Backyard Half Ironman

This vacation has been packed full of training for the Ironman. After feeling so good about my swims, I decided to see what a triathlon really feels like. I signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 9 months ago and except for the 5 minute triathlon we did at Diabetes Training Camp I hadn't even swam biked and run all in the same day- until 2 days ago. So with all the family support I would need I picked out a route starting at my mom's house and spent a full day tapering for my big event. It was a record breaking day. I did all three events, I set a new high speed record on my bike, I biked farther than I ever have, and I finished up in the highest heat I have trained in up to this point. And my bloodsugar? Rock Solid. My worst number was 204 when I woke up that morning. I dropped to 71 during the run, but other than that I was between 90 and 12o all day. The swim was easy except for a little trash in the water. The bike course was tough. I climbed a little more than a thousand feet up the cumberland plateau, stayed up there long enough to get an excellent sunburn, and then hit 48 mph coming back down. I have been wanting to do that drop ever since I was in high school and biked up it and got caught in a thunderstorm and didn't get to ride back down. I was tired when I got off my bike and it was only just starting. The heat was on. 94 is no joke. And to make it worse my mom and stepdad were following me with water but got stuck in a ditch and I had to leave them behind for a while. I tried to run in the shade when I could, but for some reason shade trees meant yards which meant dogs. I don't like dogs. It didn't take long for me to figure out that actually running the whole thing was not going to happen. Yes, I walked a bit, but dizzy and shivering in the heat I finished and that's just what I plan on doing in September. If I get fast enough to finish or even start the run in the blazing sun I'm ok with that, but I bet the sun won't be much of a factor in the run. Most of my running has been in the dark or twilight anyway.
Oh how long did it take? 7:13 worth of exercise and 45 min of transition and staring at a stuck vehicle and listening to a cop say he couldn't help even though our tax dollars pay his salary- good thing I don't teach his kid.

Endurance Swimming with Diabetes

Maybe that title will get some hits. I've been on vacation for almost a week now. Me and the fam have gone to see my dad in Nashville and stayed several days at my mom's. It's officially summer and training for Ironman has been a top priority. All winter long and even most of the spring I have been somewhat concerned about swimming 2.4 miles. The two big issues were dealing with my bloodsugar for over an hour without my pump and actually being able to swim that far. Well, this week has been amazing. In fact the swim is probably the most comfortable leg of the race right now. Me and Dr. Matt have been wrestling with exactly how to deal the insulin part of the swim for quite some time, and it is all coming together. In the pool I have felt a little pathetic using a pull buoy even though everyone said the wetsuit would help float me anyway. Well the first day I was here I swam about 3/4 mile in my wetsuit and was blown away with how much it helped. The next morning I woke up adjusted my pump and swam over 2 miles while my brother followed me in a canoe. It didn't even wear me out too bad. I had a little hammer gel half way and my sugar was around 1oo when I got out of the water. I am so pumped.

Rock Island Tennessee- a great place to train run out of test strips make crazy breakthroughs do a backyard half.

More to come.