Fundraising with Little Help from My Friends

To follow along with the Beatles' References, I wanted to mention an extraordinary and amazing fundraising event that Holly and Mark Pepper put on to help Triabetes. Holly is a Type 1 and Mark is her amazing husband who also happens to be a fantastic chef. They are both doing Iron Man St. George, so I'm sure you'll meet them.

A while back, shortly after I met them, they volunteered to put on a dinner at their house for friends, cook some amazing food, and charge for it, to help Triabetes, and my fundraising efforts.

I was touched that they wanted to do that, and agreed to even donate all of the food and much of the wine! And.... I am not joking when I say that I had the best meal I've ever had in my life. Here is the menu:

Amuse Bouche

Heirloom tomato puree with fina basil

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Celery root soup, chanterelle muschrooms, micro arugula

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Dungeness crab friiter, citrus, mango puree, micro cilantro

or

Maple vanilla glazed tofu, micro cilantro

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Range Brothers pork loin, bacon cream, candied pecans, blistered tomatoes, king trumpet mushroom

or

King trumpet mushroom and fresh baby corn sautee, oyster mushroom cream, candied pecans, blistered tomatoes

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Cheese and contrast

Cowgirl creamery Mt. Tam triple cream, frog hollow preserves, macrona almonds

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Rasberry almond tart, meyer lemon curd

As you can imagine, it was delicious!! I am so appreciative of their efforts, touched by the generosity of them, and all of those that attended, and more committed than ever to continue to work to support the work that Triabetes and we are doing.

They are even up for hosting another one early next year!!

Back in the Saddle

Wow, it's been a while since I've written. Life is indeed what happens while you are busy making other plans. That's probably one of the most overly quoted, but so true statements.

Since Barb's Race, I haven't slowed down too much. A day after it, I went to Maine for almost 2 weeks and had a really great time with my family there. Among other things, we did our first Taunton Bay Biathlon. Accompanied by my sister in law, brother, niece, dad, and cousin, I swam out to the Island. Liz, swam with me, and it was amazing! The water was pretty cold. As a kid, looking out at the island, we never thought we could just up and swim out there. It's about 2/3 of a mile or so. Then, on the way back, Nicole, my sister in law swam back with me. It was really rewarding to feel so much support, and just out and out fun!

Then, if that wasn't enough, the next event was a 20 mile run. John, my brother organized the family, so that 4 people would do 5 mile shifts with me. And they brought my meter and food to the top of the driveway (dried figs and almonds, and a water bottle). It was awesome!!!! First 5 miles with my other brother, Chris. It was pretty warm, we went out the back road, turned around and back. Then, Liz was waiting at the top with the goods. She and I went back out and back for another 5 miles. Then, Omar, her husband. This was a little harder, but still so wonderful to have company. Then, my other brother, John was there for the final 5. It was a little slower (I was estimating 9 minute conversational pace miles), but we did it! And my two nieces, sister in laws, other brother, and the whole crew was at the top of the driveway to meet us. It was really cool.

I had a wonderful time in Maine also. We did some great hikes, swam to Little Moose Island in Acadia National Park, with my friend Beth's kids, which was a lot of fun. On the island we found blueberries, cranberries, rose hips, seaweed, and crabs! Then, we swam back. It was chilly.

And, we did a 1 mile run and a 5k race. I remembered how slow I am at 5k's, but it was nice. I left that same day as the race, and headed back to California.

I'm following my training plan that Andrew set up, but really, with the exception of yesterday, I hadn't taken 1 day of a break since Barb's race. But I've been feeling really good. I finished reading Born to Run, and have been inspired to run smoother, and to remember the sheer joy of it all.

And, I've gotten really really excited and into biking. I can't believe what an amazing thing it is. From the beautiful views, to the newly discovered thrill of going down hills, and speeding thru the cool air and sunshine; I love it!

And, I bought a new bike. I totally splurged. I went last week and test rode a Cervelo S2, and started to really think about buying it. It was an amazing price, and I couldn't resist. It has all the fancy bells and whistles, and most of all, it's just a lot of fun to ride. I had a huge smile on my face when I rode it.

Since then, I've finally gotten fit and found that I need a longer stem, and a more comfortable seat, and wow, what a difference that can make. I rode on Friday a good 60 plus miles, in the seat it came with, which was pretty uncomfortable, and the handlebars were pretty close. I had to relearn and regain confidence going down hills too, especially on bumpy roads, as you feel everything with the stiffer carbon frame.

Then, today, my neighbor who I've been cycling with, and how has been so super kind in helping me out, tried putting a longer stem (it came with a 90, and he thought I should get a 110 or even a 120). He had a 130 laying around, which he knew was too long, but he put it on, and I got a better seat from the bike shop, and immediately, with the longer stem, I felt way more relaxed. It's such a good feeling to finally figure out what is wrong and correct it.

So, I'm pretty stoked on biking these days. I did the Santa Rosa 1/2 marathon today, and it felt pretty good. It was about a minute slower this year than last year, but I felt a lot better. This year I did 1:43 (7:52 minute miles). I felt really good till like mile 10, then it got a little harder. But I think that I have a lot more endurance now than I used to.

Also, we had a Santa Rosa area Dawn Phenom event on Saturday, which was small, but really nice. I met a couple of new people, and talked to a few more. I can't believe how many people are interested in the Insulindependence shirts!

Okay, more soon. It's nice to be back in touch.

Today was the Santa Rosa 1/2 marathon.

Barb's Race - First 1/2 Iron Man

Well, it's officially done. And what an amazingly fun time. I was probably a little too casual about the whole thing (I got there about 20 minutes before it started), and didn't get sunglasses till the night before, but it was a lot of fun. Somehow, I'm just not the type to think it all thru entirely the night before. At any rate, I can't believe how much fun it was.

So, first of all, I went to the Windsor High school on Friday to get my packet, and set up my bike to run transition.

Then, I got up at 6 AM on Saturday morning, checked my sugar (207), took 1 unit, ate a breakfast of almond milk, raspberries, and hemp seeds (covered by 3 units), walked my dog, and was out the door (with my bike in the back seat) by 7. I got to Windsor around 7:35, and had a hard time finding a place to park. I was a little nervous, since I was cutting it pretty close. I brought way too much stuff to the swim start line (transition 1). I tested right after I set up my stuff, and per Ed's really good nutrition planning and advice, ate two small clif bars, covered by 1 unit, took my 4 units of Lantus, a swig of gatorade, hit the bathroom, and got into the water.

SWIM (1.2 miles) - I got in the water and started at 8:10 AM. I kept to the right hand side, since there were less people and swam up. I probably could have left the wetsuit off, but thanks to Blair's good advice, I hiked up the sleeves and legs to allow for more limb movement. I started my watch, and took off up stream. The water was the perfect temperature, a little cool, but definitely not cold. Some people were waiting along the river, kayakers were on the side, and it was pretty peaceful. My arms kind of hurt. I didn't take it very hard, barely kicked I think, and went back and forth between really concentrating on my stroke, and pushing all the way back with my arms, and piercing the water in front. I also tried to glide and make my strokes last a while. I checked my watch at some point. I was kind of shooting for about 40 minutes, and was pretty close (:39:34). I got out, ran to my bike, and fumbled around. My sugar was 109 I think. Here is where I made a mistake. I got worried that it was going to go up, so I took in a handful of good and plenty's, a small clif bar, AND a gel. In retrospect too much! I seemed to take too long here (:07:17!!). Ran with my bike, and then clipped in to bike up the hill

BIKE (56 miles): This was by far the most fun. I rode pretty conservatively for the first 15 miles or so. I was sipping on a mix of hammer fuel powder and something else. My water bottle had 80 grams of carbs in it, and my plan was to sip half of it during the first 28 miles, and the other half for the second half. The other bottle had water plus Nuun in it, and since then I've found out that Nuun has artificial sweeteners, so I won't be having any more of that. At any rate, I was sipping on the bottle, and kind of holding back on the flats (15 - 17 mph about). At around mile like 20 I think, I started to feel thirsty and a little tired. I decided to test as I rode (right after I was past a station, which again wasn't too smart. 400. Great. So I kept riding and took 2 units of Humalog. And within 15 minutes, I started to feel pretty good. I kept going. Around mile 32 or 35, I told myself "okay, 20 or so more to go, and I'm starting to feel great. After Chalk hill, I took off, I went up to around 21/22 mph, and started passing people. It felt great. I was totally grinning downhill (and even hit 37 mpg, which used to scare the heck out of me.) I really wanted to break 3 hours, but did 3:06:58. I managed to swap my nuun filled nasty bottle for a water bottle at the last aid station and was psyched to down all of the water. I kept sipping a little on the carbo loaded bottle. So, I wasn't sure how smart I was being by going hard on the bike, but I calculated that going 18 mph versus 17 mph on a 56 mile ride would save me like 15 minutes! That seemed a lot easier than cranking my running pace up. So, I ended the bike, and spent :04:56 in T2. That was a little better, but not great.

THE RUN (13.1 MILES) - Blood sugar then was 109 I think. It felt good. I had a little sample size clif bar, and a gel, and started out (and some water). It was hot, and I was a little tired. I'm not sure how fast (or slow) I was going. The run course was hilly! I heard it was a little hillier and different than the 70.3 two weeks before. At any rate, I kept looking at my watch thinking, hmm, I might be able to break 6 hours, but I'm not sure. And the mile markers weren't great. The first out and back was a total of 8.7 miles. Around the hill before the turn around, I started feeling pretty good. I tested about 30 minutes into the run and was like 129, which made me realize I had to consume the same amount of carbs for the next thirty minutes to maintain a good BS. So, on the way back, around what was probably mile 5 or so, I realized that I still had 8.1 miles to go, but I had about 90 minutes to do it. So, even if I did 10 minute miles, I could still make it under 6 hours - that was really exciting! The run back was better than the run out, but around mile 6 or so, I got tired. I had my second gel, and then was out of stuff with me. So I alternated between warm water and warm gatorade at the aid stations. And I grabbed (and ate) 4 clif shot blocks. And then I passed Andrew (who by the way, was 5th overall!!! and first in his age group on the full vineman - what a stud - glad to have him training me). Then, once I got back, and went out for the final 4.4 miles, I was feeling pretty good. Got back, and finished the run at 1:53:52, with an overall finish of the whole thing of 5:52:39. Unfortunately I didn't have anyone waiting for me at the finish line, but I felt good. And BS was like 159. Here are the results: http://www.j-chipusa.com/results.php?eventid=3093&resid=1380

I feel so grateful for all the help I got on this. From Ed's awesome nutrition life saving advice, to Andrew's training and encouragement, Holly's tips on what has worked for her, to my neighbor's giving me some great sunglasses, and fitting me to my bike, and giving me gear, to encouragement and tips - thank you all!

What an amazing fun adventure. I am really looking forward to more!

Diabetes, Training, and CGM's

I've really been enjoying running lately. Although it's been conversational pace, with just a few miles of hills, I've run 37 miles in the last three days. It feels so great to go out and around Annadel Park, where it's all trail, and the lake in the morning is still, the air is brisk, and I'm pretty stoked.

I usually see enough people to make me feel like I'm not out there alone, but also not too many to be distracted. I forget sometimes how just purely joyful it can be to run. If I stop thinking about time, mileage, my knees, the race, how much faster I should or shouldn't be going, and just remember to not think, and enjoy running for the joy of it, it's great.

The other activity that I've loved lately is biking. Discovering how much fun, peaceful, and beautiful back country roads are has been an adventure. I realized that even though I live in Sonoma county, where there are hundreds of miles of roads to bike on, I've done very little exploring. Lately though I've gotten out there more, and really loved it.

I'm really excited about Barb's race. I'm a little nervous, because I know I'm pretty competitive and I don't want to mess up and go out too fast and use up too much energy, and be toasted for the run. So, I'm really going to try to take it really easy, and not do too much, and just be mellow, and then bike strong, but not too fast and then pick it up for the run.

I've also been thinking a lot about CGM's lately and whether or not I'm justified in asking for one. I understand my doctor's argument, that I can just stop and test. And don't want to assume that I should have one just because I potentially can. But, after having quite a few lows, that really did come along quite suddenly, and thinking about it more, I'm convinced that it really will tell me information that I can't otherwise find out. So, I'm going to email my doctor and continue to write about and focus on the lows. I'd like to go about it just by explaining why I need it, but it seems that Kaiser, (and I imagine other insurance companies) want to see the numbers to even consider it. Although, now I know of two Kaiser patients who have them.

We'll see. The last thing I've been thinking about lately is whether diabetes is considered a disability? Doesn't seem like it is, but I'm always curious when I hear people talk about disabilities.

Tambien me gustaria saber si hay personas que le gustaria leer mi blog en Español? Porque siempre estoy pensando en la posibilidad de escribir en Español, pero no solo para hacerlo por gusto. Si hay gente que le gustaria que yo lo hiciera, me avisan por favor. Estoy disconectada con la comunidad latina, aunque trabajo en Nicaragua y El Salvador, aqui en los EEUU, casi no estoy conectado, y me gustaria estar mas involucrada, especialamente en el area de diabetes.

Bueno, aqui, me dispido, y quizas en los proximos voy a poder incluir unos fotos, y mas informacion. Siempre me gusta oir ideas, comentarios, etc.

Barb's Race 2 weeks away

It's been a while since I have written. Training is going really well. I am really enjoying the program that Andrew set up. A few things especially stand out: bike rides all around Sonoma county, long runs up to Annadel Park, and swimming in Lake Ilsanjo, and just exploring this area in general. I am constantly aware and in awe of what a beautiful place I live in. From the sun, to the redwood trees, the clear water to swim in, and the amazing places to bike; I feel so lucky.

My hamstring was hurting for a while, but that seems to have passed. When it was hurting, I think it was just from overdoing it, and not stretching. I took Arnica internally, put Arnica gel on it, took turmeric and cinnamon (turmeric is supposed to be anti-inflammatory), and I didn't eat gluten for over a week and stretched more, and ran last. Who knows which part of that routine helped, but it already feels better.

This week will be a little tough, with a few brick work outs, but I'm hoping I can find the time to do it all.

And, in less than 2 weeks, Barb's race. I went for a ride along Chalk Hill road, where we will be biking in the race, and it's not as bad as I heard. The hill itself isn't too steep, so I'm hoping it can be done.

More to follow soon.

Why it's Important to Use Body Glide (or some equivalent)

Um, well, sorry about this image, but I just wanted to encourage everyone to use some kind of anti-neck chaffing material when wearing a wetsuit. I have a ring like this all the way around my neck (and the close ups are even grosser, and it kind of stings). I was wearing a surf wet suit on Saturday when I swam, but I didn't have a rash guard or anything on. It was a bit painful while swimming, and now, it's a little embarrassing and looks pretty strange. Learn something new all the time.

Swimming at Aquatic Park, Running in the Presidio, and Riding in West County

Wow, the last two days have been pretty incredible! From Saturday morning's swim in the cold (55 degrees supposedly) in San Francisco Bay at Aquatic Park, to running to Baker Beach in the Presidio, to today's amazing ride from Santa Rosa to Bodega Bay; I feel so lucky!!

On Saturday morning I met Mark and Holly Pepper at Aquatic Park in San Francisco. We donned our wetsuits and headed down to swim in the 55 degree water. Probably over half the people in the bay were NOT wearing wetsuits. We all were. Mark and Holly had neoprene caps, and I had two swim caps, plus ear plugs for the first time. So, honestly the first 5 minutes were miserable. Putting my face in the water was so hard. It gave me that beating headache instantly. But somehow, we just kept going, and after 5 minutes or so, it was fine. We swam around the cones back in forth for about an hour. The current swimming towards the Golden Gate was pretty strong, and you'd get pushed towards one of the big boats there, when swimming between the buoy and the boat. And then, about 30 minutes into it, my neck started to just sting. Not from a jellyfish or anything, but just the sheer fact that the wetsuit was rubbing against it. It hurt! Next time, I guess body glide is a good idea; that and perhaps not using a surfing suit.

At any rate, we all made it thru, and felt great getting out. My blood sugar had been 96 before. I ate a clump of old cliff bar samples from the SV triathlon I had brought and 1 cliff shot. Post swimming it was 124. I at 1 shot block. Then, we set out to run thru the Presidio. It was beautiful. I think we went about 11 miles or so (although I'm not sure). But it was great!

Then, today, Blair and I went riding in west county. (http://www.mapmyride.com/user/3589126/anniebacon). It was epic. From the beginning, cool early afternoon, to the Coleman Valley Rd. climb, which was a little brutal in parts, to the amazing view from the ridge, down to the ocean. There was a point (see photo) that we began to feel the cool ocean breeze. We cruised down to highway one, went along it for 8 miles or so, then headed up Bodega Hwy to the Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone. Wow, it was amazing, and then we headed back to Santa Rosa. It was just over 60 miles, and beautiful. I had a low about 2 blocks from home, and couldn't make it without stopping and eating a bunch of dried fruit very quickly. Then, I ran a yellow/red light and wasn't thinking too well, but luckily made it, but learned that I really need to slow down at yellow/red lights.

It's been an amazing day. I love the connections with people that I'm making thru Triabetes. I'm so thankful for the friendships already forming. Blair and I have been talking a lot about what Triabetes means, and I've really been trying to articulate the ultimate goals. I keep coming back to: "getting people with diabetes to talk to each other, build community, and friendships". There is more to it than that, and I look forward to exploring and discovering and helping to be a part of it.