Oh Canada.....

Wow! Just when I think I've got a boatload of great stories about diabetic athletes from DTC (Diabetes Training Camp) and i couldn't possibly get anymore, I meet another handful of inspiring athletes, all doing what i do everyday - live without limits when it comes to their diabetes. I don't have room in my head for all of them. (Wow, I walked right into that one, I can imagine all of the jokes from here).

So I left Trifest early so I could make it to the Children with Diabetes in Toronto. I was sad to leave the team early, but boy was I glad to be with CWD. The confernece focused on Insulin Pump Therapy and best practices surrounding it. And to emphasize the idea that pumping can be done successfully there were a plethora of athletes there. It was hard to keep track of them all, but here's a little run down on who was there:

• John Chick - Boy was he abig boy. And for good reason. He's a football player for the Canadian Football League, on the defensive line for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to be more specific. His team won the Grey Cup in 2007
• Jonny White and Tom Baxter. I had met these great guys at last years conference. They're the founders of C2C Adventure, Cycling Africa for Diabetes. They had biked across the African continent together!
• Mike Fisher is a World Cup bronze medalist and a member of the National Adapted Snowboarding team. He really related well with the kids, because, well, sonwboaarding is the coolest thing ever.
• Chris Jarvis is a member of the Canadian Rowing Team from 2002 and counting; he's competed in the Athens Olympic Games, and has won two World Cups and the Pan Am Games. He and i ran together at the Boston Marathon several years ago (he does those in his 'spare time').
• Leanne Stanley is an outrigger canoeist who competes at the World Championship level. She has been paddling for over 10 years and says that she is stronger and fitter now than before she had diabetes. (How do you like that one....stronger and fitter now than before she had diabetes!!!!) and.....
• Chase Pelletier is a competitive go-kart racer going into his 3rd year of high level kart racing. He won the Canadian Rookie Karting Championship hosted in Hamilton, Ontario in 2007 and dreams of someday being in Formula One and standing on the top box in Monaco.
  

Want to get a full report on what happened at CWD? Click here.

A Week to Remember

Wow, It's hard to put into words what the last week has meant to me....

The last week I've been away at Diabetes Training Camp; five full days jammed with events ranging from early morning swims, mountainous bike rides, heart pounding runs, and classes that had anything and everything to do with diabetes and exercise. (Oh, and if the name of the camp didn't give it away - everyone here had diabetes).

I can't say enough about the staff that was there. (The picture is of Dr. Matt Corcoran, founder and CEO of Diabetes Training Camp.) Top notch coaches in cycling, swimming, and running; combined with experts in exercise physiology, sports psychology, nutrition, and endocrinology really made this one of the best weeks I've ever had.

What was it like not to be the only one to pull over while on a bike ride to test their BG - the most incredible feeling ever! Glucose gels at every activity, BG testers everywhere, it was like being at diabetes camp for adults. It 's a feeling I have'nt had since, well, to be quite honest, ever.

If anyone is contemplating going to camp it is absolutely worth it. You don't have to be a hard core triathlete to get the benefits from being here. Just being in this enviorment with individuals who want to take care of their diabetes was worth the trip. You can check the camp out by clicking here. http://www.diabetestrainingcamp.com/

I'm off for now, headed to a Children With Diabetes conference in Toronto. The rest of the team is staying for Trifest, a triathlon extraveganza that's being put on by our major sponsor Trisports. It stinks to have to leave early, but hey, leaving one diabetes outing for another is not a bad thing....

'Check' ya later.

Camp isn't just for Kids

I'm kinda nervous. I've never been away from home for this long before. Tricia says I'm going to make lots of new friends, but I'm still worried. I've got all of my stuff packed; my diabetes supplies, toothbrush, running shoes, clean undies, racing helmet shoes and sunglasses, sleeping bag, and Mr. Tuddles (my loaner insulin pump). I'm going to camp tomorrow!!!



A picture from one of the sessions of the Diabetes Training Camp.








Tomorrow I'm headed off the Diabetes Training Camp, a camp for individuals with diabetes to learn about diabetes and exercise. With the move and the new job last year I didn't get the opportunity to travel to the camp last year with Team Triabetes. But the camp Director, Dr. Matt Corcoran, was gracious enough to let us come to camp again this year.

The feedback on these camps are just tremendous. By reading through the bios on the website, you get the feel that anyone from college-bound athletes, to triathletes, to individuals who just want to take control of their disease, can come to camp become a part of something special. I can't wait to have time to train with others with the same challenges as myself, a chance to learn about my disease and the effects of exercise on it, and an opportunity to set a plan for this year's races.

I'll be sure to send you a description of everything that happens next week. Wish Me luck!

If you'd like to see more about the Diabetes Training Camp, just click the link

Owwee

So I ran 19 miles this morning with the Buffalo marathon training group. Yup, 19 big ones. And no, that's not why I gave this particular blog entry the title it has. Sure, the 19 miles had something to do with it. But it wasn't the pain in my legs that was the issue, it was the pain in my side - from my infusion set.

(Early Disclaimer - Now stop right there, don't go thinking this is an excuse not to use an insulin pump. This is merely just a 'boy today sucked and i need to vent' kind of blog entry. The editors at Runner's World often write about runs that involve injuries or inclement weather, but don't expect them to stop running. They just complain a little to get it off their chest, then get right back to cheering from their soap box about how important running is. Same thing. Pumping rocks, don't get the blog entry confused.)

Pictures of the (1)infusion set with the inserter, (2) usining the inserter, and (3) the final set

So I changed my site out this morning before I ran. Not immediately before, probably two hours prior. And yea, it stung a little after I changed it, but nothing dramatic. I mean come on, it is a needle I'm placing under the skin, And yes, the infusion inserter makes it fairly painless the majority of the time, but it's not like a hot knife going through butter. Every once in a great while it'll sting for a few moments and then go away. But it was still bothering me a little as i got ready to head out for the run. The smart move would have been to change it out. Guess what i did?

So during the run? Ugh! Boy, it really started to hurt. It felt like the cannula was scraping the muscle underneath. I tried changing my stride, arm swing, pacing, you name it but nothing worked. Near the last few miles the muscles in my legs began to ache a little, but I was glad to have something else begin to hurt to take my mind off of the site.

Man, I was soooo glad to change the set out after. Even now while I type it hurts a little. But lesson learned. My educator (ie, my wife, also known as the boss) says, 'when in doubt, change it out'. Be sure I won't take that one for granted again.

Oh what to watch today...

What's that? You've got DOENFL? (that would be the very serious Depression Over the End of the NFL season). I understand your pain. Without Jay Cutler leading his Denver Broncos back from another 4th quarter win, you're wondering what other insulin defunct athletes are able to be watched on TV. Until Adam Morrison returns to the form he once had in college but now in the NBA, where else can we look?

Well have no fear, there's another diabetic cruising on the tube. And not just one of them mind you, a few actually. Team Type 1 is currently competing in the Amgen Tour of California on the VS channel, you can catch it live at 6pm tonight est. For a look a the listings for the rest of the week, you can look here.

GO TEAM!!!