It was due to happen, after a great blood sugar week last week I knew this week would be interesting. With a very busy and stressful week ahead of me at work I know that stress, lack of sleep, and different meal times will be a huge challenge. Today I felt that I was on the blood sugar roller coaster, one minute I felt low the next my dexcom is beeping because I was above 150.

Today wasn't a horrible day but after a week like the one I had last week an average day like today felt like a horrible day. That anger and drive is what pushes me as a diabetic, I set high goals and expect perfection as a diabetic, a cyclist and a runner. I know that absolute perfection isn't possible but I will fight like hell to find my diabetes blood sugar perfection.

I always get nervous anytime I write about how well my blood sugars were one day.  I'm a very superstitious person and somehow by writing about my good blood sugars I will be cursed with a day of bad blood sugars.  I believe it's like breaking a mirror and getting seven years of bad luck, writing a good diabetes day brings you one day of horrible blood sugars.  I have found that talking to friends face to face about good blood sugars bring the same bad luck.

For the past few days my blood sugars have been very respectable.  Notice that I didn't say good or bad, that would bring bad luck.  I have had my share of blood sugars over 150 but those stints have been short lived.  I have also had a number of lows which have also been short lived, I really wouldn't want to stay at 50 for hours on end.  I still have work to do, the spike last night was caused by pasta, I can't beat pasta.  Pasta has my number, I have gotten better though, I no longer see pasta spikes of 300.  My pasta spikes stay close to the 225 range which isn't great but is better than where I was at with pasta a few months back.  I believe I owe my recent good blood sugar stint to a very busy and active days. 

I'm sure that my stretch of bad blood sugars is coming but for now I will enjoy where I'm at and try not to change to much so that this stretch continues.  What i love about diabetes is that you never know what it will present you with.  I could do the same thing everyday and my blood sugar would never be the same.  To some that is annoying but to me and many others we just love being here to take the challenge that diabetes has given us.

A long day that started with a very scenic and relaxing bike ride at 530 is the cause for a short post this evening. Having such a great following is the reason for the post, thank you to everyone that reads everyday.

A blood sugar of 160 was a big help this morning before I started my ride. It is amazing how a blood sugar can give someone so much or so little confidence. A bowl of cereal and a unit of insulin helped me ride with no problems and get to work with a blood sugar of 99. A good day always starts with a good bike ride!!

No I will not be talking about Goosebumps the awesome kids books that I read when I was little.  I will also not be talking about this, that is awesome but not the subject this evening.  The subject this evening is this amazing commercial that gives me goosebumps every time that I watch it.  It is strange, I wear a bathing suit each summer with my pump attached but that story doesn't really appeal to me.  The commercial almost brings me to tears because I know the pain of riding with diabetes.  I know that so much goes in to being able to ride with diabetes, the truth is riding a road bike at 10mph up a mountain is easy, compared to riding a bike with diabetes.  Obviously riding with diabetes is possible and people all over the world are riding because they have been inspired by Team Novo Nordisk.

I'm not a marketing major but I do believe that Team Novo Nordisk can take their marketing to another level.  I'd love to see a commercial that shows great moments from past tours, these moments would be shown for say five seconds.  The next five seconds would show Team Novo Nordisk members testing their blood sugar, taking shots, blood sugar readings, and the team on the bike.  For twenty five seconds just that going back and forth, at second twenty-six it just says SEE YOU IN 2021, it then shows the Novo Nordisk logo and the commercial ends.  I don't have the ability to try and create this commercial but have two youtube videos below.  Watch bits of both and you will get the idea.  I believe that as diabetics we need to take that in your face attitude and what better way to do so than by telling the cycling world we are coming for them!!

The Dexcom still has my number, however today was the closest I have ever been to being perfect.  The best part of my near perfection was being active all day.  

A six mile run to work at 5am started the day.  With a blood sugar of 72 at 430 I decided having a bowl of cereal, a glass of apple juice and no insulin would allow me to run with no blood sugar problems.  I guessed correctly and arrived at work with a blood sugar of 99.  My perfection would end 45 minutes later as my blood sugar spiked quickly, I took 1.3 units after my run but took the insulin about a half hour to late.  

The worse part is that my blood sugar crashed after taking that 1.3 units.  This happens a lot, my blood sugar will spike quickly and come down just as quickly, you can see that I have many quick spikes and quick drops.  Seeing my blood sugar raise so quickly is a little scary, I don't like seeing 155 accompanied by double arrows.  I will take insulin and then twenty minutes later I'm at 170 and have a straight arrow.  It is very confusing and something that I will definitely ask my doctor about at my next appointment.  I can only hope that I can keep my blood sugars as great as they were today and last night. 

Five years ago when I bought my first road bike I had no clue what I was doing.  I loved riding the bike because I felt alive while I was riding, I had no clue what I was doing when it came to my diabetes however.  I had no clue how to set a temp basal for a ride or what I needed to eat or drink while riding.  Diabetes was my focus not riding the bike.  Back to present day, I have ridden in a handful of races, ridden numerous centuries, ran a marathon, and have found a new love in running half marathons.  I have done all of that and have had an A1C of 7 or below for almost four years.  

Each time I ride my bike or go for a run my diabetes is obviously my first priority but I now know what I need to eat, drink and do insulin wise so that I can be successful.  With that has come focusing mainly on being an athlete.  The truth is I miss the challenge of doing something because people say I can't.  Everyday I try to get better as an athlete, I have accepted being a diabetic that is an athlete with an A1C of 6.7.  I want a challenge from my diabetes, I know that seems wrong to say but that is what I need.

What can I do that challenges me as a diabetic and as an athlete?  The only thing I can think of is swimming.  I have talked about swimming for a year or so but honestly I have been scared to do so.  I can't swim and I have no idea how to manage my diabetes while swimming.  I can't have my CGM or pump with me in the water.  I can't take insulin before swimming because I will go low, so what do I do?  What do I do, I stop being a little b&$@h and challenge myself.  I'm scared but I will figure it out and I hope that I'm writing another blog like this in a year.

I love my CGM, Easy Ed and I go everywhere together, I feel like a little kid with a my buddy doll.  While I'm working Easy Ed and I don't see each other unless Easy Ed gets mad and starts beeping because my blood sugar is to low or high.  If I'm in my zone I can go all day without seeing Easy Ed.

Yesterday was the first time that I had ever lost Easy Ed.  Most of my work day I'm cruising in a golf cart at 20mph trying to avoid play and water greens so that the grass doesn't die.  It is kind of like a fireman racing to get to a fire to save the building, dead grass on a green means I would be looking for a new job at the end of the day.  Yesterday I was riding with a coworker/good friend, we were checking the greens and as we raced to a green something flew out of the cart and landed on the ground, we both looked at each other and said "What was that"  we were not concerned and went on with our day.  A few minutes later we were leaving work for the day.  I ran a couple of errands and almost a half hour had passed when I smiled and said "My CGM hasn't beeped in a long time"

At that moment I did the pocket tap to make sure Easy Ed was with me.  When I didn't feel the CGM I panicked, I started searching the car and got scared when I couldn't find it.  The CGM is my life, I'm nothing without it.  I then raced back to work, when I say raced, I do mean raced, I was a good ten to fifteen miles over the posted speed limit the entire way.  I quickly unlocked the building and grabbed the cart and raced to the third hole, that was where "something" fell out of the cart.  My CGM was sitting in the grass, I quickly raced over to it and kind of hugged it, I know that sounds weird but my CGM is like a member of the family.  I even took it out for ice cream so it wouldn't be mad at me, it just sat there and watched it melt but after a couple of hours it came back around and acted like nothing ever happened.  I will definitely be paying attention to my CGM a lot more while at work, I don't want to lose it ever again!!

Tonight I will share a couple of great links that I found today.  The artificial pancreas is making huge strides and these two articles show the progress that is being made.  The future looks very bright!!

Next-Generation Artificial Pancreas System Gears Up for Test Drive

What the iPhone based Artificial Pancreas means to patients and physicians

I learned two things when I ran the Jamestown half marathon on Saturday morning, one the mind is one powerful thing, and that I'm a much happier person when I workout.  Going in to the half marathon I thought that I would finish around the two hour and thirty minute mark.  I had been running but I don't count once a week as training.  After a nice five mile run on Wednesday I had a little bit of confidence.  My body is not where it needs to be but my mind is stronger than ever.  When you start to experience real life and real pain, running is as easy as tying your shoes.  I was so focused on Saturday that I could have ran for days, I had some help staying hydrated by using Skratch Hyper Hydration, Skratch helped so much, I was finally hydrated and stayed hydrated the whole race.  Being hydrated helped me focus on running and being mentally strong.

Before talking about the race, I must apologize to anyone that saw me at the race.  I was so focused on the task at hand that I ignored a lot of people.  I found that out today while at work when a good friend said "A bunch of people said they saw you Saturday but were scared to talk to you because you looked so intense."  I also got, "Why'd you ignore so and so, they saw you at the race and said hi but you didn't even recognize them."  Trust me I did not do this intentionally, I was focused on the task at hand, I ran a quarter mile with an old high school friend and had a nice chat but other than that I didn't converse with anyone and I'm sorry that I missed a lot of people.

As the race began I was very focused on listening to my body, if my body couldn't do it I would have dropped out, but when you get goosebumps a half mile in and your body feels amazing you know it is going to be a good day.  After finishing the first 5k in 27 minutes I was very happy and knew that I could pick it up a little while taking in everything around me.  I enjoyed the scenery and kept a good pace as approached mile 7, then I had to find a spot in the woods to use the bathroom.  This was a first, I've never been so hydrated that I had to pee mid run.  Back to the run, a rolling hills course was not what I expected as I hit mile ten, my body felt good and I wanted to finish the final 5k in 22 minute to try and finish around 1:50:00.  A few hills and my body feeling tired had me finish with a time of 1:57:39.  As I finished I had a huge smile on my face, I was happy that I finished but I was happy because running is my escape.  When I run or ride the bike I find my happy place, I think a lot about life and how lucky I am to be where I am.  I say it a lot but after getting knocked down so much getting up and enjoying that you're up and fighting makes life great.  I still have a chip on my shoulder from the doctor telling me I should be dead and that I wouldn't do anything.  I need to find this doctor and drop my A1C records for the past five years and give him a pile of medals that I have earned.  He pissed me off but guess what it worked and at the end of the day as bad as his bed side manner was, he did his job.  

As far as the diabetes goes, I couldn't have asked for better blood sugars while racing.  I started just below 190, I suspended my pump just before the start and would not resume it until mile 10.  I got as low as 99 but a couple packets of GU would have me around 170 at the finish.  I'm not sure if it was the early start time but I love how well I did blood sugar wise.  This race was just what I needed, I have been bitten by that bug again and I expect to be running a 1:40:00 half marathon in September when i race in the very flat Surftown half marathon in September.

As I prepare all of my supplies for tomorrows race I can't help but look at my Garmin Vivofit and imagine what could be.  Luckily Apple has some amazing workers and is rumored to release the iWatch sometime this fall.  I have an obsession with Apple products and I can't wait for the iWatch.  From reading that lengthy article the iWatch sounds almost to good to be true, the good news is that apple has a history of changing the game.  From the Mac to the iPhone Apple has changed how we listen to music and has taken the cell phone to heights that we could've never imagined.

Why am I so excited about a watch?  Why is a diabetic that is obsessed with his health and his diabetes so excited for a watch?  THIS IS WHY!!!  I'm sure you're asking yourself, "Ryan you have the dexcom and love it, what is the big deal?"  The big deal is that all of the information that could be on my watch, if I'm running a half marathon and see that my blood sugar falls at mile 8 while my heart rate is at 185, I can hopefully then printout a sheet that shows my heart rate and my blood sugar.  I will then have a binder labeled runs, I will also have a cycling binder.  These binders will hold any run or bike ride I go on, my OCD will have the sheets grouped by distance.  I can then look at a sheet to get a better idea of how to handle certain situations while in a race.  Sounds crazy but to me it sounds amazing!!

Time will tell how much the iWatch offers but I like what I hear so far.  As a diabetic and a technology nerd I love what the future holds for people with diabetes and for athletes.  The diabetic athlete is getting more technology and that will make them stronger.

The half marathon is not until Saturday morning but I'm already very nervous.  The race begins at 6:30am which makes planning for the race very difficult, my day will begin at 4:12am (very superstitious I never set my alarm to end in 5 or 0) I will eat breakfast and have a peaceful walk/talk with my dog.  Then it is off to Middletown which is about a 45 minute drive, that is where the problem arises.

My breakfast will probably be a bowl of Raisin Bran due to the fact that it doesn't spike my blood sugar.  However I will not be moving for 45 minutes and will probably spike due to the adrenaline, I have no idea how much insulin to take to cover my breakfast.  I'd like to be at 200 around 5:45 and then get in a two mile warmup jog in before the race begins, if all goes as planned I will be at 170 when the race starts.  If I can do that I will in great shape.

The next concern is what do I bring with me while I race.  I have to take a bus from the parking lot to the start, I usually like to do my warmup, then go to my car to test my blood sugar and eat anything in case I'm low.  I will now have to take extra food with me just to be safe, I have a feeling I could leave a nice pile of unopened food near the start.  I will bring a juice box, candy, GU, and Powerbars with me.  I don't plan on running with a juice box in my pocket, I also will not be running with five packets of Gu in my pockets.  If they are not needed I will do my best to find someone that does need them.  I feel good about Saturday, and plan to have a great diabetes day and a great run.

For me having a low blood sugar and being dehydrated carry the same symptoms.  I will feel dizzy, numb around my mouth, and often very tired.  I will often carry around a 3 liter bottle around the house just to try and stay hydrated.  Working outside in the summer makes staying hydrated nearly impossible all summer long.  I make sure to use my CGM everyday to make sure that I'm low when I feel dizzy.

I have recently been very dehydrated due to work and being on doxycycline.  I stopped taking doxycycline on Friday and it should be out of my system starting tomorrow.  I believe being dehydrated was my biggest problem on my run Sunday, to try and beat dehydration Saturday I started to use NUUN.  I have been using Nuun for almost a year before any big race or if I feel dehydrated.  It is amazing how well it works and the taste isn't bad at all.  I encourage people to check out Nuun.

As a diabetic athlete being hydrated is important and now that I have a secret weapon I can be hydrated and in control of my blood sugar.  The diabetic athlete puzzle has a lot of pieces, pro athletes have the puzzle put together, my puzzle is half done.  I keep finding pieces however, it takes a little while to find how a piece works but once we get it to fit in we can't be stopped.  I didn't start my diabetic athlete puzzle until I was 26 but I have found a lot of pieces in five years, it can be done and I will keep working to find more pieces.

Lately I have been listening to a lot of motivational speeches, I had gotten away from what made me who I am.  I was using excuses and listening to what other people were saying.  I love running and love riding my bike, that is who I am.  I'm on borrowed time, I've done to much bad to my body, running and riding a bike proves to me that I'm still alive and that I can beat the odds.  Racing and getting medals isn't big in the grand scheme of life, but each race and each medal holds a special place in my heart. 

I'm signed up for the Jamestown half marathon on Saturday, I couldn't run five miles without having to walk yesterday.  My body is sore, I'm dehydrated, and the meds for lyme are slowly leaving my system.  Each day is better than the one before, I feel stronger each day, I just need to get hydrated and in the right mental state and Saturday will be no problem.  I have two reasons to run, I know that "Care Bear" and "Sharkie" would love to have a medal.  I'd love to give them one to show them that giving up is never an option, they may not understand it now but down the road I hope to inspire them.

Positive thoughts and not giving in to pain will be key on Saturday.  I started writing tonight thinking that I would ask people for help and see if it was a good idea to run.  As I finish up I can say barring any major injury I will be running on Saturday.  It will not be easy but I have never been one to avoid pain.  Pain lets me know that I'm alive and that is what I need to be the best person that I can be.

Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year for any cycling fan.  The 101st Tour De France starts tomorrow in Leeds which is located in the United Kingdom, the first stage is listed as a flat stage and is a basic 118 mile stage which should have a great sprint finish!!  I love cycling and I love the Tour, for me the Tour is bigger than the Super Bowl.  The video above shows how great the tour is and how much it means to people.  21 stages over three weeks, the tour is amazing and each day anyone can win a stage.  

Being a bike rider I love what the bike has done for my life, it has taught me so much about myself and about life.  When you are the bike you are in control, hills are painful, mountains make you question why you would torture yourself like that.  After any ride you are a new person, life tasks that you thought were tough before a bike ride seem simple.  Climbing a mountain on a bike with a heart rate of 190 and grasping for air make you appreciate everything in life.  Crashing at 20mph also makes you a better person, I have never felt pain like I have whenI fell of my bike at 20 mph or got forced off the road by a car.  Without the bike I wouldn't be who I am today, the bike has made diabetes easy.  I know that sounds crazy but a bad insulin site or a low or high blood sugar are nothing compared to a ride up a mountain.  if I can ride my bike two hundred miles in one day i can handle a low blood sugar.

The 2014 Tour should be amazing, I will be watching every stage just to watch professionals have the same struggles that I do while on the bike.  My routes are nothing compared to the ones of the Tour but seeing professionals questioning why they are torturing their bodies while in the alps is always something to watch.   Look for Mark Cavendish to continue to win sprint finishes, but don't be surprised if Marcel Kittel wins a couple of the sprints.  As far as the yellow jersey goes look for Alberto Contador to wear the jersey when they finish in Paris.  Andrew Talansky will be in second and don't be surprised to see Pierre Roland finish in third.  Chris Froome the 2013 winner will have one tough day and that will do him in although I see him finishing in the top 10.

People often think that Thanksgiving and Halloween are the toughest holidays for diabetics.  I think that Independence Day comes in third and could very easily be first.  With desserts galore, hot dogs, and burgers a diabetic can quickly lose control of their blood sugar.  As the title says I believe that the best plan of attack is to have a plan. 

Don't drive yourself crazy, you know what foods will be in front of you, don't go to a party and play the pity card.  People don't want to hear you say "I wish I could have a cupcake but I can't"  Yes you can have that cupcake.  As a diabetic I plan to have two desserts, it could be a cookie and a piece of pie.  I will stop at two, willpower is huge this weekend.  I know that I will eat a lot of chicken and fruit.  Other than a few chips and my desserts I will be happy with what I eat this weekend.  

The athlete side of me will be happy as well, I want to eat well, enjoy myself and watch my calorie intake.  A high blood sugar is a lot worse than over eating but not by much.  If I go to a BBQ I set the bar at 750 calories, that is a ton of calories for me.  My average meal is around 400.  I would rather have a successful ten mile run than eat ten buffalo wings.  Yes I know my plan is a bit crazy but it is what works best for me.  My plan allows me to keep control of my blood sugar and feel good for my run on Monday.  Do what works for you, have a plan and enjoy the weekend!!