pass. I also scored most of the equipment I need for fairly cheap on Craigslist and will get the rest over the next month or so.
And then in November, I'll do what many diabetics have already done: get my Open Water Certification with my son. Looking forward to it.
And still, there are certain things that - until recently - diabetics have been highly discouraged from doing. One of these things is scuba diving.
Truth is, I've wanted to scuba dive since I was a kid. But things have a way of getting in the way until one day you realize, "Hey, I'm almost 40 and I'm still not certified."
And then you realize that scuba diving is all about the buddy system, so you're going to need a pal. At that point, it's a good idea if your 12 year old son has a long history of being on swim team, because he can sign up without your wife worrying too much about her young boy and her diabetic husband learning to suck air underwater.
So I've looked up the DAN standards for diabetic divers, and - like a healthy Type 1 Diabetic - I pass. I also scored most of the equipment I need for fairly cheap on Craigslist and will get the rest over the next month or so.
And then in November, I'll do what many diabetics have already done: get my Open Water Certification with my son. Looking forward to it.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Medtronic CGM v. the Dexcom
Through most of this week, I was testing the Medtronic CGM side by side w/ my Dexcom. And I mean, literally, side by side. If you'd like, you can see a comparison spreadsheet, here, but these are the bullet points:
* The Medtronic & Dexcom systems had virtually identical overall accuracy. There were a few days the Dex was better, a few days the Medtronic was better and a few days where they were often close to identical.
* The Dex - no surprise here - is a bit more of an Energizer bunny. I'm writing this seven days after beginning my test and the Dex is still cruising. The Medtronic did fine on the restart after 3 days, but I didn't have a charger for the sensor, and yesterday it stopped being any sort of reliable. I had an extra sensor set, but the battery's dead, so that is that.
* That said, like most Dex sensors, I had periods during the week of "???" which is the Dex's way of saying it doesn't know what to tell you. The Medtronic never does that. Sure, there are periods when the accuracy is way off, but I appreciated the consistent guesses at my BG.
* The Dex had less of a lag for me, which is kind of an issue from a distance running standpoint. In my trial, the Dex was about 15 minutes behind real time, and Medtronic was 25. The most telling example of this was when I finished my 7.5 mile run with both systems. A finger stick had me at 127, the Dex was 160 and Medtronic was 200. Within a half an hour, though, they all had settled at the mid 120's. For the real world, who cares? But in the case of distance running, well....
* Not having to carry an extra receiver was true bliss. Again, as a distance runner, I've got plenty to carry, and to not have to carry the Dex receiver was awesome.
* Though I had most feared the Medtronic system because I'd heard it was uncomfortable, I didn't personally find that to be the case. While I have some fears about the larger needle contributing to scar tissue, I found it comparable to the Dex for comfort. This was a huge surprise to me.
So where does this leave us? For one, a little bummed. It's a shame the Medtronic's lag isn't a tad better and that it uses a bigger needle. At the same time, carrying a second receiver (in addition to a pump and cell phone) makes me feel like a handy man. It's a shame we have to make decisions, particularly when there is no perfect choice. Hopefully, I'll make the right one for me.
* The Medtronic & Dexcom systems had virtually identical overall accuracy. There were a few days the Dex was better, a few days the Medtronic was better and a few days where they were often close to identical.
* The Dex - no surprise here - is a bit more of an Energizer bunny. I'm writing this seven days after beginning my test and the Dex is still cruising. The Medtronic did fine on the restart after 3 days, but I didn't have a charger for the sensor, and yesterday it stopped being any sort of reliable. I had an extra sensor set, but the battery's dead, so that is that.
* That said, like most Dex sensors, I had periods during the week of "???" which is the Dex's way of saying it doesn't know what to tell you. The Medtronic never does that. Sure, there are periods when the accuracy is way off, but I appreciated the consistent guesses at my BG.
* The Dex had less of a lag for me, which is kind of an issue from a distance running standpoint. In my trial, the Dex was about 15 minutes behind real time, and Medtronic was 25. The most telling example of this was when I finished my 7.5 mile run with both systems. A finger stick had me at 127, the Dex was 160 and Medtronic was 200. Within a half an hour, though, they all had settled at the mid 120's. For the real world, who cares? But in the case of distance running, well....
* Not having to carry an extra receiver was true bliss. Again, as a distance runner, I've got plenty to carry, and to not have to carry the Dex receiver was awesome.
* Though I had most feared the Medtronic system because I'd heard it was uncomfortable, I didn't personally find that to be the case. While I have some fears about the larger needle contributing to scar tissue, I found it comparable to the Dex for comfort. This was a huge surprise to me.
So where does this leave us? For one, a little bummed. It's a shame the Medtronic's lag isn't a tad better and that it uses a bigger needle. At the same time, carrying a second receiver (in addition to a pump and cell phone) makes me feel like a handy man. It's a shame we have to make decisions, particularly when there is no perfect choice. Hopefully, I'll make the right one for me.
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