Times 2

I've had not-so-stellar work-outs the past 2 days. Sunday I was tired and felt awful from other things (life) and decided to only run 1.5 miles and then bike 5. It was my shortest workout in days. I thought that I would feel awesome and have fresh legs today. I wanted to do a long run since I scrapped that idea on Sunday. I started off by running 2 miles at a 7:24/mile pace, then my legs started to get heavy. I knew my blood sugar was headed south and quickly so I stopped, checked the BG and saw a 65 on the screen. After treating with some glucose tabs, I biked for 5 miles then decided I wanted to get back and run my other 6.5 miles that I had planned on doing. I ran 1 at a 7:53 pace, which felt like a sprint, got frustrated, and decided to stop. I walked a mile to clear my head, biked another 3 and then got on the dreaded ellipticle for 2 miles. Maybe I need to take a full day of rest and not do anything exercise-related for one day to help my legs feel better. My left leg started to hurt a little bit today....nothing I couldn't handle. But, I don't want to get injured. I have not taken a day off exercising since December. There have been non-running days, but I've been doing something. Maybe that would help?

Vibrams: No Thanks

From everyone I have talked to and taking into account the majority of what I have read, the Vitram five fingers toe shoes have two types of people: the lovers and the haters. I was recently thinking about Vibrams after my mom sent me an article on how they are making special socks for these types of shoes. That is great. Wonderful. I could care less.

If you believe in and love your Vibrams - good for you. However, they are not for me. Granted, I only wear Saucony shoes (and 99.9% always will), so the brand alone was not something that I wanted to try. When I walk into my local running shoe store I just tell the guys what I want and leave. I don't even try my shoes on because I get the same thing every single time. If it is not broken, don't fix it...right? But, today after watching da Bears lose to the Packers I was talking to someone about the shoes. He had a pair and I wanted to try them on. Just because I'm curious about all the hype/hate/love for them. He brought them out and I struggled to get my feet in the shoes.

My feet are unique. I have incredibly high arches, so high that you can see through my feet. My toes are special as well. Not only are they super tender and sensitive, they are also ugly. But..who really has pretty toes? As I struggled to get my right foot in the shoe, I knew it was a problem. I could not figure out how to separate my toes to fit into the toe spaces in the shoes. I finally got a few in but it felt so awkward. How running like that could actually be comfortable is beyond me. I need my cushioning, toe room, support, and Saucony logo on my shoes. In addition, I don't know how well they would work, given the fact that I run fairly high mileage. Vibrams, no thanks.

Does anyone actually use these shoes? Do you really find them comfortable? Or, are you like me, and think they are really ugly?

Then and Now

I'm happy it is Friday. It has been a long week and I'm tired. I plan on going to bed early and being productive tomorrow before having a fun time with friends and pretending I'm from Djibouti (Ja-Booty!). I stole today's post topic from Sarah Jane's blog because I thought it was intriguing.

The "Then and Now" Meme

10 years ago I was:

• A sophomore in high school
• Playing on the varsity basketball team, running track, and cross-country
• English was my favorite subject in high school and realizing how wonderful my sophomore year English teacher was
• Taking 4 shots a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and lantus)
• Thinking basketball was the best sport ever and running was purely social

5 years ago I was:

• Majoring in elementary and adolescent education in college
• Living in Minnesota with tons of snow
• Having trouble controlling my diabetes (I got my pump in February of 2006) and having many low blood sugars
• Training for my first half marathon
• Loving college life

1 year ago I was:

• Running with no plan and not training for any races
• Struggling with keeping everything up-to-date at my job
• Not paying for and did not have cable or Internet
• Living by myself
• Trying to figure out how to meet more people post-college

Yesterday I

• Was happy driving to my job
• Teaching students about a solar system and explaining that they will be building a dodecahedron the following week in school
• Ran a 20:04 5k on the treadmill
• Called and talked to my mom
• Blogged about how much I like blogging

Today I

• Went to ask my principal if I could teach a different grade next year
• Complimented each of my students for doing something well throughout the day
• Talked to a friend for an hour
• Had a Panera salad for dinner because I ran out of food
• am happy with my life

5 songs I know all the words to

• Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
• Car Crash - Matt Nathanson
• This Town - O.A.R.
• Dynamite - Taio Cruz
• Fire Burning - Sean Kingston

5 things I'd do with 1 million dollars

• Go on vacation to Hawaii
• Go to Africa for the entire summer
• Donate money to my favorite charities
• Buy new desks and laptops for my class
• Buy a condo

5 favorite TV shows:

• Wheel of Fortune
• the news
• Law and Order (the original with Jesse L. Martin)
• House Hunters
• How I Met Your Mother (I just started watching it, but it is hysterical)

5 biggest joys

• My family and friends (aka my family in Illinois)
• Running well
• My job that I love so much
• Going on trips
• Good coffee

The Joys of Blogging

When I first started my blog, my main goal was to connect with other athletes, primarily runners, with diabetes. I only briefly met one at a chance encounter when I lived in Ohio and wanted to see how other people trained for distance running. Over the past 2 years, not only has my life drastically changed, but a lot of what I blog about has changed. I am more than a person living with diabetes and don't feel obligated or the need to blog only about it, which were some of my feelings when I first started. Now, I just like to write whatever I'm thinking about or feel. It makes this blog authentic - it is about my real life and who I am. This includes the good and bad, the ups and downs.

One of my favorite things to do is open up the "stats" tab in blogger. It is the small joys in life, right? I like to see how many people have read my blog for the day and what search terms lead people to it. I must admit, there are some pretty entertaining ones. My favorite hits that have found my blog are:

• Can a diabetic have a skinny vanilla latte? (Yes - I highly recommend them, especially from Starbucks)
• Exercising Stick (do you mean the runner's stick? If you do, I love it and think you, too, should invest in one)
• Garmin Forerunner Blogurl (Yes, I have a Garmin Forerunner watch and think it is wonderful...although I'm not sure what you wanted with Blogurl)
• I'm a type 2 diabetic with bruises under my toe nails (I had my share of black badges this summer, but now they are all healed. I highly recommend NOT wearing sandals unless you're a female who can paint your toenails.)
• what was blackbeard famous ship at the currently sunk? (I have no idea how that found my blog or what you are even trying to say!)

Have random people found your blog? Sometimes these just make me laugh.

Today I did speed work and I'm impressing myself. I am a better runner than I thought. My workout today was a planned just get on the treadmill and run a 5k..no holding back. And it was a success! My time was 20:04, averaging a 6:27/mile pace. My goal is to now break 20 minutes for a 5k this year. Being a confident runner makes all the difference in the world.

Being Organic

I do not make a ton of money at my job, and I am okay with that because I love it. Happiness is more important than money, right? There are a few things that I decided before living on my own that I would not compromise - one being eating all natural or organically. This type of food is generally more expensive, but I'm willing to hand over the extra cash to know what is going (or isn't going) inside my body. When I eat healthy food, I feel better not only while running, but also about myself. I would much rather eat my organic food for dinner every breakfast, lunch, and dinner instead of eating out at a restaurant. As a matter of fact, I tend to not order off a menu if possible if I know I'll get home before a certain time in order to eat dinner.

With that being said, there are a few things I'm always up for eating, no matter how "bad" they are for me (read: Mexican food, especially chips and salsa). But for the most part, I'll take my organic goodness everyday of the week. I'll continue to shop at Whole Foods, pay more money, and be happy consuming my organic food. Plus, who doesn't like the "Whole Foods experience," as my mom calls it? Best. Grocery. Store. Ever.

Endo Visit Update

Today was my quarterly endo appointment. I've been seeing the same doctor since I moved to Illinois last year, and I like him more and more every time. He knows that I cannot handle a lot of changes at one time - it would cause me to break to pieces and not change anything. He gives me little things to change which have worked well so far, so I'm willing to do what he says. Plus, he works with other athletes so he knows a decent amount about exercise.

Today he asked me about my training, upcoming races, and how I felt my blood sugars were going. We talked about all of the topics mentioned above and how I can avoid lower blood sugars while working out. I've been ending a lot of work outs/runs with 60 or so and feel weak. He suggested setting my basal at 80% and then going back to a normal basal 20-30 minutes before my workout ends. I'll be trying this tomorrow while I run, and hope to have success. I did change one of my basal rates this winter on my own (lowered it), which he said he was proud. Trust me - this is a big deal for me!

My doctor ordered some blood tests to test my iron levels again as well. I know they are doing far better than this summer, and am curious to see if they are in range or not. My A1C was 5.8, the exact same number it was in October. I think it is pretty impressive that it did not change at all. Another interestng thing was my resting pulse rate - 56. The nurse seemed surprisied at this, so I googled some information on it and if you are in good shape then your pulse will probably be low. Makes sense to me. The second number in my blood pressure was also low - most liekyl due to working out/running.

Today was a rest day for me. I did not run at all because I could tell my legs needed a break. Yesterday I had an awesome day - I ran 11 miles (the first 8 in 59 minutes, 9-10 @ 7:53 pace and then cool-down mile at 9:20 pace), bike 6 miles, lifted weights, did 1 mile at level 15 walking on teh treadmill and then the stairmaster for 1 mile. Today was nice and easy - 8 miles biking, 3.5 on teh ellipticle, and 3.5 on the stair master. Tomorrow I'll be back to my favorite - runnng. I know that I need to schedule days off running like this to avoid getting hurt, so even though I wanted to run, I knew it was not the best idea for me. I want to stay healthy this year for all of my races.

(Jerry --> I am still considering doing the glucamotive relay. I am just not quite sure yet so it is not on my official race calendar. I agree with you - they are super fun and quite an experience. Are you doing it?)

2011 Race Schedule

This is the first year I've planned out my race schedule. Normally I just sign up a few weeks/days before the race, depending how good of shape I feel like I am in and what I want to run. I'm excited for my races this year. They are:


Sunday, Feb. 20; Frozen Foot 5k Race; Boulder, CO; 5k
Saturday, March 12; St. Paddy's Day 5k; Naperville, IL; 5k
Sunday, April 17; NCO Spring Ahead; Naperville, IL; 10k or 5k
Saturday, April 30; Illinois Marathon; Champaign-Urbana, IL; Half
Sunday, May 29; Dash to Cure Diabetes; Barrington, IL; 4 mile
Saturday, July 30; Bix 7 Classic; Quad Cities, IA; 7 miles
Monday, Sept. 5; Benefit Classic; Dubuque, IA; Half or 5k
Sunday, Sept. 25; Quad Cities Marathon; Quad Cities, IA - IL; Half
Sunday, October 9; Chicago Marathon; Chicago, IL; Marathon

I also plan on running another half marathon in late March or the first weekend in April. This will most likely be the Chi Town Half Marathon on March 27. I'm also considering doing another race in August back in Iowa and then possibly the Hot Chocolate 15k in Chicago in November again, along the Ragnar NW this summer. I am excited and can't wait to start racing again. It makes me wish I lived in a warm climate so I could race all year long; however, that is not the case in Illinois.

Have you ever completed any of these races? I've run the Benefit Classic (5k) before, Bix, and Quad Cities half marathon, but the rest are new.

Treadmill PR vs. Real PR / NW Passage Relay

Yesterday I had the best run I've ever logged on the treadmill. I didn't start off thinking that I wanted to run hard; it just happened because I was feeling good. I ran negative splits each mile, starting with 7:15 and ending with 6:44. I ran my first 3.1 miles (5k) in 21:41. When I got to this point I was excited, since this is fastest than my goal PR 5k time for the year. Maybe I should think about resetting my PR goal? I ended my 5 miles in 34:35; a 6:55 minute/mile pace. I was thrilled that I ran that fast on a treadmill and in general. The only time I've ever logged a mile under 7 minutes was my first mile of my 5k back in September, when I ran 6:55. I wish I had kept track of how fast my last 3.1 miles were - definitely faster than the first set of data I took. I hope this is just the start of a fabulous race season.

This got me thinking, since I technically PR'd yesterday on the treadmill. Does a treadmill PR count as a real PR? My personal view is no - I must run in an official race, wearing a race number, in order for a run to count as a PR. So even though I had my best run ever, it does not count in my mind for a PR. What is your opinion on this? It does give me motivation and encouragement to go out and PR. It is all mental now.

Side note - Is anyone running the NW passage Ragnar Relay with Insulindependence? I think I might sign up. It is a fun race experience (I did Madison to Chicago last year with some people), however, I'd be more tempted if I knew someone else was doing it as well. Let me know!

Looking in the Mirror

Body image is something that is constantly surrounding people. Media plays a big role in this, focusing on celebrities who have gained or lost weight or the newest treatment in which we should all partake. Body image is developed at a young age. I can remember being young and comparing myself to others. I was always taller, but was I bigger? fatter? I come from a pretty skinny family. Growing up I was shortest, fattest kid among my siblings. However, people usually told me I was skinny. I think height is deceptive that way.

As I got more into running in college and post-college, I lost a few pounds. (fewer pounds = faster miles in my mind) I lift weights and have been doing a lot of cross training so I know that even though I lost fat, I also gained muscle, but still ended up losing weight. After everything I've read, this seems like an unusual situation. I had to go down a size or two in pants, and buy smaller shirts than before, which is great, but I have a different issue.

Even if people tell me I look skinny, or thin, or whatever, I rarely feel that way. When I look in the mirror I don't see a fit person staring back; rather, I see a girl with a gut that should work on her abs and try to tone her gut. It is like one of those pictures where there is a stick person looking in the mirror but the image reflected is a fat girl. Most days, that is how I feel. I think I am having these feelings even more so now because the amount of cookies I consumed over Christmas. Its like they have decided to permanently glue themselves to the inside of my stomach for the time being, instead of being properly digested and lost for good.

I know this is not a healthy way to view myself, and I fight daily with myself to try to avoid these comments from trying to come into my head in the first spot. I should be happy with the body I have, no matter what shape it is. After all, I am in pretty good shape, so my body shape must be somewhat okay. It is just not where I want it to be, which is my perfectionist personality coming through. The same is true for the scale. A number should not determine my happiness, but I'm not going to lie - if my weight increases then I get frustrated. I like to be below a certain number, although it does not always happen. For example, this morning I woke up and saw a number on the scale that did not please me. When I see a displeasing number my body image in the mirror looks about five hundred times worse as well. It was just bad all around, but I tried to remember my run from earlier in the week to make things better. It helped a little, but was not a cure-all.

Hopefully I can get out of this mindset and start to see myself as healthy instead of fat. I do know that a change like this takes a lot of time and patience on my part. I want to change, but it always hard to start.

Destination Race

Lately, I have been searching for races and trying to figure out what I'm going to be running this spring, summer, fall, and into next winter. Originally I wanted to run at least one race every month, but then realized that was not going to happen because there are just not many races offered in the winter months in Illinois and the surrounding areas. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm doing a 5k for St. Patrick's Day, but other than that my schedule is free. Ever since getting my stress fracture in 2009, I am hesitant to sign up for races far in advance. However, it is always fun to look to see what is going on.

This year I REALLY want to do a destination race. The thought is nerve-racking and incredibly exacting to me at the same time. I realize that this will be challenging for me on multiple levels - I want to do it on my own, as in go to the place by myself and not with anyone else. Usually I have someone else to give my stuff to, but that would not be possible in this situation. I think it would be fun to just go and run somewhere completely new. I've got my eyes on a couple of different races and am trying to put together a tentative schedule for the year. This is always hard because there are so many races I want to run in, but only so much time and training for them in order to PR or even run well. Hopefully by this weekend I'll get things sorted out and posted.

But, I need some feedback. Have you ever done a destination race? How did it go? Would you recommend any races to me? I'll probably be doing a half marathon for my destination race.