It is no secret that I like to keep my blood sugars a little lower than I should.  Personally I believe this allows me to have tighter control, wanting to stay between 80 and 130 is a little crazy but I that is what I aim for.  I know that as a husband, son and father I perform my best in this range.  I'm more attentive and I'm myself, it is not until I hit the 200 mark that I become tired or a different person. 

You will notice that I didn't talk about lows at all in that first paragraph.  I have a lot of lows, too many for my wife, nurses and doctors.  I'm not afraid of being low and that is not the right mindset to have.  My line of work induces a lot of the lows but again that is not an excuse, I should be able to control my blood sugar no matter the situation.  For the past six years I have put the bad side of low blood sugars in the back of mind, I know what they can do but tend not to think about the bad.  A couple weeks ago I received an email from a worker at Heathline that talked about low blood sugars.  This email opened my eyes to what low blood sugars are all about and what they can do to ones body.

The 15 effects of Low Blood Sugar webpage at Heathline is a great website for anyone that has diabetes, or for anyone that cares for a person living with diabetes.  I encourage everyone to take a look at the webpage, I also encourage everyone to share the website with people that they know, knowledge is power, the more we share and the more we make people aware about diabetes the better off we will be. 

​I don't believe I say this enough but I love my diabetes.  I hate reading on the internet how diabetes has taken away so much from someone.  How it is unfair that because we have diabetes we have to go through so much trouble at the airport or how a high or low blood sugar didn't allow us to enjoy a dinner with friends.  Those things happen don't get me wrong but why do we have to focus on the negative?  People without diabetes do it, they complain about traffic or a bad day at work, it is part of our nature.  

Tonight I want people that read this to not think about the negative side of diabetes for the day.  If it is late in the day make it a point to not bad mouth your diabetes tomorrow.  Diabetes has given me so much, it has allowed me to setup partnerships with a pro franchise, meet with members of Congress, meet pro athletes living with diabetes, it has made me an endurance athlete, and has made me a better person.  Diabetes has given me friends that I would have never met if it weren't for diabetes.  I love that I'm attempting to run a second ultra marathon and I have at least three pro athletes with diabetes that are ultra runners that I can call, text or email whenever I need help.  I also have countless friends that reach out to me for advice when it comes to diabetes.

I'm lucky to have people like this all over the country, a lot in New England, one in New York and a few in Florida but this website has connected me with diabetics all over the world.  I love getting emails from people living in England, Spain, and Australia.  We often don't thank our diabetes for all that it does, I ask you again to take the negative feelings that you feel towards your diabetes away for a day, you will have a great day and have a new appreciation for all that it has done for anyone living with the amazing disease!!

Halloween is one of the toughest days of the year for anyone living with diabetes, especially children with diabetes.  When I was little and would go trick or treating, my parents did the best they could to keep the amount of candy I ate down on Halloween night.  I would be allowed five pieces that I would have to cover with insulin and the rest of my candy would be eaten over the following weeks.  I would get a piece or two with lunch and dinner, nothing crazy but enough to feed my sweet tooth.  As I got older putting restrictions on the amount of candy I ate became a lot tougher.  I would trick or treat with my friends and could eat the candy as soon as it went in to my pillow case, I was a teenager and thought I knew it all, hours later I'd be feeling like crap because of a high blood sugar.

Being a little bit older and wiser (don't laugh) I have a few suggestions that I hope help parents and children living with diabetes.  For the child with diabetes, when you go trick or treating don't be afraid to have a couple pieces of candy, just make sure to cover it with insulin!!!  This webpage has every candy you can think of and has the carb count for all of them, familiarize yourself with it now so you can quickly count the carbs while trick or treating.  (I know I linked the same site three times, I have a method to my madness)  My next suggestion is one that I'd love to use if I was a kid, hold your candy hostage!!!  Use your candy as a way to get what you really want, candy is good but when your friends or siblings eat all of theirs say you will give them all of the candy you have for a video game or something that you really want.  Parents also love candy, give them the candy and in return you can stay up late to watch a movie or game.  That may sound a little weird but trust me when I say that it works.

For parents my only suggestion is to try and not make Halloween such a big ordeal.  The more restrictions you put on a child that has diabetes the more upset they will become.  That is coming from my own experience, it may not be true for each diabetic but I believe most will react the same way as I did when I was a child.  Treat your son or daughter normal, if they want a few pieces let them have them, it will not kill them.  If you make a rule about how much candy they can have make sure that rule goes for everyone.  My suggestion for children that are anywhere from 10-14 is that if they hate Halloween and don't want to go trick or treating take them to dinner or a movie, don't allow them to sit at home and be upset.  For the high school age children make sure to trust them, they're at that age that is very tough.  They hate being yelled at and hate rules, they believe they know it all.  If you trust them when they're out with friends they will remember all of the information you taught them when they were little.  All of my suggestions are from my own experiences, my suggestions may not work but in closing all I can say is to have fun and enjoy Halloween. Diabetics have bad blood sugars all the time don't get all upset because of a high number on a day that revolves around sugar!!

This weeks motivational video comes from a commencement speech given at Carnegie Mellon University.  The speech is given by Randy Pausch, I have read the "Last Lecture" book and have watched the last lecture video numerous times.  Both are very motivating and I have taken a lot away from both.  I encourage everyone to watch the last lecture video.  I just found the video below and was moved the first time that I watched it.  Remember that I share a motivational video every Monday to encourage readers to look at whatever challenges they have in a different way.  I believe that if we find things that motivate us we will realize our dreams no matter how difficult that dream may be.  

For whatever reason I'm very weird when it comes to my weight and allowing myself to indulge in good food.  This could be from being over 200lbs while in college and eating whatever I felt like.  I'm now very healthy and hanging out right around the 165lb mark.  To get to that point I made sure to change my diet and stick to this meal plan.  The one thing that keeps me sane is that I allow myself to eat "crap" one meal a month.  Crap=fast food.

Next week I have a meet up with a bunch of guys that are in the fantasy football league, this meetup usually means a lot of wings, and beer.  That is a lot of empty calories and if I don't do anything the day before I will limit myself on what I eat.  This may sound crazy but I can't stuff my face without earning it.  I'm not sure if this was because I was overweight at one point or because of my diabetes.  I honestly think it is the "athlete" in me, I know far to much about the body and know what a day of wings and beer will do.  I want to burn 2,000 calories the day before so I can enjoy myself while being bad.

The perfect way to do this is to find a half marathon.  I have found one for next Saturday and have set a time limit for myself, if I don't finish before that time then I will make sure that I don't eat or drink, I will only get half of my reward.  Sounds crazy but that is my mind and I want to earn my reward.

This is a great question, I will preface my answer by saying that this answer is what works for me.  Obviously continuing to exercise with a low blood sugar is very dangerous.  For the best answer and advice I would ask you primary care doctor or endocrinologist.

Personally when I'm training I always stop and take anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes to have a snack.  This snack will consist of juice and four fig newtons.  I get quick sugar with the juice and longer lasting carbs with the newtons.  I will also carry some kind of candy (Smarties or gummy bears) with me in case I see that my blood sugar is falling, again this is a quick sugar that buys me a little time as my carb heavy bar is starting to work.  I always make sure to eat every fifteen minutes while I'm running or on the bike.  

This all changes when I'm racing, I'm very competitive and will not stop unless I know my blood sugar will not go back up.  The stopping blood sugar level for me in a race is 60, if I get close to 60 I will stop.  When I get to 80 that scares me and I put anything I can get my hands on in to my body.  While running it is a little easier because they have a drink table every mile, grabbing four or five gatorades does the trick.  On the bike I make sure that I have enough food for the race.  I pre pack a pocket with just low fixing foods.  This pocket contains, Level, a candy bar, skittles, and a few pixy sticks.  I try to avoid this pocket at all costs by using bars, gels and Nuun while on the bike, drinking and eating every fifteen minutes helps avoid lows.  Each person is unique and it is very important to find what works for you.

I CAN!!!  It is a very simple phrase that many of us don't say nearly enough.  We all have dreams, the people that believe in themselves make their dreams a reality.  When it comes to diabetes we have dreams, we want our perfect blood sugar range to be smaller, we want that lower A1C, and we want to try and have fewer blood sugars that are below our set range.  I have had these goals for eight years and yes I become angry when I don't succeed, I then look at what my diabetes goals were eight years ago.  My goals eight years ago now look so easy, I keep challenging myself and believing I can do it.  Whatever it takes to become better you have to do, what I do doesn't work for everyone.  You have to make your own goals because you are the one that is in charge of your diabetes.  You know what works and what doesn't, having self discipline to achieve your diabetes goals.  You know what it takes, it might mean you have to eliminate that snack after dinner, you might have to cut out the doughnut or bagel you have once a week when you're taking your break at work.  Remember that it takes time but that reaching whatever diabetes goals you have is the best feeling in the world.  YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I never thought that one of my dads favorite sayings when I was a high school athlete would ever be a blog title.  This morning I could hear my father as sat on the floor of the gym with a low blood sugar that I could have easily avoided.  For those that think my dads were harsh, he knows me and knew what made me tick, I needed comments like this to realize I was doing horrible and needed to step back and calm down.

Waking up with a blood sugar of 243 at 4:46am was not how I envisioned my first day at the gym.  I stood and stared at the meter, do I take insulin or go to the gym and let the activity solve the problem.  Like an idiot I took 1.2 units of insulin had a little coffee a granola bar and off I went.  As I got to the gym I was bouncing off the wall and ready to kick some ass.  After ten minutes on the bike I felt off and decided to call it quits and go do some weight work for my shoulder.  My "coach" showed me some amazing stretches and strength drills. I began the activities and immediately started to sweat.  Not from the work I was doing but from my blood sugar plummeting, like a fool I kept going.  I figured it was the coffee because my pump read 102 but had two down arrows.  I continued to sweat and sat down.  Over comes the coach and asks whats up, a simple "blood sugar" was my answer.  He knew what that meant and offered me a muffin.  I declined and sat there before going to get something to fix the low.  I would eventually bounce back but by then it was time to get to work.

I need to get my shit together.  I hold myself to a very high standard and I can't explain how angry this morning makes me.  I know better, this low should have never happened.  The good news is that tomorrow is a new day!!  Learn from mistakes and remember that it is all good mental training!! 

The great blood sugar days and the roller coaster blood sugar days always bring me back to the cycling team that saved my life.  It wasn't that long ago that a day of out range blood sugars would bring with it depression, I wouldn't feel good about myself because of my blood sugars.  It took me a long time to recognize that out of range days happen, I'm putting in the work and doing all that I can to stay in range, but bad days happen.  Team Novo Nordisk has taught me that bad days happen on and off the bike.  

TNN has taught me that you need to fight, no matter what the challenge you give it your all.  If it is a 5,000ft climb you know it won't kill you but it will hurt and test you mentally.  Diabetes is much like cycling, you know the challenge and you don't just attack and know that it will be okay, you need a plan and you need to monitor and manage every little thing and then the greatness comes.  It is much like building a brick wall, you don't just start throwing bricks down and hope for the best.  You have to lay every brick absolutely perfectly, if you take the time and treat every brick like it is the most important brick in the wall you will soon have the best wall possible.  That is diabetes and that is what I have learned from Team Novo Nordisk, each and every member of this amazing tea, has taught me to work and fight like hell to not only be the best cyclist I can but to be the best person with diabetes I can be!! 

I'm a very quiet and reserved person that often waits to long to ask for help.  I have amazing friends and family that are always willing to do whatever they can to help with whatever I might need.  Over the past couple of weeks I have been planning out my 2019 running season.  Now a lot of things are up in the air but I have two goals, another 50k and a 50 mile race.

When I ran my first 50k I was alone, I had an aunt and uncle come to the race with about ten miles left and they did an amazing job of making sure I finished and was in range blood sugar wise.  For 31 miles however I was alone, I had no one to talk too or anyone to tell me to suck it up and push harder.  That will never happen again!!  With five rest stops on the 50k course I have the idea to have a friend at each one.  They will not pace me, they will however make sure my blood sugar is okay.  They will also be comic relief or talk shit to me and belittle me to make me run better.

I'm quiet and reserved but for the very small group of people that I let in to my world I'm a kid that needs that Bobby Knight like speech sometimes.  I also need the occasional stupid joke to help me relax.  This is just for a 50k never mind my everyday life!!

The funny thing is that when I started to ask friends and family if they'd help the answer was a quick yes.  I just wish I had asked for help sooner.  

Living with diabetes is amazing but it will often have you scratching your head.  I have been living with diabetes for almost thirty years and I have moments where I'm lost and have no idea what happened or what to do.  Over the past few days I have been scratching my head and I don't know what to do.  I love my Medtronic pump and CGM it has made running and cycling so much easier for me over the past year when it comes to starting with a blood sugar in range.  I have been able to set a temp target, wait about an hour and go for a run or get on the bike without a problem.

Over the weekend I planned on going for a bike ride after working in the morning, I ate my breakfast took a little less insulin and set my temp target.  It didn't work, two hours later my blood sugar was at 88 and getting on the bike with that blood sugar would be asking for trouble.  Then I tried to go for a run after working the morning.  That went better and I was able to get in seven strong miles.  I did have a little hiccup however, for two hours my blood sugar hovered right around 150 and I couldn't be happier.  In a moment of pure joy I said to Kate "I should just set a temp target 24/7, look my blood sugar hasn't moved!!"  With that I was off for my run and was feeling great until mile six when I started to get angry at cars going to fast.  I don't often like to play cop while running so I peaked at my pump and my blood sugar was 81 and dropping.  I made sure to pop some glucose tabs and finished my final mile looking at my pump a lot more then I should have.  I was meeting Kate for lunch and had a soda as soon as we sat down to get my blood sugar where I should have been.

The question is am I just having a stretch of bad luck or do I need to go back to the drawing board and get a new approach.  My blood sugars have been running a little lower then normal and I have only been taking 31 units a day which is crazy even for me!!  Obviously my insulin sensitivity is intense, it always been.  Moving forward I will stick with my normal approach but would love to hear what other athletes are doing to keep their blood sugars in range while running or cycling.

Cereal is a breakfast staple for millions, from sugary cereals with marshmallows to the healthy cereals made with whole grains.  For those living with diabetes we are now being told to stay away from cereal in the morning.  I have written numerous blogs about the post cereal spike.  For years I thought this spike was caused by mistiming my insulin or having a blood sugar out of range that in turn would make my blood sugar go even further out of range.  It turns out that it was all those cute little cereal mascots making my blood sugar sky rocket.  From Count Chocula to the Trix Rabbit they're all evil and have something against people living with diabetes.

I was told a few months back to stop eating cereal because of what it does to my blood sugar.  I then asked about the "healthy" cereals such as Grape Nuts, after a small chuckle my doctor said "Those are even worse."  I'm not going to get in to the science and why it causes ones blood sugar to spike, what I will try to do is find alternatives to cereal.

Until I was told I couldn't have cereal for breakfast I was having eggs three or four times a week.  I would have a waffle and some form of protein, usually turkey bacon.  My blood sugars on those days would be perfect after breakfast.  Last time I checked though the week has seven days and not four.  On those other three days I was lost, as time has gone on I have found some healthy alternatives that are blood sugar friendly.  The main staple is peanut butter toast and fruit.  That doesn't sound very exciting but it works, like anything once it becomes a habit you realize it isn't that bad.  I enjoy my toast and fruit mornings, I can relax a little bit and watching NHL Network while eating my toast and fruit is enjoyable.  As I sit there I will often see Tony the Tiger or Lucky peeking around the corner like a crazed ex girlfriend, I will just laugh and enjoy my blood sugars that are in range.

Each time I sit down to write my blog I will make sure I have a drink and a little snack on my desk while I write.  Most times it consists of my gallon of water and a handful of animal crackers.  On a Sunday sometimes a Coors Light and pretzels.  Today however it is a glass of chicken broth and a banana, yes you read that correctly a glass of chicken broth.

Have I gone crazy?  It all depends who you talk to.  Almost a year ago my doctor told me to start drinking chicken broth whenever I didn't feel well and to even do so during and after races.  Having a history of dehydration she said the sodium would work wonders and that broth is amazing and will do a lot of good for the body.  An 8oz glass of chicken broth has worked wonders the other day, after waking up with a horrible crippling headache I took some ibuprofen but it didn't work.  I returned to bed and slept until noon, woke up with the same headache.  I quickly popped two Excedrin and headed to the shower, the shower always makes me feel better.  Once I was dressed I headed to the fridge and grabbed the chicken broth.  I was scared as I put the 8oz glass in the microwave, I wasn't going to drink it cold I'm not that much of a freak!!  After 35 seconds I was ready for my first sip.  Not the best taste but definitely one that I could handle.

As the afternoon went on I felt great!!  I was hydrated and myself.  My muscles felt better and I was back to my normal hyper self.  I will continue to have a glass to start my day.  Now the chicken broth idea may sound odd but is one that has been used by Kobe Bryant as he got towards the end of his career.  I also found this article from Active.com It might sound weird but I encourage any athlete to give it a chance.

I strongly believe my next 50k will be run on Bear Mountain and from what I have heard it is one of the toughest 50k courses in the New England/Mid Atlantic region.  I know three people that have run the course and all three have said that it is difficult but can be done.  I have also been warned that it is more of a mental race than a physical race and this scares the crap out of me!!  

To be honest I'm happy that I will not be running all 31 miles, with the terrain being so rocky and steep I will need to walk and or climb during the race.  I believe that helps me because I can regain my composure rather than trying to run and meet a certain time at each mile.  I have decided that I will not have a watch with me for the race, I want to enjoy the run, I want to enjoy the scenery while running.  I don't want to be looking at my watch every five minutes and doing math in my head to know when I should finish.  For me this race is about being alive and proving to myself that I can do it, it is not about time.

With that said training is going to be interesting, I will be logging tons of miles but I need to do more mental training than anything because this race is going to hurt a lot!!!  As I said I know three people that have run the race and have a number of ultra running books, I will be ready for the race it will just be a matter of not giving in to the pain.

Running a 50k in June of 2017 has helped me prepare for this race next year.  I was not ready for the 50k in June of 2017, I thought I was prepared but honestly I was not.  The mental side of the race was my main concern and I over looked the physical part.  I thought I could train like I was running a marathon but truthfully a 50k is a whole different animal.  I wasn't ready for the rock climbing and as always I began a little to quickly and paid for it much later in the race.  I have over 200 days until race day, I will learn a lot and be ready for race day.

Most people have one electronic item in their life that they can't live without.  No pun intended but I can't live without my insulin pump, it is always on my hip and sees everything that I see.  As I was driving home from work today I started to think how much my insulin pump has seen in just over a year.

I'm not trying to brag but my pump has seen some very intense sporting events, traveled half of the country, met celebrities, spent time with a cycling team, and was there when I got married.  It has also been on my hip for some of the toughest moments of my life, it sees me cry when things are tough. It is the only one that can hear me when I talk to myself in good times and bad.  It has vacations on my dresser when it is time for me to shower and for other more intimate moments.  If my pump could talk I would pay it off so it could not speak of those moments.  

I would like to think that my pump and I have a good relationship.  We often like to hurt each other, I hurt my pump when I fall off the bike and it pays me back when I'm changing and it falls off of my hip.  Nothing is more painful than when my pump falls and pulls on the infusion site.  At the end of the day i love my pump and can't imagine my life without it, I never want to take a break from it.  To many it is just an insulin pump that sits on my hip all day, to me it is like a member of the family.  It has been an amazing year together and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!! 

For children a week or two at camp gives them friends and memories that last a lifetime. For children with diabetes a diabetes summer camp is the perfect way to meet others living with diabetes and to learn about how others manage the everyday challenges that a preteen or teenager have when it comes to diabetes.

Now imagine a diabetes camp that is specific to cycling.  www.teamnovonordisk.com/team-novo-nordisk-2018-talent-id-camps/Team Novo Nordisk Talent ID Camps are just that, camps where diabetes and cycling are the main focus.  Team Novo Nordisk created these camps to find young cyclists with diabetes in hopes of finding young cyclists that will one day be members of the Team Novo Nordisk pro team. These camps were created with diabetes as the main objective, with talent id camps the team could teach teenagers how to be successful with diabetes while riding the bike.  The camps are by no means easy, people that attend will be challenged on the bike as they ride very difficult roads in and around Athens, Georgia.

As I said this camp is about diabetes, yes people that attend these camps can ride a bicycle really well but they are forming a bond through diabetes.  Just like any other diabetes camp the campers are sharing how they manage their diabetes on the bike with other campers.  They will also be learning from members of Team Novo Nordisk how they manage their diabetes while racing all over the world.

I had the honor of spending a few days at camp a couple years back and I must say that it changed me as a person living with diabetes.  I learned so much about cycling with diabetes, and diabetes in general.  From proper food choices to my target range before going on a ride.  I could have easily filled a notebook with all that I learned.  What impressed me the most however was that the members of Team Novo Nordisk made the camp fun!!  You're sitting in a "class" talking about diabetes and you're making friends from with people from across the globe.  I went as a member of the media and I formed real friendships with a number of riders that are now on the development and pro teams.  These are true friendships, I get emails and messages on social media asking how I'm doing and how the family is.  It is crazy how this camp can change someones life.

For anyone living with diabetes between the ages 15 and 23 that has an interest in cycling this camp is something you need to check out.  If you're a little nervous or don't know what to expect don't hesitate to contact Morgan Brown at Morgan.Brown@teamnovonordisk.com She will answer any questions you may have.  My hope is to be at the 2019 camp as a member of the media yet again.  I love the stories from the attendees and I love seeing what the future holds for Team Novo Nordisk!!  

It amazes me at how many people will laugh or say "It can't be done".  We hear it day after day from a lot of people, just because our sport, our music, our clothes or our disease isn't cool.  The funny thing is that the people that are saying these things are the ones that don't get it.  Chasing your dream or liking something that the majority does not is not wrong.  At the end of the day it is about what makes you happy.  Once you realize that other people will always laugh or make fun of you for things you do you will discover that you are better than those people that are picking on you.  For you choose to be yourself and chase your dreams, that is what makes life so great.  It is the person that is different that will change the world.