We Interrupt This Blog...

When I joined Team Type 1 last year, I regrettably told them the only commitment I wouldn't be able to agree to was to participate in the Run Across America, a relay style journey with a squad of some of the finest diabetic endurance athletes in the nation crossing 3,000 miles.

It was an amazing idea. I thought so then and I think so now. It broke my heart to say no, but with work and family commitments, it just didn't fit. To be clear, I never asked my employer or my wife because I think both of them could've been persuaded; I just didn't think it was fair of me to put them in that position.

As it stands, it was the right call for me. I typically have 2-3 speaking engagements for work per year. Incredibly, I have 4 in the next 3 weeks including our most important tradeshow of the year. None of these opportunities would've been able to happen if I was running across the country, so from a professional standpoint, it was the right thing to do.

In talking to Team Type 1 manager and runner, Tom Kingery, I discovered that one of his many responsibilities during the run was to be chronicling the journey for the TT1 website and other outlets. Not surprisingly, he was less than thrilled about having to do this while running 18-20 miles per day. And then it hit me: I could do this for him.

And so I am. Beginning this Friday, I'll be reaching out to the runners via cell phone as they make their way across the country. My goal will be to convey the journey to the readers - the achievement and camaraderie, certainly, but also the pain that comes from running so far, and the challenges that result from doing it with diabetes. I hope the runners' experiences and emotions translate into content that inspires and entertains the readers as much as their adventures have already inspired and entertained me.

And I hope, not just a little selfishly, to feel a small piece of what they do, as they accomplish the trip of a lifetime.

My introductory story about their journey, A Recipe for Success, can be found here. I'm still not sure where the stories will be posted, but when I know I will always link to them from this blog or from my Twitter account.

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