Howdy from Hotlanta!
How is everyone doing? Thanks very much for the comments and posts. This has been a pretty interesting week. I have had some big developments in my new training tool, a shake up in the team, and decent news from the doc. But today after spending a week fixing all energy on the now, I began to stop and reflect a bit on the past. What is the old saying: "If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger?" I find this to be very true, and want to share a few experiences of the past which at the time sucked are now somewhat entertaining.
14 years old hanging out at Revolutions Cycles (in Tallahassee) when me and my buddies were too loud, and knocked some stuff over or scared a customer away, the owner (who shall for privacy reasons be called Kent Woodville) yelled at us all: "You can leave, or you can sit in this area (a duct tape square on the floor) for 30 minutes without saying a word. " My friends left, but me, wanting to fit in, and become welcome, and to learn from these guys who I looked up to, sat in the box for 30 minutes. Then we were cool.
-lesson learned
16 or 17 years old, first year racing on the road: Leaving a race in St. Pete Fl, and as tradition had it, we stopped at a gas station. I had won some money, and decided to GO BIG with a 64oz Diet Coke... I was told by Louis and Ray: We are not stopping until Ocala, so watch what you drink. 20 minutes later it was gone, and 10 minutes after I had to pee. "We told you," was the response I got. 1 hour later, I really had to go, but still no stop. Then for good measure, they went past Ocala, as I am nearly in tears. For 2.5hrs I sat squirming, screaming, begging to stop, and when we did it was the best thing in the world. They taught me a lesson. I could have gone home and cried to mom, but I wanted to race, and these guys were racers, so I took the lesson, and got a smaller drink next time.
-lesson learned
19 years old racing for UGA: Daytona weekend and racing bikes 20 minutes from Daytona. None of us reserve a hotel, and the only one we could find was a 29.99 dump, with 1 room available, 2 beds. It just so happened that 8 of us had to fit in there. I was the youngest, so got relegated to the floor, where I had roaches crawling all over me for the night. Waffle house the next day, and off to the races. I was broke, but should have made a reservation. We won the race the next day.
-Lesson learned
21 yrs old, racing for UGA: I was 3rd in the conference, and got told that I was not going to Nationals (my goal for the year) because I didn't do Volunteer hours required. I was upset, so won the race the next day, and then whined about it to the world. In hindsight, If I would have taken a little time out of my life, volunteered, I could have helped the team go for Gold that year. Instead, as they were racing crits, I did a 7 hour training ride by myself.
-Lesson learned, and who knew how great it feels to Volunteer.
***For anyone who wants, please visit CampKudzu.org, as they are in need of counselors for Summer Camp. It is a great week!!
How about diabetes:
6yrs old: Mom says "Don't do your shot, you will go blind." Result: I beg for my shot every day so I can keep my eyes.
- Lesson Learned
12 yrs old, I get my A1C of 8.2, and ask my doctor if that # will make me go blind. He didn't say yes, but didn't say no, so I asked if it should be better, and he said yes. I said what should I do: check more. So I checked more, and came back 3 months later to get an A1C of 7.1.
-lesson learned
17 years old: DQ Blizzard #1, 5 units- result BS of 300-
1 week later: DQ Blizzard #2, 7 units- result BS 51 (finish my friends blizzard)
1 week after that: DQ Blizzard #3, 6 units- Result BS of 105
-lesson learned
These were all very important times in my life. Some might seem like bad, or scary times, but in reality, Life is just like riding a bike, you fall down, and then you get back up and do it again. I am grateful to those who have taught me lessons, and showed me the way. I have had a lot of people I looked up to growing up who were very hard on me, and pushed me, but taught me. And then this past winter I get to do Team Training camp/media training, AKA (from the riders) Food Camp, as we were all over fed and under ridden for a few days, all in the name of the team.
As for the now: This week my docs told me my arteries are good. This is good because I don't need surgery, but this is bad because I have no idea what is causing the problem. Now it is back to the drawing board with my team of friends, to adjust position, do body work, and try and figure out what is going on.
As for the rest of our team: a kid quit, made up some stories, and now I wish him well.
I am very happy to report the average A1C of Team Type 1. We have 35 athletes with diabetes, 26 type 1, and 9 type 2. Our motto is A1C: Strive for 6.5, and it looks like the team did just that coming home with an avg of 6.41. The do this, because they all take advantage of FreeStyle, Omni-Pod, and Dex4 (not necessarily all of those) that they have access to thanks to the team. Of the 54 athletes on TT1/TT2, 26 are returning, and 28 are new.
We run a good ship here, and are always learning. I am sure in 5 years, I will look back and laugh at this week, as I have at just about every other one so far in life.
Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!
Phil
17 comments:
Congratulations on making your team A1C goal! That is a big accomplishment and deserves acknowledgment. Something other than a sugar filled Blizzard perhaps? Keep on laughing!
Peace
Tim
Michael will join you for a celebratory blizzard : )
AND you get to be immortalized as a Famous Georgian at a local school in Atlanta (a good lesson for this week)?!?!
i laugh now
here is a lesson for you that will save you 5 years of your life wasting your time. you are not good enough at racing bikes , stick to riding for your health
Message for "Anonymous": Phil's posting his ups and downs helps so many of the rest of us with control issues, and the physical - and mental - aspects of being and athlete with diabetes. And he inspires us! How can that possibly be a waste of time? Now, sending snide email, that's a waste of time....
Being the shop "wrench" and laughing at Phil while he was was sitting in that duct tape square on the floor, I've watched him grow, and trust me, the kid works hard to clear hurdles you wouldn't believe. While my boy may not be the next Lance(and who would want to be), his desire and drive to be the best he can be, at whatever he tries, are exceptional qualities. So now we have these anonymous commentors who have nothing better to do than shine negativity on an otherwise positive site. Someone once told me that the things we hate most in other people, are the things we hate most in ourselves. Perhaps our Disgruntled Anony should take a long look at their gripe, and see if the problem isn't actually in the mirror.
I thought 'anonymous' was talking about his or her own failure!?
Way to go for the team!!!!! Keep up the great work Phil. I enjoy reading your blog. I wish the team continued success & hope you might show up next Sunday at the Tour de Cure in Atlanta. It would be great to ride along side of you sometime.
Since it is mother's day -- Phil's mom will weigh in.
I am so proud of you. And may I say to those who criticize -- by this time my boy has probably done AT LEAST 137,280 finger sticks and shots of insulin (and that is a low end estimate).
Need I say more. Your teammates are the role models for everyone connected with diabetes.
Go Phil
Thanks for racing Phil and for all your efforts that inspire and motivate. I had to switch from Lantus to Levemir, as the Lantus was not working for me. My 14 year average A1c is 5.7 and whenever my A1C is under 6, I splurge on a rootbeer float!
Chris
Are you doing Philly this year, Phil? Did you race it last year?
Anonymous:
Is that your stage in life is to remain Anonymous? If so you are the champ at it, as for Phil, I think his stage in life is to live out loud and help us all play this game of D and most importantly enjoy time on the bike.
Thank you Phil.
Anonymous is the EPO good?
Thanks Phil for your blog. I'm a dietitian and certified diabetes educator. Reading your blog keeps me focused on my mission...to educate those with diabetes on how to live!
It is really cool that the slower, less gifted shop rat persevered. Some of Phil’s more physically mature (and those with less hurdles) buddies got the better of Phil back in those days (well at least most days). But Phil never backed down and kept fighting through like a bulldog. We had fun but he took the brunt of the crap, like greenhorns on Deadliest Catch. In the beginning, his mom asked us to take care of him. We did our best, but I’ll admit that I was too young to realize the gravity of the medical situation. Looking back, I realize Phil has always been true blue. He rode our shop brand when all his buddies rode the trendy bikes. I did not stay in touch with Phil during his college years, but I do remember the time he rode from Athens to Tallahassee on the weekend. -- Most of all through this rambling I want the readers of this blog to know you wouldn’t believe it if I told you the story of a boy who wasn’t supposed to live very long, to a teenager who spent time as bike shop rat, to man who raced along side the big names in professional cycling. The story is awe-inspiring. Keep up the good work Phil.
What a great way to start my morning by reading this.......... keep peddling - keep writing - keep sharing
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