Sweet Victory

5k PR, et. al.

2009-12-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

I realized I should probably say Merry Christmas in this post because my blog is definitely at the bottom of the priority list. Chances are, this will be the last I post for a few weeks. But even so, no blogging doesn't mean things aren't going well...

For the past six weeks or so, I've been running under the guidance of Missy Foy, the first "coach" I've had in more than fifteen years. The goal? Get me over the Boston hump.

Because the marathon isn't until May, we're in a looong slow build-up. Even so, she has me doing a lot of new stuff, including:

* drills
* core work
* odd hill workouts
* tempos on long runs

In short, a lot of different stuff and I'm a big believer in different.

Yesterday, I did the local Jingle Bell 5k - my last race of the year. Despite the 35 degree weather and freezing rain, I knocked off a 19:38 PR, along the way beating a handful of guys that - quite frankly - I never beat. Considering we're just beginning training, I was pretty pleased.

Curiously, since my lackluster marathon in September, I've rolled off four age group placings in a row, my longest string to date. So really, there's nothing to complain about.

In addition, the diabetes control has been, in a word: typical. I've had high days and low days, but mostly, just days. I'm used to the Apidra (though I only fill my pump to 3/4 because it craps out on me after 3 days) and the Dex (currently getting better than 10 days on most of my sensors) and I've got no complaints at all.

If I wanted to complain, which I generally do, I'd mention my shin is acting up again, but I'm hoping to stretch it and compress it into submission. Also, it's early in the season, so there's really no reason to panic at all.

Looking forward to 2010. Looks like I've got a trip to Europe for work in late Feb. and a Florida vacation in early May followed by a marathon in mid-May. What can I say? I'm a lucky guy.

The Caring Diabetic

2009-11-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful for all of the comments I get on this blog, but I've always been partial to Al's. Why? Because he's not a diabetic. His son is and he reads my blog for insight into how to be a better parent. As a parent of two little riddles, myself, I soooo get that.

At any rate, Al posted a great comment last week:
"Have you always been so successful with controlling your bg levels? My son really does "care" about his diabetes, but struggles with roller coaster bgs. In your early 20's at college, were you as successful controlling your diabetes as you are now?

He adds: Right now he is very scared of lows and therefore runs high a lot."

Since going on the pump eight years ago, I haven't had an A1C over 7 that I can recall. Before that, I had tons of 7's with a smattering of 8's. During phases in my life where I didn't test as often, I'd rarely go beyond 8 but do recall a few 9's and one time (I think it was college) being over 10.

For me, the huge turning point was going on the pump. Prior to that I rode the NPH rollercoaster. Simply put, a diabetic with a big enough dose of NPH can get along OK - the NPH will usually bring you down within shouting distance of normal.

But when I went on the pump, it all made precision-like sense to me. Every meal, every dose could be calculated precisely. The "potential" negative to all of this, though, is that precision requires discipline. Unlike my roller coaster NPH shot, a pump patient at 300 is going to stay at 300 until they bolus extra. But I never minded, because it finally made sense.

Still, through all those years of testing once per day (or less), I was still generally in the 7's. Since being diagnosed 25 years ago, I've had only 2 ambulance rides for lows (and one additional ambulance visit) and none in the past 17 years.

I used the phrase "caring diabetic" in my last post and I think it's an important one, because I want to believe that diabetics who care about their diabetes stand a better chance of being complication-free. Here's what that phrase means to me:

1) A caring diabetic knows that there's always a reason for their blood sugar reading. My kids will tell you that nothing makes me angrier than when they do something dumb, I ask why, and they say, "I don't know." Give me a crappy reason, but there's always a reason. I have heard diabetics say "I was low/high and don't know why," and the same grumpy guy that yells at my kids tends to call bullshit on that. There's always a reason.

The "caring" diabetic makes a calculated guess to the reason - your infusion set was in too many days, you exercised too much/too little, you guessed your carbs wrong, etc. and goes with it, knowing they'll be smarter next time.

2) The caring diabetic corrects. This seems elementary to me, but I've known diabetics who don't correct highs. If you are high and you have no insulin on board and you're not going to be exercising, your blood sugar isn't coming down unless you care enough to bolus.

3) The caring diabetic tests. If you're on a pump, you test a lot. If you're not on a pump, you still test.

4) The caring diabetic doesn't worry about last week, last month or last year. The only blood sugar you can control is this one (and somewhat the next two hours). I don't understand diabetics who get down because they've had a bad week of blood sugars. Live here. Live now.

5) The caring diabetic analyzes last week, last month and last year. Notice I said you don't worry about it, but you do look at, study it and correct for it.

6) The caring diabetic looks for comrades but understands they're an island. I've seen soooo many diabetics succeed doing things that I couldn't or wouldn't do. Listening and learning from them is invaluable, but in the end how I respond to medicine, food and exercise is unique and always gets higher weight than anything anybody else has done. George Sheehan said, "We are all an experiment of one." He said it about running and I'd say it fits just as well for diabetes.

To this point, this shouldn't be taken as a universal post about what a "Caring Diabetic" is. It's only what it is to me. You might think a caring diabetic doesn't drink beer or eat candy, but I've never met a Peanut Butter Cup I didn't like and what's made Milwaukee famous helps me pass the hours. More than anything, I think what makes sense is to figure out what works for you and then make sure you stay on that path as much as possible.

Not My Diabetes

2009-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school, I was one of 4 diabetics (that I know of). This week, the second one of the other 3 died of diabetic complications.

And yet, even writing that, it sounds absurd. After all, I'm sitting here, more than 25 years into this thing, without a single complication and a nearly non-diabetic blood sugar of 137, 30 minutes after eating a bag of chips.

There's a lot I don't know, but probably the biggest thing I don't know is why this disease is fairly easy for me, compared to so many Type 1 diabetics. On one hand, I could take the credit - say I *care* more than others, or stay up on the technology more than others or say I can count carbs faster and more accurate than others. Those things could be true.

But on the other hand, maybe I'm just lucky. Maybe my body chemistry causes me to process artificial insulin the way the chemists intended. Maybe my fat content is ideal for sticking a thin needle in me and delivering the goods. Maybe running 30-50 miles a week feeds something besides my ego.

Truth is, I don't know.

This month is National Diabetes Month and diabetics all over the Web are slapping logos on their blogs and Twitter accounts so that... well truth is, I'm not sure why they do it, but they do. And there's a piece of me that wants to say, "Really, it's ok. I'm alright. We're all alright. Give your money, your time, your sympathy to the homeless. Or cancer patients. Someone who needs it more than I do, for crying out loud."

But then I think about the fact that 50% of my diabetic classmates are gone and I realize that there are plenty of reasons why it's as good a cause as any, even if it's not because of me. In fact, it might very well be a great cause, despite me.

Moving Forward...

2009-10-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

I really don't blog much these days, so hopefully you've been finding some good things to read.

As I hinted a few weeks ago, I've climbed out of my post-marathon-blow-up and yesterday, started training for my 4th marathon, which isn't until the middle of May.

So how does someone go from saying they're done with the marathon to beginning a 26-ish week plan for one? Welll.... a few things happened.

1) I'm stubborn and stupid. If you're a runner, you know that's a big part of it. Don't discount it.
2) I'm not a bad runner. I just ran a particularly crappy race. In the month following the marathon, I had a 5k PR and a near half-marathon PR. Those short races helped me believe that while my marathon hadn't gone well, I'm not that old or fat, yet. This weekend, I'm going after a 5 mile PR, and I frankly like my chances.
3) An offer I couldn't refuse. After my last marathon, Missy Foy reached out to me, and offered help in getting over the Boston hurdle. While I would've jumped at the opportunity if Missy WASN'T diabetic, the fact that she is made it the absolutely, positively, no way I'm going to say no opportunity that it is.
4) Realization that I have plenty of things to try. My last plan had no speed work, cross training or core work. I'm ok giving up if I've done everything I could, but I haven't. Not yet, anyway.

And so here we are. I started with a 7 miler yesterday, including 3 miles fifteen seconds faster than marathon pace. It's a long way and a long winter until May. But I'm ready.

The Makings of a Dynasty....

2009-10-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day, I'm an age-grouper. Though, I've never read a definition, here's what that means to me:

1) You'll never see my on the "podium" after a race. I'll never take home money and never be in the Top 3 overall.
2) However, depending on who shows up on the starting line, I might sneak into an age-group award. Age group awards are particularly whimsical. I won first place at a local 4 miler in 2008, only to come back and finish 6th a year later. I should add, I actually ran faster the second year. Like I said, whimsical.

That being said, Knoebels Lumber 5k has been my bitch since 2007 when I showed up and said, "Isn't there anybody here my age??" And apparently there wasn't, as I ran a 20:30 the day before a 20 miler.

In 2008, I did the 20 miler the day before and allowed myself to "let it all hang out" on the 5k. But there ain't much to hang after a 20 miler, and I came in 20:11, but also good enough for the second age group award in a row.

This year, I had it all lined up: the marathon was behind me and my job and family actually required working and familying, as they sometimes will, which meant I came to the line tapered, rested and ready.

The result? 19:46! Now those of you who read this blog religiously may recall my 19:25 in the spring, but the fact is: that course wasn't 5k. Heck, it was barely 3 miles. I knew it then and so when people asked me my 5k PR, it was always 19:25, buuuuut....

But this course was true... and I ran it well, a full 1 second under my official 5k PR and good enough for first place - once again - in the 35-39 group.

Equally as cool, I came in 7th out of 172 overall, once again bested by six high school kids... which has also been the story for the past two years.

Truth is, if I could convince the Knoebels people to do this when those whipper-snappers are in school, I could be looking at a REAL podium, not something dictated by my birth certificate.

Hey, a man can dream, right?

The Nearly 1/2 Marathon PR, Apidra & Other Stuff...

2009-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

As a reader, I can tell you: sporadic blogs suck. When I'm enjoying reading someone, I expect them to post regularly, and I haven't.

But as a writer, I made a deal with myself a long time ago: I write what I want, when I want. There's no need for another chore in my life because, believe me: I've got plenty of them.

But still, I do have some things to say.

First up, running. Last weekend was the Hands on House 1/2 Marathon, one of the bigger 1/2 marathons I do and my 3rd time on this course. It was also my first race since my marathon melt-down three weeks prior. While I expected to be a little tired, I was also a little eager to repair my ego.

Due to construction, the course was re-routed and that led to some problems, most notably when the 4th mile marker gave way to the 5th after only 1/2 mile. Yes - you heard it correct: the course was off by more than 1/2 mile.

From that point on, the pack was made up of 2 kinds of runners: those who were amazed at their fitness and those who were annoyed to be shorted on the course. The most discernible difference? The second group was made up of those of us with Garmins.

In the end, I finished in 1:30:11 -- converted to a true half marathon, it was about a flat 1:35, just 20 seconds off my PR. Considering that's 3 weeks after the marathon, I was pretty pleased with the deal.

Soooo after the race, I had to jet so my wife and daughter could get to a baby shower. At work the next day I was told I had been called for an age group award and according to the website awards packet, I did sneak into third. And yet, when I called the sponsor, they feigned indifference. Well, my wife said, it's not the trinket, it's the fact you won, right? Yeah, I said. Exactly.

So there you go - denied the chance to have a true PR and denied an award. Kind of a bummer, but what are you going to do?

In other news, I've been on Apidra for about 3 weeks now. What have I noticed?

a. It's more potent. My total insulin dosage is down about 30%
b. The lowered dosage hasn't done much to my weight. I'm still trying to trim 5 pounds and haven't had much success with it
c. Apidra supposedly has fewer occlusions - short periods where the pump tube becomes clogged. I used to think this was marketing BS - the times I've had "No Delivery" warnings on my pump are sooo few and far between, and yet I've noticed something since being on Apidra: my between meal blood sugars are like a dead man's EKG - flat, flat, flat. With humalog, I get slow gentle waves, but with Apidra, I am F-L-A-T. I'm guessing this is what occlusions really mean in the real world. So all in all, I'm an Apidra fan.

Next up, the Knoebels Lumber 5k this weekend. There, I'm the reigning two year age group champ and lemme tell ya - I'm STAYING for the friggin' awards.

Reboot, Rebuild, Retry...

2009-09-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

So here we are, two weeks after the marathon. In no particular order:

1) I'm back to a decent workout level, but certainly not recovered. I ended up doing more than 15 miles over two workouts last Sunday (that probably wasn't brilliant), and while I was initially excited about that, I found I wasn't fresh enough to run again until Wednesday. So Thursday, I hopped on the bike (which I hadn't done for over a year) and banged out a nice lunch time ride). I'm planning on running trails over lunch today, resting tomorrow, and knocking out 8 or so on Sunday.

I'm going to make it an effort to cross-train 1-2 days per week for the time being so that I can keep up my fitness while my legs recover from marathon pounding.

2) I am hopeful I get a little spring back in my step, as I'm planning on doing a half marathon next weekend, followed by a 5k the following weekend. The distance won't be a problem, but I'm a little curious if I'll have any speed.

3) I'm testing out a vial of Apidra insulin. Because I'm a lucky diabetic, I have rarely switched insulins. Simply put, whatever's on the market tends to work for me. 20 years ago, I was still on Pork and Beef insulin when it was discontinued because there were so few diabetics who hadn't switched to human.

One of the reasons I wanted to try out the Apidra was a hope that a newer more efficient insulin would require a smaller dose. Less insulin usually results in lower weight retention for me (my cayenne pepper experiment notwithstanding), and I would like to lose five pounds and get back to my PR weight (without actually dieting).

Three days into it, I'm a fan. My CGM line has never been more level and my basal dosage is down 20%. Whether or not that will translate to weight, time will tell.

And yes - Apidra is more expensive. Thank God for good insurance.

My doc also gave me a bottle of Novalog to test and I wish I would've tried that first, because it is a bit cheaper, but I decided to try the newest and coolest stuff first, and I'm not sure I'll be interested in trying something less new and sexy. (And what's it say about me that I'm referring to the sexiness of insulin?)

4) I must be dumber than I thought because I'm pretty sure I'm going after another marathon next spring. After my last disappointment, I was seriously considering putting the marathon thing on hold, but the past few weeks have given me perspective and an extremely generous offer for some coaching from someone I highly respect.

Coupled with the fact that the training would mostly occur Jan-April, when I usually run a lot but don't have much opportunity to race and you're left with an opportunity for a guy who's too stubborn for his own good to go for Boston one more time.

But my very long ramp-up for that isn't scheduled to start until October 31, so for now I'm still in the serious contemplation mode.

So that's that -- thanks for all of the comments, particularly those after the marathon melt-down. It's good to see I'm not the only moron on the roads. ;)

Running More is Overrated...

2009-09-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well, that's probably not true, though it seems to feel that way to me this year.

During this year's marathon plan, I averaged 46 miles per week and ran a 3:33. Last year, I averaged 32 miles per week and ran a 3:23. In 2007, I ran 30 miles per week (plus two days on the bike) and ran a 3:18.

Sort of flies in the race of that, "to run faster, run further" talk, eh?

Honestly, I don't know. I'm eager to blame the poor day on a lack of speed training, but am still wrapping my head around it all.

The best part about blowing up your marathon plan so early in the season is that it leaves a lot of fall to race in. I'm looking forward to the Hands-on-House 1/2 Marathon in two weeks (where I have my current 1/2M PR) and a week after that will try to defend my title of two-time age group champion of the Knoebels Lumber 5k. Big dreams, folks, big dreams.

Technically, the 1/2 marathon is three weeks after my marathon, and you're supposed to wait a month before racing, so I'm not so certain how that will go. However, I really like the course and I'm very eager to see if I'm truly as bad as my recent marathon performance dictated, so what the heck. I'm going to go out at seven minute pace and see what happens. I've run this course before to know that the first four miles will be fine and are followed by four curious miles of crazy uphills and downhills. After that, you limp home with what you got left. But I've done that race in 1:34 and would really like to see if I can shave just a little off my time.

30 Things About My Invisible Illness

2009-09-18T13:34:00.001-07:00

Apparently, Invisible Illness Week was this week? I didn't even know it until now. At any rate, there's a meme going around about it, and though I don't usually play, I did. Enjoy...

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year:1984

3. But I had symptoms since: A few months before.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Wow. I must be well-adjusted because nothing comes to mind.

5. Most people assume: I don't have diabetes.

6. The hardest part about mornings are: usually before I've had coffee.

7. My favorite medical TV show is: none of them unless by medical you mean the part in Road House where Swayze got stitches without a local.

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my insulin pump, blood sugar meter and my CGM. I'm a diagadgaholic.

9. The hardest part about nights are: when I've had a very fatty meal (like a big steak) and can't tell what it will do to my blood sugar.

10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. 1 pill for my thyroid, vitamins if I'm in training, and a Vitamin C.

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: have used them to supplement the mainstream stuff.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: a diabetic on a pump is a lot more visible, if you know what to look for.

13. Regarding working and career: I would've joined the military or FBI had I not been diabetic. In hindsight, that wouldn't have worked out so well.

14. People would be surprised to know: I don't mind being diabetic. A genie would have to give me a lot of wishes before I wished to be cured.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: it's not new anymore.

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: I've never thought that I couldn't do something because of diabetes, but I am proud to have accomplished 3 marathons with it.

17. The commercials about my illness: are always about the other Diabetes - not mine.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: eating without math.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: mindless eating.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: all of them have come since my diagnosis. When I was 13, my only hobby involved baseball cards.

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: eat a lot of chocolate and steak.

22. My illness has taught me: that anything can be managed.

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: My grandmother died from diabetes.

24. But I love it when people: ask about my insulin pump.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: Success is never final and failure is never fatal.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: in time, it will become second nature.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: a lot of people are consumed with it. I just couldn't be like that, myself.

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: brought me Fig Newtons without asking why.

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I think many of these memes will be rather depressing and if I had just gotten sick, they might scare me. I don't want people to think there's no way to live a normal life.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: like I did before you read it. Diabetes doesn't define me, and neither do you. :)

Lehigh Valley Marathon - Post Mortem

2009-09-14T12:36:00.001-07:00

Well, that didn't go as planned at all.

DISCLAIMER: I've found that there are three kinds of people in this world. A. People who don't set goals. B. People who set reasonable goals because they get mighty upset if they miss them. C. People who set stretch goals and are cool with missing them.

It's important to note that I'm a C. While what follows could be taken as ripping my performance apart, I'm really not. Well, I really am, but I'm ok with it. Understand, that I'm eternally grateful to complete my third marathon and that I'm especially grateful to be healthy enough to run at all. That being said, yesterday pretty much sucked.

Reader's Digest Version:
I finished in 3:33:45. 5th out of 30 in my AG (I mistakenly Tweeted 4th yesterday) and 37th out of 305 overall.

It was 15 minutes slower than my fastest marathon, and ten minutes slower than last year.

The Summary:
I went out according to plan and did a pretty good job of running 7:23 miles. I had two that snuck in at 7:15 but for the most part hit my numbers. As is usual, it took me a while to hit my groove, but at mile seven, I felt like I was hitting my rhythm and would hold it for a good ten miles. Except, I didn't, and by mile 11, I found myself tiring already. I held it together to the half-way point, and was averaging 7:20 until then. From there, I experience a long painful decline which hit bottom with a couple 9:30 miles, until I limped home.

What Went Wrong:
Truth is, we don't always know what went wrong, but I'm placing the failure on three key components:
1) No speedwork/LT work - This was an intentional move from previous plans and I fear it did me in (particularly when considering that my 3:18 PR came with the FIRST plan, which is little more THAN speedwork). Most experts say you should train to your weaknesses and instead, I trained to my strength. I'm going to be thinking about this a lot over the coming months. Truth is, I don't like doing the FIRST plan because I don't like treating every workout like a war. That being said, it might be what I need if I'm ever going to hit 3:15.

2) A bad diabetic day - Though the Dexcom performed flawlessly, I didn't have a good day diabetes-wise. When I woke up, the adrenaline was already flowing and I was 200. By the time I was on the starting line, I was over 300. Experts say don't exercise when you're that high, but they weren't going to hold the start for me. It took me until mile 7 to get below 200 and when I did, I thought my race was coming together, and I did settle in around 150. But still, I think running those first seven miles between 200 and 325 did some hurting.

I find that I've done so many shorter races, I can keep my adrenaline in control and go to the starting line 200 or less. But this time, I had so much adrenaline that I couldn't get the numbers to line up and while I took insulin to compensate, I was scared to take too much.

3) Course conditions. I had paid very little attention to the course prior to race day. While we had non-stop rain Thursday and Friday, Saturday was supposed to be cloudy without rain and Sunday's low temperature was supposed to be 57.

Instead, it poured rain until Midnight on Sunday morning and when I went to the start it was already 64 degrees. The course, meanwhile, consisted mostly of 18 miles of a dirt towpath beside a canal through woods.

Adding up all of these elements, we had a warmer, more humid experience than I expected and trails that were frequently muddier than I expected. While it would be wrong for me to place much blame on the course, ten degrees cooler with lower humidity and dry trails would've made an improvement in my time.

***

There is a 4th possibility, however - one that I'm giving ample thought to. It's entirely possible I'm not fast enough to qualify for Boston, that no matter what plan I do, or what course I run, I don't have what it takes to get there.

I don't mean that to sound negative, of course, but running has many possible rewards. I love running half marathons and trail races and even some of the shorter stuff, but proper marathon training demands a full commitment without offering any promises in return. Over the next several months, I'm going to think about that a lot.

In the comments to the previous post, Mark from Tampa brings up a good point: Boston is supposed to be hard, and I'm cool with that. It would be a bummer if it were easy for me. On the other hand, it would also be a bummer if I did this to myself every fall and never got there, when I could be enjoying the racing season a bit more. I dunno.

***

Other notes:
1) The race ended in Easton, PA, home of Weyerbacher Brewery, which meant I brought home a mix and match case at factory prices. Cool!
2) My previous marathons were both in Harrisburg, which has a relay component, so I thought I'd be used to that. But the relay is actually bigger than the solo competition at Lehigh Valley. The hand-offs were frequently congested by relay teams and there were plenty of fresh runners blowing by me after the hand-offs. I'm not one to pick on the relays - I believe anyone who runs anything is a winner - I didn't like the high percentage of relay teams in this race.
3) Lonely marathon? With 18 miles of tow path, this was a lonelier marathon than Harrisburg, which has been called sparse for spectators. I had many stretches of four miles without a single spectator.
4) Celebrity sighting? Actually, I never saw him, but according to the results, last place in the marathon went to Lawrence Block, age 71, from New York City. My guess is that it's probably the same Lawrence Block who's written tons of best-sellers and recently penned a memoir about being a long-time walker. I wish I would've seen him as I've enjoyed many of his burglar tales.
5) It's all relative. To me, the race was 18 weeks and 3.5 hours. To my son? It's just 25 seconds on YouTube. :)

9 Reasons I'll Qualify for Boston This Time and 5 Reasons I Might Not

2009-09-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Lehigh Valley Marathon is in 48 hours. Actually, in 49 hours I hope to be finishing it, in a Boston Marathon Qualifying time of 3:15:59 or better. This is my third shot at it, after an encouraging 3:18 two years ago and a somewhat disappointing 3:23 last year (both at the Harrisburg Marathon).

I've been asked what my chances are and I've said I've got no reason to think I'm necessarily fitter this time around, but I have trained quite differently this time. In that spirit - and because taper madness has rendered me fairly useless for the regular duties of the day - I'm offering up 9 Reasons I'll Qualify for Boston This Time and 5 Reasons I Might Not...

The good news...
1) I've put in more miles. Mind you, not dramatically more. My peak month last year was 182 and this year it was 191. However, my peak month this year came just last month, whereas in my earlier plan it was three months prior to the race. Common sense says to be a faster runner, run more. Also, last year I had 3 fairly heavy months and felt like I might've peaked a little early. This year, I had one moderate month followed by two much heavier months.
2) The addition of medium long runs. Last year, I speculated that never going beyond six miles aside from my long run was a bad thing. In last year's plan, I went eight miles or more 17 times. This year, I've done 32 runs of eight miles or more. Truth is, this is the single biggest reason I have faith that I can do it this time.
3) Running further in long runs. In previous plans I'd never gone beyond 20 miles and truth is, I doubt it matters. But in my goal to do things differently I took 1 run to 21 miles and another to 22. While I don't know if it made a difference physically, I will say my mental fear of going to 26 isn't quite as strong as previous years.
4) Pace miles. In previous plans, I did some tempos and intervals. Problem was, I often struggle with those workouts and they didn't always go well or would ding me up too much. This time, following the Hal Higdon Intermediate II plan, I did a ton of marathon pace miles, training myself - as well as possible - to get used to 7:23 miles. Going into this race, I've run far more miles at goal pace than ever before.
5) Running tired. In previous plans, I treated my long run with reverence, going into it fresh as possible. On the Higdon Int. II plan, you do your long runs the day after a medium long run. That's not always easy, but I think it builds mental and physical toughness.
6) A better diabetic. The problem with being a 3:18 marathoner trying to become a 3:15 marathoner is that you don't have a lot of extra time to test your blood sugar. For this reason, I went on the Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system several months ago, and it's been awesome. My first marathon without CGM went perfectly and I finished with a blood sugar of 110 or so. My second one, I tested at mile 20 and was over 250. On Sunday, I'll know where I am at all times.
7) The course. My previous two marathons were in Harrisburg, which should be considered a very good course, but not a great course. There's a fairly challenging rolling section that comes at the 19 mile mark - a tough time to get challenged. The Lehigh Valley Marathon mostly runs a river bank, aside from a few small detours and is a point-to-point course running west to east (the same direction as the breeze usually travels). While I haven't seen or run the course, it should be better.
8) Hammer time. On the advice of a local triathlete, I've switched to Hammer Nutrition products over the past year and have been very impressed with them. In addition to them being stable and predictable in regards to my blood sugars, I think they provide better and more consistent energy than other products. I'll be doing the marathon with a multi-hour bottle of Perpetuem as well as higher concentration flasks of Perpetuem in case my blood sugar trends low. In addition, I'm taking their Race Ready caps (sodium phosphate) for 4 days prior to the race and will supplement with electrolyte tabs if need be.
9) Lance juice. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, I've recently started taking FRS energy drinks and chews. I'm taking a high dose (1000mg per day) for the four days prior to the race.
*** Side note: the combination of FRS, Race Ready Caps and low mileage during taper week has me absolutely bouncing off walls, but in a good way. I'd describe my mood this week as more hyper but a little less (emphasis: little) grumpy than other taper weeks.
All of that being said, 3:15 isn't guaranteed. Here's what I'm worried about:
1) No VO Max or LT training. Though I planned it that way, I haven't done any training faster than marathon pace in my entire plan. Zero. When I ran my 3:18, I did the FIRST plan, which has an LT and VO Max workout every week. Mind you, I wasn't good at them, but at least I did them.
2) The course. On paper, the course looks better, but we all know how that goes.
3) CGM failure. It's unlikely my continuous glucose monitor will fail during the race, but it could. If it does, I'll need to stop and test my blood sugar or wing it. Either way, I'll lose time.
4) Stupidity. The goal is to go out at 7:23 miles. Last year, the goal was to go out at 7:15, but I felt so good, I knocked off five or six 7:10's thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. By mile 20, I wanted someone to pick me up and drive me home. This year, I truly want to be strong enough to run 7:23's consistently, especially for the first half.
5) You never know what race day will bring and I don't have a lot or margin for error. More than anything, I need all of the factors in my favor to be in my favor on race day. I'm trying to shave three minutes off my time and it wouldn't take much to derail me from my plan.

My prediction: 3:13:35... The medium long runs keep me strong and I'm smart to go slow enough for the first half. I've never felt better in the latter stages of the race and I pick up a little time in the last 4 miles.

Those are the factors. Feel free to put your prediction times below. Winner gets... well the winner gets nothing but bragging rights. This isn't ChicRunner or Nitmos for cryin' out loud. Nobody gives me nothing to give away.

Wholefoods CEO Is An Idiot, But So What?

2009-08-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

Those who follow diabetes dust-ups intently (I'm not one of them) have been pointing out an Op-Ed piece by Wholefoods CEO John Mackey in which he said, "Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices."

Reaction from the diabetic community has been predictably unfavorable, particularly from the Type 1 diabetic crowd, where we are the lottery "winners" of an autoimmune disorder and have no ability to prevent anything.

I've found that diabetics don't like getting blamed for the disease and there's no reason we should, since there's nothing that would've prevented it. And while it's true that stupid editorials from guys like Mackey don't help the public understanding of the disease, here's the thing: it will have zero effect on how I manage my diabetes today. I will eat the same, exercise the same and bolus the same, regardless of what Mackey says, thinks or writes, and regardless of what any of his readers come to believe about the disease.

It's interesting: in my high technology job, there have been many writers and so-called "experts" who don't get aspects of our product line and write things as incorrect as what Mackey wrote. I call these morons on the carpet for it publicly 100% of the time. And yet, I have absolutely do interest in doing that to Mackey. Here's the difference:

When someone writes something incorrect about the industry I'm in, it has the potential to directly harm my company. Potential customers can read these fallacies and use them as a basis for not doing business with us. That's bad and that's why I nip it in the bud every time. But John Mackey has no power of the control over my diabetes. He can say whatever he wants to. Hallie Berry can make her claims to cure Type 1 diabetes. While all of these things certainly screw up the public perception of the disease, they do nothing to affect my personal "battle" with it, which is actually more like a "marriage," but I digress.

For those who might say that Mackey's stupidity can affect public opinion to the degree that it would affect legislation that affects diabetes, perhaps I'm overly optimistic, but I'd like to think the diabetes lobbyists (who know infinitely more than Mackey) wield a bigger stick in congress than some half-cocked CEO who forged Yahoo comments a few years ago, but I concede the point is valid. Incorrect information is never a good thing, but allowing it to affect your own personal viewpoint of the condition - even for a second - is even worse.

If It's Good Enough for Lance...

2009-08-25T07:11:00.001-07:00

After last Sunday's 22 miler, I'm now in taper mode, which could also be described as "voodoo" mode for me. Over the next 20 days, I'll be taking every supplement I come across that offers promises of enhanced performance (not THAT kind - I've got enough spam about THAT), but the kind that might help me shave exactly three minutes off my marathon PR so I can get to Boston.

One of the substances I'd been curious about is FRS, which I first learned about when I clicked on a banner ad with Lance Armstrong a few months ago. Think of that: I don't click on many banner ads, but Lance Armstrong's face was enough to make me curious enough to stretch my mouse a few pixels and click.

While the website was interesting and believable, the fact is that at $2.50/serving, it ain't cheap. The market for something to believe in might be infinite, but my budget isn't.

But over the weekend, three things happened:
1.) I stumbled across this article in Men's Journal about FRS, which explained how the product might be the world's first "real energy drink." It also talked about the product's ability to boost VO Max.
2.) I had a miserable 10 mile effort on Saturday morning. I was unprepared for one of the most humid days of the summer and rather than doing 8 miles at marathon pace, I managed only 4 (though I did complete the full 10, albeit slower). In my last peak weekend, I had my first failed workout of the season. I was upset and frustrated and desperate: a marketer's dream.
3.) Armed with the Men's Journal article, I went to GNC. The plan was to buy enough FRS for a week or so, at which time I thought I might buy more if I thought it was working. Amazingly, though, the local GNC had a ton of the stuff at 80% off - about 35 cents a serving. Why? It turns out it will expire, but not until the end of October!

I cleared out the shelves of all the discount product, giving me almost enough to get to my marathon, for $21! I was stoked.

I drank my first FRS the next morning, before my 22 miler. The 22 miler went awesome. Now, it could be because my blood sugar and Perpetuem danced like lovers for 3 hours, leaving me with a level blood sugar you couldn't make flatter with an iron, or it could've been because the humidity was lower Sunday, or it could've been because I had some extra left in the tank after Saturday's poor workout.

But then again, it could've been the Lance-juice, my latest weapon in the battle for Boston.

The Cayenne Pepper Experiment: Mixed Results

2009-08-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I started The Cayenne Pepper Experiment.

In an earlier post, I discussed how one of the things that hasn't gone well with this particular marathon season is that I'm 4 pounds heavier than I was last season and 8 pounds heavier than I was 2 years ago when I had a 3:18 PR.

While this still puts me at an "ideal" BMI, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that carrying extra weight around during a marathon isn't ideal for PR's.

At the same time, my diet is mostly-somewhat-reasonably healthy, so outright "dieting" when I was running 50 miles a week didn't seem to make sense.

However, I remembered that when I went on my insulin pump eight years ago, the more efficient use of insulin changed my total daily dose from 60 units to roughly 42. When I did that, I lost 15 pounds without changing anything. This caused me to conclude that if I could lower my average insulin dosage further, maybe those 4 pounds would just slide away.

About that time, a diabetic I know mentioned to me his use of cayenne pepper. In a nutshell, cayenne pepper is reported to do a lot of things for you. In regards to me, however, there are reports that it will increase insulin sensitivity and act as a natural stimulant. Seemed like a plan to me.

Here's what worked:
The cayenne pepper worked pretty much as advertised. Though I can't say my body felt incredibly stimulated, it definitely felt warmer, particularly during the first week. Also, almost immediately I required less insulin. My average daily dosage went from 42 units to 35 - a drop of 20%!

However:
During the same month, I didn't lose any weight, other than a pound or two which found it's way back on within a day or two. In short, the process worked, but the results didn't come.

Adverse reactions:
As you can see from the attached link, cayenne peppper is healthy stuff and common sense says I should probably continue it. However, what I didn't like was how directly responsible it was for affecting blood sugar. In other words, if I missed a dose (and the plan is to take it with every meal), my blood sugar would be immediately affected in the hours afterward. It seemed that the cayenne was only as effective as the last dose. Moreover, on some days I would try to sneak in some after the meal if I forgot, and my stomach wasn't able to adjust to that.

With my marathon less than a month away, I'm abandoning the cayenne pepper so that I have plenty of time to re-align my basal and bolus rates.

Conclusion:
Cayenne pepper did increase my metabolism and decrease my insulin requirements. However, there's a less direct relationship between insulin requirements and weight than I once thought (particularly if you're not overweight), so it's not a way that I was able to shave a few pounds.

First A1C on the Dexcom...

2009-08-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

After 62 days of wearing the Dexcom, my A1C is either 6.2 or 5.8, depending on which chart you believe.

According to both the Dex and my labs, my average blood sugar for the period was 131. (More on this in a minute.)

According to this chart, that converts to a 5.8. According to my lab paperwork, however, that's a 6.2.

I don't know why that is, and I also know that 6.2 is good - in fact probably the best A1C I've had in 25 years with diabetes. But dammit, I expected a 5.8, so something that starts with a 6 kind of bugs me.

That being said, my Doc seemed a little worried that my actual blood tests per day had dropped from 4-5 to 2-3 and that I was trusting the Dex so much. But I'd say if the Dex says my average blood sugar is 131 and so did the labs, I think it's reliable enough.

I also talked to the doc a little bit about trying Apidra. When I look at my Dex wave, my meals have a habit of taking me quite high (220-250) and then it's a good 2.5 hours 'til I'm normal again. Some people say Apidra works faster. Less time over 200 means a lower A1C, I'm thinking.

All of that being said, it was a good appointment, and all my other labs were pretty good. That's something I think about a lot during these 50 mile weeks - making sure other pieces of me aren't falling apart.

If you've moved from Humalog to either Novolog or Apidra, though, would love to hear your thoughts...

Best day, today. Six tomorrow, 12 Sunday, and then 1 more hell week until the taper begins...

Perpeteum & the Long Run

2009-08-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've done a lot of things different on this marathon plan, but one of the most important has been switching from a wide variety of less expensive fueling systems to Hammer Nutrition.

Hammer had first been recommended to me by a local Ironman athlete who joined me for a few long runs last year. At the time, it was too late in my training to risk adding something new to the mix, but I've been using HEED and Hammer Gel for several months now.

(Side note: My Ironman friend told the about reading that Hammer was formulated well for diabetics. I found it a little strange that a non-diabetic would know this until I became a Hammer customer. Simply put, Hammer sends copious amount to education to their customers. While the material is always marketing their products, there's gobs of research and education in the newsletters. Impressive stuff.)

Until this past weekend, though, I'd never tried Perpeteum, which is the specific Hammer product for events greater than two hours. While HEED's dynamite stuff for up to 90 minutes, I was curious to see what Perpeteum would do for me.

Following the instructions on the canister, I made myself a multi-hour bottle of Perpeteum and took one sip every 1.5 miles. I supplemented this with a 16 ounce bottle of water, every 5-6 miles. The idea here was to put together a plan that would work for my upcoming marathon, where I won't have a road crew.

One of the things that I learned, though, was that mixing Perpeteum with other gels with simple sugars could be tough on the GI system, so I made myself a flask of Perpeteum in case my blood sugar got low. This worked perfect - my blood sugars hung out at 150 for most of the run, until they took a quick dip down to 80 near the end. I warded off the low by taking the flask and finished the run at 156 without using any fuels other than Perpeteum and water.

Most important, though, was my energy level, as evidenced by the graph. No lie: I've never felt better on a long run. Dave and I went to 21, even though the plan called for 20. The stuff's not crack, mind you, and I was tired by the end but I've got no doubt that Perpeteum is special stuff for going extra long, and I'm pretty stoked about my nutrition plan heading into these final weeks.

What Non-Runners Know About the Boston Marathon

2009-08-07T14:20:00.001-07:00

Let's face it: this obsession with Boston is something only runners understand. To most of the non-running community, saying you're running the Boston marathon doesn't mean much. Half the time, you'll get the, "Oh a marathon.. how far is this one?" But very few people outside of us idiots know what it takes to get there.

Even so, I wonder about the standards a lot. For me, I love them: they were made for a guy like me who on a good day, with a good plan and a good tail wind might get there. Yet at the same time, I read a lot of running blogs. Some of the writers (these two come to mind) would be embarrassed if all they could say was that they qualified for Boston. These guys don't get out of bed for anything slower than a 2:50. A slothly 3:15 would be a tremendous failure in their world. And that's not a bad thing: it's just how their world is.

Meanwhile, guys like Steve Walker are the epitome of the word "runner," yet - and I think he wouldn't mind me saying this - will never qualify for Boston. (note: Steve runs Boston every year via the marathon's charity program) Not because they don't have the heart or the dedication, but because their particular genetic brew simply had a little too much of this and not quite enough of that.

All that being said, I am lucky. 3:15 is attainable for me. It's not an automatic (otherwise I wouldn't have failed twice already trying to get there!) but I know that on September 13th, I'll be close enough to go for it. The good news? My non-running friends won't know what it means if I trip up again.

Boardwalk Running Analyzed

2009-08-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

While at the beach last week, I enjoyed 4 of my 5 runs on the boardwalk. I use the word "enjoy" somewhat loosely, though I was certainly entertained.

To the buff guy who raced me for a mile at 6:30 pace, only to suddenly stop and call it a day while I still had 3 miles left, I say, thanks for the company.

To the kid on the bike who drove like he needed a breathalyzer test, I say move it over.

And to the girl who ran every day in a bikini and loafers, I wonder: were you Jenn Shelton? I'm pretty sure you were but couldn't think of a way to ask without sounding creepy.

Vacation 20 Miler

2009-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation 2009 is history. As is typical, I spent the time either drinking more expensive beer than usual, consuming gut-busting amounts of seafood, assuring my children that despite what shark week says, the surf is safe... or running.

The day after arriving in Ocean City, I went for what was supposed to be my first 20 miler of the marathon season (which has 3 total). This was basically the course I had in mind. While the course was 19.25, I knew some places I could pick up the difference. In the end, though, I cut it at 19.6 because I was whooped. Other notes:

1) If you wish to copy this course, be forewarned you're not supposed to run on the Route 90 bridge. There is a decent sized lane, but you're not supposed to do it. Also, if a car were to swerve, your only move is to vault over the railing into the bay.
2) Fortunately, there's not a ton of traffic when I went over it at 7:30 AM.
3) If you want to get off Route 90 onto Ocean Parkway, keep in mind, this isn't an intersection. It's sneaking through woods and over guardrails.
4) Ocean Parkway is easily the prettiest road I've run in Ocean City
5) Ocean Gateway is easily the ugliest highway I've run in Ocean City
6) This course has plenty of mini-marts if you need to refill your water bottle and I hit most of them.
7) Two hours into the run, I accidentally ripped out my insulin pump. Thankfully, I was actually trending a bit low for most of the run, and though the heat, humidity and miles did a ton of damage, my blood sugars stayed low.

After the 20, the rest of the vacation was a cut-back week, which meant lots of recovery runs on the boardwalk. Good times all around. Now I'm back and have another 50 mile week planned this week.

What I Think About During Recovery Runs

2009-07-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hal Higdon's Intermediate II plan has two "recovery" runs per week. By recovery, Hal means they should be leisurely, fun and relaxed. They're designed to help rejuvenate your muscles and spirit, while increasing your running economy. All of which will help you focus and perform better on your key days. I think recovery runs do all of these things. Except they also suck.

The worst part, I've found, is that without putting myself into either a "zone" or oxygen debt, my mind has time to think about a lot of things. But what it thinks about mostly is how this isn't much fun.

When I do a marathon pace run, I don't have time to worry if a dog's on a leash. If he's not, I'll just out-run him. I don't worry about the strange twinges in my knee or shin or foot because all of that will be dealt with only after I've put those marathon pace miles in the bank.

But on the recovery runs, I just feel like an old guy with ADD shuffling through suburbia. It's these feelings, I suppose, that cause such runs to be labeled as "junk" miles by others and it's hard not to agree because that's exactly how I feel on them: like complete and utter refuse. However, the alternative is the three days of hell approach favored by those like Nitmos. I've done that and it's good stuff except for one thing: speed kills, at least in the case of my legs. Truth is, I'm an endurance guy. This is what I can do without hurting myself. My blessing, my curse, to quote Peter Parker.

There are bright spots, though. As a diabetic, I think about my blood sugar a decent amount on the key runs, because nothing derails a 20 miler faster than hypoglycemia. On a recovery run, I think I could go into a diabetic coma and still handle my pedestrian pace.

And, of course, recovery runs do work. When I get to my next key workout, I find that the scatter-brained slowpoke has been momentarily replaced by a relatively focused Boston-bound age grouper, ready to take on the day's pain. At least until the next recovery run comes around.

World's Worst Morning Runner

2009-07-17T11:57:00.001-07:00

If running were only allowed to be done in the morning, I would not be a runner.

There, I said it.

Not only that, but I'm incredibly jealous of those you who bop out of bed at 5am (or earlier!). How do you do that?? When do you sleep??

Here's my deal: I'm mostly a lunchtime runner, thanks to shower facilities at my employer. The only time I get out of bed to run early is on the weekend. Most weekends, that's only one day and on that one day, I find it crazy crazy difficult to do. The creativity of the groggy whining in my head at 7am on Saturday surprises even me.

Today, however, I had a client coming to the office around lunchtime. Tomorrow, I have a morning long run planned. Running after work would mean barely 12 hours between two hard workouts, which meant: a morning run for me today, too.

I should also mention that while walking the dog PRIOR to my run at 7am, my neighbor drove by on the way home from his 5:30am run, playing loud music and waving frantically. God, morning people tick me off.

By 7:15, I was on the trail and at 8:30 I was done, with another marathon pace workout in the can. But I didn't like. Not one bit.

That being said, this was the exact run on my last marathon build where I realized I was injured and right now, my shins are feeling great, even at 6am. It's just the rest of me that wanted to be in bed.

Supplements, Pepper Doping and Getting Faster...

2009-07-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Until yesterday, I'd never taken a supplement for my diabetes.

Mind you, I munch on a small handful of pills with my breakfast. Things that promise optimum recovery, endurance, etc. The types of pills one finds when wandering the drug store aimlessly while one's wife and daughter decide whether they want to buy autumn chestnut or summer sunset to give their hair a little something-something extra.

But I've never bought anything specifically for my diabetes simply because most of those supplements say they help you even out your blood sugars, and (thankfully) I got that covered.

But then commenter Jed from yesterday suggested I add Cayenne pepper to my program, saying that he uses it and it reduces the amount of insulin he needs. Truth be told, I wouldn't care how much insulin I need, except for the crux of my argument, which was: more insulin = more weight retention = heavy marathoner. Here's a link from a guy who seems to think Cayenne fixes pretty much everything except the economy.

Because I'm very impressionable, I stopped on the way home and bought two bottles of Cayenne pepper tablets and have added it to my routine.

Thus far, all I know is my ambient temperature seems to be elevated and I appear flushed. But here's hoping it brings down the insulin and weight a little.

What supplements do you take, either for running or diabetes?

Harder Than an Ironman?

2009-07-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about that, but I think the Vermont Death Race might be trickier to train for. Here's hoping it's a sweet t-shirt.

Naked in the New Nike Free

2009-07-02T05:28:00.001-07:00

I'm currently rotating three pairs of shoes: Asics Hyperspeed II racing flats, Asics DS Trainers and the Nike Lunar Trainers. I've been totally out of my orthotics for nine months now.

Shin-wise, I'm in a good place. Haven't been injured in a few months, which I chalk up to rotating shoes and keeping the miles fairly slow.

That being said, I didn't really want to buy the Lunar Trainers, but I needed a new pair of shoes a few months ago, and the New Nike Free wasn't out yet. It is, now, and I can't wait to need a pair.

That being said, I might train differently in them than the crew in this hilarious Nike spot:

The Flipside of the Dexcom

2009-07-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I've been on the Dex for nearly three weeks now. My blood sugars have never been in better control. The machine is mostly reliable and I've learned how to feel like less of a robot with a second thing plugged into me. I've got one complaint and it's a complaint I wouldn't have (I don't think) if I wasn't a marathoner:

I've gained 4 pounds.

Before I sound hopelessly anorexic, I know that this gives me a theoretically "ideal" BMI. I also know that my wife also likes this me at this weight and no longer feels she's "cuddling an ironing board."

But if you've run marathons, you know what I'm getting at. Carrying 4 extra pounds (on top of the 4 I planned on shedding at the start of marathon season) means I've got 8 pounds that are gunning to keep me from a sub 3:15 Allentown marathon, and the Dex is somewhat to blame.

The reality is this: insulin causes weight retention. The more insulin you use, the heavier you'll be. (In one line, I've told you what the Atkins diet is all about.)

When I went on the insulin pump, it was a far more efficient use of insulin. My insulin requirements went down and I dropped 12 pounds without doing anything.

But it stands to reason that if my A1C is 6.5, the only way to get it down lower is through a bit more insulin. And the Dexcom has been telling me when and how to take that insulin. And in return, I've found 4 pounds.

This isn't a panic post, mind you. Based on my diet and my forty miles a week, I doubt I'll gain much more. And I'd also bet you my next A1C will be substantially less than 6.5. But in the meantime, I've got 4 (ideally 8) pounds to consider. And it appears the Dex won't necessarily be helpful in shedding them.

Of course, I could start by cutting out the beer, but it's too early to get silly. In the words of Lance Armstrong, it might be time to start "skipping lunch and drinking shakes."

Oh, wait. I do that now. Marvelous.

Well there's always "light" beer.

In other news, you know what I just realized? June was the first month in I don't know when when I didn't miss a single workout. I planned on running five days per week and I did that. I moved a couple workouts around but didn't flat out miss a one. Most months life gets in the way 1-3 times, but not in June. That's mighty cool heading into a mileage-full month or two.