It is weird that a blog about being happy with what you have was inspired by a bunch of negative Facebook posts.  As a diabetic it is almost a daily occurrence for many of us to be mad about a blood sugar or something related to their diabetes.  It happens to me all the time, I will want to be in range but something will happen and my blood sugar will slowly creep out of range.  You curse at yourself or the pump for being at fault, you then take some insulin to fix it and all is well.  You will also face some comments that come from someone that doesn't "understand" diabetes.  The famous "Did you get diabetes because you drank to much soda?"  That leads to a little anger but after a few minutes we bounce back.

What bothers me about diabetes is the complaining about the disease itself.  I have found that many do not look at the disease as a gift.  I did not always have that mindset, it took me almost twenty years to get to where I accepted my disease.  What I have found is that once you stop blaming others or diabetes itself you begin to enjoy living your life with diabetes.  Diabetes and life are not perfect, insulin pump sites go in wrong and don't work, you leave your cell phone on the roof of the car.  Things happen, the important thing is to not let that moment bother you all week. 

I have seen so many people stop living because of their diabetes, I will often hear "I used to be so active but now I can't because of my diabetes."  The truth is and always has been that just because you have diabetes doesn't mean you can't do something.  When I look at my diabetes and riding a bike I believe that I have a huge advantage over the other cyclist.  To be able to ride at high level I need to put in the work as diabetic, I need to eat healthy, balance my blood sugar while racing, and make sure I have the right formula to have a blood sugar that is in range two hours after a race.  It sounds like a lot of work but that work makes me better.  I love when people come up to me after a race and ask me how I can do what I just did with diabetes.  That opens the doors for me to promote how great the disease is and how it helps me.  The secret to enjoying diabetes is to challenge yourself day in and day out.  Don't let your diabetes hold you back, go out and reach your dreams and show diabetes who is in control!!

This is the last of the three day back to school special.  Going to college with diabetes is what you make it.  You are on your own, college is the beginning of real life.  No one is going to hold your hand and make sure you do the right thing, like you had that for eighteen years.  This goes for diabetes as well, you are are your own.  No one is going to make sure you test your blood sugar, count carbohydrates, take the right amount of insulin.  It doesn't happen!!  Your life is anew, you may have friends from home but for a majority of people going to college you have to make brand new friends.

One of the toughest things is living with someone you have never met before.  It is a very interesting first couple of weeks, you learn a lot about one another very quickly.  I remember my first college roommate asked me "You must do some heavy drugs, look at all the needles you have!!!  You ever sell the needles, I'd buy some"  Later that day I made sure to lockup all of my supplies so they didn't disappear.  You can do your best to explain your diabetes to your roommate but they may not care at all.  They may just nod and say yea to whatever you tell them, or they may ask a bunch of questions and be very interested about your well being.  I never told anyone and I never had anyone ask me about my diabetes, my advice would be to try and talk to them, it can't hurt.  The first semester is always tough but once you find true friends you will have the people around you that truly care.

Parties and diabetes, it's college you will see a few parties that have alcohol.  Mixing alcohol and diabetes is very dangerous.  You get a ton of peer pressure to drink and get drunk.  When it comes to drinking and diabetes you have to know your body and the only way to do that is to test like crazy.  In no way am I encouraging drinking but it does happen and I'm not going to pretend like it doesn't.  If you're at a party and you know your going to be drinking you better have your tester with you.  You need to be careful, I'm not an expert I can't tell you how the alcohol will affect your blood sugar.  What I do know is being buzzed or drunk is a lot like a low.  I should've been dead a lot in college, I didn't test when I drank, I'd go off of how I felt.  I never knew if it was the alcohol or my blood sugar making me feel the way that I did.  I took insulin if I felt high or I ate if I felt low, I would then continue to drink and head to bed drunk and not knowing my blood sugar.  Being older I can tell you that was the stupidest thing I ever did in my life!!!  Don't make that mistake, if people give you crap for testing at a party, leave.  Your life is more important than being at a party with the "cool" kids.  For more information on alcohol and diabetes click here.

Last night I wrote that everyone in high school should talk to their teachers and coaches about their diabetes.  This holds true in college, the difference is that the professor may not care.  I spoke with someone who said that his professor could care less that he had diabetes.  The professor didn't want to hear anything about it, this professor wasn't going to baby this student.  Is it right? I don't know but I'm with the professor on this one, if you're in a lecture hall with 200 people the professor isn't going to care about everyone in attendance.  It is up to you to have everything you need when it comes to diabetes.  This is real life and not everyone is going to care, you need to take responsibility for yourself.  I still encourage everyone to fill out the proper paper work so that the school and professors know that you have diabetes.  Even talk to your RA, the more people that know the better off you will be.  For each person that acts as if they don't care you will have one that truly cares and would do anything to help.  You don't know who will care and who won't so tell everyone. 

College is a difficult time for anyone but it is all in what you make it.  Don't be scared, if you want to succeed you will.  You will have your occasional bump in the road, we all do the trick is bouncing back from that bump.

No matter where we are in our lives we can all remember moments from our time in high school.  The four years that you spend in high school have a huge impact on your life, you begin dating, your making friendships that will last the rest of your life, and most importantly your education in these four years decides what you do beyond high school.  Throw diabetes in to that mix and it can be very overwhelming.  I hope that this blog helps students with diabetes in every aspect of high school life.

Talk to your teachers-It doesn't matter if you're a freshman or a senior, you must tell your teachers what is going on.  You must explain to the teacher how you act when your blood sugar is low or high, you must also explain that you may need to eat or drink something while in class.  I remember getting yelled at a few times because I'd have a juice box in class and the teacher thought I was doing so because I wanted to piss her off.  I never told her that I was a living with diabetes, she just thought I was a kid trying to be cool and break the rules.  Also give your teachers some kind of candy or juice box that they can keep in their desk in case you don't have something on you to fix a low.

Tell your nurse what kind of person you are-The nurse is a major person in a diabetic high schoolers life.  I was always told I needed to go to the nurse to test or if I was low, I never did so.  Not everyone will agree with this but you know your body better than anyone, tell the nurse how you plan to go about each day while at school.  Tell the nurse what your testing schedule is like, talk to the nurse about being able to test in class if you can.  Personally I like to test whenever and wherever, I would rather test in the classroom or bathroom, why should I go to the nurse and miss five minutes of class?

Tell friends about your diabetes-I never thought diabetes was cool when I was high school.  I hid my disease and never told anyone about it.  Don't make that mistake!!  Tell your friends about your personality when your low or high, tell them that if your over their house and reject food that it's nothing personal just that it won't help your blood sugar.  Just because all of your friends are eating ice cream doesn't mean you have to.  If you want ice cream make sure you take the proper steps to cover it with insulin.  Being honest with boyfriends or girlfriends is a must as well.  The more information they have the better the relationship will be, if you easily get mad when you're low tell them this before he or she cracks their knuckles and you get all pissed off and mad at them because your low.  Trust me it helps a lot, I would have avoided a lot of minor high school fights with my girlfriend if I told her I have a very short temper when I'm low.

Test before practice or before driving-This is self explanatory but before any athletic practice test your blood sugar.  A coach will understand if you need to eat before going out to practice.  Make sure the coaches know what is going on, if your 80 before practice tell your coach, "Coach i was just 80, I ate a power bar and had a juice, I have Gatorade and will be all set to practice."  Driving with diabetes is not a joke, I just recently purchased a machine to have for my car.  Get in the routine of checking your blood sugar before you start the car, it sounds like a pain in the butt but it will save your life.  Make it a routine, test your blood sugar, put your seat belt on, start the car and then drive.  Like anything, the more you do it the easier it is.  Also always have some kind of sugary food or candy in the car, a tub of glucose tabs is amazing, the heat and cold doesn't effect them.

I have heard great stories about people living with diabetes in high school and I have heard from people that say high school was awful.  High school is what you make it, if you hide your diabetes from everyone in high school you will not enjoy it.  If you are open and honest with everyone you will have the time of your life.  It will take a lot of work on your part but with anything if you put the work in you will be successful!!

As an unofficial official member of the "media" I get some insight on cycling and diabetes that makes me take a step back and question what people are honestly thinking.  For years I have been hearing in my small New England cycling community that "athletes with diabetes can't race with the best in the world"  I would laugh and say you might be right but give them a chance, I would then go out on the group ride or race and rip the legs off of the people that made these comments.  Post race it was a different story "Damn you can ride and do it with diabetes, that's impressive"

As I traveled for my "media work" I never thought I would hear people say bad things about Team Novo Nordisk as we are at an event for the team.  At the time Team Novo Nordisk was having their growing pains, podium finishes were few and far between and the teams world ranking wasn't anything to be proud of.  A few years later at a very similar team event I'm hearing talk that the team might fold due to not having a sponsor and that the dream of the Tour de France would be just that, a dream.

As a lifelong fan of the team these comments hurt me and I did all that I could to try and get the inside story.  Would the team really fold and would the most inspirational diabetics in the world be out of a job?  Obviously that didn't happen as Novo Nordisk signed on for three more years to be the title sponsor of the first and only all diabetic pro cycling team.  Those comments made by people that know European cycling stuck with me however, "They will never get to the Tour with just diabetics, they need to get real cyclists, they don't have the talent pool like normal teams do."

That comment specifically has stuck with me for the past year.  Why does that comment bother me?  Why, because that is diabetes!!  "Diabetes only chooses the champions" is all you need to know about someone living with diabetes.  Imagine being told no or that you aren't good enough everyday of your life.  Imagine someone nagging you everyday to test your blood sugar or asking if you can eat something, that's diabetes.  People that know nothing about what living with diabetes is all about will tell you what you can and can't do.  I wasn't supposed to be able to run a 50k, ride a century or eat an ice cream sundae because of diabetes.  Once I got over that anger and used it to light a fire my life changed and I have been doing things I never thought possible.

Where did I get that fight like hell attitude?  From each and every member of Team Novo Nordisk!!  For the past month or so I haven't heard one thing about what Team Novo Nordisk can't do.  In fact I have heard nothing from anyone in the media about the amazing run that the Team is on.  I will hear from people once this article goes live that they're getting lucky and that it won't last.  I doubt that is the case however, I don't think having a rider on the podium for a week straight or having a rider win a national title is luck.  If a member of Team Sky did that they'd be the best rider in the world.

Team Novo Nordisk is stronger then ever and will have a rider on the podium at the end of the Tour du Rwanda in two days.  Go ahead Team Novo Nordisk, let them doubt you, talk down to you, and believe you'll never make it big. Then let 'em watch you dominate the cycling world!!  Team Novo Nordisk has taught the diabetes world how to fight and that is all they have ever done, with the doubters silenced it is our turn to make our voices heard and make sure that everyone knows that you can do anything with diabetes!!

Rubavu, Rwanda, August 09, 2018 --Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano earned his third podium finish of the week when he took third on Stage 5 of the Tour de Rwanda. The Spaniard remains fourth overall, 1:50 behind overall leader Samuel Mugisha (Dimension Data for Qhubeka).
Thursday’s 95.1-kilometer stage began in Karongi and featured two intermediate sprints and three categorized climbs before a downhill finish into Rubavu. On the descent of the first climb, Lozano and three riders attacked. They quickly earned a gap and the pursuit splintered the chasing peloton.
On the second climb, the Mugisha attacked and three other riders including Lozano grabbed his wheel.
“I knew today would be full gas from the start and I was ready to cover any important moves,” Lozano said. “When the leader and other GC contenders attacked on the second climb, I went with them. We were able to drop Mulu Hailemichael (Ethiopian National Team) who is third overall but then hit a strong headwind.”
Two teams worked together on the chase and caught Lozano’s 4-man group with 28 km remaining.
“I knew I only had one move left in my legs, so I saved it for the finish,” Lozano described. “I managed to take third, which feels great but I’m already thinking about tomorrow because it is such an important day.”
The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the eight-day Tour du Rwanda on Friday. Stage 6 is a 108.5-km race that begins in Rubavu and finishes in the volcano park at Kinigi.
“My only aim between now and tomorrow is to recover. Today took a crazy amount of effort, and I’m motivated to show up and perform well,” Lozano said.
URL : http://www.teamnovonordisk.com/press/lozano-notches-third-on-stage-5-at-the-tour-du-rwanda

According to social media a lot of children are heading back to school in the coming weeks.  It got me to thinking about how hard it is to transition from summer to school for anyone living with diabetes.  I decided to have three nights of back to school posts, the first dealing with elementary students, tomorrows post dealing with high school and Wednesdays post dealing with college.  Obviously I'm not an expert, I will be posting information from other websites that is a credible source.  I will also be posting my own personal advice and what I think will work best.  I hope that this information helps a lot of people and as always if anyone has any questions I'm here to help.

For elementary school children I believe the transition back to school as a diabetic is one of the toughest.  A child with diabetes is going from being active a good deal of the day to having to sit for anywhere from two to six hours a day.  That is a very extreme change, obviously insulin rates will have to be tweaked that first month of school.  In my opinion this is where having a program setup with the teacher, and school nurse comes in very handy.  Obviously the more a child tests the better understanding we have of what exactly is going on diabetes wise.  The key is to include the child in the conversation, I know some children don't want to be "different" and have to leave class to go test a lot during the school day.  Getting the child's feelings is very important, as is setting up what the child does when he or she is low during the school day.  What can a child keep in their desk to help fix a low blood sugar.  Again I don't know what the law says but talking with the school nurse and administrators will help tremendously.

I was able to find this amazing article entitled "Care of Children With Diabetes in the School and Day Care Setting" You can visit this page to read the article.  I believe that page does a great job of explaining the laws and what is expected of each person involved in the child's school day.  My last bit of advice is a lot easier said (or typed) then done.  As a parent I believe you have to believe in everyone involved, your child, the teacher, the nurse, and friends of your child.  Everyone involved is a professional in what they do, they care about your child and want what is best for them.  I have not met a teacher or school administrator that could not handle a medical situation,  they are amazing people and want what is best for each and every student. 

Musanze, Rwanda, August 07, 2018 — Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano earned his second podium finish of the week when he sprinted to second on Stage 3 of the Tour de Rwanda. The Spaniard remains fourth overall, 1:55 behind overall leader Samuel Mugisha (Rwanda National Team).
“While in Rwanda, we’ve heard people say that our team won’t be able to compete because we race with diabetes,” Team Novo Nordisk CEO and Co-Founder Phil Southerland said. “We hope earning another podium finish at this great race proves that not only can we compete but we should be taken seriously and are in the fight for the overall race win.”
Tuesday’s 195.3-kilometer stage began in Huye and featured two intermediate sprints and four categorized climbs before finishing in Musanze. Nearly two dozen riders including Lozano escaped early into the stage. The large breakaway splintered as the race reached the second major climb and 10 new riders from the field bridged up
“Today’s goal was to mark the guys who are a threat to me in the overall classification and I was able to follow all the right moves,” Lozano said. “This race is at altitude so at times it feels like there is no air in your lungs but the landscapes are absolutely beautiful. Before coming here, I never imagined how special a place Rwanda is.”
Heading over the final climb, the break was down to around a dozen riders and with 15 km remaining, Lozano and five others escaped off the front. Julian Hellmann (Team Embrace the World) soloed to the win with Lozano taking second across the line.
“I can barely put it into words; I’m so, so, so proud of David. He made the first break of 20 riders from the beginning, and despite battling stomach issues all day, he stayed mentally strong and went for it at the end,” Southerland said. “Second is the official result, but I see today as a major victory for this project. We are eager to keep fighting.”
The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team continues racing at the eight-day Tour du Rwanda on Wednesday. Stage 4 is a 135.8-km race that begins in Musanze and finishes in the lakefront city of Karongi.
“My head wants the win, and I will keep giving my all until my legs refuse to give anything more,” Lozano said.


About Team Novo Nordisk
Team Novo Nordisk is a global all-diabetes sports team of cyclists spearheaded by the world’s first all-diabetes UCI Professional Continental cycling team. In 2012, Phil Southerland, co-founder and CEO of the team, and global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, came together to create Team Novo Nordisk, based on a shared vision to inspire, educate and empower people around the world affected by diabetes. For more information, go to www.teamnovonordisk.com

​We all know how much work goes into managing diabetes, from carb counts to insulin ratios, diabetes is a never ending math equation.  From figuring out the appropriate amount of carbohydrates to fix an out of range blood sugar to insulin for an ice cream sundae it makes us analyze anything we eat or drink.  One area that I have over looked for the past few weeks has been the timing.  From cycling and running all the time I'm often grabbing protein bars or fruit quickly to keep my blood sugar from falling out of range while training.  That has carried over to a snack when I'm home and relaxing, I'll grab a rice cake or two and not take insulin because I'm so use to eating small snacks and not needing insulin because I'm so active.  

Over the past few weeks I have made some minor tweaks and a lot of it is time based.  I will now plan my snack or make sure I know when my meal will be and do all that I can to take my insulin fifteen to twenty minutes before eating.  When my blood sugar is in range this plan works perfectly, I will take my insulin fifteen minutes before and nine out of ten times my blood sugar will stay in range.  The challenge comes when my blood sugar is just out of range, if it is above the set range do I take the extra unit or two and hope it isn't to much or if it is below my set range do I have some fruit snacks to get it in range and take my normal insulin dose.  

Diabetes is knowing your body, life and being educated to know how everything works together.  Yes, I take some risks when taking my insulin before a meal with my blood sugar at the lower end of my range but everything is monitored very closely and I always make sure to have all of the supplies I need in case anything does happen.  Diabetes is always forcing us to change, our body is always changing and to keep our blood sugars in range we must make small tweaks to be the best that we can be!!

A 6pm start for any race is a challenge for me, a race that starts at 6pm at the end of July when temperatures are close to 85 and the humidity is around 99% is a whole different animal.  As I have said many times before "I'm not going to win many races but my mental toughness will help me to beat a lot of people."  My first race in almost three hundred days wasn't pretty but a lot of good came from it.

The name of the game was being prepared, a smart runner would do very well on this ten mile rolling course.  A runner that was properly hydrated would be laughing at the hundreds of runners sprinting to water stations.  I was somewhere in between.  For the first time ever I ran with this guy, what a lifesaver that was!!  On a hot and humid day having my Nuun with me for the entire race was a must!!  In the past I tried to be the tough guy, I'd wait until the water stations and be dead around mile six because I wasn't hydrated.  Not this year, I was able to run the entire race with no problems because I always had water with me, if I carry a camelbak with me for a 50k and have water bottles when I ride my bike why not when I run?  It is the little things that go a long way.

Diabetes wise I did well, I had my CGM all set and began the race at a respectable 160ish.  I know my body, I start running or biking and my blood sugar falls, then about thirty minutes in I level out and stay around 100.  That is exactly what happened but I believe the heat caused me to go a little lower.  Just before the mile seven marker my sensor fell off (thanks sweat) I had the sensor heavily taped but hey shit happens.  When it fell off my CGM read 82, I began to panic a little but knew I could run a 5k and be okay.  A mile out I knew I needed something to eat, my stomach was empty and my mouth was getting a little numb.  Nothing crazy I would imagine I was around 70.  Again, I know my body and knew I'd be fine.  I do not encourage this!!  As I finished I went right over to the food table and grabbed two oranges and didn't move until they were gone.  Ten minutes later I would test and I was at 114.  Not pretty but again I found a way.

It's two days later and I'm having trouble with stairs, obviously the race kicked my ass a little.  I haven't been running like I was but this rejuvenated me.  I was afraid of my neck, I didn't know what I could do.  I finished with a time that doesn't look great for me but also finished with a time that looks good all things considered.  My mental toughness pushed me and that is what I wanted.  I'm still a ways away from a marathon or 50k but I know that I can do it and know that my body will be okay.  No more excuses or fear, my neck is fine.  It is time to get back to where I was!!

For the first time in 291 days I will be running a race.  284 days ago I stood on the podium for a 5k I ran in Atlanta, I was feeling amazing.  Things change quickly, the following week I ran and couldn't move my shoulder, four months later I would be having surgery on my neck.  The road back has been a difficult one, my race on Friday will be interesting.  I'm thinking I will just take it easy and enjoy being back but I know myself better then that.  I will run the first 5k at a relaxing pace but then get upset with my time or feel really good and start to push it a little.  I will enjoy being back where I belong and anxious to see my wife and our family at the finish.  

Can my body handle that?  After a forty mile bike ride yesterday where I beat myself up and really tested myself I have to say yes.  As always blood sugar management and being hydrated will determine just how well I do.  This race has been one that has always kicked my ass.  The 6pm start, the heat, and humidity kill me.  I have been in better shape then I will be on Friday which scares me a little, I don't want to embarrass myself.  This race means a lot to Kate and I, the race is great but it is the post race meal with friends and family that means the most.  For two years that post race meal has sucked, one year I ran like crap and was angry.  Then last year I ran great but I had to leave dinner because I felt sick and couldn't eat.

This year will be different!! I'm stronger mentally and that will help.  The past 291 days have been mental training like I have never seen before.  I'm coming off a bike ride that saw my blood sugars stay in range and I'm happy.  That sounds like the perfect recipe for a great race!!  Now it is time for a training run and some kick ass music!!

I may have created a new career this evening. As an athlete with diabetes I find it very tough to find people that understand the work and stress that goes into both. As athletes with diabetes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to train at a high level but also keep our blood sugars in a respectable range. If I plan a ten mile run and only do seven because of my blood sugar fell out of range I’d be pissed with myself!! People close to me understand the pain and anger but what if we had another athlete with diabetes to talk with?

That’s where the new idea comes in, what if we had an app to talk and share information with our diabetes athletic trainer? Someone we could share our training plan with but also a place to share blood sugars and get ideas on meals, training plans and blood sugars. Obviously we have athletic trainers and endocrinologists but they aren’t available 24/7. I’m obviously not available 24/7 but would love a diabetes athlete to bounce ideas off of.

Legally if I could somehow develop an app and make this a reality it’d be tough. Honestly though I’m open to having a couple of other athletes with diabetes that would like to talk openly about blood sugars and training plans. If you’re interested please send me a message and maybe I can test this out before I take the next step.

It's funny where my blog titles come from, tonight the title comes from a song by Notorious B.I.G.  Here is the link to the song (​www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaPDNgUPLE) The title for the blog comes into the song around the 2:43 mark.  For those that don't listen Biggie comes in and yells "Yo man chill!! CHILL!! 

That kind of sounded like Kate when I told her that my right leg has been going numb randomly and that my arm is just limp and weak.  In a way that only Kate can she said "Lets think about this.  You are only five months out from fusion on your neck.  You are putting your neck under a tremendous amount of stress while running or on the bike.  That is causing the pain and is effecting your ulnar nerve.  The usual time table is a year for someone to get back to doing what you have been doing.  Either start stretching more or don't do anything."

Having an athletic trainer for a wife is good and bad but mostly good.  She is right, she knows my body and knows that I probably shouldn't be on the bike or looking to do a 50k or marathon in November.  She also knows that running and cycling is my "life".  Three months of sitting on my butt and getting fat is pissing me off, if I'm not moving I feel useless.  I need the bike and I need to run.  I need to do that because of my diabetes.  I'm a better diabetic and person when I run and bike, I'm competitive and chased down a runner the other day because I needed to win!! It was a casual run at 6am but still I needed to pass him.

The question I'm asking myself is do I keep going or do I take a slower approach and throw away my entire 2018 racing season.  In a week we will know the answer, ever since Kate and I have met I have run a ten mile local race.  It is our race and I look forward to it every year.  That race is in doubt and that hurts because I'm fine, I can run.  I didn't run the NYC half because my neck was just operated on.  I'm an athlete and if I can walk or run I'm going to race.  Am I causing more damage? No, but the runs and bike rides test me.  In one week we will see if I will have a 2018 racing season, if I won't I will be okay but it will be tough not racing until the spring of 2019. 

Today as I watched the Tour de France I was looking over the general classification and thought about the guys that are over an hour or two behind the leader.  I started to think about those guys, someone like Marcel Sieberg, a thirty year-six year old that rides for Lotto Soudal.  He is currently thirty minutes behind Geraint Thomas but he continues to suffer stage after stage.  He will finish the Tour de France and other then his team, family and friends no one will care.  Think about Marcel Sieberg, this is a guy that has dedicated his life to cycling.  He is on the road ten months out of the year and he may have kids.   

As I went for a run this morning I left everything behind, no phone, watch or cares.  Just run and enjoy it.  With nothing on me, my mind was allowed to wonder, I began thinking about the start of my running "career".  It was field day and I was in third grade, I was determined to beat a couple guys that were the better runners in the group.  At the age of nine I was a dirty runner, I wanted the inside track and cut off one of my buddies as we took a sharp corner, he slowed down and that allowed me to sprint ahead and get the win.  I then thought about my second start at running when I was happy with a twenty-seven minute 5k.  I didn't know what I was doing and making it 3.1 miles was tough.  I now run ten miles for fun.  Diabetes was there for each start and keeping my blood sugar in range was never easy and made me angry.  Today I can test three times in the hour before my run and know what to do after each test to keep my blood sugar in range.

Professionally each rider at Team Novo Nordisk started at the bottom one time, yes these are professional cyclists that race all over the world but they're told they aren't good enough and keep working to realize their dream.  Team Novo Nordisk recently held their Talent ID camp and I must say the daily video recap of camp brought a smile to my face.  Watching these boys and girls that are in their teens working to realize their dream was inspirational.  

Team Novo Nordisk has made huge strides in the past couple of years as a professional cycling team  but they still have work to do.  It wasn't long ago that Phil Southerland was being laughed at because he wanted to start an all diabetes professional cycling team, again hard work and perseverance has been paying off as Team Novo Nordisk gets closer to riding in the Tour de France in 2021.  

The day after our wedding Kate and I had on silicone wedding rings for a day at the beach.  Obviously this had people confused when they asked to see Kates ring but obviously we had a good reason for having two wedding rings.  As active people we didn't want to worry about or lose our rings when we are in the ocean, cycling or running.  With silicone rings if they break or get lost we can just order brand new ones online.  For anyone with an active lifestyle I highly encourage getting a set.

Anyone that knows me knows I'm a diehard Denver Broncos fan.  I have a Broncos tattoo on my arm, I cry when they lose in the Super Bowl, and I have Broncos gear all over our new house.  Why is it that my silicone wedding ring is blue, white and green?  Aren't those Seahawks colors?  Yes they are.  The Seahawks aren't they the team that destroyed the Broncos in the Super Bowl a few years ago?  Yes, so why would I get those colors on a ring that I will be wearing when I'm running a 50k or cycling for hours on end.  It's simple, Kate loves the Seahawks.  The real reason I got the ring is because when things get tough on the trails or the bike I can look at the ring and smile because I know Kate is waiting for me and I must finish because I never want to let her down .  She is my strength, when my legs hurt and I'm puking around mile 25 of a 50k I can look at the ring and know that I will be okay.  Kate saved my life and made me a better person, leg pain is nothing in the grand scheme of life, leg pain won't kill me.  That pain will go away when I finish and see Kate and that smile!!

My answer to people about why I got the ring is because I want to PR in races.  The quicker I finish the race I can get the stupid Seahawks ring off and get my real ring on.  I will look at the ring during a race and get pissed because I "hate" the Seahwaks, that will make me push harder.  Obviously that is my smart ass answer and the paragraph above is the real reason I got the Seahawks color ring.  I'm not saying that it will make me angry sometimes but that isn't the real reason I got it.  Love does amazing things and will make me a better person, runner and cyclist.

I have to say I'm damn proud of myself for the way I handled my blood sugar this past week.  With any major life event comes a lot of stress and we all know what that can do to someone blood sugar.  As a person living with diabetes I refuse to live a boring life and let my diabetes dictate who I am.  I'm in charge of my diabetes my diabetes is not in charge of me!!  That means I'm going to have some drinks, eat cake, and go snorkeling for an hour without my pump.  That does not mean that I don't care about my diabetes and let my blood sugar go extremely out of range, it means I know my body and can do all of that stuff with my blood sugars in a range that allows me to live my life.

What a day and night it was.  This isn't a wedding blog so I will spare everyone all of the sappy details.  I cried, I was nervous and I was in range!!  When I think about that as someone living with diabetes I know that I did a great job, I mean I've been nervous about races and basketball games and my blood sugar shoots up to 400.  Not on our wedding day, not when Sharky was waiting until the last minute to put on his bowtie and jacket.  The work that Kate and I put in to make everything perfect blood sugar wise made the day that much better.  Having a secret stash of Skittles in my pocket helped a lot as well, it's like we had done that during basketball or something!!  

The reception was the true test, how would dinner, drinks and cake go?  Would it ruin my night or would I be in range and a dancing fool.  I was a dancing fool and had the time of my life!!  It was all about balance!!  Knowing when to take insulin and when to have a drink or a piece of cake.  That sounds crazy and like I had everything planned to the minute but I know my body and have a wife that knows me better then I know myself.  Not once did I hear "Your eyes look off, go test"  If I did that would have been okay because life is not about being perfect, it is about the moments that teach us about ourself and life.  We all make mistakes, if you do it is okay.

Punta Cana, if you have never been you're missing out!!  What a week it was.  First of all I must say everyone complaining about diabetes and TSA and whatever else airports do wrong is like Bigfoot, it isn't real!!  I have done a fair bit of traveling the past few years and not once have I had a problem.  I was in a country where not everyone spoke english and had no problems.  I had pens, meters, needles, pump supplies and lancets with me.  I didn't have one problem, I was open and honest, I wasn't looking for the negative or to attack anyone that didn't know what an insulin pump was.  I think if people went in with an open mind and communicated better all of the crying on social media about airport security and diabetes would go away!!

That rant is over, time to talk about the honeymoon and how I could play volleyball and keep my blood sugars in range, how I could zip line and have no problems.  This isn't me bragging, this is me excited that I trained and prepared myself for all of this ahead of time!!  Don't get me wrong I had a blood sugar over 400 twice in a week, that hurts but I know what I did wrong.  I also woke up at 60 one morning, again I learned from it and know that I should have some crackers before bed when I'm at 130 when I go to sleep.

My average for the week was 156, think of that what you will but that average allowed me to be me and enjoy every minute of my week with my beautiful new bride!!  It also helped that I had a little mother like worker keeping tabs on me at the resort.  Day one she saw my pump on the beach and asked how long I have had diabetes, we talked and she got my story.  Everyday and every night this woman that worked her butt off for this resort made it a point to come check on me and ask how my blood sugar was doing.  The line of the honeymoon was "You're drinking so I know your blood sugar is okay"  She knew I liked to reward myself if I was having a good day and in range after dinner.

Blood sugar management at any holiday is alway a challenge, the fourth of July however is one of the toughest holidays.  With so many carb loaded meals, desserts, and alcohol the main staples of the 4th it makes keeping your blood sugar in range very challenging.  As an athlete living with diabetes it is during the holidays that my blood sugars are at their best.  The athlete in me comes out and I accept the challenge and want to have blood sugars that are in range because it is not expected of me.  

Yes I had some fun and more drinks than usual (I can still count the number of drinks I had all weekend on two hands) but keeping my blood sugar in range was the main priority.  I can have fun when my blood sugar climbs out of range but not nearly as much as when it is in range.  Why would I want to risk being out of range and not enjoying the people and good times.  It doesn't make sense to me.

As usual what works for me will not work for everyone and this was my plan for the weekend.  As always speak with a medical professional before adjusting any insulin rates or changing your diet.  It is very simple but the key to success was testing my blood sugar, if a meal was delayed or I had to have a snack because dinner was scheduled for 8pm and not the usual 7pm.  Nothing says I can't test, it is the easiest way to know what is going on with my body.  As always I have been a little dehydrated this weekend and with that comes the feeling of a low blood sugar.  If I just went off of how I felt my blood sugar would sky rocket and be out of range in no time!!  A simple five second blood sugar test and I know what to do when it comes to food and insulin.

Food is the next key, having cookies, pie and s'mores readily available for consumption is great but can send a blood sugar out of range quickly.  It is tough but I use the dessert as a reward, if my blood sugars didn't stay in range I wouldn't have enjoyed a nice slice of apple pie.  It is a small reward but dessert tastes so much better when it is earned.  Obviously covering any dessert or meal with insulin is important, this weekend my timing has been perfect when it comes to food and insulin.  I like to take my insulin twenty minutes before a meal, this weekend I was able to do so without any problems.  

After a great diabetes fourth of July weekend I feel rejuvenated.  Much like getting a PR in a race, a holiday weekend with blood sugars that were nearly perfect have brought me to a new diabetes confidence level.  I'm sure that the diabetes gods will dislike this post and I will have a day of blood sugars that are out of range but I'm going to enjoy my performance over the past couple of days  and smile because of how perfect it was. 

As many people may or may not know, I will be getting married on the 7th and then headed to a beautiful beach resort for the week.  I will be losing touch with the world and enjoying our honeymoon!!