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.

People often wonder why I'm so positive about life and my diabetes, today I received an email that brought me to tears.  Sometimes tears of sadness quickly turn into tears of happiness as you think about all of the good times.  You begin to think about that you guys started a journey at the same time and didn't know it.  By chance you met and shared your diabetes life story with each other.  Often times in this "profession" people come and go, when someone reaches out and helps you, you can't help but know you have a friend for life no matter the distance.

Without diabetes I wouldn't be writing a blog about someone I met while chasing my dream.  I didn't know it at the time but this person would be there for me no matter what.  When you hear that you are the motivation for someone that you look up too, it makes you reflect on everything in your diabetes life.

I'm in a great spot diabetes wise and life wise.  That little boy that was diagnosed at the age of eight is now living his dream at the age of thirty-six.  I have diabetes to thank for all of it, from bags of skittles to Fiber One bars in Boston.  From lighthouses to time in a city that I loved when I was a kid, everything is connecting and I owe it all to diabetes.  Diabetes has taught me how to live the life I have always imagined because diabetes has taught me how to enjoy every moment that life has to offer.  Diabetes has given me a friend that has changed my life, I can't thank this friend for all that he has done for me. 

It's no secret that I love my life with diabetes, I love the challenge it presents everyday and I love the person I have become because I live with diabetes.  I'm often asked what I will do once a cure is found, the truth is that scares the crap out of me.  Diabetes is all I know, diabetes has been my life for almost thirty years.  Diabetes has made me a better person, husband and father.  The one thing I don't enjoy about diabetes is that people care, I know that sounds crazy but think about when someone tells you how to do your job.  If someone tells you how to do your job you get very defensive and will bad mouth that person as soon as they walk away.

We all do that with diabetes, someone asks me "Your blood sugar is low, do you need insulin?" I could list comments or questions that get people living with diabetes upset for days.  Maybe we need to take a step back and think about where that person is coming from.  All we know is life with diabetes, I don't know how to care for someone living with diabetes.  They don't write books that say leave a person with diabetes alone if they have had diabetes for over twenty years.  It is our close friends and family that care the most and we yell or get mad at them when they ask us if we are okay or if we tested our blood sugar.  

I have made it a point to take a step back from now on when people ask about my diabetes.  I don't know what it's like to have a son or daughter with diabetes.  I have thought about it and I know I would be the biggest pain in the ass ever because of my own experiences with diabetes.  I need to remember that people are asking or questioning my decisions because they love me and want what is best for me.  Taking five minutes to explain why I'm doing something or why I'm eating a certain food is ten times better then getting angry and giving someone an attitude.  

I'm a nerd, as I get older I can't deny this fact.  Having diabetes has made me a numbers nerd, I always had decent math skills but diabetes has made that skill a lot better.  Another category of my nerdiness is technology, from building computers to make shift video game systems I love technology.  My last nerd category is weather, I watched the weather channel religiously as a child and still do today.  I mean I listen to weather podcasts while working and get very excited when a big snow storm or hurricane develops.

A very strong storm has developed in the Atlantic and will only strengthen over the next few days.  From Georgia to Maine everyone should be ready for some kind of weather from this hurricane.  Obviously being a week out from the storm making landfall means a lot could change, I'm not use my weather nerd side to explain what could cause a storm to shift but I will try to make people with diabetes aware of the storm.

If you are on the east coast and your local news is worried about the storm then you should be worried if you're living with diabetes.  I say worried but you should be prepared, being prepared will help relieve some stress if this hurricane does make landfall where you live.  

Get supplies now!!  I can't stress this enough, get that extra insulin now!!  Get syringes and pens even if you have a pump.  Pump supplies take about a week to get delivered so if you are running low and are in the track of this storm you're already chasing supplies.  Get everything that you can now, test strips, needles, everything.  Being prepared is a must just in case the worst does happen.

As far as food goes make sure that you have the proper food or drink for low blood sugars.  Get water, it won't go bad and even if the storm doesn't affect you, you'll have the water and can use it for years before it goes bad.  ​http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/emergency-preparedness/DDRCPatientPreparednessPlan2018Short.pdf 

For an athlete with diabetes one of the most important tools that we have is our CGM. Be it a marathon, bike race, or triathlon a cgm keeps our mind at ease and is easy to check while performing whatever sport we love. A CGM is also very important when it comes to work, especially when work is outside and very physically demanding.

For eight months out of the year I have no problems when it comes to the CGM, however the summer months are very difficult. This year has been especially tough due to high temperatures and humidity. I’m lucky if my cgm lasts two days while working. It has gotten to the point where I will no longer wear it because I’m tired of wasting cgm sites.

Having a wife that is an athletic trainer has a number of benefits as an athlete and as a diabetic. I have used glue, tape and whatever else i can think of and nothing has worked. I have one more month of warm temperatures to try and figure this out. I’m open to any ideas that anyone may have.

As an athlete living with diabetes  I believe I worry about my weight a lot more than I should.  To even type that is odd for me, I'm 5'9" and 166lbs, I'm told I'm too skinny.  Even with those comment I believe my body could be a little better, I still have a little kangaroo pouch that reminds me of all the beers and bad food I digested while in college.  For someone that runs or bikes on a daily basis worrying about the food that I eat sounds weird.

Obviously I take my diet very seriously, I look at my body like a sports car.  If I put in bad food or "gas" in to this vehicle it wont run like it should.  If I put in the best food and drink a lot of water my "car" should run perfectly.  For years I was on a very very strict diet that saw no "bad" food enter my system, I weighed around 156lbs but was miserable when it came to my diet.  I wouldn't have a brownie or any kind of dessert, I looked at beer like it was a beaker full of acid (got to the 45 second mark) as years went bye I tweaked my diet.  Starting in July I went to more of a "normal" diet.  More meat, a couple drinks a couple nights a week, and dessert.  For the summer my body was in great shape and I felt amazing, that has continued into the early fall.  I'm cycling very well and running like the wind blows but how?

I still sit and think all of the food I have eaten of late will catch up to me.  In fact last night I turned down a piece of cake because I didn't workout.  Diabetes wise my blood sugars have also gotten better as of late.  I honestly can't ask for a better situation than the one I am in right now.  I just wish that I wouldn't worry as much about my weight, is it just a normal part of life?  We all want the perfect body and to be the perfect weight.  I don't have a scale and don't want one, I judge my fitness level by my appearance and how I compete at races.  I'm never going to be that guy on the beach with a six pack and the perfect body.  I'll be the guy with the big legs, average midsection, and girly arms.  I can bike and run for hours on end though so at the end of the day if I'm happy with my body and if someone else finds it attractive than I will be and should be happy with my body.