Help Put Triabetes in Lights

Just over a year ago, twelve teammates with type 1 diabetes woke up on a beautiful September morning to compete in Ironman Wisconsin. Our group had diverse backgrounds with respect to athletic experience and diabetes management, but were united in the goal to make it together to the race healthy and ready to give it our best.

Not only did we race for each other and our own personal goals, but also we raced to show our Triabuddies (formerly called "IronKidz") and anyone else that diabetes does not need to keep them from dreaming big. The year of training and racing was captured on film by Ray and Nella of Andiamo Productions, their Emmy Award-winning company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Their lives have been greatly impacted by type 1 diabetes since their daughter was diagnosed in 2004; when contacted by Michelle Alswager about the idea of creating a documentary of "10 athletes with type 1 racing Ironman Wisconsin," they were on board immediately and have, since then, given generously of their time, talents and personal resources.

The premiere date of the documentary is November 21, 2009, the day before the second group of Triabetes athletes competes together in Ironman Arizona. (Anyone interested in attending the premiere in Tempe, AZ, should purchase tickets here--there are limited spots available so please act quickly if you plan to come!) Still, there are post-production costs that must be met to make this a reality, and to help ensure that all who wish to see this are able to do so. To see a sliver of what is to come, see the video trailers here.

Please consider donating to help get this documentary to the finish line. To donate directly, you can just click on the widget on the side of the page, or go to the donation page here. To read more about the fundraising efforts, please go to the "Triabetes in Lights" fundraising page here. All donations are greatly appreciated, especially in this time of tight budgets; if you are able to do so, please consider a generous donation. Also, if you or your business/organization is interested in being listed as a sponsor of the documentary, please contact Peter Nerothin of Insulindependence. All donations are tax-deductible.

I am a little cynical by nature but can say with 100% sincerity that I believe this documentary will change lives. I know, because it has already changed mine.

Triabetes Project by Andiamo Productions: Highlight Reel

I am excited to share this video, which shows some highlights from Ironman Wisconsin in September. Bascom Hill Band generously provided the music and the production costs were graciously donated by LifeScan, maker of the OneTouch glucose meter. From Steve Parker, diagnosed after signing up for the race, to Larry Smith, who decided to race to celebrate his 60th birthday and has had diabetes for 47 years, and from Dave Shack, with little athletic background, to Bill Carlson, a seasoned athlete with countless achievements, we had a diverse group. Special thanks naturally go to Andiamo Productions, who immediately understood the vision of this project, and have worked tirelessly and expertly throughout the past year. Keep posted for upcoming announcements regarding the 2009 Triabetes team!


Diabetes and Athletes: The Triabetes Project from Andiamo Productions on Vimeo.

Ironman Wisconsin Diabetes Race Report

The day after the race, I quickly wrote up a race summary for Dr. Matt, who was in Snowmass, CO, busy, running his 3rd Diabetes Training Camp for 2008. The summary focuses mostly on the race itself and my diabetes management during the race. I thought I would include it here for anyone who might be interested. At the bottom, I've written a brief explanation of some of the diabetes lingo that I use here, for those who are less familiar with all this stuff! Photos are courtesy of Blair Ryan.

**

Here's a brief lowdown on the diabetes stuff (mostly) from the race yesterday. But first, it was an amazing experience. We had nearly perfect weather and the Triabetes support crew was amazing. And trying to look good for the camera kept my pace up a little. ha! Well, until the end anyway...

I ate breakfast (60 g breakfast, oatmeal/banana/PB/milk) around 4:15, 45 minutes later than planned but 2:45 before the race. This didn't give me as much time to deal with pre-race highs and I was high and rising. I bolused 0.5 when I was still on the rise at 380. It had come down to around 320 by 6:40 so I ate about 10 g GU before hopping in the water. My basal from 5-8:30 was 0.9 and then it went up to 1.6 until 10 AM (at which point it was 0.7). The swim started at 7:00 AM. On the 2nd lap, I became worried about going low and was feeling tired, so I flipped over and ate a GU sea-otter style and immediately started feeling better with the next stroke I took--it was probably psychological because I think I was holding back on the effort a little to avoid going low. I started cramping in my calves the last half mile of the swim and it was painful and slowed me down. I think getting out of the water after the 1st lap at IMCDA helps in this regard. But I was able to finish in 1:46, a few minutes slower than IMCDA.

Coming out of the water my BG was 83--a little on the low side so I ate prob. 60 g carbs in transition. In retrospect, my BG was probably in a great place if I didn't eat but I had that big basal going and I panicked. (I really hate low BGs during a race.) About a mile into the bike I lost my water bottle in a place that was difficult to turn around and made a decision to continue. I begged some water off a volunteer along the route but didn't get another water bottle until about 45 min into the ride. I was probably dehydrated from the high BG's earlier and should have stopped somewhere for water, although I didn't have many options there. I considered briefly grabbing one of the bottles on the side of the road after a particularly bumpy stretch, and was eyeing all the volunteers for spare water. My heart rate was high which is pretty typical for me on the beginning of the bike. I did note that when I got some water at the 1st aid station, my heart rate came down fairly quickly; I'm not sure if it was due to getting the water into my body or just finally relaxing. My BGs shot up to something around 350 after 1 to 1.5 hours on the bike. I was pretty surprised, but then again not so much; I guess I shouldn't have eaten so much in T1. I just went ahead and bolused 1 U and waited a bit before eating more. Eventually it came down and then I was struggling to keep my BG up towards the end of the ride even though I spent the last 2 hours at 0.25 U/hr basal. At about 65 miles into the bike, my calves started cramping again and it was painful. I had been drinking a lot of water/Perpetuum/Gatorade, had taken a lot of salt in, and couldn't figure out what to do. Fortunately, at one of these moments, the camera crew came by and I thought, "Well I can't just be a baby and stop pedaling here." So I just tried to pedal through it. That actually worked pretty well to work out the cramps, and I discovered that if I worked at a harder gear with a lower cadence, I would cramp less frequently. But I was a little disappointed that I couldn't really put the pedal to the metal since otherwise I felt good. I finished up the the ride in 7:05, which is about 7 minutes slower than my CDA time. I wanted to go faster, because I felt stronger than before CDA, but the cramping really slowed me down. I suspect that the high BG/no water situation had something to do with it as well as the cramping on the swim. I was worried that I would cramp on the run but that didn't seem to be a big problem (except for when I drank cola instead of Gatorade--I noticed that also happened in CDA).

My BGs were a little on the low side (low 100s/90s) at the end of the bike and I think I shut down my pump for a half hour at the beginning of the run. I felt well-hydrated. My BG's were in the 90-100 range and I lowered my basal to 0.125. I was eating a GU every 40 minutes, and pretzels and Gatorade at almost all aid stations. (Granted maybe it was only 2-3 pretzels.) I shut down my pump another couple of times because I couldn't get my BGs up. I was eating probably 200-250 calories per hour, maybe more. I ate what I could. I had a couple episodes of low BGs--measured at 60s, 70s and dropping fast--but noticed that I didn't feel great (GI ickiness) when I shut down my pump. At the last turnaround around mile 18 my BG was pretty low and I felt on the verge of emotional breakdown so allowed myself to walk for a few minutes. I ate about 50 g carbs and then saw my BG rising. I was happy to see it rising steadily upwards until it hit 200, at which point I started to wonder if my pump was disconnected. I had a couple miles to go so nudged it with 0.2 U just in case there was a problem. I was sort of bummed that I couldn't run faster but happy I made it through. I felt pretty low energy-wise for a lot of the run, although I had some better moments here and there. I tried to pick it up when I could, and was happy to keep running through the end. When I was walking due to the 2nd low BG episode, a woman said, "Don't worry--there is plenty of time to finish." I started running after a few minutes and she wished me good luck.

I did notice a couple times the sort of fatigue come on that I experienced on the run in CDA 07 and on the bike in CDA 08. I am more alert to the initial symptoms (basically low BG feelings when the BG is normal--especially slight dizziness) and backed off right away when I felt this way on the 2nd loop of the bike. After I finished the race, I felt the same way and it might have something to do with blood pressure perhaps. My blood pressure was 100-110 (can't remember) over 50; I drank 3 cups of broth and it came to 110/60. Who knows I guess.

It was fantastic seeing everyone along the course and I was especially happy to see my partner in crime (or so I would like to think) Michelle after some hill somewhere and Ray and the camera crews and anyone in one of the blue IronFan T's. The IronKid crew on the run course was also fantastic and it was great to see Marissa and the rest cheering enthusiastically each time I passed by. Racing with 11 other type 1 athletes was such a pleasure for me; I had a big boost when I saw anyone on the course and it was such a comfort knowing that so many people "in the know" about diabetes were out there. And having that table for the swim was so incredibly helpful. It took a lot of stress out of the morning for me. I am pretty sore today and have a really weird bruise on my ankle but otherwise am doing okay. I had BGs >400 overnight and they are up again so I had better see what is going on.

**

"Basal what?"
For those who are less familiar with diabetes terms, here's a primer. BG refers to blood glucose, which increases with food intake (especially carbs) and stress, and decreases with insulin and, often, exercise. Sometimes exercise can cause the BG to increase, and many other variables affect the rise & fall of BG. Insulin takes the glucose from the blood and helps to shuttle it into fat & muscle cells. Insulin must always be present and can be delivered through injection or insulin pump. I use an insulin pump, which delivers a "basal rate" of insulin throughout the day. I program this depending on my activity level; basal rates also change throughout the day. For me they are highest in the morning and lowest in the afternoon. When I eat a meal, or need to correct a high BG, I take a "bolus" which is basically like an injection except it's done with a pump. The Dexcom is a continuous glucose meter (CGM) which measures the glucose concentration beneath the skin every 5 minutes. It is calibrated to a BG meter and can give useful information on BG trending and values (as long as it has calibrated successfully).

Triabetes Journey

How do I sum up my race in Wisconsin a little over a week ago? I could detail my BGs throughout the day and the diabetes-related decisions that I made. Or I could talk about how I picked up my pace a little every time I saw a red or blue Triabetes IronFan T-shirt out on the course. Or maybe I could talk about my amazing teammates, both the 11 others racing and the honorary diabetic (aka Michelle) keeping BG meters at the ready and cheering herself hoarse. Perhaps the real story is in the 12 months leading up to the race?

Being part of Triabetes this year was a gift. All those years of people asking "Are you still running?" as I played the never-ending game of what-will-this-do-to-my-BG finally, finally, paid off in my readiness to join this group of amazing people. Since being diagnosed I have tried to continue to live life as I would have otherwise, and have been blessed with extraordinary friends and family who supported me along the way. Still at times managing diabetes is difficult and frustrating. In some way, I have received acknowledgment from somewhere--maybe just myself--that, yes, it is hard but it is also worth it. As I crossed the finish line in Madison, Ray asked me that question, "Was it worth it?" My response was, "Ask me in an hour," as I experienced a huge emotional and physical relief to be done with the race, followed by "Yes, of course it was." This Ironman was a lot more painful for me, with cramping on the swim and bike, and a low-BG-head feeling for most of the run. It was hard. But the reward to me and, I hope, the many more who participated or will see the documentary, is great. Yes, it is hard. Yes, there are highs and lows. But, in the end, it is worth it all.

Triabetes Update

A full race report is in the works but I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for making last weekend such a powerful experience. I did finish in 14:23 (30 minutes slower than IMCDA 08 but 20 minutes faster than IMCDA 07) and was happy to cross the finish line running. It wasn't a perfect race for me and I felt hampered in my pace on the bike and the run. So I guess I have not conquered this yet. But as one of the other Triabetics, John Moore, also mentioned, at some point during the day, the finishing time became irrelevant. Triabetes became much more than that. Thank you to Michelle Alswager for having this dream and setting it in motion. It has changed my life. Thank you for sacrificing your race to ensure that things went smoothly for all of us. Also my deep thanks go to the camera crew--Ray & Nella and Mike H. and everyone else--who were out there doing their own Ironman filiming session. Also thank you to InsulinDependence, Diabetes Training Camp, and LifeScan and the rest of our dedicated sponsors. You all made this possible. Finally a sincere thank-you to all of the many IronFans, following along in person or online, and the IronKids out there on the course. Your support was felt by all and appreciated greatly.

I am happy to report that, aside from some pretty painful stiffness for the couple days after the race, I am recovering well so far. I went out yesterday for a 90-minute ride along one of my favorite routes in Marin--Chileno Valley Road--and was proud to wear my Triabetes jersey. It was pretty fun, too, after 45 minutes on the bike, to be able to say, "That's enough," and turn back. I'm sure I'll be itching to do a long ride soon enough. My carb ratio has gone from 15:1 to 8:1 in just a week so it's time to get things hopping again!

Photo courtesy of Blair Ryan

How to follow Triabetes and here we go!

If you want to follow updates from the on-course fans tomorrow, you can do so at http://search.twitter.com/search?q=triabetes. By the way, you can also check to see if your text messages came through here.

I have my strategy for tomorrow mapped out as best as I can. I think in a couple years (or sooner) we will look at these methods the same way we look at pre-computer days! But using data from Coeur d'Alene, Vineman 70.3, workouts and just some intuition, I have a plan in place that at least I am comfortable with.

Visiting with everyone involved in this project today at the reception reminded me of why I signed up for this in the first place: I knew I would have the opportunity to meet and work with some of the finest people around. Thanks to all those who have helped to make this opportunity come to pass and my hope is that it will touch many more lives.

Okay, it's time for sleep.

Signing off,
Anne (#2079)

Final Preparations

With one day to go before the race, I am making my final plans, preparing transition bags and looking over my bike one more time. I have been more calm before this race, and plan to use my nutritional strategy from IM Coeur d'Alene. My blood sugars have settled a little but I am still anxious about the swim. NA Sports has allowed Michelle to set up a table where we can dump our diabetic gear before heading into the swim, and after getting our wetsuits peeled off. This will give me a little extra peace of mind, being able to check my blood sugar closer to the race start. And for some of the athletes, they will be disconnecting from their pumps at this point. Most people will be swimming/treading water for 15 minutes or so before the race, so I will need to take this into account.

The weather was rainy on Thursday, nice yesterday and should be nice today. Tomorrow there is a possibility of thunderstorms but I am hoping for the best. We have found one forecast that calls for decent weather, and that's the one I'm going with. At least, living in the Bay Area has prepared me for cool temperatures. I've been swimming in the lake a couple of times and the temperature is perfect; yesterday at the athlete meeting, they announced that it was 71 degrees. I can't complain about that! The course is beautiful as well and I was happy to see a lot more flat that I had been expecting. Driving it is a different experience than riding, but I was a little reassured after driving around the "lolly" part (vs. the "stick" part) of the "lollypop" course, as people describe it here.

It has been great to be reunited with the team members I had met and to meet those I hadn't, and to also visit with Ray, Nella, and Elisa. And this afternoon, the IronKids will be joining us for a reception after their canoe trip this week. I look forward to meeting up with Marissa and the other IronKids, and to having them on the course tomorrow.

Okay, enough procrastinating. I need to get my stuff ready. I added a twitter feed to this blog that may be updated tomorrow with additional information that you won't see on ironman.com. So if you use twitter, you can follow that feed if you'd like. You can also check triabetes.org or Michelle's blog at triabetesdocumentary.blogspot.com.

Ironman Wisconsin Count-Down

As I recover from a whirlwind work trip to Sapporo, Japan, I am already preparing to fly out to Madison for this weekend's big event. I am excited, and nervous, wondering how my last week of travel will affect my performance on Sunday. My blood sugars are slowly re-adjusting to the 16-hour time difference here and will be challenged by yet another 2-hour time change tomorrow. I am in taper mode and have bumped up the rates; still, I have noticed especially that my overnight basal rates are killing me with low BG and my afternoon BG's are too high. Get back with the program, body! We're not in Japan anymore! I am hopeful that this will not cause big problems, but I feel like making it through the swim on Sunday may be a bit of a guessing game, and that makes me nervous. Once I'm out of the water, I will be very relieved, especially if I can manage to keep my BG's <250 during the first couple hours of the ride. That would be a unique IM experience for me. I do have some careful records from before and during IMCDA and some more recent workout records to help guide me, and feel like my nutrition/hydration approach from IMCDA should also work well this time around.

For those interested, very cool Triabetes "IronFan" T-shirts are available from Michelle Alswager. Check out her blog for more details. We are also trying to put together some live tracking in addition to that available on ironman.live. Check out triabetes.org or the "Triabetes 2008" group on facebook for more information! (You can also join the facebook group if you'd like updates.)

Ironman Dreams

Last night I was asked to give a speech at the Greater Bay Area JDRF Chapter's annual family day at the Giants. (The Giants won, by the way.) I pondered what I might say to an audience of kids, teens, and adults recently and longer ago diagnosed with diabetes, as well as their family and friends, and this is what I wrote. It is meant to remind myself as much as anyone else not to sell oneself short because of perceived limitations from diabetes or other challenges. Also it is a reflection on the strength I have gained from a community of friends and, in particular, the diabetic community. This includes everybody, actually, since if you know me, that makes you a "type 3" diabetic. (No doubt you have spent some time as a captive audience hearing about diabetes from me, which is qualification enough.) I was reluctant to post the speech here; however, since a friend requested that I do so, I have posted the text with some pictures below.

I also had the great pleasure of meeting my IronKid, Marissa, and her family and friends. (Hi!) Steve Ahn might be jealous because I was also able to meet his I'Kid Sam last night as well. Please consider supporting Marissa and the other IronKidz at http://triabetes.org/support.html if you are able.

Here's the talk:


June 24 of 2007 I lined up with over 2000 other triathletes, all clad in black rubbery wetsuits, ready and anxious to start Ironman Coeur d’Alene. Beginning at 7 AM and ending before midnight of the same day, an Ironman race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run—otherwise known as a marathon. The cannon went off and, with a little trepidation and a lot of excitement, I plunged into the water to begin my first Ironman race adventure.

Swim start Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2008 (photo by Julia Bavely)

Training for an Ironman triathlon takes a lot of time and a love of the sport. During the heaviest training periods, I spent more than 20 hours per week swimming, cycling, running and weight training. The race itself is equivalent to starting here for a swim past Treasure Island, a bike ride to Monterey, and a run past Walnut Creek.

Why would I choose such a goal? The bottom line is that I love to swim, bike and run and I love the way it makes me feel. It’s hard to wipe the smile off my face after a ride through the hills of Marin, or a good run through the Golden Gate Park. And it gives me some satisfaction to know that if I had tried to escape from Alcatraz, I could have (most likely) made it safely. An Ironman seemed daunting, but I had friends who had started out like me and done the work to get there. I just thought I might be able to do it myself.

Reach for your goals and do what you love to do

Setting goals and reaching for my dreams have been important themes throughout my life. At first, when I was diagnosed at the age of 14 as a high school freshman, I wondered how diabetes might impact those goals. I had experienced the typical symptoms of type 1 diabetes and knew something was wrong when I joked with my best friend, “I must have diabetes or something!” Ha ha. Well, I did have diabetes and I soon found myself in the hospital, learning how to inject insulin into an orange, and then myself. I remember testing my blood sugar at home for the first time. Sitting at the kitchen table, it took me 15 minutes to press the button on the lancet. It seemed so wrong to have to do that!

I wondered how my life would change. Would I still be able to do the things I loved? Some things did change. I was on a fairly rigid insulin schedule and no longer slept in on weekends in order to get my morning shot on time. I learned to count food exchanges and how to treat low blood sugar. But the rest of my life went on. I continued to play flute in the high school band, and to take piano lessons. I continued with my goal to earn my way to college and was able to achieve this with a full scholarship to Boston University. I studied Biomedical Engineering in college and earned a fellowship for graduate school in the same field. After taking up running in high school, I had learned to love that as well, and carried that with me throughout college, graduate school and working here in San Francisco. After 10 years of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I finally did so and returned to Boston in 2006 for a celebration of reaching that goal. Managing diabetes has remained a challenge with ups and downs, but it has not taken center stage in my life nor has it prevented me from pursuing the dreams of my heart.

In Boston, getting acquainted with the finish line.

After moving to San Francisco nearly 6 years ago, I still thought there was no sport to rival running; I soon discovered, though, that I could actually learn to swim and enjoy it after all these years and that cycling came naturally to me and even rivaled skiing in my book. That’s quite a complement given that I grew up skiing on the powdery slopes of Utah.

My first triathlon was an Olympic distance race called Wildflower—a race was so tough for me during the run that it brought me to tears. But I made it through and somehow, despite the challenge of the course, was hopelessly hooked to the sport. I continued with Olympic distance, then ventured into half-Ironmans and then knew it was time to sign up for my first full Ironman Triathlon.

After finishing the swim of my first Ironman race, I exited the water. One of the biggest perks at an Ironman is the army of wetsuit “peelers” who sit you down and yank off the very tight wetsuit. A couple peelers pulled mine off, tossed it at me, and off I ran to prepare for the bike. I dried off a bit, tucked my pump into my back pocket, threw on my shoes and helmet and grabbed my bike. I was off! I tried to stay mellow for the bike portion, and felt comfortable for most of the ride. After struggling with some high blood sugars early on, I was happy to settle down around 130 to 140 for the rest of the ride. I had a few periods of fatigue but overall felt good.

It’s hard to imagine looking forward to a marathon after exercising straight for 9 hours, but finishing up 112 miles on the bike is a happy moment. I threw on my running shoes and was off. I loved to run and felt happy with my pace. About 9 miles into the run, though, my race started to unravel. I stopped at an aid station; my brain felt tired. I felt like it would be unwise to continue, that my race was over. What had gone wrong? My muscles still felt strong. But I felt like my blood sugar had hit rock bottom when it was actually above 100. An astute medical guy suggested that I might be low on insulin. I saw that I had suspended my pump and that my blood sugar was on the rise. I took more insulin and within another 20 minutes, felt strong enough to begin racing again. I completed the last 17 miles of the race, a bit uncomfortable but running. I had done it. I had finished an Ironman race.

Build a community

Throughout the years I have been fortunate to be surrounded by supportive family and friends. My parents encouraged me to reach for my academic and athletic goals, and I always felt their confidence in my abilities. I have to say, though, that my mom was a bit concerned about my sanity when I told her I would be doing 2 Ironmans this year. I’ve had good friends over the years who patiently slow down when I need to test, and stop if I need to wait a bit for my sugar to come up. My teammates and co-workers humor me with my “guess my blood sugar” game—which, incidentally, they tend to win more than I do. And I have sought out other friends who also are positive role models to me in my life.

More recently, in the past few years, I have re-discovered the diabetes community. After hearing about the JDRF for years, but never participating in their activities, I decided that I might as well put some of my endless miles on my bike to good use and signed up for the Ride to Cure Diabetes in Whitefish Montana. What I received in return was far more than a beautiful ride in Montana—although I enjoyed that plenty. Being with a group of people, both with and without diabetes, all united in a common goal to find a cure, was overwhelming. I was able to connect with other type 1’s who were athletically inclined, and to begin to realize that some of the problems I had were not so unusual. I had just assumed over the years that I was a “bad diabetic” for not always being able to keep my blood sugars within the windows prescribed to me when newly diagnosed. And for a few magical days, I felt like the mental burden of the disease was lifted. We were all in this together and it was a comfort to just be around people who really understood what it was like. It was really life-changing for me.

With one of the many amazing parents riding for their kids

My experiences at the JDRF ride further confirmed to me that I had made the right decision to join a group of type 1 athletes to compete in Ironman Wisconsin 2008 as part of a documentary and exercise research project called Triabetes. Meeting up with several of the Triabetes athletes last December in San Diego reminded me of that same feeling I had in Whitefish. It was just a relief to run with some other diabetics who were also carrying a lot of extra gear and didn’t ask me if I really needed to carry all that sugar for an 8-mile run. And it was inspiring to be able to run with Bill Carlson, the first type 1 to ever do an Ironman 25 years ago, and to see, that even after all of these years, he is incredibly fit, healthy and able to do the things that he loves to do.

Meeting some of the team in San Diego at the TCOYD
Triabetes/Insulindependence booth.

I was able to meet up with Triabetes athletes again at Diabetes Training Camp down in Santa Barbara this past March. At the camp, run by an endocrinologist, Matt Corcoran, I learned about exercise physiology and made some discoveries about why I might have had such a tough time at Ironman in 2007. I learned new strategies about how to improve my training for the coming race season and practical methods for implementing those strateiges. I met with the filmmakers of the Triabetes documentary and met their daughter Elisa, who also has type 1 diabetes. I connected with my Triabetes teammates and enjoyed riding up through the Santa Barbara hills as a team, and made new friends from around here and all over. And I learned that, despite my own self-criticism, I hadn’t done so badly on my own over the years. But, better yet, I felt like I was finally developing both a medical and support network to help improve my diabetes control and to allow me to maximize my potential as an athlete. Plus, I discovered, type 1 athletes—even those just starting out on the path—are pretty cool people.

Inviting some younger adventurous types to the Triabetes project was the next step with the IronKidz program. Ten kids were selected from across the country to team up with one athlete each in a summer mentorship partnership and some fundraising, culminating in a canoe trip for the kids a week before Ironman Wisconsin this September. I was just able to meet my IronKid today and look forward to visiting with her more over the summer as she and I both prepare for our trips to Wisconsin, and to having her there on the course. (Hi Marissa!) I can’t tell you how helpful it is to have support during a race like this, and it will definitely keep me going when it gets tough (as all Ironman races do) to know that she will be there, pulling for me. Thanks Marissa for your enthusiasm in being part of the IronKidz project.

With my IronKid Marissa, chilling out at the Giants game.

I also hope that the kids doing this can continue to be a part of the diabetes community—even after they are too old for Bearskin Meadow Camp—and don’t spend years trying to figure it all out on their own, as I did after high school.

After signing up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2008, I didn’t tell anyone for a month. I was afraid people would tell me I was nuts for doing it again! But I knew after the 2007 race that I could do better. And after learning from my first experience, and from the insights I’ve gained by connecting with other athletes and experts in the diabetes community, I am happy to report that I came across the finish line a week ago Sunday, smiling, feeling victorious to have taken almost a full hour off my time. I still didn’t have a perfect race, but had some big improvements; I was pretty excited to see a blood sugar of 149 midway through the swim, and a finishing blood sugar of around 110. And throughout the race, I knew that my friends, family, Triabetes teammates and others in the diabetic community were behind me 100%.

Knowing that I will be racing with 11 other type 1’s and will have a team of 10 IronKidz cheering for us along the way will make Ironman Wisconsin 2008 an experience of a lifetime. It might even be enough to wipe away the tears of my 34th birthday 2 days before the race! I can’t wait to see the smiles and tears on the faces of my teammates as they cross the finish line (assuming I beat all of them of course)! Keep posted for the documentary which will tell the whole story.

This is how I have tried to live my life.

When I look back over my life so far, and try to think about how diabetes has played a role for the past 20 years, I have a hard time. I don’t think of my life in terms of diabetes, but rather I remember those experiences that have shaped who I have become.

I have tried to continue to do those things that I love to do, and to reach for goals that may seem just beyond reach. Along the way, I have been supported by friends and family who have given me help when I needed it and quiet confidence that they were there even when I felt strong on my own. I’m not saying that diabetes has always been easy, but for the first time in the past year, I feel just a little less anxious for a cure because of how much I treasure becoming part of this community.

Best wishes to you all as you pursue your own Ironman dreams, whatever they may be.