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!!!

Thankful for What I Have

I'm glad i have diabetes...

It's not often that I say that, and i don't know that I've ever said that. I've said before that it's been a blessing to have diabetes because of it having opened up doors I never thought possible; a passion for exercise, an interest in others, not to mention a paycheck. But glad i have diabetes?

Then I woke up on Friday, and learned of the crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo - the crash occurred only a few miles from my house, less then a few actually. I was sound asleep when it happened, but the sirens went on all night. I was so tired I never made the connection that they had been going on for hours until i woke the next morning.

Seeing the reports from national news shows on the streets I've run on for the last 6 months was, well, like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from . My mornings in the car are usually filled with local news radio of which streets to avoid in Buffalo or the latest saga of our down and out Buffalo teams, but instead they were replaced with press conferences from the local departments on the status of the crash site.

Photo from AP Photo by Don Heupel

The city of Buffalo has a much smaller feel to it then you would think, and Clarence is epitome of that. People wave to you from their yards as you drive by and those walking their dogs will stop and have conversations with you. My wife and I are new to the area, so the number of people we know are small. But the feeling that we have lost is still there. It's like finding out you've lost family that you never had a chance to meet.

I went for a run this morning down the bike trail where i usually do my long runs. The trail weaves through Clarence, intersecting with all of the roads in town. Many of them were blocked off because of the crash, cars couldn't get through but those on the trail could. To see the roads blocked off and with the flashing lights of the police blockade was numbing. I could have run down the street to to see more, but didn't need to.

The investigators are already searching for the reasons why the crash occurred; ice, wind, mechanical, human error, maybe even a combination of all of them. We always search for the reasons. And even if they find the cause, many will still want to know just why this happened - not the actual cause, but the larger question of why tragedies occur. Events like this cause people question their faith, others are drawn closer to theirs. As a child I often used to wonder why I got diabetes, and while running today I found myself asking those same questions about how something like this could occur. Questions I guess that can take lifetime to answer, if they can be.

I came home after running and hugged my wife. The times are few, but today, diabetes feels like a small burden when looking at a much larger picture of life.

I Need a Buddy

My first Ironman Triathlon in Madison, Wisconsin last year was one of the most memorable moments of my life. And you know what? It had nothing to do with the race itself - it all had to do with crossing the finish line with my IronKiD.

IronKiDz was a program through Insulindependence that enabled a handful of children with Type I diabetes to participate in an adventure of a lifetime. It began about the time us athletes began training for the Ironman. An athlete was paired up with a child to serve as a mentor throughout the year. Then the week before the Ironman, the children were flown out to Wisconsin for a three day river canoe trip. The adventure ended at the Ironman where the IronKiDz got to cross the finish line with their Triabetes triathlete.

It was such a blast we're doing it again....Insulindependence has renamed the program but it's still going to be the same life changing experience, for the kids and the triathletes. This year, Triabuddies (our new name for the program) will take our younger counterparts on a 3-day sail- and kayaking journey to the Channel Islands off the California Coast. And once again, it will end at an Ironman Triathlon, this one in Arizona, where the kids will get the experience of crossing the finish line with their partner triathlete.

So I'm looking for a Triabuddy. Are you out there? If interested, click the following link for more information.


The Triabetes IronKiDz Project from Andiamo Productions on Vimeo.