After waking up with a blood sugar of 152 I gave myself an extra unit of insulin to see if I could stop the odd blood sugar spike that always happens around 8am.  I had no luck at all, I spiked to 260 and then I was down to 66 at 930.  This odd spike has been happening for about a week, today I decided that I would change my basal rate (aka a low rate of continuous insulin supply).  Before the change my basal rate was at .65 from 330am until 630am and then .75 from 630am until 4pm.  I have decided to go with .70 from 330am until 630am, my blood sugar has been rising during this time, nothing drastic but enough to make a change.  I then changed the 630am to 4pm rate to 630am until 1030am and at a rate of .80.  I changed the times because of the lows before lunch, a higher rate would cause a little trouble around lunch.  My rates from 1030am until 430pm will be at .75. This way I will hopefully fix the morning spike and eliminate the pre lunch lows.  I'm sure this sounds like brain surgery to non diabetics but hopefully this gives everyone an idea of the complexity of diabetes management.




The rest of the day was great blood sugar wise, this included a twenty mile bike ride.  The bike ride went very well, the race taught me a lot about how I need to train.  My legs were still a little sore but riding is the best cure.  I feel confident in my changes diabetes and bike wise.  The anger from this mornings spike and the anger from the race have all but left.  I feel good about the future and I'm very much so looking towards the improvements that will follow.

I will begin with the diabetes side of things, today was a day of little excersise and getting my life in order for the upcoming week.  After yesterday's race the body felt good, I wouldn't say I was sore but was feeling things here and there.  My blood sugars stayed steady all day, my average was at 107.  I'm very happy that my body bounced back so well from the race, I was expecting some crazy blood sugars but was happy to see none of that. 

Now on to the sappy life side of things.  Today was my wife's birthday, we celebrated with a great home cooked dinner with our parents and a couple of Leannes aunts.  As a whole today was great, a morning spent with close friends, an afternoon spent with close friends playing softball for charity and dinner with family.  Life is a crazy thing, when my wife and I took our vows we said "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."  Little did we know that we would have the sickness part three months in.  After the sickness and the surgery I gave Leanne the for worse and she didn't deserve it.  I will try my
best to put in to words how blessed I am to still have her in my life.  I try
every day to show Leanne how much she means to me, I should have been kicked to the curb five months in to our marriage.  I can't fix the past but I live with that pain every day, I work tiresley everyday to do everything in my power to make her life easier and better.  When someone saves your life you can't say  thank you enough, no gift can ever equal what she has done for me.   

With a blood sugar of 118 at 7am I was ready for my first bike race.  Having a "perfect" blood sugar really helped me worry a lot less.  Before the race began I had this odd calmness come over me.  With a quick look to the heavens I began the race.  On Friday I spoke with Amos Brumble, Amos owns a local bike shop and is a great cyclist.  He told me to relax and not go out to fast.  What did I do today, exactly what he told me not to do.  With half the race to go I was spent and being passed by a lot of riders, at the time I thought I felt so bad because I pushed myself to early, after the race I found out that the diabetes was the cause.  Two weeks ago I rode the course and got low, I didn't want that to be the case today.  What happened was that I was high, I finished the race with a blood sugar of 280.  That would explain the painful cramping and why I felt so tired.  I finished towards the middle of the pack but I'm kicking myself because I know I could have done better.  I was so scared of going low that I wanted to be higher and it cost me big time.

I began cycling because I loved that I was in control.  If I have a bad race or ride I can only blame myself.  That was the same reason that I loved pitching while playing baseball.  I know what I can and can't do and if something doesn't work I will be very hard on myself.  The two hour ride home brought some tears and some swearing.  After I got past that stage I started to think about where I have gotten to in my life and at the end of the day it's not about a bike race it's about family and enjoying the amazing moments that life brings us.  I can't thank my uncle John enough for following me while I was racing, not only did he provide encouragement when things got rough but he would keep my wife up to date as I raced.  Again I can't thank John enough I'm blessed to have him and his family in my life.

I learned a lot today and that will do nothing but make me better.  I can't change the past, but I can work harder so the future is brighter.  I'd like to thank everyone for all of the support, it means a lot to my wife and I.  I still owe the Cavanaghs a trophy and I can promise that they will get in the near future.

Of all the blogs that I have written this one will be the toughest.  Tomorrow as everyone knows I will be riding in my first cycling race,  all week I have been very nervous and overthinking every aspect of the race.  Last night at the Vince Wilfork draft party I was able to join some people from Novo Nordisk at their bowling lane.  When I approached the lane I noticed that we would be on lane 9.  I quickly smiled and thought to myself if this is not a sign I don't know what is. 

When I began working at the Misquamicut Club in 2000 I never thought that I would meet so many coworkers from one family that would have such an impact on my life.  In 2001 the Cavanagh family would invade the club staff, one of the members was Tom Cavanagh.  That first summer Tom and I would form a friendship and work together on a daily basis.  Being around Tom made the worst job great just because you got to talk with Tom.  Tom at the age of 17 was wise beyond his years, he liked to have fun but his work ethic was on of the hardest I have ever seen in my life.  At the end of the summer I found out that Tom was a pretty good hockey player, all summer as much as we worked together it never came up.  Tom would go on to play hockey at Harvard and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 6th round in 2001.  Tom would work at the course on and off for a few more years, to everyone at the course he was Tom the genuine good guy not Tom the hockey player.  He was a ten times better person than he was a hockey player.

Tom would go on and play in the AHL and NHL, in this time I formed a close friendship with his younger brother Dave and cousin John.  Tom would come up weekly, we would talk about how he was doing and how he wanted to come play in our annual wiffle ball tournament.  I would see Tom from time to time and we would talk about life and the good old days at the course as kids.  In the summer of 2010 Tom along with Dave and other family members came down to the local beach bar, I will never forget that night.  We sat for hours talking and having drinks, I can retell stories from that night no problem.  As I left Tom and I would hug and told eachother to be safe and to stay in better touch.  Send eachother emails or texts just to check in and chat about the guys at the course. 

In January of 2011 Tom lost his battle with mental illness.  While at the wake and funeral all I would hear were stories like mine about how Tom had impacted so many lives.  Tom was one of a kind and I'm happy that I had the plearsure to spend time with him.  I only hope that I can impact peoples lives the way that Tom did and to this day still does.  Tom always wore the number 9 and everytime that the number appears in my life I can't help but smile and remember how great of a man Tom was.

When I got my new bike the first thing I did was put TC on my handlebars.  I did this because I want Tom to be with me wherever I ride.  Everyday I ride I see those initals and they tell me to never give up.  No matter how much it hurts or how much trouble I'm having I know that Tom is with me and if I ever gave up how disappointed he would be.  Tomorrow four legs will be pushing those pedals and I will do everything in my power to win that race.  I want to win for Tom and his family, I want to grab that trophy and point up and thank Tom and give that trophy to his family. 

Below is a link to an article about Tom that comes from the Mercury news in San Jose.  I have also included a song from Toms favorite band
http://thenhlarena.com/topic/202918-tom-cavanagh-a-tortured-life/

Today was a very uneventful day, other than being 64 around 2pm I had a great day.  I was able to go for a thirty mile bike ride after work and felt great.  It feels good to have a strong ride before a race.  I may ride a little on Friday but today was the last ride over ten miles until Saturday.  After my ride things were odd, I totally shutdown my pump around 2pm, I returned home around 6pm with a blood sugar of 131.  I took eight units of insulin to cover the long period with no insulin, after I took a quick shower I felt a bit off, when I tested I was 47.  I'm thinking the insulin just worked quicker but I have no clue how that happened.  I feel very confident diabetes wise, I feel as though I will have no problems come race day.

The next four days will be a bit crazy but very fun.  Tomorrow I have the Vince Wilfork Draft party/fundraiser, Friday I have an appointment in New Haven, Saturday is race day and Sunday is my amazing wifes birthday.  I very much looking forward to the rest of the week, I will try and take pictures while at the draft party tomorrow and upload them to this site.  I can not promise anything but I will try, the photos will definitley be uploaded to Facebook so anyone that is not a fan fan of the diabetic cyclist please click the link on the right to become a fan.  I have also added a link to my personal page, other than this site I'm not that exciting so feel free to add me if you would like. 

As I have said many times before Diabetes is a great disease, if I had to choose between winning the lottery and being a diabetic I would choose being a diabetic every time.  I would rather have the title of Diabetic than that of a millionaire.  Winning the lottery would be nice don't get me wrong but I would choose the Diabetes because of what it has done for me as a human being, a man, a husband and as a son.  I often have trouble when I think about my past and why my story has such an effect on people.  When I often think why all I can think of is hope.  I think about the what if almost every day, what if I didn't have a blood clot? What if I lost my life?  What I do know is that I'm alive, I don't have the answer to why I'm still here.  I began speaking and giving back to the diabetes community because I believe I can give motivation, inspiration, hope, courage, and council.  We each cope differently with the thought of our own death, some people deny it, some pray and some turn to alcohol.  In my struggle back to life I was tempted to do a little bit of each of those but the only thing we can do is face it head on.  You must have courage, we know way too much about life the older we get.  When faced with a sickness you need to look at it as a child.  Children don't know the dangers of everyday life or of a disease.  They go on with life and do whatever they are told because all they want is to play and enjoy life.  It's very tough to have that mindset but when you do, man it does amazing things for you.  You have to believe and you have to fight.

Today was a day of reflection for me if you couldn't tell, I was listening to a book about Lance Armstrong and was able to connect a lot from his story to my own.  I love my disease and I love my life.  Diabetes has made me a more complete and passionate person.  That has also made me feel more alive then I have ever felt before.    Diabetes has shown me that people are a lot better than they know.  When faced with a crisis we have unrealized potential.  I often wish I could change the past, but if my past never happened I would not be the person I'am today.  When I have days that I look back once I get past the tough parts I begin to think about my new diabetes family, the people that I wouldn't have known if it weren't for my new life.  People like my wife, Eddie, Alexis, Luke, Jamin, Matt, Salome, Angela, Rose, Delaine, Anna, Dr. Q, and Dr. Slaiby.  I'm so happy with my life and I can't thank everyone enough for all of the support and well wishes.  Today when I was bored I made diabetes in to an acronym to give the disease a new definition.

Determination
Intelligence
Awareness
Belief
Effort
Toughness
Everyday
Strong

Nothing is worse than a rainy day at work.  Throw in being a diabetic and things are all messed up.  On rainy days work is very laid back and usually my blood sugar is higher than usual.  That was the case today, from seven until nine very little activity was performed.  I knew that I would be inactive at work so I did give myself a little more insulin before breakfast but I still stayed above 140 all morning.  After nine we were finally able to head out on to the course but could not perform a lot of work due to the three inches of rain that had fallen the day before.  All day I was constantly checking my pump and giving myself bits of insulin here and there.  Don't get me wrong I love having a slow day at work but in the end I'd much rather be running around and not having to worry about my blood sugar.  This evening things began to get back to normal.  My blood sugar has been steady after a big bowl of pasta, I have five days of carb loading ahead of me so starting tonight with good levels is a great sign. 

All day I was looking forward to riding my bike in the rain, I love to ride in the rain.  It took a little longer than expected for the rain to start falling but once it did it was time to ride.  As I say in the video my blood sugar was 131 half way thru the ride, when I returned home my blood sugar was at 99.  All in all it was a fun ride and a great ride for the blood sugar.

I decided to go back to the beginning while on the bike today.  As I was stretching out I began to think about where I came from.  As everyone knows it was very tough when I got my first bike.  I didn't know what tomorrow would bring and riding a bike would be my escape from life.  When I ride my bike today I'm more worried about my heart rate, my cadence and how I feel physically on the bike.  Don't get me wrong I still love being on the bike but it seems that I have become more worried about performance then the joy of living and being able to ride a bike.

Today I put on the first cycling outfit that my wife bought for me.  A pair of Livestrong shorts, a Tour De Cure jersey and a pair of Giant brand socks.  I decided to put my Garmin in my back pocket, I still wanted to record my workout but I didn't want to see the details of it while I rode.  What I got was one of the most enjoyable rides I have had this year.  I just rode!!!  I didn't worry about my pedal stroke or how much climbing I had done.  I ended up going about thirty miles and was laughing and singing to myself the entire time.  Towards the end of the ride I saw one of my friends running down the road and gave him a high five as I rode past him.  After my ride I decided that I will still bring my Garmin but I think it will be staying in the back pocket a lot more unless I need it for directions.

As I was doing some diabetes work on the computer this afternoon I decided to try and find a couple of diabetic cyclist pictures.  What I found was myself!!!  The first two pictures on Google when you search for diabetic cyclist are me.  I don't know why but this amazed me.  In one of the pictures I don't have a head so I decided to click on the picture and see what website it took me to.  What I found was an article on diabetic cycling, how cool is that!!!  http://www.urban1cycle.com/2012/04/03/diabetes-and-cycling/

It's amazing to listen to people once they hear about the amount of work I have to do diabetes wise just to have a "normal" day at work.  Today I got to walk around the golf course with a 600lb mower, I basically walk the entire course and take the machine anywhere that a bigger mower has not gotten.  The walk is around four miles and I run the mower up and down some interesting hills.  Doing this is the highlight of my week workwise, I get a great workout and boy does the job really test my blood sugar.

When I finished the job this morning I was talking with the mechanic and he commented that I looked good.  He mentioned how I have come in before and looked totally drained.  I informed him that I was in that diabetic zone today.  The look I got told me I needed to go in to detail.  I explained how after breakfast I will shut my pump down so no insulin will go in.  I then take the machine and head to the easy side of the golf course, this side is a bit flatter and a lot less work.  That way my body gets stretched out and I can monitor my blood sugar before going to the evil side.  This morning I was 101 when I headed in for break at 9am.  I had a small glass of orange juice, rasins, and four peanut butter crackers.  I took .4 units of insulin and then head back out to conquer the evil side of the course.  As I said I was in that zone, I felt great and other than a couple swigs of Powerade I did nothing to correct my blood sugar.  My blood sugar was at 193 when I finshed.  Iexplained all of that to the mechanic, I got a suprised look and was then asked so when you look tired are you truly tired or is your blood sugar off.  I explanied that my blood sugar is porbably off and then informed him that I have come in with a blood sugar around 45 and have also been on the other end with blood sugars around 300.

I have cleaned up his response but he said " WOW that sounds like it's not fun.  Impressive but I can't believe you have to do that every time you go out on that machine."  Comments like that make me smile, it really isn't that bad.  I'm also happy that I have given someone a little insight in to the daily battle every diabetic has to fight.

Just over a week ago I saw an ad on facebook that was promoting a NFL Draft party to benefit diabetes.  I was very excited and quickly clicked on the link, it took me to vincewilfork75.com.  At that website I learned all about the event and how the fundraiser raises money for diabetes research.  I quickly clicked on the link and purchased a ticket.  I was so pumped to see a big time event for diabetes that I couldnt pass on the opportunity to be a part of it.

Today when I got the mail I saw an envelope with Vince Wilforks name on it and quickly opened the envelope.  In side was my ticket to the event, a picture of Vince Wilfor that was signed and a letter explaining the event in more detail.  After reading the letter and seeing the events and activities that are planned I beyond excited for next Thursday night!!!  My level of excitement went even higher when I saw the number of sponsors for the event.  One sponsor in particular caught my eye, I noticed the Novo Nordisk logo instantly.  Over the past year or so I have been working closley with an employee of Novo Nordisk on an idea to raise diabetes awarness.  Over the past year I have learned a lot about the company and I must say that I'm very happy to have a company like Novo Nordisk on the side of diabetes.  They go out of there way to inform all of their employees about diabetes.  Employees learn the history, dangers and what it is like to take insulin shots on a daily basis.  I have talked with one other employee of Novo Nordisk and have heard the same great things about the company.  I will make it a point to find a Novo Nordisk employee at the event and tell them how happy I am with the amount of effort they put forth in the battle to stop diabetes.

I encourage anyone that is in New England area to take a look at this event and if they can purchase a ticket.  I can gurantee that it will be a night that they won't soon forget.  Vince Wilfork is an amazing person and holds a special place in my heart for all of the work he does for diabetes. 

A very long day work and school wise means that the blog gets a quick post.  Due to having class the bike was given a day off and I got to sleep an extra hour.  I'm happy I didn't have time to ride, it's still early bike wise and I really don't want to burn myself out.  Diabetes wise the day went well, looking at my blood sugars over 24hrs you'll notice a lot of ups and downs.  Nothing over 200 during the day which is good but the roller coaster look bothers me.  I'd much rather have smaller rises and falls.  Looking at the positive though I feel great and my average for today was very so I can't complain. 

After another great day on the bike and managing my blood sugars I'm once again looking at a dream I've had since I first bought a road bike.  No it's not the Tour De France, it's the Race Across America or RAAM.  It's a bike race that starts in San Diego and finishes in Annapolis, Maryland almost 3,000 miles.  A solo competitor has twelve days to complete the course.  To finish that would mean almost 250 miles a day for almost two weeks. 

I first heard about RAAM when I was looking at Team Type 1.  Team Type 1 has won the team portion of the race the past two years.  That is truly amazing and I love that it gets diabetes national attention.  After doing a bit of research I have found that no type 1 diabetic has ever finished the race as an individual.  That is my dream.  I have been giving endurance cycling a lot of thought this past winter.  The more mileage I put in on a single ride the stronger I get, if my blood sugar stays above 100 I feel amazing.  After completing a century ride I feel strong, I'm ready to take that next step.  That next step will hopefully come this November in Daytona, Florida.  It is a 200 mile race that is sponsored by RAAM.  They are also holding a 400 mile RAAM qualifier; I'm not ready for that just yet.  I feel I have nothing to lose and feel as though I can be competitive in the 200 mile race. 

Only time will tell what will happen.  This is a dream and not all dreams come true but I will bust my butt to try and reach my dream.  The best part is when I tell people about my dream I get that look that says your crazy.  I often times am told you can't do that, not with diabetes.  I love the nay sayers, they give me that extra push when I need it most.  I'm on a video kick and have included a great video that talks about RAAM. 

It was great to be back on the bike after yesterdays day off.  After a week of trying to figure out what insulin rates work and what foods to eat I felt confident this morning.  I was happy to see 176 when I tested just before 5:30, I took a half unit of insulin and had my cup of cereal.  It may be a bit over the top but if I have exactly a cup I know how my body will respond while on the bike.  After my ten mile ride in which I set a new personal record, my blood sugar was at 136.  Perfect, I took took my two units of insulin ate an english muffin and went to work.

Around 1pm I all but shut down my pump so that I would be able to ride home without any problems.  Shutting down the pump an hour before my ride has not been working, I would try two hours and see how things went.  The toughest part is making sure I don't take to much insulin with lunch, if I do I'll be low around 2pm and that will put a kink in the plan.  Today everything worked, when I tested around 3pm I was at 146, I had a glass of orange juice and got ready to ride.  The ride home went very well, I ride a much more relaxed pace in the afternoon that way I change what the way my body works on the bike.  It helps the muscles in some way or so I have read.  Arriving home my blood sugar was at 98, I'd take four units of insulin and enjoy my evening.

I have included another video today, this is a video by Daniel Schneider who is a member of team type 1.  I am obsessed with these guys, they are much better cyclists then I but diabetes wise it's all the same.  The trouble I have with the bike and diabetes they have as well.  It's great to know that I'm not the only one trying to ride at a higher level while also battling diabetes.  This video gives everyone an idea of what diabetics need to have with them while they ride.

For anyone who knows me or has ever listened to me speak publicly knows that I never bad mouth my diabetes.  With my past it obviousley wasnt always like this, for nineteen years I truly hated diabetes.  I would sit around and say why me, what did I do to deserve this.  After my surgery and almost losing my life I was lucky enough to have a second chance at my diabetes.  For the past three years, I've been a model diabetic and I love my disease.  I'm not saying that every diabetic that is having trouble needs a life alterering event to appreciate the disease.  It's a lot easier than that.

I love the underdog.  My wife often shakes her head when she finds me watching biographies on people that have beaten the odds.  She will find sobbing and ask "Why do you do this to yourself, why do you look for stories to make you cry?"  Until now I have never told my wife or anyone for that matter why I do this to myself.  The reason I do this is because it could always be worse.  Yes diabetes is a very severe disease and is not easy all the time, but I can still walk and do almost anything I want with my life.  I watch shows about recovering drug addicts, war veterans and people with disabilities.  In these shows I see how lucky I am.  Below I have attached a video that I saw yesterday.  I encourage everyone to take fifteen minutes and watch this video about DJ Gregory.  When I watch a video like this I quickly realize that a high or low blood sugar is not that bad, if DJ Gregory can beat the odds then I can do anything.

Today started at six, a quick breakfast and then it was off to Ware, Massachusetts to ride around Quabin Reservoir.  I have a race at the reservoir in two weeks, having never seen the course I decided to get a sneak peak.  I thought I would be learning about the roads and where I could push the pace during the race.  What I learned was that I need to figure out my temporary basal if I ever want to race.  As I was driving I setup a temporary basal around eight, I would begin riding around nine.  I learned quickly that I need to setup the pump a lot earlier.  When I began my ride I was at 190, twenty minutes in I was down to 85.  I was very excited for the ride and probably came out a lot quicker then I should have, I believe that was the cause of the severe drop so quickly.

Not even five miles in to my ride and I had to pullover and eat.  I can't really do that in two weeks.  After I ate and got my blood sugar backup I stayed close to where I parked.  I did not want to be thirty miles out and get low again.  I had plenty of supplies if I did get low but I didnt want to risk it.  I rode forty miles and did a lot of hills, when the blood sugar was over one hundred I rode great, I had my cocky no one could beat me attitude.  When I got below 100, that worn out tired feeling came back.

Luckily I have two weeks to figure out what will work diabetes wise.  I' very confident that I will get this problem solved by the end of this week.  It has taken two years for me to get to a point where I feel confident I can race with my diabetes.  I don't want to back out of this race because I can't keep my blood sugar above 100.  If that happens then the dream of an endurance 200 mile race in November will not happen.  I have two weeks to figure out my diabetes and cycling, if I don't I will become unglued.  No pressure!!!

Today brought much different blood sugars before and after riding.  I woke up at 137 and had four peanut butter crackers, when I arrived at work I was 236.  I then took four units of insulin and ate a Power Bar.  An hour later I was at 301!!!  Not how I want to start work, as 9am approached I was at 63.  I saw that coming but still wasn't happy about it.  The rest of the day I would be between 70 and 120.  I setup my pump so I could ride home, before leaving work I was at 137, I knew I would have to eat and drink sooner than usual with a sugar below 200.  Well that didn't exactly work, As I approached home I could tell that I was low.  When I tested I was 59, I will definitely have to start my temp basal sooner.  It's going to take time to get the timing down, I understand that but still am a little mad that I was 301 and 59 today.  I'm a perfectionist and want to stay between 100 and 200 when I'm riding.

As I mentioned I was a little angry with my blood sugars while riding.  That anger has not left yet.  Before going on a little rant, I want to let people know that they should not worry and that what I say will NEVER happen, I'm very very happy with my life as a whole and would never change a thing.  I'm human and have bad days, it happens to all of us.  While watching the news this evening I started to think why am I doing this?  Why do I ride my bike all the time?  What will it get me, sure it keeps me in great shape but I'm never going to do anything more than ride around New England in rides for charity.  My body hurts and I'm exhausted.  I have been in bed at nine all week and up at 5am.  I feel like going out and drinking and being an idiot with some friends. 

As I said it's just a bad day, it happens.  I don't see me giving up on my second chance at life anytime soon.  I've come too far and now I have people that look up to me.  I will continue to work my butt off for them and that special "Rose"  I'll end with a nice little quote from one of my favorite movies, Rudy.

Rudy:
Who cares what kind of job I did if it doesn't produce results? It doesn't mean
anything. 
Father Cavanaugh:
I think you'll find that it will. 

My streak of not going over 200 ended around 3am.  I was around 70 at 2am and decided I better go get a couple fig newtons and some apple juice.  I knew that my blood sugar would rise above 200.  The last thing I wanted was to wake up at 5:30 with a blood sugar under 100.  My new record for not going over 200 now stands at 88 hours.  When I awoke at 530 I my blood sugar was at 233, that ment that I could wait to eat until I was at work.  I left just after 6am and felt really good on the bike.  I rode my ten miles and arrived at work with a lowish feeling, I tested and was at 81.  Perfect!!!  I could enjoy a power bar and some orange juice and then get my work day started.  I took three units of insulin and enjoyed my breakfast.
My workday was supposed to be very active, but things can change.  I had a morning of very little physical work.  That made the morning uneventful, my blood sugar was 128 at 9am and 84 at 12pm.  After lunch would be a little tougher, I would be doing a lot of cardio work.  I would have to set my pump so I could work as well as ride home on my bike without any problems.  Then the rain and hail came!!!  That would once again change what I would be doing, the afternoon would consist of a little physical work but nothing to strenuous.  I could set my pump for my bike ride around 2:30 and be good to go. 
I had planned on doing a 20 mile ride after work that would change as another burst of rain came right as I was leaving work.  I initially thought I could ride the twenty miles and have no problems.  Then came the heavier rain ,the  strong winds and the 45 degree temperature.  My ride turned in to a ten mile ride, no need to risk getting sick.  I did enjoy the rain however, I love to ride in the rain, it reminds me of being a kid and always wanting to play in the rain.  On the bike I have that chance to play!!  The rest of the day my blood sugars stayed around the 145 mark.  Not the day I had planned but I will take it.

Another day and another day that my highest blood sugar was below 200.  That makes four days in a row of blood sugars under 200.  Things are going so well that it's time for a change.  Starting tomorrow I will be riding my bike to work every morning.  Diabetes wise that means everything is going to change, I have already tweaked my basal rates to try and cover the early morning ride.  The challenge will be when to eat breakfast, do I eat something before I ride and not take any insulin or do I wait and eat when I get to work?  Only time will tell what works best, tomorrow if everything goes perfect I will wake up around 150, ride my bike for ten miles and then eat when I get to work.  Sounds good but obtaining that goal will not be easy.  Not to mention the eight hour work day, how will my body react to the bike ride and work?  I'm very confident that I will have no severe problems, like a very low or high blood sugar.  These past four days has given me an all time diabetes confidence high.

The bike side of the new daily routine will be nothing butbeneficial.  I will ride ten miles from 6am till 630, and on the way home I'm hoping to get in another 20 miles.  Throw in an eight hour work day and I should burn close to 2,000 calories, the 7lbs of winter weight I have put on will go away rather quickly.  With that will come the comments that I look to skinny and that I need to eat.  By May my weight will be around 160 which is my ideal weight for cycling, replacing the calories that I burn is not easy.  Yes I could eat McDonalds and get the calories that way, but that's not very beneficial to me on the bike.  Finding 3,500 healthy calories is not easy, combine that with the diabetes and it's near impossible.  I love a good challenge though.  Tomorrow the fun starts nice and early when the alarm goes off at 5:34am. (I like to wake up at weird times)