Editing Videos

Editing video at a studio means that I will have plenty of down time. I'm not editing nor directing, simply being the account person means that I get to play voice-of-reason since our deadline is the end of the week.

It also give me time to update my blog! :)

Molly and I went to D.C. and did the touristy thing. We hadn't been there in over a decade and wanted to see and appreciate all of the sites. We had an incredible time and found some great places to eat! I found a place that had a crab stuffed soft pretzel which was rich and amazing! We hit up all of the monuments and most of the Smithsonians, my favorite was the WWII memorial, it was amazing and thought provoking.

Here we are in front of the White House


We also found this amazing cupcake place! The cupcakes didn't make it back to the hotel! :)


Work has been busy! Product launches out the ying-yang and I had some additional Goodyear accounts added to my watch due to people leaving the company. One of my more recent projects was helping Goodyear develop a United Way donation goal tracker for their campaign. The lady in charge is the Director of Blimp Operations, so needless to say I got a VIP tour of the Goodyear Blimp Hangar in Akron, OH!

Installing the camera for a Browns football game!


The Goodyear Blimp!


Riding and racing!
I've been riding as much as I can fit in! I surpassed 2,000 miles and I think I've over 2,200 to-date! I've been trying to get out on the MTB more but with the days getting shorter the road bike seems to be a quick alternative before the sun goes down.

I raced The Big Valley Race at Camp Manatoc and finished 10th out of 20 in my Sport age group. Way better than my 13th/last place finish last year! I also cut 43 minutes off of my two laps with an added mile this year on the second lap!


I plan on trying to do a few more races before the end of the season and maybe get some night riding started with the days ending earlier. Maybe next year I'll hit up some more endurance races and maybe my first 12-hour race!

Everything else is gravy these days! My blood sugars are under control with my most recent A1C of 6.8. My brother and family are healthy and happy and Molly is as amazing of a girlfriend as she has ever been!

Happy Monday everyone!!!

No Excuses!!!

For not keeping my blog up-to-date! I've been busy yet find the time to keep on others blog without adding an entry myself! WTF!!!

Here's a quick rundown of my world with more detail to come:
Personal - Molly and I went to D.C. on July 29th and I have to share some stories and pictures from that trip. Shame on me, the pictures aren't even on facebook yet and that's even easier to upload! Families are doing well on both Molly's side and mine. We are starting the hunt for a new apartment after some incredibly noisy neighbors moved in upstairs. We've had grown men live above us before that were not even close to the noise that these two "kids" produce. Hidden Lake apartments in Stow have gone downhill consistently since I moved in almost 4 years ago. I would not recommend these apartments to anyone looking to move to this area.

Riding - putting in a lot of miles on both road and MTB. Broke 1000 miles on the road bike alone this weekend, need more off-road miles. Next weekend I will attempt Eric's Hill Challenge climbing 14 hills out of the valley. All hills are at lease 250ft. of climbing over .25 - .5 miles in length, a true leg burning experience. :)

Work - Busy, same story as everyone else. Less people but with more work = profitability in 2010. I've been keeping it real and getting things done though.

Health - Awesomeness! I had lab work done on Friday for my endo visit tomorrow. All should be great! I also had an eye exam where the Optometrist said my eyes were better now than the last time he saw me two years ago, no new glasses = saved money!!! ;)

That's all for now, I'll be back soon!

Hittin' the Streets

Gangster style! Well not really but heading out for the ABC group ride this evening. Hopefully I will get a good 35-40 mile workout in. I'm planning on riding the Sweet Corn Challenge this weekend with the MTB. Getting ready for Big Bear Lake in 2 weeks. :)

Happy Thursday!

CGM, not again!

As I tried to piece my stomach to insert my continuous glucose monitor today it hit a tough spot in my stomach. The piece stopped half way in and half way out, the problem with that is you then have to manually push it in or say screw it and pull it out.

This is the lose, lose situation. Pushing it in is like trying to drive a spike through yourself, the needle is pretty big so it hurts both physically and mentally. Pulling it back out destroys the sensitive flexible sensor that is supposed to stay in your skin. Now you've just wasted $30. I choose option 1 so we'll see how this goes.

The good problem I have is that I've lost a considerable amount of weight eating healthy and cycling. Not that I was that big to begin with but dropping 15lbs. from 160 is enough to lose pretty much all of the extra fat on your body. I've had to buy new shorts this year because my old size 32 and 33 waists were so big I didn't have to unbutton to slide them off and now my pants are following suit. I can slide my full, clinched fist in between my stomach and belly facing out and still have room. I need to replace all of my jeans now that hang off of me. :(

Life is has it's complications whether you are tall, short, heavy or petite. :)

Thank you fellow riders!

Thank you to all the folks who offered me a tube or to help me fix my flat tire on my trip back to my place! For everyone who passed and didn't say anything or laughed...well...I would have still offered you help if you were broken down.

My tire went flat about 2.5 miles into my ride. My stupid ass old MTB rims SUCK!!!! I'm throwing that shit away. I'll just swap tires on my new kick-ass Mavic rims if I want to ride the MTB slicks on the road. However, the WTB Graffiti tire was strong enough to hold on the rim and let me keep a 7mph pace back home instead of hoofing it. Obviously I didn't care for the rim at that moment.

Bottom line, swapped wheels, back out by 6:30pm and got 27 miles in! Can't hold me down! :)

Group Ride Fun and Pissing People Off!!!

So, I showed up at the regular Thursday night Akron Bike Club group ride sporting my 26 pound Trek Fuel EX 8. I got plenty of funny looks from all of the shaved legged roadies on there carbon fiber rigs waiting to eat me alive! I loved every minute of it and on top of that I wore my Red Riders jersey so everyone new I was a diabetic. It was pretty warm yesterday making me nervous as to whether or not I could keep the road pace, even though I have switched out my tires to use my dirt jump slicks.

We headed out and around in the valley, much to my surprise I was in the lead group of about 5 riders or so. They would try to speed up and I was right with them. People would try to pass me and nudge me out of line and I wouldn't let them, I even took my turns pulling at the front. Then came the first hill and up I went, this is where I felt the heat. My heart rate danced at about 192 bpm! Finally at the top I was the 4th person to finish out of 20!

From there we cruised around the top of the valley before dropping back in at Boston Mills road. We cruised on Riverview Road for a little while before heading back to the parking lot. A few guys peeled off to add some more hills to their day the rest were heading back. I kindly said goodbye at the 303 interaction so I didn't have to ride to the lot to ride back to go home.

The stunned crowd asked, "You rode here???". Heck yeah! Jaws were agape when I said maybe next week I'll bring my road bike! lol!

The final summary was 33 miles at a 17.08 mph pace. If I didn't chill out on the way home my pace for the fist 25 miles was 17.8mph. I was asked no less than 4 times to please stop making people look back. They can buy a MTB for group rides if they want to kick-ass as well! :)

Happy Friday!!!

My July

July has been great so far! Had a crazy busy holiday weekend and now I'm settling in for some training during the dog days of summer! I have some races and whatnots coming up:

July 18: MTB Time Trial at The Thorn
July 25: OMBC Race at Alum Creek SP
Aug 7: Big Bear Lake MTB Ultra (50 miles)
Sept 18: 12 Hours of Mohican
Sept 25: West Branch SP

I'll keep myself busy in between! Tonight I'm taking my MTB with slicks on to the Akron bike club ride. I'll either show the roadies what's up or embarrass myself! :)

Almost forgot!!!

Mohican MTB 100, 700+ riders started. 287 finished. Great job to those that survived!!! :)

Mohican MTB 100 Race Report Part 2

We were awoken at 4am by the continuance of thundershowers moving through the area. It poured so hard that it woke up my girl. Buckets, cats, dogs, the works. Uggg, was the only thing going through my head. My stomach hurt I was so at odds. I had busted my ass training for this race and now everything was jacked. Since my girl was awake she calmed me down and reminded me I didn't bust my ass to let a little rain slow me down. Damn right!!!

So we packed up and headed to the start line. The weather broke right before the 5 mile trip to the start. We found a great parking place for me to get ready and it was close to the bathroom!

Now I'm not sure where everyone came from be there were over 700 riders that started the day. It certainly didn't seem like there were that many cars around.

Here I am getting ready, having no idea what lie ahead.


Warming up, getting the blood flowing.


Here is everyone at the start.


I'm in the middle pedaling my little heart out.


Thus we were off, the first few miles are along roads until you are out of town. There roads go straight up BTW. Then we hit the mud. It was every where and deep! It was just a plain mess. I was moving along okay but slow for the first 20 miles or so and then I started to notice a problem. My chain was not shifting into the upper 3 rings on the cassette, then the top 4. WTF!!! There was so much mud every where that I couldn't see what was what down there. At the first aid station I was able to splash a cup of water on but it didn't help much. The peeps at the station said station two had power washers so I pressed on. It was tough though, I only really had three speeds that I could bounce around in the front chain rings. My bike slowly becoming useless against the mud, I needed the upper chain rings. I finally made it to the second aid station about 36 miles in and cleaned off the bike. Nothing doing. It was still jacked.

After some thinking and cursing I decided to pull out. It wasn't worth destroying my entire drivetrain. I tucked my tail between my legs and headed back to the finish line to meet up with my girl. She helped me scrape up my ego and pack everything up. She had mentioned she was worried about me and I asked why, she proceeded to tell me the tornado sirens were blaring and a tornado touched down about 8 mile north of where we were at.

Wow, news to me!!! Shortly after I arrived back it began to absolutely pour again. :( Covered in mud I was able to find a shower to stand in with all of my gear on and slowly strip down and try to clean everything off.

Next time, there will always be a next time. I'm in the best riding shape of my life and I don't intend to waste it!!!

Here's a picture of me in action.


We packed up and headed to Columbus for my good friends wedding.

Bottom line, my chain seized up on me. I had to take it off and throw it away before we even made it home. You know what that means??? Yes, time to upgrade! I know have a 9-speed KMC chain that is titanium and nickel plated. Hopefully problem solved!

As for the poison ivy, I had it everywhere. Apparently I didn't do a great job washing my hands after handling my bike. It was all over my face. I toughed it out and it has all cleared up now.

Additional pictures and videos courtesy of people other than me!

http://www.vimeo.com/12351313

http://teambikesour ce.myphotoalbum. com/view_ album.php? set_albumName= album102

http://picasaweb.google.com/waderlewis/MOHICAN100MILEMTBRACE?feat=email#

Mohican MTB 100 Race Report Part 1

I know better late than never!!!

I'm not sure where to begin, this was quite the weekend to remember.

Friday: In the morning I continued to pack and check things off of my list. My girlfriend said I was being to anal with my list and I said I will forget something for sure. So after getting made fun of a bit I finished gathering my gear and loaded up the car. My girlfriend had to work in the morning so around noon we ate lunch she finished up and we were on the road by about 2:30. Mohican is about an hour and twenty minutes or so away from Stow, OH.

It was pretty stormy with rain starting and stopping the whole way. As we were reaching the outskirts of Loudonville, I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach. I forgot my CamelBak bladder. The pack is useless without it and I have no other good way of carrying water on my FS MTB. So after I registered we went to check out the local bike shop to see if they had camelbak bladders of even the whole dang thing that I would just by, pack and all. Nothing, the closest store was back in Wooster. Keep in mind the Loudonville bike shop was about 1/3 bike gear and 2/3 auto parts store. Nice!

So back up to Wooster we went it was about a 20 mile trip back. We located the store, found a pack and grabbed some dinner before heading back to our hotel. Keep in mind heavy rain was turning on and off like a light switch at this point in time. So, on we forge to our hotel...well Motel I believe is the actual term. My girl was not exactly excited when I told her that the place was a Motel, they sound dirty and sketchy. This one wasn't horrible but it was pretty far away from civilization. It was called the Mohican River Inn and it was a quick 5 mile jaunt away from the start line. So we check in and unload the car, as we unloaded the parking lot quickly filed with more riders stopping to check in. So we unload the card and try to get comfortable while I work on getting my bike set for the morning. This is when we realized problem number two. I had forgotten to grab the garment bag hanging in the closet by the door full or our dress clothes for my very good friends wedding. :( Another plan was concocted that while I was riding my girlfriend would drive back to Wooster and go shopping for clothes. Needless to say she was much more excited about that than waiting 6 hours in Loudonville for me to finish.

Our motel room, note the cinder block walls like a prison cell!!!


The girlfriend, relaxing. BTW, she hates raccoons. Check out the art between the beds! lol!


Silly grin while getting the bike ready for the race. Note the flashy new Mavic Crosstrail rims and Kenda Karma tires! :)

Three days out

And I'm a little nervous. I've been training for this weekend since January. The Mohican 100K MTB race is this Saturday. I know I can do it but I'm getting butterflies right now as I think about it. I can't think about these meetings I'm in right now, all I can think about is riding.

I'm thankful for many things including the support of my girlfriend, my family, the guys at Eddy's Bike Shop and the bewildered stares I get from coworkers when I tell them what I'm doing.

I'm pumped to be riding with diabetes, after all we all ride for the thrill and challenge, I just have one little additional challenge. I rode a big chunk of this past Sunday but pulled out half way through the 2nd lap due to the heat. I felt good overall though. 90 degrees was just really hot and humid, especially in the woods! My legs felt good and I'll only be doing part of the crazy 25 mile loop before we jet out of the woods on to back roads and new courses. Much of the 100 mile and 100K course is on hiking trails and private property that is only open for riding this one day of the year. How cool is that?!?!?!?

I'm getting myself ready, slowly. Making sure nothing is forgotten. I'll keep you posted over the next few days and do my best to document and keep track of this incredible start to my 2010 season and endurance career!

In a lighter final note, I tried the new Snapple Trop-a-rocka ice tea that Bret Michaels created on the celebrity apprentice. It is probably one of the best diet drinks I've had. Way to go Bret!!! Try it for yourself, it also supports the American Diabetes Association!!!

Plenty to catch up on!

Sorry, life has been a bit busy these days with my free time being consumed with the final preparations for my 100K MTB race next weekend. After hearing many different good and bad stories about the race as a whole, I think I have done everything I could/should have to be ready. Could I have done more, sure. But, I could be a lot worse off right now. I've been working towards this goal since I registered in January of this year. I'm confident in my skill and knowledge of my body, diabetes and training. I simply need to relax and put all of that to work, I know easier said than done.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of riding from my house to my old diabetes camp in Newbury, OH. A mere 30+ mile trip one way. However, since I was hungry for more I decided to cut down into the valley on my way home to add a few more hills and miles. In total the trip became 86.9 miles and I was able to keep a 15.6 mph average over that distance with all of the hills.

Here's a pic of me in front of the diabetes camp:

MIA

Hi everyone, sorry I've been MIA. I've been riding and working out a lot. If the rain would let up I could get out more and ride vs. opting for the gym. Starting tomorrow I should be able to get some great riding in.

My blood sugars have been out of whack to. It seems that my body has become used to working out. Before my sugars were going hypo, now I can't get them out of the upper 100s and lower 200s so I've gone back to my pump settings that I used pre-working out. It has helped so now I'm back to small tweaks here and there. It's amazing how difficult it can be to figure in diabetes to all of my riding and training.

I rode a lap at Mohican last weekend which was awesome!!! The course is wicked tough, it will be very interesting to see how much more difficult it becomes when you add 400 additional racers on the course. It took me about 2:45:00 to complete the 24+ miles. I couldn't fathom that it only takes the pros 1:20:00 to cover that course. AMAZING!!!

I've been upgrading equipment, new shorts, new tires, new PowerBar nutrition. I've been getting used to all of the pieces and parts before the race on the 5th.

In the meantime I've been working, hanging with my beautiful, supportive and very understanding girlfriend and raising money for my Tour de Cure ride on the 13th of June.

It's been busy to say the least, however, that is no excuse to neglect my blog! Back at it!!!

Mountain Bike Magazine Article

There's a great write up of the Mohican 100 I'm riding in on June 5th. It's a little disconcerning that Tinker Juarez and Floyd Landis have both DNF'ed this race in the past. Here goes nothing!!!

New Stuff

I tried out the Sigma BC 2209 MHR Triple Wireless Cyclecomputer this weekend! It seemed to work beautifully for the most part! The feature list is below and all functions worked except the Altimeter We had some crazy storms passing through the valley and it was making the pressure crazy. Also if anyone knows how I can find the distance above sea level please let me know!

The triple wireless means the speed, cadence and HRM are all digitally coded for my computer and no wires are necessary! I put 40 miles on before the rain set in, I felt god for the ride and look forward to hitting the bikes hard this week! I'll get some pictures of the computer installed this evening for all the interested parties. Set up and installation was incredibly easy and painless! I'll explain why with the pictures.

Here are the features of this computer:

General Functions:
Auto start/stop
Auto conversion between MPH & KMH
Large display with easy to read icons
7 available languages
Integrated storage chip for data backup
Low battery indicator
(computer head & transmitters)
2 adjustable wheel sizes
Automatic recognition of bike 2
Backlight
Current temperature
Compatible with wired speed harness
(sold separately)
Weatherproof
PC compatible

Bike Functions:
Current speed
Average speed
Maximum speed
Trip distance
Current/Average speed comparison
Total distance bike 1, bike 2 &
bike 1+2 (not shown while riding)
Current and average cadence
Programmable trip section counter;
up & back

Time Functions:
Ride time
Clock (12/24 hr)
Stopwatch
Countdown timer
Total ride time bike 1, bike 2 &
bike 1+2 (not shown while riding)

Heart Rate Functions:
ECG-precise
Current heart rate
Average heart rate
Maximum heart rate
Calorie counter

Altitude Functions:
Current altitude
Day's climb/descent (programmable)
Day's maximum altitude
Total altitude uphill bike 1, bike 2 &
bike 1+2 (not shown while riding)

Hiking Functions:
Hiking Time
Stopwatch
Target Time (countdown timer)
Clock (12/24 hr)
Current temperature
Current heart rate
Average heart rate
Maximum heart rate
Calorie counter
Current altitude
Day's climb/descent (programmable)
Day's maximum altitude
Total day's climb
Total hiking time

Quick Update

I dropped 36.5 miles yesterday on the new grips and new Sidi shoes. Both we incredible!!!! My hands had little to no numbing like they did with the old grips and the shoes were like having my feet stuffed into two clouds! Obviously I'm feeling a little better now and I swear I was taking it easy yesterday, just got a little excited with the new gear! :)

New Grips for My Bike!!!!

Well, after getting drastic with the cold medicine I've finally been able to feel a tad better. I had to dive into the Sudafed that they keep behind the counter and have to write your name down for you to get. So far it's worked like a charm.

In other news, my new Sunline Big S grips arrived yesterday!!! They are really nice! My old/stock grips were thin and beat up and made my hands go numb after about 20 miles or so of riding. I'm investing in new grips and gloves to help with the hand issue. I also do the stretch and shake of the hands if they do go numb.

Installation of MTB grips these days is a breeze due to the lock-on mechanism most serious grips feature. I popped the old grips off and then slid the new ones on, however, the new grips have an integrated lock-into-grip on the inside of the bike and then another lock at the end of the bar. So I had to shift my brakes and shifters in a little to account for the extra space which was actually perfect. I was planning on cutting my bars down a tad and now I'm able to narrow my position just enough that I'll be even more comfortable for the endurance rides.

Below is the story you just read in pictures:

The package:


Old grips:


Inside lock:


Outside lock:


Naked bars!


Finished Installation:

Bloggin About Death

I found this article front and center on cnn.com this afternoon.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/27/blog.terminal.illness/index.html?hpt=C1

It went on to talk about how people are using technology to share their journey to the end of their lives after receiving a terminal diagnosis. I'm 100% for it. It truthfully gives me a face of any given disease instead of just being a word in a book. Diseases are not black and white, straight forward like the line in a medical book. Diseases have names and faces, the people with those diseases have dreams and goals. I think sharing those goals with people is a great way for those dreams to live on with the family and friends.

Just my thought for the day.

Feeling like crap.

I received the gift of a nice Spring cold from my girlfriend. I feel bad because she was pretty upset about getting me sick knowing how hard I've been working towards the Mohican 100. I had some short but higher intensity workouts this weekend to rest. Over coming these set backs will make crossing the finish line that much sweeter! :)

I'm still planning on hitting up the Grassman race this weekend. A brand spanking new course and part of the OMBC series. The weather is supposed to break on Tuesday and hopefully my cold will as well to get out and rock out a few days this week on the MTB.

New pieces and parts that will be reviewed in upcoming posts:
1. Sidi Dragon 2 shoes, I finally found Speedplay Frog replacement cleats for!
2. Sunline Big S lock-on grips - Black
3. Sigma Sport BC 2209 MHR - Cycle computer, HR monitor, Cadence, altitude and much more!
4. Marathon MTB tires - TBD

That's all for now, I'm going to bed!

What have I been up to???

Well...riding...a lot! I've trimmed down my schedule to focus more on the events I really want to do well in with the first big event being the Mohican 100. I had a ton of races on my schedule and I was all over the board with my training trying to fit the smaller events in. Like next weekend I'm racing at a new venue in the OMBC series but to me that race is for a few reasons other than winning.

1. I don't want the Mohican 100 to be my first race of the season, it will make me nervous.

2. Working on giving Harold (my MTB) a bit of a face lift and that will be a good venue to try some pieces and continue to get dialed in.

3. It will give me a good feel of my overall fitness for the 100 with 4 solid weeks to do something about any problems between now and then.

On the diabetes side, everything has been going great except my boluses from my insulin pump. With my activity being up my metabolism is up so the amount of insulin I take to cover the carbs I eat has been fluctuating a bit. In short I tend to go hypoglycemic after meals so I've had to dial down my insulin to carb ratio a bit.

Also, I stocked up on the foods I love to train with!!! Gatorade G2, low carb for the diabetes in me yet gives me the electrolytes I need! PowerBar Power Gels, just the right amount of boost for the evening rides and taste great! Strawberry Banana is my favorite! Finally, PowerBar TripleThreat bars, a great snack for longer rides and post-ride as well! The bars taste ridiculously good as well! Here's my stock for about two-weeks! Okay, well, the G2 is more like a months worth! :) It was on sale, what can I say!

Been too long, since I left you...

without a dope beat to step to. Sorry, need to get back to my blogging! BRB!

100 Miles on a MTB in 9 hours

Here is some information on the race course that I will be tackling on June 5. I'm a little nervous but my training has been progressing along pretty well.

Mohican 100 NUE Race Map



Criss cross four counties, climb more than 11,000 feet and go toe to toe with the pros on this legendary ultra-endurance 100 mile loop in Northeastern Ohio. For more information, go to Mohican.net.



Source: GPX file
Distance: 95.7 mi (Change units)
Elevation: Total Gain: 8481 ft
Total Loss: 8458 ft
Net Change: 24 ft
Difficulty: 10 / 10

New Shoes, Thank You Sidi!!!!

The shoes from Sidi have finally arrived! I'm the proud owner of a pair of Sidi Dragon 2 shoes. Now if only I had enough sense to get my Speedplay cleats while I was waiting on the shoes. Doh!!! Here are some pics of the new guys, I'll take some more pics as I set up the cleats and give them the first spin. For starters, they fit great and are incredibly comfortable. Here are some other features:

1. Adjustable heel cup - no more sliding around back there when torquing up a hill!

2. Toe Guard - wouldn't want to ruin the beautiful Italian leather...oh...or break my toe! :)

3. Ratchet closure strap with single click loosening - meaning when you over-tighten your shoe and you hit the release on the strap, normally you pop a few clicks out. This set-up allows you to loosen one click at a time to stay dialed in.

4. Rebuilable sole - that's right! 100% rebuildable for years of use.

5. Free! Oh did I mention that these were won in a writing contest??? I did not have to pay the MSRP $450 for these fine Italian shoes! :)

Hill Day Yesterday

I had a great ride yesterday! I was able to climb Hines Hill which has been my nemesis ever since I discovered it. I've never been able to make it up will sitting and spinning in the saddle, I've always had to stand and pump, even at the end of last year. I feel like that's a great sign starting off this year!!!

Here is the elevation profile of the "big hill" portion of Hines Hill Road:
150 ft. of elevation gained in about .25 miles! My heart rate hit 228. :)



This road is a great training road, once you get your ass kicked by the steep part the rest of the road is pretty much uphill leaving your legs burning.

Ray's

Here's a picture of probably 1/5 of the entire place!

No, not Ray Charles! Ray's Indoor MTB Park, in Lakewood! That's where I spent my afternoon and evening off yesterday! The place is ridiculously fun and there is tons to do from the foam pit, pump course, trials course and XC course to the expert area and grind park. There is something for everyone that rides on non-motorized, fat two wheels.

It's exactly like the dozens of MTB articles describes the place. Very chill! You can sit in many different places and watch the action happen as much as you can go join in the action!

I think I rode for about 4.5 hours all together with only one complete wipe out on the pump track, one slam of the pinky against a random guard rail and blisters on each finger due to the ripping of the course!

I also met some fellow bloggy friends from the Cleveland Triathlon Club who were having an event yesterday evening! I hope they enjoyed themselves as well!

Awkward

Awkward is finding out that the lady in your Spinning class that is there every day when you are is actually your client.

I was in class yesterday warming up and clamoring away with another guy their when he asked what the name of the company was that I work for. I said Hitchcock Fleming and Assoc. and as soon as I said that the ladies head popped up and looked straight at me. She said I thought your voice sounded familiar. Here it ended up being the marketing lady for Goodyear's Retail Stores division who I was on the phone with a few times on Monday trying to iron out some production issues. Small world???

My Spinning class felt tainted for a minute, I got over it!

Paralympic Games

Hi bloggy peeps! Don't forget the Paralympic Games have start Friday in Vancouver, check them out! Go USA!!!!

First Ride of 2010!!!

I got out today for the first ride of the season! It's always an amazing feeling to get out and ride. I put down 29.1 miles and dropped into the valley and then road back out. The normal paved hike and bike trail is still snow covered so I had to take to the roads. Here is the run down:

Weather - cold. It was 33 degrees when I started and 40 degrees when I finished. I was toasty warm thanks to all of the cold weather gear I have in vested in over the winter. It could have been about 10 degrees colder before I would have started to feel slightly uncomfortable. Otherwise, sunny with a 5mph breeze from the SW. Nice!

Bike - I set up the TREK 5000 last night and got all of the gear ready. It felt great, the shifting was a little goofy and could use some adjusting of the STI levers. For whatever reason it was not catching all the time when downshifting on both sides. Hey, they bike is carbon fiber and was built in 1996, it's lasted this long with a little TLC. I also installed some tire liners because all of the crap on the road ends up on the side with the plowing over the past 3 months. So there are plenty of glass shards, metal this and thats and potholes trying to slow me down. They worked so far, no flats!

Me - Felt great, blood sugar was on point with a little snack before I started and a PowerBar Power Gel half way through. The Spinning classes have me legs feeling great, lots of power churning up hills in heavier gears than I finished last season with! Now I get to work on the endurance. Recovery was great as well, I think that has to do with my increased focus on breathing and relaxing my upper body.

All and all I would give today's ride an 8.5 out of 10! A great start to the year with a little bit of tweaking I can be in performance shape before I know it!

Happy riding!!!

DKA is a Killer for Diabetics

Take care of yourselves...well ourselves!!!

Casey Johnson did not have to die. She did need some support and some professional help which it sounds like she was on her way to try to get. She died of Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

DKA is basically when your body does not have enough insulin to function properly. For example, not taking your insulin injections if you are Type 1, like in Casey's case. Without insulin your body can not break down food and store it for energy. So once your body runs out of it's energy stores it looks for the next thing to break down to keep it going, fat. Once all of the fat is gone it moves on to the next thing it can find, muscle. By now you are in pain and should now that something is not right. Even at this state there are things that can be done to help reverse the affects and get you as close to "normal" as you can get. However, if left untreated, the body starts breaking down all muscles like your heart and other organs your body needs to stay alive. Once you've reached this point there is very little that can be down to stop a diabetic from dying. It can be done but your quality of life will never be the same once you reach this point.

So, lessons learned here??? Take care of yourself, take your insulin and check your dang blood sugars.

Diabetic Olympian

I'm pulling for you Kris and from now on I will have an extra PowerBar Gel at every sporting event I go to just in case I run across another diabetic in need! Congrats only your Olympic appearance!

Diabetic skier motivated by more than self, teammates and country

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/writers/david_epstein/02/23/freeman.diabetes/index.html#ixzz0gTYXFEOZ
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Two Big Wins!!!

The first is against diabetes and the second is for cycling!!!

Big Win #1 Diabetes:
Last week I had my bi-annual doctor appointment. I usually get lab work drawn before the visit and we discuss the results after the visit. This time there was a SNAFU with my scheduling and I wasn't able to get lab work until the day of the appointment. So, I came prepared and printed out all of the tracking graphics and charts that my insulin pump stores and processes through CareLink. Done with the boring background now to the good news!

When I called the doctor yesterday to get the results of my A1c I was told that it was 6.2 for the second time in a row, that mean I've been at 6.2 for over a year!!!! :)

Side note: Per www.WebMD.com

Importance of the Hemoglobin A1c Test

I know you are going to ask what those complications are. Again, per www.WebMD.com

So my 6.2% minimizes to the extreme my chances of complications! :)

Big Win #2 Cycling:
A few weeks back I entered a contest at Sidi Shoes for those of you who don't know, Sidi is one of the top brands of cycling shoes in the cycling world. The top three world champions last season were all in Sidi shoes!

They had a contest to submit a story about Sidi shoes. It was pretty open ended, you could write about why you like them, write a poem, submit a picture or whatever. I wrote an essay about why shoes are important to diabetics and how I look for only the best and have found that in my Sidi shoes.

Low and behold I made it to the top 50 essays winning my choice of Sidi shoes!!!

Here was my essay:

Sidi, Cycling, Diabetes and Life!

As a Type 1 diabetic I’ve always done my best to live a “normal” life, as normal as life can be on multiple daily injections of insulin. Part of maintaining my health is through regular exercise, the equation is simple, cycling = exercise, exercise = better controlled diabetes, better controlled diabetes = longer life and better quality of life. My love of cycling was born out of my own drive to maintain my own body and blood sugar control.

Diabetics are highly susceptible to foot injuries which can lead to bigger problems and amputations this is due to circulation issues that accompany diabetes. How do you fight this? Check your blood sugars, exercise regularly and watch your diet. Check! Another layer of protection I always follow is, don’t skimp on footwear! When I look for something to put on my feet I looked for the best. Not only do I have diabetes but I also have really flat feet. Two strikes out of the gate?!?!?

I’ve tried many types of shoes and the bike shop I go to tried to get me in 3 or 4 different brands of shoes that were all good but not great. Then I saw it, a red box with the Sidi logo on. I couldn’t believe it these were the Holy Grail of shoes growing up, I never thought I would see myself in these shoes! I found my size and they felt amazing! My feet felt like I just slipped them into two little clouds and the sun shined in on my feet while angels sang.

(Record scrrratch)

Snap out of it son, buy them and hit the darn trails! I did. I love my Sidis, there durable, light and let my feet breath! I put 1,000 miles on them last season and they are ready for 2,000 more miles, as soon as the 15 inches of snow melt! I love to ride period!

Ride to live, live to ride!

and the shoe I am choosing is the Dragon 2 Carbon SRS how awesome are those!

Great motivation as well to get out and ride and be the best diabetic racer I can be!!!

Stay Tuned!!!

When I get a minute I will update you on my A1c results from last week as well as my big win in a Sidi cycling shoe contest!!! :)

Two big wins!!!

Lent

Yes, I am Catholic and participate in giving things up to better myself for Lent. Even if I don't go to Church.

My list of things I'm doing to better myself:

1. Giving up all carbonated beverages. Pop or Soda for the rest of the world, energy drinks, carbonated water. Gone.

2. Giving up alcohol. I'm already half way there since I don't really drink anymore.

3. Exercise at least 4 times a week. Not only does this help me feel better but has made my diabetes control second to none!

Doctor Appointment

Had my bi-annual Endocrinologist appointment today! I got the usual clean bill of health while my Dr. eagerly asked what I had in the works for this summer. I told her about the 100 mile race and some of the other plans, she was pretty excited. She said if she had more diabetics like me her life would be much less stressful! lol!

One side note, my Doctor's office was moved at the Cleveland Clinic leaving me feeling like a Freshman on the first day of school. I had no idea where anything was and had to ask three people for directions.

Spinning and Sweat

Another great Spinning class last night! They really now how to kick my ass! I think my heart rate stayed between 178 and 187 the whole time, with a max of 190, it feels great to push it during class. You know what I'm talking about, sweat in your eyes, muscles are on fire to the point where you could get of your bike and just empty your stomach, but instead you push and push harder. That's where I was last night! A brief warm up and hour work out helped me incinerate 1245 calories!

I can't wait until the weather clears to mix up the rides more! Spin one day a week, hit up the group hammer fest with the guys of CAMBA at the West Branch trails and then knock out a group ride with the Akron Bike Club on Thursday. Then use the weekends for extra long solo excursions, t-minus 3.5 months until the Mohican MTB 100 feel free to join me!

I want to keep a higher variety of workouts this season, I feel much better when I do, stronger as well working the different terrain and scenarios. Back to the grind!

Low Blood Sugars

Well, I hate to say it but it's my own fault that I've been sporting a low-blood sugar all day. Unfortunately with diabetes the only person you have to blame for your challenges is yourself. Luckily this is an easily reconcilable problem. A few tweaks to my basal (base) rate of insulin, a few more carbs for lunch and I should be good to go! :)

Dare I say a good problem to have??? What is really happening with my body? No, I am not pregnant! What really is happening, is that my metabolism is starting to pick back up causing my blood sugar to drop lower than when my metabolism is slow. Now that I am back in the gym 4-5 days a week working out my systems are slowly getting back to the green zone which I am A-Okay with!

I think I have learned my lesson for being lethargic. My diabetes control had become all out of whack and I was trending on the higher side with my blood sugars which increases my risk for diabetic related complications like neuropathy, amputations, blindness, organ failure and potentially death. I haven't forgot that diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death in the US. Granted I am no where near that point with my diabetes control and probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning but the fact is it is on the list. My girlfriend absolutely hates when I bring this up, however, facts/stats like this help drive me to better control and that is what matters.

Someday I will inspire someone to take control of their diabetes and of their life thus saving it. Until that time I will continue to work on inspiring myself.

Happy Snowday...I mean...Tuesday!!!

Snow!

Yes, we have plenty of it! Unfortunately I left the cable to download my pictures at work. So here is the delayed report from Stow, OH. These pictures were from roughly 7:30am, I had a spinning class at 9am to get to, of which 4 people showed including the instructor.

My scientific measures shows the snow at about 11"


Here's my car, nice and plowed in. Thank you Mr. snow plow man! Shortly after all the snow behind my car found it's way back in the driveway. :)


Snow between the cars, pretty far up my rims


Layer of snow on my car!


A neighbors parking job after a big old FAIL at making it to a parking space!


The forecast is calling for another 5-10 inches starting tomorrow. Fun?

Diabetes. Blood.

Ah yes, the lovely world of diabetes. I started yesterday evening with a gym appearance, Molly and I went and worked out on some kind of high performance stair climber thing. It seemed to be half stair climber and half elliptical. Either way, totally worked the lower body. 5 minutes in and the burn already started, so we finished with a solid 30 minutes on that machine before we went to the free weight area for a little weight training. Afterward we left and headed home to cook some chicken up to make chicken salad.

As Molly cooked I gathered all of the medical supplies necessary to refill my insulin pump and install my CGM (continuous glucose monitor) sensor. Here are some picture to illustrate:

My Pump


Injection site that needs to be changed every three days. There is a small 30mm catheter that is actually in my stomach and delivers insulin 24/7. My digital pancreas!


The change is where the problem began. As I removed the old infusion set from my stomach I must have nicked a blood vessel. Blood was slowly trickling down my stomach towards the waistline of my pants. However, I cupped right underneath the site and let the palm of my hand fill up with blood until I was able to be rescued by Molly with a paper towel! Diabetes can be such a pain in the ass! Outside of being a little sore, everything ended up turning out OK and I was able to insert my CGM that talks with my pump to show real-time blood sugar trends. Here's a pic:



On a brighter note, hitting the gym has helped to restabalize by blood sugars no and I'm feeling less run down these days! :)

Stay Safe!

Check out the deal on this tail light!

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail.htm?stylePkey=19340&offer=EM102EM1

With the increase in cycling vs. vehicle accident and fatalities this year, make sure that you can be seen. Thanks to technology drivers are spending more time adjusting their navigation systems and send texts while driving. Even talking on the phone is distracting. The most recent Bicycling magazine said drivers using a cell phone have the same impairment as someone with a .08 BAL. That is legally drunk in Ohio!

Please try to do these two things:
1. Always try to be visible and be prepared to take evasive action. I ride with a tail light whenever I'm on the road, even if it's a bright sunny day. Hitting shade can throw a drivers vision of you off.

2. Try your best to not be part of the problem, turn your phone off or don't answer calls or texts while driving. Pull over or wait until you get to your destination to answer.

Happy riding, stay safe!!! :)

Spinning

I attended my first spinning class last night and it ROCKED!!!! I can't wait to go back for more! I was a little worried at first when I started to sweat profusely after just 5 minutes of spinning. I told myself to quit being Nancy-boy and just do it. I made it through the entire hour of spinning! :)

We did all kinds of hill climbs and jumps and sprints. I only got one pretty noticeable cramp in my right calf, after dialing it down for a minute it worked itself out.

I was a little worried about my blood sugars since this was something new and pretty intense for my sedentary winter lifestyle but with a few adjustments I was fine.

The spinning classes are pretty popular around here so I got to the gym about 45 minutes early to sign up and claim my bike. Before getting to the gym I let my blood sugar float up to about 140 because trying to get out of a hole when your sugar is low and working out is very difficult. I sipped some G2 as I was getting ready for a few extra electrolytes.

I dropped the basal rate on my pump to about 75% and walked at a brisk pace for 20 minutes to get the blood flowing. Then I did some stretching and began warming up on the bike for another 10 minutes, then we started and I was ready to go! Like I said it was a little different getting started but it was a great work out! Especially when the weather sucks as much as it does here in NE Ohio. This is part of my "No Excuses" riding season. If there weather doesn't cooperate that's OK, I get to go Spinning!

I would recommend this workout to anyone and everyone, you can go as hard as you would like and there is some structure to adjusting resistance and stand up or sit down sprints. It feels easier when everyone is doing this instead of trying to time your own work outs and hold yourself accountable.

I have some things going on this evening but will be back at it on Wednesday for some more!