Current Situation

• 179 lbs-ish (not happy with, but has been hovering around here for a while)
• 8 min/mile @ 4 miles (basically can do without any training)
• 2 hour half marathon (done in July 2011 with minimal training)
• Not terribly active (what we are rectifying)

Short Term Goals

• 170 lbs (5% loss over current)
• 7 minute mile @ 4 miles (12.5% better than current)
• 1:45 half marathon (12.5% better than PR)
• Prepare my actual goal for a sub 4 hour NYC Marathon and reseting the rest of my goals.
• I also would like to set a goal of a single track mile; I have not done one in a very long time (my prior PR was around 5:05 growing up); I would like to see what happens.
• Lowering both my resting and exercise heart rate 5-10% (this should just happen)

Execution

• DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY.  NO MATTER HOW LATE OR EARLY IT HAPPENS. 2x DAYS ARE OK!
• Crossfit starting in March 2x/week for a month in the evenings should shed fat from the surface and build strength that will help this whole process
• Get weekly mileage climbing upwards; figure on doing more weekend and after work runs in addition to quick morning runs
• 1 bike ride a week as cross-training (not hard to do with the JDRF Ride Season quickly approaching)
• Food: stop snacking after dinner.  Probably where  I pick up the worst of my excess eating (how abnormal of me)
• Start working on some good tunes for the iPod

Thoughts

• Do I want to stay on the OmniPod for this? Or get agressive in using Lantus+OmniPod? Or back to Lantus-only? Probably OmniPod+Lantus.
• The reduction of my 4 mile pace has a lot to do with loosing the 5% body weight; since it’s harder to run fast with a lot of weight. So I guess we will see how ‘a’ changes ‘b’.
• I’m not big in to diets, I just eat whatever I want.  Just need to be conscious about quantity and place limits.

After passing out at 8pm I awoke early Sunday morning for a bike ride. A nice 60 mile ride to Nyackand back. Hill climbing was interesting to say the least as I rode strong, but the hills were painful as my overall leg flexibility was far less than normal. BGs were stable, although my insulin was highly sensitive and I used great care in bolusing.

I figure after a weekend like this I should be a little sore and beaten up (which I am); however, my right foot has some strange pain that I am slightly concerned about.  I’m trying to rest it and see how it feels before putting more miles on it since the last time I pushed hard on an injury I ended up in an air-cast for 10 days.

Update June 10: Foot pain subsided after a few days of rest.  Currently considering an Ironman distance event in late 2012 on top of the NYC Marathon in Nov 2012.  Still looking to do some more half-marathons this year and actually put some training miles in.

A loop of Prospect Park followed by finding my way to the bike path alongside the belt parkway. Photo taken under the Verazzano bridge. Continued riding to Coney Island then back north on Ocean Ave.

Cool and windy in the 30s.

I found this guide made by Gatorade for the NFL (and football players in general):

Beat the Heat – Gatorade

It’s a pretty good guide and very informative using football references to make their points on heat safety.  The points are quite clear — prevent, prepare, hydrate, and plan.  I have to admit, my plan for heat stroke would obviously not to hit that point, and to be aware enough before that point to seek professional help, since I usually train alone.  But for preventing, knowing the symptoms are key.  One thing I did not realize is that it can take 10-14 days to acclimate to warmer conditions.  However, the biggest point is to hydrate regularly and properly.  Replacing electrolytes and sodium (and sometimes carbs too) seem like a no-brainer these days, but it was not too long ago when that was not as common knowledge.

Personal Story
As a kid, I once had the unfortunate experience of an ambulance ride and ER visit.  During the summer months of June, July and August from a young age, we learned how to race sailboats.  All day, every day; with a break at noon on land for lunch.  One day I passed out during lunch.  An ambulance was called, and the people around me knowing I was a Type 1 Diabetic, the EMTs instantly administered Glucose via gel under my tongue.  However, by this point I was already coming to (since I was being fed Coke from the fountain).  Upon being admitted to the ER, I learned that I was both dehydrated AND had low sodium.  A disastrous combination – with a slightly low, and at that point in the ER I was trying to lower my BG after way too much soda and Glucose gel while they got fluids into me by IV.

Learning Experience
Stay hydrated, watch the color of your urine.  And make sure you urinate regularly.  And test frequently (like I really needed to say that).

As a diabetic I have to balance the “fight or flight response” on my own. I get nervous before a race and release sugar just like everyone else. Unfortunately my regulatory system is broken and I have to give myself the appropriate amount of insulin. This is where things get tricky.  How nervous I am affects how much sugar I release into my body:  more Nerves equals more glucose . The difficult  part is there is no real way to monitor how nervous I am.

-Kris Freeman, 12/2/2009

This post by Olympian Kris Freeman really gets me thinking.  How to monitor your nerves to find out how much the natural release of sugar into your body? It’s not just elite athletes like Kris that have this happening, this happens to me all the time on the bike, on boats, or even heading into a big meeting.  Your body has a physical response to a mental stimulus. 

I personally have found some correlation in the length of time I spend “nervous” – basically preparing and how long/how high the BG can go.  In sailing, there is a half hour-to-fifteen minute period to the start where I will spike.  When cycling or running, it really depends how long I am waiting around to start.  The more time spent standing around, the higher I will go (the more time I have spent thinking rather than doing).

It would be interesting to see if any breathing or relaxation exercises have any effect.

Why did this happen and work in my favor?  I’m taking too much Lantus — and this is partly my purpose.  I am doing something known as feeding the basal.  I only slightly reduced my Lantus dose for riding, not nearly enough to require adding fast-acting insulin to the mix.