Sweet Victory

Magnification by Marcus Grimm Caption: Brian Foster takes his turn in the Recovery Pump As Team Type 1 SANOFI nears Flagstaff, Arizona, Van B’s Chris Zenker observes that everything the runners do is intensely magnified. “Every decision we make reaps a result,” he says. “A great choice in anything leads to great running and recovery, but the opposite has an equally negative effect.” Like their teammates, the runners first had to deal with ratcheting down their insulin requirements. Failure to do so results in low blood sugars. CGM alarms and the intuition of your teammates prevent the athletes from being in danger, but a runner with a low blood sugar is also a slower runner, and despite this being the most ultra of runs, speed is somewhat of the essence. And as the miles pile up, how the runners prevent injuries is equally important to Zenker’s magnification theory. Indeed, if you don’t do everything you can to keep healthy, you, your teammates and the entire journey are put ...

Adjustments by Marcus Grimm October 29, 2011 After a night of running through the Mojave Desert, Team Type 1 SANOFI now finds itself in Arizona, the third state in their RUN ACROSS AMERICA. Gone is the excitement from the pier in Oceanside, CA and the pandemonium of the first day and well-wishes of friends and family. What remains now is the realization that the desert is very quiet and that the team has so very far to go. In Van A, the runners are learning what twenty miles a day of work means to their diabetes. “I’ve lowered my basal rates by about 30%,” says Tom Grossman, referring to the amount of long-acting insulin that regularly enters his body via his insulin pump. Matt Patrick counters that he’s down 20%, while Ironman Casey Boren hasn’t adjusted his rates a bit. It’s one of the many ironies of diabetes; it’s such a personal disease that even if you and another man are spending all of your time together doing the same thing, you won’t slay this dragon ...

Lost by Marcus Grimm After the seven-mile hill into Beaumont, CA, a weary Van A gratefully passed the baton to Van B, whose runners include team manager Tom Kingery and Kona Ironman finisher Ben Semeyn. Unlike Van A, whose participants had been forced to run on little or no sleep, Van B’s day started with a siesta in the RV’s. Despite the excitement of the day, Kingery said sleep came quickly for him and his teammates. Figuring they got about four good hours of rest, the day seemed to be off to a great start for the group. But when Semeyn missed a turn onto a tiny dirt road early into his run, the runners in Van B instead found themselves looking for the Ironman in the California desert. Semeyn wasn’t concerned for his diabetes. A wise diabetic plans for such contingencies and he had plenty of carbohydrates to maintain his blood sugars. But still, time was wasting. Semeyn had persuaded a kind stranger to use their cellphone just as Van B tracked him down forty-five m...

The first leg – by Marcus Grimm It’s hard to imagine Team Type 1 SANOFI finding a more beautiful town to run through than Oceanside, California, but with three thousands miles in front of them, there’s no need to award that distinction just yet. Still, there’s no arguing that the small city, just up the coast from San Diego, is the kind of place you’d be fortunate to call home, with its ample coastline and year-round weather to die for. It’s also the childhood home of Barbara Mandrell, which doesn’t mean much for today and the Oceanside Pier, which does. The pier is the longest in the Western   Coast of the US, stretching nearly two thousand feet into the Pacific Ocean. The pier is also where Team Type 1 SANOFI started the Run Across America last night. In the past twenty-four hours, the athletes have flown in from all around the country. Their support crew has worked tirelessly to prepare the two vans and RV.   Twenty-four hours, of course, does not...

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 T...

I tend to think of myself as a grumpy competitor. Simply put, if you're in front of me during the race, I want to put you behind me. But maybe that's not always the case. After last week's Chicago Marathon, I took a solid 5 days off from running. Because I've been on an amazing streak of no injuries, I hadn't had a break that long in over a year. But with 2 marathons in the next 2 months, it seemed like the smart thing to do. But the problem with being a diabetic athlete is after a few days of not working out, your blood sugars start to creep higher. By the 4th day, you're doing a lot of correction boluses and by the 5th day, you either need to correct constantly or - if you're a pumper like me - be prepared to redo all of your basal rates. Or... jump back into running full stream with a 5k race on the 6th day. To be clear, you will never find any coach that recommends running a marathon, taking five days off and running a race right away. It's d...

Yesterday, I posted about my awesome teammates at Team Type 1 and the great time we all had together in Chicago. But at the end of the day, we were all there to do some "road work" in Chicago, specifically 26.2 miles of it. As a precursor: I was coming off a 3:17:30 marathon in May. My training all summer and into the early fall had gone well, and I was hopeful that a 3:15 was well within my range and toyed with the idea of hooking up with the 3:10 pace group. As last week progressed, however, each day seemed to bring a higher predicted temperature. And while the conditions couldn't be called horrible, the temperature at the start was 64 - about 14 degrees higher than ideal. The night before the race, Brian Foster (another TT1 athlete) and I decided that given the temps, we'd aim for a 3:15. Both of us, I think, were too nervous about the weather to go for the 3:10. The 48 hours prior to the race were absolutely ideal for me - plenty of rest, plenty of food, ...

While I do have a race report coming (3:23 marathon in blah conditions), I first want to write about my Team Type 1 teammates. While the March event was a better race experience for many of us, the nature of this weekend allowed for infinitely more team bonding. Most of us got in Friday, which allowed ample time for the expo, pre-race chilling out and pretty much just being a bunch of marathoners who happen to have diabetes. The cast of characters for this crew was slightly different than the March one; some guys who were at the UltraFest weren't here and vice versa, but those I hadn't met before were just as awesome as the ones I had. So, because I have this thing for trying to learn whenever ever possible, here's what I learned from the Team Type 1 participants at the Chicago Marathon: 1) Ben Semeyn - It's about more than the workouts. The day before the marathon, Ben put on a "display" with an assorted list of torture tools I've seen in the back ...

So this Sunday I'll be running in the Chicago Marathon - my 6th marathon and 9th race of marathon distance or longer. My PR for the marathon distance is 3:17:30, set last May. Goal-wise, I'm tempted to go for a 3:10 (7:15 miles), but would happily settle for a 3:15 (7:27 miles). Realistically, I plan to let things shake out for a few miles and then settle into 7:15-7:20 pace and see what happens. Here are five reasons why I'll have a great race: 1.) Best long run build ever. I've done 7 twenty milers and 3 other 16-18 milers in this build. That's way more than I've done before. 2.) The Chicago Marathon course is the flattest, fastest course I've ever run. My PR came on a flat course, but it was a rail-trail course. Asphalt is faster than trail. 3.) 2011 has been an awesome year. While this past 4 month build has been good, the one in the Spring was also great. 4.) Team Type 1. My wife will tell you that the reason why the NJ Ultra Fest 50 Miler went...

Right now, today, I am waiting. I'm waiting to hear if my application for the Boston Marathon will place me in the top 20,000 or so applicants. According to Internet Chatter, it probably will. But still, until you hear it from the BAA, it doesn't count. I'm also waiting for the next 2 weeks to pass to bring me to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon. It's going to be a blast, as most of my Team Type 1 teammates will also be racing. I'm still fine tuning my goal for the race and will decide based on whether or not I get into Boston and how the weather turns out that day. With my PR of 3:17:30, I'd like to go for a sub 3:15. But IF I don't get into Boston and if it's a perfect marathon day, I might be persuaded to go after a 3:10. Right now, I'm thinking I'll split the uprights and go for 7:20 miles, which is about a 3:12. But that's just what I'm thinking while I'm waiting. Being in the taper, of course, means worrying w...

Regular readers of this blog may know that I was supposed to do the Susquehanna Super Hike & Ultra Run last weekend. Alas, Irene had other plans and the event was cancelled due to horrible trail conditions. While that was certainly a bummer, it probably wasn't the worst thing for my training. Last week's hectic trip to Cleveland left me pretty weary by the weekend, and on the day the Super Hike was supposed to be, I actually slept until 11. The good news? I ran 8 miles on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, so I had a good weekend of training, which is critical with the Chicago Marathon just 4 weeks away. I more 22 miler this weekend, and then the taper begins. As far as my Chicago Marathon goals, they're somewhat predicated by if I get into Boston. Boston's new registration means a guy like me (who qualified by 2.5 minutes) can't register until the 19th, and I'll probably find out if my time is fast enough on the 26th. IF I get into Boston this time around, ...

I had no plans to run a race this past weekend, being just one week from the 28.4 mile Susquehanna Super Hike, and in the middle of my last big build for the Chicago Marathon. But then the family decided to spend the holiday weekend at Rehoboth Beach. And then, as fate would have it, a race that got postponed last week for Hurricane Irene got rescheduled for this week. And if that weren't enough, the starting line was literally about 150 yards from the front door to our hotel. Just like that, I was signed up for the Sundance 5k or Sashay. If you can't tell by the title and if you're unfamiliar with Rehoboth, let's cut to the chase: the charity the race supported was a homosexual support center. Why do I even mention this? Really, for one reason and one reason only: it was one of the most fun 5k's I've ever been a part of. Consider: * Bloody Marys and Beer on the finish line (at 8am). Check * Amazing food spread including quiche (quiche????) at 8am. Check *...

The revelation came to me somewhere around the middle of the race. I'm pretty sure it was after I'd fallen the first time, sending my glasses flying into the brush while I was yelling, "I'm fine!" to those around me while I staggered to recover my pace, but still before I'd fallen the second time, cutting my hand open and yelling a slew of bad language into the trees. Sidenote: if this runner falls in the woods and he can not see another runner in front or behind him, I assure you: he does makes a sound. Plenty of them, in fact. The scene for all of this was the On the Rocks Trail Run at Rocky Ridge Park in York, PA. This was my first trail race in nearly a year and more importantly, my last prior to the Susquehanna Super Hike, a 28.4 mile ultra coming up next month. On the Rocks featured a 2 loop course; runners could choose between the 8.5 and 16.3 distance. I'd chosen the latter. Given the name and location of the race, it shouldn't surpri...

So a "security expert" (read: hacker with a salary) who is also a diabetic, found a way to hack his pump and CGM. Rather than approach the pump companies "partly out of fear for his own safety," he revealed his findings at the Black Hat security conference. In other words, he wanted his hacker friends to be impressed. Strange that he feared for his safety yet titled his talk, " Hacking Medical Devices for Fun & Insulin ." Read about it here . I don't mean to downplay whatever security flaw there is. Radcliffe's right - these devices shouldn't be easily compromised. Still, in saying, "It would only take one person to do this to kill someone and then you have a catastrophe," he neglects to think about the potential negative impact of what he has done: 1.) The FDA in the US is notoriously slow in approving devices for diabetes, despite the fact that these devices enhance care, improve lives and, by association, save lives. Radcliffe...

Here's a copy of the e-mail I sent to the 10 legislators I'll be visiting tomorrow: Dear Representative or Staff, It's hard for me to believe that tomorrow's the big day, when I will be looking forward to meeting with you and/or your staff about House Bill 1338! It's been a whirlwind few weeks of preparation and I'm looking forward to hitting the pedals tomorrow. A couple of notes before I do: 1) THANK YOU for your cooperation. When I first had the idea to attempt ten legislative visits in one day, I had no idea all ten of you would say yes! It's been thrilling for me to witness first-hand the willingness of elected officials to meet under such time constraints, and it's one of the messages I've been spreading to all those I speak with. So thank you. 2) THANK YOU for your flexibility in advance. Traveling more than 80 miles by bicycle with 10 appointments is as much of a logistical challenge as it is a physical challenge and I am particularly gratefu...

We're just 2 days away from the big day - more than 80 miles of bicycle riding, coupled with (hopefully) 10 legislative meetings, all in 1 business day. Below is the map of my journey which begins in Lebanon County with 2 meetings barely 1 mile from each other. From there, I have the biggest leg of the trip (24 miles) over the biggest hill, too, toward Ephrata. From there, it's between 6 and 14 miles to each office. This past weekend, I tried to navigate a quicker route from Manheim to Columbia, but the there were too many back roads to navigate and I don't want to risk getting lost. Time will be of the essence. Originally I thought it would make sense to trim a mile or 2 here or there, but now I'm more worried about staying on course. A couple notes: 1) I can't say enough about how accommodating the legislators have all been. All 10 are opening their offices to me, and 5 of the ten meetings are with the actual legislators. They are all also aware of the fact that m...

It's amazing to me how quickly things have come together for the July 7th ride. The first thing I've been shocked to learn is how willing the politicians would be to meet with me. Consider this: given the fact that I have a tight schedule to keep, I didn't give them any choice in the matter. I told them the day I want to come and the time I want to come. The results? All 10 offices are welcoming me. In 5 cases, I'll be meeting with the politicians, themselves and in the other 5 cases, I'll be meeting with staff members. That says a lot about the political process, and I'm quite impressed What needs to happen, yet? Well, a few things. 1) Iron out the maps. While I've done 1 set of maps, coming out to 83.3 miles, I'm going to revisit them again. It's not about going 83.3 miles, after all - but about getting to all 10 offices. If I can find an 80 mile route, we'll take it. 2) Nail down my elevator pitch. If I average 16 mph (a reasonable assumptio...

8 hours. 480 minutes. 28,800 seconds. What can you accomplish? On July 7th, 2011, I'm going to find out. Here's what I'm hoping to do: 1.) Visit all 10 of the State Representatives in Lancaster and Lebanon County at their offices. If they won't meet w/ me, at least meet with their staff. 2.) Introduce them to a healthy Type 1 diabetic athlete. 3.) Obtain their support for HB 1338, a bill designed to give school children more options for controlling diabetes in the classroom. Full text here . 4.) Travel from office to office to office by bike. 83.3 miles. You can see the map here . There's so much that could go wrong. I could have a bad blood sugar day, and leave the legislators with the idea that diabetes is impossible to control. I could flat out or ride too slowly and throw the entire itinerary hopelessly out of whack. I could speak inarticulately and be unable to convey the importance of the bill or why I'm doing something so radical to get their support. ...

Disclaimer: I'm going to write about a subject I have little business writing about - being the parent of a diabetic child. I avoid this subject, for the most part, because though I know the disease intimately, I don't know what it's like to have a child w/ the disease. So, humor me, ok? So my wife's a school teacher, 6th grade to be exact. Not surprisingly, she's got a soft spot for the handful of diabetic kids and shares many of their stories with me. As you can imagine, they run the gamut from the kids who are already managing it with military-like precision to the kids that don't give a rip and everywhere in between. Though she's periodically asked for my advice, this was the first year she suggested I meet one of the diabetic students. Her and the nurse both felt that said kid was entirely motivated to manage the disease better but wasn't getting the support he needed at home, for many reasons that extend beyond motivation: education, language, etc....

Over the next 3 weeks, I'm doing 2 Tour de Cure rides - one of the annual fund raisers for the American Diabetes Association. I'm doing these as a rider with Team Type 1. In no particular order, here are 10 reasons you should give money on my behalf : 1) My butt is going to hurt for this. Seriously. I'm a runner folks. I've barely been on my bike in a year and in 3 weeks, I'm going to ride 62 miles. Can you say ouch?? 2) The ADA is a cool group. Seriously, they do a lot of neat things for diabetics. True, they recently did NOT hire my company to make a digital edition of their magazine, but why hold a grudge, right? 3) Halle Berry is diabetic, even if she doesn't think so. And I'm posting a link to a pics of her looking berrylicious . 4) If I raise enough money, I get a cycling jersey. This is good, because my current cycling attire consists of t-shirts and running clothing. Other bicyclists look at me and snicker. 5) Because I posted this link to my favori...