Getting Weighed at the Doctor's Office

On Monday, I went to visit my diabetes doctor.  I've said it before and I'll probably say it again in anther 3 months, but I think I have found a perfect match in a doctor.  One who understands me, with all of my quirks and idiosyncrocies and who is willing to answer all of my bizarre questions.

As I walked down the hallways to put my stuff in the exam room, I saw another doctor teaching a little girl, probably 3 or so, the Gangnam style dance.  The little girl then started to ride the horse and it was incredibly cute.

The visit with my doctor rather dull.  He looked at all of my thousands of numbers and told me they were the best he has ever seen for me.  He then told me my A1C, which is something I really don't like hearing.  I love numbers, but hate hearing this one because I feel like there is a lot of judgement associated with it.  Contrary to everyone else in the diabetic community, I am actually trying to raise my A1C.  Yes, make it higher.  My A1C was 5.8, although my goal is between 6 and 6.3.  However, I do think the 5.8 is an accurate reflection of the numbers I have been having lately.

When I told my doctor I wanted to raise my A1C, he said, "that is music to my ears.  It is one of the best things I've heard!"  See, my doctor is a bit odd, like myself.  I feel like most doctors would say "no, keep it below 6!"  But, he knows that I want it higher because it works out better for my athletic endeavors.  Maybe next time I'll meet my goal.

Other things we discussed included:

• Drugs and doping in various sports (biking, running, and martial arts)
• How some people think they are in their prime athletic careers when they are in their 50s
• The temperature that insulin freezes at (it doesn't because it is close to your body, which generates heat)
• The fact that Mitch Albom's books have gotten worse with each new one published
• Clif Bars
• Blood work
• All other diabetes related things (not too exciting)

And weight/body image.  I asked him if it was possible to not be weighed every time I saw him.  It makes me worry about the number on the scale for weeks in advance.  I realize this is not healthy.  I just don't like how it makes me feel.  It is odd because I don't think I'm fat.  I feel normal, an average weight.  It wasn't until the holidays this year when all of my aunts told me that I was so skinny that I actually thought of myself as thin.  But, I just really don't like getting weighed at doctor's offices.  My doctor told me he had to get my weight once a year, but the other three times I see him it didn't matter.  Now, that was music to my ears.

Does getting weighed make you feel uncomfortable?  Or, is it just me?

100% All the Time

My Garmin has been having one problem.  It is doing fine tracking my pace, distance, and splits, but no matter how far I run, the battery always tells me that it is at 100%.

15 miles on Saturday?  Post run it was still 100%.

6 miles on Sunday?  Still 100%.

Granted, I keep charging it after I run.  But, it is puzzling.  It started to be 100% all of the time after Christmas.  I fully admit that I am addicted to my Garmin.  I fully live by the Garmin mile rule - a mile is not a mile unless my Garmin beeps.

I just don't want my always 100% Garmin to be at 0% and not be able to charge.

Have you ever had this problem?  Or, any advice on what I should do?  Contact Garmin?  Think that my watch has supernatural powers?

Steeple Chasing

It was an incredibly nice, balmy 48* today at 4:45 when I started to run.  Originally, I was going to take the day off, but I wanted to take advantage of this phenomenal weather.  I went to see my endocrinologist today, and ran on the path that I do 98% of my miles on, which is only 5 or so miles from is office.  Today, I ran the opposite direction to start as I normally do, which just felt odd.

The path was a mess.  There were so many puddles, small lakes in the middle of the path, and tons of mud.  My goal for today's run was to run every mile under 8:00 pace.  My tempo runs have been non-existence in the recent cold weather we've been having, so I wanted to run some fast-ish miles.  Or, at least get my legs moving.  The first and last mile of my out-and-back run were definitely the worst, water-wise.  My pre-run neon blue Newton's have now been speckled with brown from the mud.  It was like I was running in the steeple-chase, jumping over so many puddles.  And even though the run felt harder than it should've even though I made my sub-8 goal, I was just incredibly happy to be out there wearing capris in January.

I can't wait for tomorrow and the 60* weather that is predicted.  Perhaps I should move south....

Boston Training Week 1

I started training for the Boston Marathon this week.  It is safe to say that I am the last person who qualified for the race to start training.  Due to being sick for 10 days at the end of December/beginning of January, and focusing on speed work for the Ice Breaker Marathon Relay, I lacked getting any long runs in.  Against all normalcy, I am completely OK with this.  I feel like I am decent shape, and although I am a good 4+ miles behind on my long run compared to where training plans say I should be, I'm not concerned.

What did I do this week, running-wise?

Monday - 10 miles at 9:13 pace.  The first 6 were with a friend from running club and were done at 9:30 pace, then I felt good so I picked up the pace for the last 4 I did solo.  This was a make-up long run from last week.  It was wicked cold and by the time I got done running it was -14*.  This was my coldest run outside, ever.  However, I was happy to get the miles in.

Tuesday - Rest.  I was completely exhausted from the race on Saturday, running on Sunday (although only 6 miles, and Monday's 10 miler) so I took the day off instead of doing speed work this week.  I'm trying to listen to my body more this training cycle.

Wednesday - 6 miles on the treadmill at 8:30ish pace average.  It has become so hard for me to run on the treadmill, but I got it done.

Thursday - 2 miles at 5:00 AM at 8:20 pace and 6 miles at 6:30 PM at 8:43 pace.  It felt good to run outside at night with my running club.  It always makes me happy.

Friday - 1 mile.  Once again, I was tired.  By the time I got to the gym it was already 6 PM and I wasn't feeling it.  Like I said on Tuesday, sometimes rest is more important.

Saturday - 15 miles at 9:00 pace on hills.  First training run for Boston is in the books and it could not have gone any better.  I felt great the entire time, and was a little disappointed to stop.  I love long, slow runs.

Sunday - 6 miles at 8:48 average with the running club.  I felt surprisingly good after my long run on Saturday and we picked it up at the finish.

Total mileage: 46 miles

It was a good week :)

A Lesson in Confidence

I don't watch a lo of TV.  The only time I do watch it is if I am at the gym, and it varies day to day as to what I watch.  But today, I learned a lesson from watching TV.

There was a college basketball game on tonight which featured #1 Duke vs. #25 Miami (in Florida).  When I watched the game, it was in the second half and Miami had a surprisingly huge lead of 25 points.  They were dominating Duke.  The announcers were in shock and kept saying how they couldn't believe how the Duke team had given up while the Miami team was full of confidence.  Miami believed they could win, and made it happen.  They weren't intimidated by Duke, or by the legacy of the program.  I'm sure they are still celebrating their victory right now.

Recently, I have been thinking more about competition.  When I line up to start a race, who else is there?  Who will my competition be, besides the clock?  I used to get easily intimidated by others.  For example, on Saturday, the female team that won the relay was a group of athletes out of the Performance store who all ran track or cross country at Division 1 college schools, like Wisconsin.

In the past, I would think that I don't stand a chance against these runners, thinking that because they ran for D1 schools means they are automatically tons faster than me.  However, in the past month I realized that athletes who ran in college, or high school, don't have much on me.  As a matter of fact, I am faster than many of the athletes that ran at the college I went to.  This has given me more confidence as a runner.  And just like the Miami demonstrated tonight, confidence makes a regular athlete capable of the extraordinary.

I don't know what the year will hold for me, but I do know that I have big goals and dreams.  And I fully believe I can achieve them.  I've come incredibly far in my journey as a runner, and only expect it to keep getting better with time.

Race Pictures - To Smile or Not?

Do you ever look at photos of yourself during a race and think "how could I look so bad?"

Or, are you surprised at how good you look?

I went through a phase early when I started running where I didn't look at the camera people.  I thought they were rather annoying, and as a result I had very few good race pictures.

Then, before I ran the Chicago Marathon last year, I decided I was going to smile through the entire race because I knew I was going to order a picture.  Doesn't everyone order a picture for their first marathon?  I thought if I had a smile on my face the entire time, at least one picture would turn out.

And when I looked at my pictures from that race, I realized that they were the best ones I've ever taken because I was smiling.  From that moment on, I wanted to smile for every camera at every race.  And, for the most part, I have succeeded.  I love running, and a smile is a simple way to express that.  

There was a race photographer at Ice Breaker this past weekend, yet I failed to spot him every time I ran.  My teammates told me every time before I ran where he was located, and I couldn't see him.  Perhaps I was too focused on running my 4 laps, or just trying to not run into another person, but I missed him.  And, unfortunately, it shows.  The race pictures were posted to a website yesterday and all of the ones that he took of my teammates and I are pretty bad.  Yet, incredibly funny.  It looks as though one of my teammates is whistling in one of her pictures and another has a rather disgusted look on her face.

Do you have any really good, or really funny race pictures?

When I ran the Illinois Marathon last year, they took 3 pictures of me eating GU, which was pretty funny.  My favorite race picture is from a duathlon I did in September.  Although I am not smiling in the picture, but rather look serious and focused, I like everything else about it.

Ice Breaker Splits

My track coach got us our splits, for which I have only 1 word:

WOW!!!!

To say I am shocked doesn't even come close.  

To recap, our team ran a 3:01:45, which averages out to a 6:56 average pace.

We ran 4 laps at a time, which we figured out was 1.09 miles.  Therefore, to get my pace, I added all of the seconds for my 4 laps and divided it by 1.09 on a running pace calculator website.  My stats looked like the following:

Rotation #1 average pace = 6:21

Rotation #2 average pace = 6:20

Rotation #3 average pace = 6:21

Rotation #4 average pace = 6:31

Rotation #5 average pace = 6:28

Rotation #6 average pace (was only 3 1/3 laps) = 6:20

Overall average pace = 6:24

A few final thoughts...

• As you can see from my splits, the 4th time I ran was the slowest.  It also felt the most challenging, both physically and mentally.
• The 2nd time I ran was my fastest, along with my last time.  I did feel really good the 2nd time I ran.  
• I am shocked by how well I ran.  I can't believe it.  

And one more really important point.  One of my relay teammates put some pictures of us on Facebook, which was great.  It was fun to see how everyone looked while running.  Our first runner had her cheeks puffed out in her picture but she looked so determined.  Our 2nd runner looked so focused and strong.  Our 3rd runner had the look of sheer determination on her face.  My picture was a side view, as I had already passed the camera.  One teammate commented that I was our super-hero.  It is true that I was the fastest, but one person does not make up a team.  I couldn't have run as fast without their support and my track coach calling out my splits.  We all gave it everything we had, and I could not have been prouder to be part of the team.  I definitely don't view myself as the "hero" of the team, because in my mind we all demonstrated super-hero qualities during the race.

Ice Breaker Indoor Marathon Relay Race Recap

I've done relays before (Ragnar four times), but never a marathon relay, and never on inside around an ice rink.  Going into Saturday's race, with full confidence I can that I was nervous and excited.  My team, which was the name of my running club, was made up of me, two ladies I do track with and another girl who is part of the club that I do 90% of my running with (aka my running beastie).  Our track coach, who is married to one of the members of our team, was there as well.

We got to the Petit Ice Center 2 hours before our race began, and walked out to the track.  My first thought was, "It is sooo cold!!!"  I was glad I packed my arm warmers and running gloves for this race!  I do think it was warmer outside on Saturday than inside.  We saw the half marathoners from wave 2 finishing up and went upstairs to hang out in a warmer area.  Our race strategy going in was fairly simple:

6 x 1 mile repeats at 1:55 per lap or less

Our order, like true relay teams, was:
Runner 1 - 2nd fastest runner on team
Runner 2 - 3rd fastest runner on team
Runner 3 - 4th fastest runner on team
Runner 4 - (1st) the fastest runner on the team

I was runner #4 and knew I would have to run under 1:55 if we wanted to break 3 hours, which was our goal.

Our track coach would call out our splits every lap, and be the one to switch our ankle timing band.  This worked out great.  It was incredibly helpful to have him say my splits, even though I was wearing a watch and timing myself.  He also recorded all of our splits.  He was busier than any of the runners, and I truly appreciated all of his work.

I don't know what my splits were, as my track coach hasn't totaled them up yet, but when I was running it seemed like I was going faster than what the splits were showing (not good).  Usually for mile repeats, I find the 3rd lap to be the most challenging, but today it was the fourth lap for some reason.

Turning around the track never hurt my legs, or any of my teammates.  It was great to see so many people on the ice skating, or in the stands near the track cheering.  It was fun to run by my teammates every lap and hear them cheer, and then to look at my coach and wait for my split.  I love the feeling of being on a team.

It turns out that we didn't get our sub 3 hour marathon, but instead ran a 3:01:45, which is a 6:57/mile average and was good enough for the 3rd fastest all female team, earning us a medal.  Our time also includes 24 ankle chip switches, so if we handed off with a bracelet or baton instead we could've gotten it.  We all tried our hardest, which is more important than reaching the goal.  If we do it again next year, which we hope to, along with the fast guys from our club, we'd change a few things and I am confident we could run that sub 3.

I'll post splits when I know them, as I am incredibly curious what my times were.  If you live near Milwaukee, I would definitely recommend the race.

48

I saw this on another blog that I love to read and decided I wanted to do it, too.  Because sho doesn't love a good dose of random facts?  

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Not for my first name.  My parents simply liked my first name, so they decided to name me it.  My middle name is my mom's maiden name.  So if you say my name, it sounds like I have a hyphenated name.  My first name is not common, but I think it fits me perfectly. 

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Last Sunday when I fell on ice and hit my hand hard.  It hurt a lot and it was cold outside.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It is ok. I don't hate it, but I don't love it.  

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Now that I eat meat again, it is either chicken or turkey.  Those are the only two meats that I eat.  

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
None of my own, but 60 during the day.  

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes.  I'm pretty awesome. ***

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No, not at all.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

Yes!!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Definitely not.  I'm too scared.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?

Peanut Butter Panda Puffs are awesome at all times of the day.  

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Nope, I just slip them off.  

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Sometimes.  Physically, not so much.  Mentally, depends on the day.  

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

Anything with chocolate or peanut butter.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their height.  

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink all the way.  I don't like the color red.  

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hm...probably my inability to get up in the morning.  The snooze button on my alarm clock gets a workout every morning.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My grandpa died 18 years ago.  I wish I could have spent more time with him and gotten to know him better.  

18. WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST?
Anything relating to yoga.  

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

None now, but I have gray and green stripped running socks on.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

A piece of pumpkin bread.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Hootie and the Blowfish pandora music station.  I'm a child of the 90s!

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Without a doubt, purple.  It is my favorite color by far.  

23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Cookies and coffee.  

24. HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS TO YOU?
Not important at all.  

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Beach house - I love warm weather.

26. FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

College basketball, especially March Madness.

27. HAIR COLOR?
I used to be a blonde, but now my hair is dark brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
hazel 

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Every day.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
I have a few favorites - peanut butter, apples, carrots and cookies.  Does gum count?  

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Definitely happy endings.  

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
White Christmas with my sister.  She can recite it word for word.  I'm not quite as good, but I do know a lot of the lines.  I l one the song "sisters".

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Green

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer.  I love, love, love it.  Winter could never come again and I'd be completely happy.

35. FAVORITE DESSERT?

Any type of cookies.

36. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?

Running all at the way, so cardio.  

37. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Computer.  I haven't turned my TV on in over 6 months.  

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

the Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.  It is not very good.  :(

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

I don't have one!

40. FAVORITE SOUND?
Feet hitting the pavement.  Or rain at night.

41. FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC?
It varies depending on the day and my mood.  

42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
I spent a summer in California, living in a forest, so that time.  

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I remember a lot of details about events and people.  I'm good with numbers and pace/distance per mile conversions due to training on the treadmill for so many years.  

44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Iowa

45. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?

Illinois - Chicago suburbs

46. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?

Pinkish brick

47. WHAT COLOUR IS YOUR CAR?
dark grey/bluish 

48. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 48 QUESTIONS?
It was pretty good.  

***just kidding

The Not-So-Wonderful Side of Team Novo Nordisk/TT1 - Responding to Comments

The goal of my post yesterday was to bring information to light, not to get people to agree or disagree with me.

With that being said, I think it is important to address a few issues and questions that came up yesterday when people commented.

• There were some people that said they didn't know a diabetic team existed, and thought it was a neat idea, a point that I completely agree with.
• Some people agreed with me in questioning what Team Novo Nordisk constitutes as an elite runner (all of these comments came from non-diabetics). 
• Some people made recommendations, the most common one being that they should take the word "elite" off of their runner page. 
• Even though I do not support the team, I still support the people I personally know on the various teams.  

The post was published at 12:05 PM.  At 1:40, I got a comment from one of their directors.  

I feel like this warrants some comments from me.  

• My frustrations are not stemmed from not getting selected.  They stem from the misuse of the word "elite" on the runner page in regard to the athletes on the team.  They also stem from your lack of communication.  
• I stated the facts yesterday.  If you feel like the facts are accusations, then maybe you should figure out why you feel like that.  If you have data to prove I am wrong, I am more than happy to correct it.  
• I feel like if you are calling yourself elite, then you need to defend your athletes.  Sure, some of them are great runners - three of them, in my mind.  Others would barely be considered "middle of the pack" runners.  Don't say you are a group of elite athletes when it is not accurate, which you know (see below).  It is like false advertising.  Unfortunately, many people believe what they read and would assume you are telling the truth, when it is not true.   
• I'm curious as to who the two 2:15 marathon runners are?  That time is equivalent to a top 20 performance at Chicago and top 10 at Boston this year.  It appears as though about half of the men are sub-3:00:00 marathoners, yet 2:15 is far different than a 2:40 or 2:50-something time.  Some have never run a marathon before, and others are yet to run in the low 3's.  
• I understand that you are trying to inspire others to take a more active approach to living with the condition.  Change your statements so that is what they say.  You have one truly elite runner on your team, who races for a different brand.  

The most interesting comment from your entire response was:

You are admitting that not everyone is fast.  See my bullet point number three above.

I challenge Team Novo Nordisk to do the following:

1. Remove the word elite from your running page team, as it does not apply.

2.  Change the first sentence so it is accurate, in addition to getting rid of the word elite.  As I mentioned yesterday, there are only 21 members listed on your site, not 22.  

3.  Make the process to get on any of your teams - running, triathlon, women's cycling, cross, and development - the same.  After reviewing the running application, I think you could easily adapt it to encompass all of the other sports.

4.  Effectively communicate with others in a timely, respectful manner.  I'm sure my emails are not the only ones that don't get answered.  Not effectively communicating with others makes the organization look bad, which is not something it wants (or so I imagine).

5.  If you are really trying to inspire everyone, you might want to look at the gender imbalance on your team.

• On the running team, 2 out of 21 are female (9%).
• On the Mtb & Cross team, 1 out of 10 is female (10%).
• On the Team Type 2 team, 0 are female (0%).
• On the Triathlon team, 5 out of 11 are female (45%)
• On the women's cycling team, 15 are female (100%).
• On the development team, 0 are female (0%).
• On the Pro Cycling team, 0 are female (0%).

The overall percentage of female athletes on all teams combined is 23/98, or 23%.  More than 23% of the diabetic population is comprised of women.  

I hope to the team will make some changes, as what they are currently doing is stating false information on their website.  I want nothing more than to find a cure for diabetes, and think it is important to motivate others to be active if they have diabetes.  I feel like those who know me know that diabetes does not impact what I want to do, or what I will achieve.  If you have any challenges for me, I'm more than happy to hear them, as nothing motivates me more than a good challenge.  

The Not-So-Wonderful Side of Team Novo Nordisk (TT1)

Everyone knows that people with diabetes are supposed to exercise in order to have better control of their health.  Although the vast majority of these claims are aimed at those living with Type 2 diabetes, it has been proven that exercise helps everyone living with diabetes, regardless of the type.

In recent years, a few organizations have formed to promote exercise with individuals living with diabetes.  One such organization is Insulindependence, based in California.

Taken from the Insulindependence website

Their goal is more about reaching out to every diabetic that desires to exercise and help them so they are able to do so.  By having this as their mission statement, it implies that they are open and accepting of everyone, regardless of athletic ability or experience.

The second organization that was formed with a diabetes and sports foundation was Team Type 1.  Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it was founded as a cycling team that later would go on to include triathlon, running, and women's cycling teams.  Due to a recent sponsorship deal, they now go by Team Novo Nordisk.

The mission Team Novo Nordisk, formally known as Team Type 1, is:

What is Team Novo Nordisk?

Team Novo Nordisk began as a grassroots initiative to motivate people to take control of their diabetes using cycling as a platform. It grew to become a world-class athletic program for athletes with diabetes, including a professional men’s cycling team, poised to compete at the Tour de France. Today, it is a global sports organization changing the lives of people with diabetes around the world through racing, groundbreaking research, international outreach and philanthropic initiatives in developing countries.

OUR MISSION

We strive to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. With appropriate diet, exercise, treatment and technology, we believe anyone with diabetes can achieve their dreams.

(taken from the Novo Nordisk website)

More or less, it appears that the mission statements of the two organizations, although worded differently, are trying to do the same thing - motivate others to take better control of their diabetes.  However, there is one major difference.  While Insulindependence makes no mention of the type of athlete on their team, Team Novo Nordisk says that they are a "world-class athletic program."  This statement implies that the athletes on the team are successful, given that they are a world-class athletic program.  On the running teams webpage, the following is said:

ABOUT THE TEAM

Team Novo Nordisk Running is comprised of 22 elite runners, all who excel in athletics despite, training, racing and living every day with type 1 diabetes. Team Novo Nordisk Running will compete on the largest stages in running this season, from the Boston Marathon to the Western States 100 Mile Run, and many events in between. 

As you can see, they say that they are a team comprised of elite athletes with diabetes.  Contrary to what they state, there are only 21 athletes listed on their team page, not 22.  

Last year, I applied to be part of the team from some encouragement from a few other diabetics.  
Thinking about it from a purely mathematical approach, I thought my chances were good.  If you take the number of diabetics, then reduce it by the number that run, I thought I would rank fairly high in comparison to others, especially when thinking about other diabetic women runners.

Last year, I wasn't informed that I didn't make the team.  I read on another blog that that person made the team to realize that I hadn't, which greatly disappointed me.   I blogged about my disappointment without stating that I was frustrated with their organization.  I thought there lack-of communication was unprofessional, especially if the organization is attempting to inspire others.

From last year to this year, I learned more about the team from various people.  It appears as though many "diabetic common folk" think the team is wonderful and have no issues with the organization and how its run.  But the facts that I have learned over the past few years tell a different story.  

Did you know that there is no application to be part of the women's cycling team?  Yet, to be on the running team a person must fill out a 2-page application, which also includes essays.  I find this odd, because both teams are operating under the same leadership team.  The process to get on a team should be the same - no matter what team one wants to be on.

If you fast-forward to this year, I decided to apply yet again.  Not knowing why I didn't make the team last year, I thought it was possibly because I had not run a marathon yet.  With 2 marathons, one being a BQ, under my belt, I thought I had a better shot and my race resume was also much stronger now.  In their statement on the running page they do state Boston being "large stage running race," which is my next marathon.

It also crossed my mind that I didn't get on the team because they didn't have any females on the team.  Last year, all members of the running team were male, except for their coach.  If the mission is to inspire all athletes, I don't know why you wouldn't have both male and female representatives, as there are diabetic  boys, girls, women, and men that could be inspired.

When I applied this year, I wanted to get some questions answered first.  My questions were simple: are females allowed on your team?  when is the application due?  when will I be notified?  I feel like all of my questions were logical and valid.  However, after a month of no response, I sent an email to the women's cycling director.  I hoped she could motivate the men to get organized.  The next day, I was sent an email that said they were still finalizing the team, which would be out in "the first quarter of 2013."

A few days ago, I went on Twitter to see that Team Novo Nordisk tweeted about their new website.  Being curious, I clicked on the link to see how it was different.  I saw the "team" tab, and realized that some of their teams had been updated from their previous website, noticing the running team was one of them.

Realizing that they had finally accepted two women onto their running team was a step in the right direction.  However, their lack of communication was still disappointing, as I was not notified that I didn't make the team and wondered why I was not selected.  After looking at the two women on the team (Missy Foy is not mentioned on the team page anymore), the facts state that I am faster.

I can't support an organization that does not truly abide by its own philosophy.  They say that "it (team novo nordisk) grew to become a world-class athletic program for people with diabetes..."  and that they have elite runners on their running team.  How is a 28 or 29 minute 5k runner world class or an elite runner?  That wouldn't even be a sub-9-minute mile pace for a 3-mile race.  

I think the team means well, but lacks consistency and communication.  It is as if they tried to do too much too soon, instead of trying to do one thing well.  Only having male representatives doesn't inspire everyone living with diabetes, nor do slow runners when you claim they are elite.

Perhaps this organization should look at their team statements and see if they really want to follow them, or do they just want to create a training group for athletes with diabetes instead, instead of those who are elite or close to it?