Howdy from the Team Bus,
Thanks so much to everyone for the cheers, and comments. It has been quite the experience the last 4-5 days, and the more road we covered, the more Team Type 1 signs we saw. It truly has everyone on the team, mgmt, and staff included extremely proud to be a part of this team.
So how'd it end? When it comes down to it, I was racing against the best of the best in cycling, and doing so after not having done any real racing since last March. That in itself was a challenge, but I was getting through. Ont he early days, we had saran (know idea on spelling) wrap around our shoes, and tape around the wrap on the ankles. This caused my left ankle to flare up. Not so bad on the bike, but miserable walking. On stage 3, this turned into some knee pain, and on stage 4 they were both bad. Excuses, no. I did need to be 100% to have a chance at fighting it out, and I was probably running at 75%. Unfortunately I am not that talented. When it comes to the diabetes, I was close to having it all figured out.
So yesterday, I nailed the Blood sugar before the start., I did 2u of Apidra at breakfast, and took in about 150gm carbs, and a solid amount of protein and fat. I sat at 160 for a bit before starting to trend down. Drank some Gatorade, and got it up to 225 and flat at the start. We took off neutral for a bit, with the sun shining. For the first hour we were going 30+mph non stop. It was crazy, but was feeling ok. I had a Dex 4 liquid blast 10 minutes into the stage, and then a clif shot no too long after that. Legs still ok. Then we hit some rolling hills, and when standing the pain in my knee became somewhat agonizing. It got to the point where I was using just my right leg when standing, and that one was wearing out quickly. At this time, attacks were going left and right, and the field was becoming lined out. Chris Jones got in a solid break with some A+ riders, which unfortunately got caught. It was about this point where we were flying uphill, with no top in sight, that I pulled the plug. It was a tough decision, but a smart one.
The guys road solid, and we got Matti in 13th and Kobza in 18th.
Yesterday's stage had over 11,000ft of climbing in it, and a lot of solid riders did not make the finish either. Had a funny moment on the 3rd stage, when I was catching back up through the cars, and I saw to my left that Lance had stopped to stretch... I was about 10 cars back, when I saw him, and 2 teammates drop back for him. So as he got back on the bike and came by me, and yelled "hop on buddy," which I did. It was nice having the Astana train pull me back up to the front of the field. Good times...
All in all, this has been a great race, a great experience, and hopefully will help jump start me to a higher level. Next on the race docket for me is Tour of Taiwan, March 8-15. It is a cool race, and I am excited to get back and go for some stage wins!!
Last night, I jumped up to 13u Lantus. Which had me good for all but a few hours last night. I am going to switch to 2x day dosage, and see if it smooths me out at the 10:30-1:30 time frame. Will keep you posted. Now it is time to relax a little, recover a lot, and begin to focus on training for the rest of the season. I plan to come back to this race next year, and give em hell, and hopefully have more stories from time off the front, than time off the back...
Thanks so much for your support, and the comments!
Phil
www.TeamType1.org
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Survival Game on multiple levels
Howdy,
Quick update here.
Yesterday was survival. Dropped on first climb (which was very hard,) chased solo for long time, as catching the group, felt Navi vibration, so went to team car. Wearing super gloves so can't reach in pocket. Grabbed onto car, while the doc reached back to see I was at 133 dropping. Drank a coke, went through the cars to get back in. Officials saw that, and dq'd me, but after hearing why, re-instated. Thanks for the understanding!!!
Then I went on to eat, and eat, and eat. I calculated eating about 340gms of carbs over the course of the day, and at the end still finished at 91. I came off the back on the second climb, then chased through the cars to get back on, and then sat as close to the front as I could for the last 80km's or so. Feeling good until last bit, when I not eating enough got me too low, and was out of fuel. I have eaten tons since then, and am about to go give it another go.
Did 11u Lantus last night, down from 19u at the start. Woke up at 6:20 at 240, did 3u Apidra, and stuffed as much food down my throat as possible. Right now, I am 145 trending up, and gotta run hop on the Team Bus.
Thanks so much for the comments, and well wishes. Today is going to be hard, but sunny, and I plan to make it to the end.
Have a great day.
Phil
www.TeamType1.org
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Quick update here.
Yesterday was survival. Dropped on first climb (which was very hard,) chased solo for long time, as catching the group, felt Navi vibration, so went to team car. Wearing super gloves so can't reach in pocket. Grabbed onto car, while the doc reached back to see I was at 133 dropping. Drank a coke, went through the cars to get back in. Officials saw that, and dq'd me, but after hearing why, re-instated. Thanks for the understanding!!!
Then I went on to eat, and eat, and eat. I calculated eating about 340gms of carbs over the course of the day, and at the end still finished at 91. I came off the back on the second climb, then chased through the cars to get back on, and then sat as close to the front as I could for the last 80km's or so. Feeling good until last bit, when I not eating enough got me too low, and was out of fuel. I have eaten tons since then, and am about to go give it another go.
Did 11u Lantus last night, down from 19u at the start. Woke up at 6:20 at 240, did 3u Apidra, and stuffed as much food down my throat as possible. Right now, I am 145 trending up, and gotta run hop on the Team Bus.
Thanks so much for the comments, and well wishes. Today is going to be hard, but sunny, and I plan to make it to the end.
Have a great day.
Phil
www.TeamType1.org
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Survival Game and Diabetes Game
Howdy from Some Hotel in CA,
Yesterday was tough. But there were some cool parts. In the neutral section before the race, we rode across The Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty darn cool. Then it was full gas. I was doing ok for a few minutes. At the top of the climb my glasses fogged a lot, so I took them off. Then all the crap from the road, and rain were in my eyes, and I couldn't see a thing. This would have been ok, other than the fact that we were doing 35mph on the flats in 50++ down the hills. Then as soon as we got to open roads, I had a mechanical. Got in the cars, and spent a long time off the back of the group fighting to get back up. I would move up 1 car, then back 3, then up 5, and back 2. For those who don't know, we have massive caravan of team cars, officials, police behind us. This caravan is probably 2 miles long, and is an extension of the field. So as long as I was in the cars, I was still racing. With the help of a few directors, I was able to get back in. So for 30ks, I got to ride with the bunch, and chat with some friends and teammates. Then we hit the next climb, which was 7 miles long. Rock Racing lined it up, and after some time I was off the back. Played the car game up the climb, and met up with Fabio, 3 Liquigas guys, 3 colavita, Fred Rodriguez and a few others. We rode lt tempo for an hour, then hard tempo for another hour, then an 8 mile climb, and a long descent to the finish. It was hard, but we snuck through the time cut, and survived to race another day.
Before the race I was having some trouble getting BS to go up. I was eating tons, and finally at the line able to see 177 with an upward trend. During the race, I had a 2 cliff bars (80gm carb) 6 shots (120gm carb) 3 cliff blocks packs (150gm carb) and a coke (25gm carb) I was fine and dandy for most of the day, but about 45 kms to go, I felt the vibration going off. It was hard to tell if it was the long vibe (low BS) or short vibe (high BS) so I went with the safest, and guessed low, and ate... On the last climb, I had our doc, Mark Greve reach into my jersey, and pull out the FreeStyle Navigator, which said I was 111. This is when I had the last of a coke, cliff bar, and shot. Finished, within the cut, and then did 7units of Apidra, and took in 60 gm of carb/20 protein from a drink. A cookie, and some chips. Then had a sandwich, and other stuff to hold over until dinner. 2.5u for a huge plate of rice, some sort of red meat, and 4 pieces of cake.
13u Lantus at 9am, followed by cereal, and a protein shake.
Woke up at 3am at 254, and did 2.5u. Woke up with Projected low alarm at 4:45am, ate Dex4 glucose, and protein shake. Back to sleep. Low alarm again, and had 25 gm carb from Dex 4, and then woke up at 7:30 for breakfast.
Today is gonna be hard, wet, and cold. I need to have the ride of my life for the first 15 miles today, and then should make it to tomorrow.
Huge thanks to everyone for your comments, and support! It means the world to me, and I am gonna go give em hell today!
Have a great day.
Phil
TeamType1.org
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Yesterday was tough. But there were some cool parts. In the neutral section before the race, we rode across The Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty darn cool. Then it was full gas. I was doing ok for a few minutes. At the top of the climb my glasses fogged a lot, so I took them off. Then all the crap from the road, and rain were in my eyes, and I couldn't see a thing. This would have been ok, other than the fact that we were doing 35mph on the flats in 50++ down the hills. Then as soon as we got to open roads, I had a mechanical. Got in the cars, and spent a long time off the back of the group fighting to get back up. I would move up 1 car, then back 3, then up 5, and back 2. For those who don't know, we have massive caravan of team cars, officials, police behind us. This caravan is probably 2 miles long, and is an extension of the field. So as long as I was in the cars, I was still racing. With the help of a few directors, I was able to get back in. So for 30ks, I got to ride with the bunch, and chat with some friends and teammates. Then we hit the next climb, which was 7 miles long. Rock Racing lined it up, and after some time I was off the back. Played the car game up the climb, and met up with Fabio, 3 Liquigas guys, 3 colavita, Fred Rodriguez and a few others. We rode lt tempo for an hour, then hard tempo for another hour, then an 8 mile climb, and a long descent to the finish. It was hard, but we snuck through the time cut, and survived to race another day.
Before the race I was having some trouble getting BS to go up. I was eating tons, and finally at the line able to see 177 with an upward trend. During the race, I had a 2 cliff bars (80gm carb) 6 shots (120gm carb) 3 cliff blocks packs (150gm carb) and a coke (25gm carb) I was fine and dandy for most of the day, but about 45 kms to go, I felt the vibration going off. It was hard to tell if it was the long vibe (low BS) or short vibe (high BS) so I went with the safest, and guessed low, and ate... On the last climb, I had our doc, Mark Greve reach into my jersey, and pull out the FreeStyle Navigator, which said I was 111. This is when I had the last of a coke, cliff bar, and shot. Finished, within the cut, and then did 7units of Apidra, and took in 60 gm of carb/20 protein from a drink. A cookie, and some chips. Then had a sandwich, and other stuff to hold over until dinner. 2.5u for a huge plate of rice, some sort of red meat, and 4 pieces of cake.
13u Lantus at 9am, followed by cereal, and a protein shake.
Woke up at 3am at 254, and did 2.5u. Woke up with Projected low alarm at 4:45am, ate Dex4 glucose, and protein shake. Back to sleep. Low alarm again, and had 25 gm carb from Dex 4, and then woke up at 7:30 for breakfast.
Today is gonna be hard, wet, and cold. I need to have the ride of my life for the first 15 miles today, and then should make it to tomorrow.
Huge thanks to everyone for your comments, and support! It means the world to me, and I am gonna go give em hell today!
Have a great day.
Phil
TeamType1.org
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Sunday, February 15, 2009
California Game- Hell on wheels...
Howdy,
So the winner is... appx 200gms of carbs. But here is why. So I eat a solid breakfast, and then have an arrow going down afterwards. So eat a bar, and a bunch of these rice balls that Avery made for us. At the start line, I was at 257 with an arrow going up, and already shivering.
Then, we took off, and it was decided that we would not go full gas, which was a relief. There were some brutal winds, and if it would have gone real hard, it would have been ugly. 20 minutes in I ate a gel, and then another 15 minutes, a 2nd gel. I was drinking water, and not much of it. Let me put it in perspective, it was about 40-45 degrees, raining the entire time, and windy. We were all shivering out there. It was crazy. I tried to stay as close the front as needed, and got some good assistance from my man Matt Wilson. He took care of me with advice, and even went back and grabbed a jacket for me (getting one for himself too,) which was HUGE!
About 30kms from the climb, we started to ride faster. It was 60kmh downhill, 50km everywhere else... This is when it began to hurt. I had already eaten a cliff bar and 1/2 at this point, and took down some Cliff Blocks too. Then in the feed zone, had some temporarily warm tea, and a rice ball. This was about the last of my food. When we went to the climb, I was relatively close to the front, and then began to drift. It was steep, very steep. Made it to and off the back, and then it was survival mode. I was doing everything within my power to lose as little time as possible. Over the top it was Fabio and I, and we rode a steady tempo for the last 40kms, to the finish, where we got a pro-rated time. Finished shivering, and got on the bus for some warm tea.
Blood sugar at the line was 133 (only time I checked all day out there.) So my new trick with Navigator is to set some specific alarms. High is 220 and both high, and projected high are a short vibrate. Low is set at 120. Both low, and projected low alarms are a long vibrate. On a day like today, it was impossible to reach back and pull it out to look. So it was going blind, and just eat, eat, eat. In the bus, I immediately started trending up, and did 7units of Apidra, and ate 60gm carb, 20protein from Recoverite, a product by Hammer Nutrition, and then chips, rice, cookie, and a lot of warm tea. This kept me at 190, and began to trend down at the hotel in time for dinner.
Last night, I ran a little low throughout the night, and with today's intesnity I am gonna back it off to 13u Lantus. Might be too much of a drop, but rather run high than low here.
Off to a massage. Gonna be another cold wet day tomorrow.
Thanks for the wishes, and all the comments!!! I really do appreciate it.
Have a great night.
Phil
www.TeamType1.com
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
So the winner is... appx 200gms of carbs. But here is why. So I eat a solid breakfast, and then have an arrow going down afterwards. So eat a bar, and a bunch of these rice balls that Avery made for us. At the start line, I was at 257 with an arrow going up, and already shivering.
Then, we took off, and it was decided that we would not go full gas, which was a relief. There were some brutal winds, and if it would have gone real hard, it would have been ugly. 20 minutes in I ate a gel, and then another 15 minutes, a 2nd gel. I was drinking water, and not much of it. Let me put it in perspective, it was about 40-45 degrees, raining the entire time, and windy. We were all shivering out there. It was crazy. I tried to stay as close the front as needed, and got some good assistance from my man Matt Wilson. He took care of me with advice, and even went back and grabbed a jacket for me (getting one for himself too,) which was HUGE!
About 30kms from the climb, we started to ride faster. It was 60kmh downhill, 50km everywhere else... This is when it began to hurt. I had already eaten a cliff bar and 1/2 at this point, and took down some Cliff Blocks too. Then in the feed zone, had some temporarily warm tea, and a rice ball. This was about the last of my food. When we went to the climb, I was relatively close to the front, and then began to drift. It was steep, very steep. Made it to and off the back, and then it was survival mode. I was doing everything within my power to lose as little time as possible. Over the top it was Fabio and I, and we rode a steady tempo for the last 40kms, to the finish, where we got a pro-rated time. Finished shivering, and got on the bus for some warm tea.
Blood sugar at the line was 133 (only time I checked all day out there.) So my new trick with Navigator is to set some specific alarms. High is 220 and both high, and projected high are a short vibrate. Low is set at 120. Both low, and projected low alarms are a long vibrate. On a day like today, it was impossible to reach back and pull it out to look. So it was going blind, and just eat, eat, eat. In the bus, I immediately started trending up, and did 7units of Apidra, and ate 60gm carb, 20protein from Recoverite, a product by Hammer Nutrition, and then chips, rice, cookie, and a lot of warm tea. This kept me at 190, and began to trend down at the hotel in time for dinner.
Last night, I ran a little low throughout the night, and with today's intesnity I am gonna back it off to 13u Lantus. Might be too much of a drop, but rather run high than low here.
Off to a massage. Gonna be another cold wet day tomorrow.
Thanks for the wishes, and all the comments!!! I really do appreciate it.
Have a great night.
Phil
www.TeamType1.com
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Tour of Cali
Howdy,
Just a few minutes here before we depart for stage 1. Yesterday was a very cool experience. We had a lot of fans come up to the bus, and a big thanks to all of you who made it out!! The Prologue:
We decided to ride to the race, but with no clear direction how to get there, we got a little lost, ended up riding the interstate right back to the hotel... Phase 2, good directions now, and we are off. Running a bit behind we move pretty quick getting there. Arrive, and BS is at 95. Eat some rice ball things, cliff bars, and Dex 4, and after warm up on the trainer I am at 196. Ready to rock.
These Time Trial things have never been my strong suit. I have always finished near the back of the field, and mostly against mediocre fields. So with this being one of the strongest fields ever in the US, I had expectations of finishing near the back. So I take off, and go good for 2kms. I was in a good rhythm, high cadence, into a headwind. I then decided to go into a bigger gear, and it bogged me down, and I began to slow. So when all was said and done, it was a time of 5:21, which was much, much slower than the winner. Would like to do it again, as I already know a few ways I could go faster, but not 45 seconds faster.
Last night- Blood sugars were trending down a lot. So I cut back to 15u Lantus, and gave 1.5u Apidra at bedtime. Went up to 180, so gave another unit, which was too much. Each time I woke up, I was a bit lower than the last, and kept eating all night. This is not such a bad thing, as now the metabolism is moving. I gave 3u this am, ate a Cliff Bar, HUGE bowl of Oatmeal, eggs, potatoes, and bacon. I saw 220 at the end of breakfast, and am now at 155. Time to eat a muffin. I want to stay above 130 for the next 3 hours until the start of the race. I hope to start the race at 170 with an arrow trending up. I might get nervous, which could jack the BS up a bit, but who knows. I have the Navigator Calibrated, and am ready to rock, which brings me to a quick point of thanks.
I had been having some trouble with my Navigator after it gor dropped. I didn't feel it was going to make it though the race, so I called customer support at Abbott Fri am. By the pm, the said it was being overnighted to the race. I got a call late Fri night saying that Fedex would not make it in time, so they were Yvette and Esin were going to drive to Sacramento from San Fran to ensure we got it before race time... I cannot thank them enough for doing this, as I now have a clear head going into the race. Just an example of a company going the extra mile!!!
Thanks for reading. Today is survival for me.
Poll for the day: How many carbs will I eat during the race today?
Have a great day! Off to race.
Just a few minutes here before we depart for stage 1. Yesterday was a very cool experience. We had a lot of fans come up to the bus, and a big thanks to all of you who made it out!! The Prologue:
We decided to ride to the race, but with no clear direction how to get there, we got a little lost, ended up riding the interstate right back to the hotel... Phase 2, good directions now, and we are off. Running a bit behind we move pretty quick getting there. Arrive, and BS is at 95. Eat some rice ball things, cliff bars, and Dex 4, and after warm up on the trainer I am at 196. Ready to rock.
These Time Trial things have never been my strong suit. I have always finished near the back of the field, and mostly against mediocre fields. So with this being one of the strongest fields ever in the US, I had expectations of finishing near the back. So I take off, and go good for 2kms. I was in a good rhythm, high cadence, into a headwind. I then decided to go into a bigger gear, and it bogged me down, and I began to slow. So when all was said and done, it was a time of 5:21, which was much, much slower than the winner. Would like to do it again, as I already know a few ways I could go faster, but not 45 seconds faster.
Last night- Blood sugars were trending down a lot. So I cut back to 15u Lantus, and gave 1.5u Apidra at bedtime. Went up to 180, so gave another unit, which was too much. Each time I woke up, I was a bit lower than the last, and kept eating all night. This is not such a bad thing, as now the metabolism is moving. I gave 3u this am, ate a Cliff Bar, HUGE bowl of Oatmeal, eggs, potatoes, and bacon. I saw 220 at the end of breakfast, and am now at 155. Time to eat a muffin. I want to stay above 130 for the next 3 hours until the start of the race. I hope to start the race at 170 with an arrow trending up. I might get nervous, which could jack the BS up a bit, but who knows. I have the Navigator Calibrated, and am ready to rock, which brings me to a quick point of thanks.
I had been having some trouble with my Navigator after it gor dropped. I didn't feel it was going to make it though the race, so I called customer support at Abbott Fri am. By the pm, the said it was being overnighted to the race. I got a call late Fri night saying that Fedex would not make it in time, so they were Yvette and Esin were going to drive to Sacramento from San Fran to ensure we got it before race time... I cannot thank them enough for doing this, as I now have a clear head going into the race. Just an example of a company going the extra mile!!!
Thanks for reading. Today is survival for me.
Poll for the day: How many carbs will I eat during the race today?
Have a great day! Off to race.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Diabetes Game and Tour of California
Howdy From Sac Town,
So here we are the night before the big show. It has been a crazy few days, and no doubt just the calm before the storm. I have had the opportunity to see some of the biggest names in cycling, and also get some solid advice from my teammates. The advice is much needed, as I am jumping into the fire here.
It was cool last night at the team presentation having the team introduced by Phil Ligget. Then Mr. Paul Sherwan came up and asked me a few questions. I got a hot second to share a bit of the story to the crowd, and was thrilled with the reception of the team. Multiple rounds of applause at what our team is doing really hit home for me. Not to mention having the two guys who I have heard announcing races for the last 15 years.
Rides have been good while here. We did an east 3.5 hrs yesterday. I felt so/so for the first half, and then got better as the day went on. On Wed night I did 19u Lantus. Had to eat a bit extra on the ride Thursday. Thursday backed off to 18u Lantus, and still had to smash a lot of food down on the ride. I will do 18 tonight, and then back of to 15 tomorrow in advance of the long day on Sunday. Lots to consider in the coming days in regards to insulin, as I have never done a race of this caliber. I have raced the distances before (been some time) but never this terrain, weather, and last but not least, the field.
Tomorrow is the Prologue. That means 3.8km of all out sprint! I hope to go out hard, and not blow up. If I can get up to a decent speed, stay there, without exploding, then it will be a success. To say I am going for a specific result is not reasonable, as I really do not know where I sit. I do know there are guys faster than me here, and there are guys slower than me here. But within that, I have to be smart, efficient, and be willing to push deep into the hurt box in the days to come. I will try to give regular updates as we go through.
So here is the poll questions: If I am on for 15 Lantus tomorrow before stage 1, then what would you guess I would be at come day 2? I am not asking about the 3rd, until I get there.
I hope all is well.
Thanks for reading!!
Philpott
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
So here we are the night before the big show. It has been a crazy few days, and no doubt just the calm before the storm. I have had the opportunity to see some of the biggest names in cycling, and also get some solid advice from my teammates. The advice is much needed, as I am jumping into the fire here.
It was cool last night at the team presentation having the team introduced by Phil Ligget. Then Mr. Paul Sherwan came up and asked me a few questions. I got a hot second to share a bit of the story to the crowd, and was thrilled with the reception of the team. Multiple rounds of applause at what our team is doing really hit home for me. Not to mention having the two guys who I have heard announcing races for the last 15 years.
Rides have been good while here. We did an east 3.5 hrs yesterday. I felt so/so for the first half, and then got better as the day went on. On Wed night I did 19u Lantus. Had to eat a bit extra on the ride Thursday. Thursday backed off to 18u Lantus, and still had to smash a lot of food down on the ride. I will do 18 tonight, and then back of to 15 tomorrow in advance of the long day on Sunday. Lots to consider in the coming days in regards to insulin, as I have never done a race of this caliber. I have raced the distances before (been some time) but never this terrain, weather, and last but not least, the field.
Tomorrow is the Prologue. That means 3.8km of all out sprint! I hope to go out hard, and not blow up. If I can get up to a decent speed, stay there, without exploding, then it will be a success. To say I am going for a specific result is not reasonable, as I really do not know where I sit. I do know there are guys faster than me here, and there are guys slower than me here. But within that, I have to be smart, efficient, and be willing to push deep into the hurt box in the days to come. I will try to give regular updates as we go through.
So here is the poll questions: If I am on for 15 Lantus tomorrow before stage 1, then what would you guess I would be at come day 2? I am not asking about the 3rd, until I get there.
I hope all is well.
Thanks for reading!!
Philpott
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Diabetes Game: Racin Baby!!
Howdy From Santa Barbara,
How goes it? Life is good here. Now 4 days away from the beginning of the Tour of California, AKA: “The hardest race I have ever done!” I am extremely excited, nervous, and curious about the venture. But leading up to it, I feel good.
I feel fully recovered from a 3 week block of tough training. 23 hours before camp with a lot of intensity, 15 hrs,+ a million photo/video shoots (more tiring than training) and then a 26 hour week with the rock stars of Team Type 1! At the end, I was both physically, and mentally wiped out. The stay in Buellton after camp was good for me, and some weather forced rest had me feeling perky going into the crit on Sunday. This was it for me, the test. If I sucked, I was pulling out of ToC, but if I felt good, and could go, then I was going. So I woke up, ate breakfast, and blood sugar would not come down. I was a bit peeved, so decided instead of giving 3 extra shots, that I would go ride. I went out in San Diego, and felt good. Climbed a bunch of hills, and after getting lost, rode hard for a while to get back in time to go to the race. Also, blood sugar was 85 at the end of the ride, so that problem was solved.
Got to the race 4.5 hrs early. Got registered, dressed, and set off with Cajonez (Chris Jones) Matt Wilson, Joe, and Willem for a warm up. This consisted of 2.5 hours through the hills of Northern San Diego. Felt pretty good, and HR stayed a bit high. Then 1.5 hrs before the race grabbed an espresso, and went to relax. Checked BS, and it was 58. So I ate 2.4 scones, and a turkey Sandwich for about 90gms of carbs. Checked at the car, and was 220! Perfect! Then rode to the store to grab a Gatorade, and on the way back, went through a yellow light, and BAM! Hit by a car. The guy making a left turn was in a hurry and smashed me. Miraculously, and don’t ask me how, I got my body out of the way, and left unscathed. The only issue was a out of true Shimano wheel, and some paint chipage on my Orbea Opal. I felt real, real, real (to the 10th power) lucky to get out so easy. Crit Time…
Vassili’s orders for me were to sit in for the first half. The crit was going full throttle, and the team looked good. Matti, Willem, and Chris were covering lots of moves. Matti was in just about every move, and Willem was doing a hell of a job. And I just sat in the top half spinning around as we cruised at 30mph. Tough crit with a little hill on it. Then halfway through, Chris comes up and says
“How you feel”
I say “good”
He says, “you want to race then”
I say “Sure, at the halfway point”
He says “It is halfway, let’s race.
So I go to the front, and start covering moves. Not a whole lot of em, but I was able to get in moves, go real hard, and then recover, and do it again. Was finally getting some race confidence back, and doing this at fairly fast race. Covered Crane a few times, and hurt a bit. None the less, doing the crit to finish up a 5 hour day on the bike, and feeling good, was a nice sign. During the race, I had 2 bags of Jelly Belly Sport beans, and a cliff shot. Also had 4 Dex 4 tabs right before the start. My Hat goes off to Matti and Jones for a solid ride, and Willem for a hell of a ride. Blood sugar finished at 223, and did 7 units of Apidra for about 70gms of carbs. 1 hr later, was at 263. Did another 6 units and then had a burrito, and 2 units later was back at 100 before bed. Increased to 17u of Lantus, and still went high. Went to bed at 80, woke up at 12:30 at 255. Did 3u Apidra, and woke up at 104.
Last night, after a rest day (Email, massage, physical therapy, and very little food) went up to 18u, and woke up at 2am at 94, drank some Muscle Milk Protein drink and woke up at 134.
Coffee, Oatmeal, and 4u Apidra, and set off for a 3.5 hr ride with some intervals. Had my new Orthodics in from Bill Peterson (wedofeet.com) and felt better on the bike than when I took off the training wheels. Big thanks to Bill for the final touches of straightening me out, which has been the culmination of 3 years of work on that body project that some 25 specialist (outside of diabetes) have helped seen me in the process.
Started today at 220, ate Sport beans 50 minutes into the ride, and then it was interval time. Took a minute to get the HR up and then sat in the zone for 15 minutes. Took a nice recovery period, ate ½ cliff bar, then another bag of sport beans, then 3x2 minute all out efforts up mtn! These hurt real good. Ate the other ½ of the cliff bar, then another 15 minute effort. Ate a snickers, and set off on the hour ride home. Nice day, felt good, and finished the ride with a BG of 113. Took care of some email, and spent some time reading “What is the What” by David Edgers. I am really enjoying this one, and it makes any pain that we go through on a daily basis seem small and insignificant relative to what this man went through. I thought I knew hunger, but now know better.
Post ride was 7 units Apidra, with 40gm carb, 30gm protein from Choc Milk and Protein mix. Then another 90gm carb 9gm Protein from Oatmeal. Metabolism is moving now. I think I am gonna roll with 18u of Lantus again tonight, and another shake right before sleep. Tomorrow is an easy 2 hr ride, followed by travel to Sacramento for the Tour. After the ride, it is pack the bags, and hit the road.
Wed it will be 3 more days, and I am more and more excited the closer it gets. I really appreciate all of your support, and will need it during the Tour. I will try to update as often as possible, and give my personal play by play throughout the race.
Thanks for reading, and have a great Day!!!
Phil
How goes it? Life is good here. Now 4 days away from the beginning of the Tour of California, AKA: “The hardest race I have ever done!” I am extremely excited, nervous, and curious about the venture. But leading up to it, I feel good.
I feel fully recovered from a 3 week block of tough training. 23 hours before camp with a lot of intensity, 15 hrs,+ a million photo/video shoots (more tiring than training) and then a 26 hour week with the rock stars of Team Type 1! At the end, I was both physically, and mentally wiped out. The stay in Buellton after camp was good for me, and some weather forced rest had me feeling perky going into the crit on Sunday. This was it for me, the test. If I sucked, I was pulling out of ToC, but if I felt good, and could go, then I was going. So I woke up, ate breakfast, and blood sugar would not come down. I was a bit peeved, so decided instead of giving 3 extra shots, that I would go ride. I went out in San Diego, and felt good. Climbed a bunch of hills, and after getting lost, rode hard for a while to get back in time to go to the race. Also, blood sugar was 85 at the end of the ride, so that problem was solved.
Got to the race 4.5 hrs early. Got registered, dressed, and set off with Cajonez (Chris Jones) Matt Wilson, Joe, and Willem for a warm up. This consisted of 2.5 hours through the hills of Northern San Diego. Felt pretty good, and HR stayed a bit high. Then 1.5 hrs before the race grabbed an espresso, and went to relax. Checked BS, and it was 58. So I ate 2.4 scones, and a turkey Sandwich for about 90gms of carbs. Checked at the car, and was 220! Perfect! Then rode to the store to grab a Gatorade, and on the way back, went through a yellow light, and BAM! Hit by a car. The guy making a left turn was in a hurry and smashed me. Miraculously, and don’t ask me how, I got my body out of the way, and left unscathed. The only issue was a out of true Shimano wheel, and some paint chipage on my Orbea Opal. I felt real, real, real (to the 10th power) lucky to get out so easy. Crit Time…
Vassili’s orders for me were to sit in for the first half. The crit was going full throttle, and the team looked good. Matti, Willem, and Chris were covering lots of moves. Matti was in just about every move, and Willem was doing a hell of a job. And I just sat in the top half spinning around as we cruised at 30mph. Tough crit with a little hill on it. Then halfway through, Chris comes up and says
“How you feel”
I say “good”
He says, “you want to race then”
I say “Sure, at the halfway point”
He says “It is halfway, let’s race.
So I go to the front, and start covering moves. Not a whole lot of em, but I was able to get in moves, go real hard, and then recover, and do it again. Was finally getting some race confidence back, and doing this at fairly fast race. Covered Crane a few times, and hurt a bit. None the less, doing the crit to finish up a 5 hour day on the bike, and feeling good, was a nice sign. During the race, I had 2 bags of Jelly Belly Sport beans, and a cliff shot. Also had 4 Dex 4 tabs right before the start. My Hat goes off to Matti and Jones for a solid ride, and Willem for a hell of a ride. Blood sugar finished at 223, and did 7 units of Apidra for about 70gms of carbs. 1 hr later, was at 263. Did another 6 units and then had a burrito, and 2 units later was back at 100 before bed. Increased to 17u of Lantus, and still went high. Went to bed at 80, woke up at 12:30 at 255. Did 3u Apidra, and woke up at 104.
Last night, after a rest day (Email, massage, physical therapy, and very little food) went up to 18u, and woke up at 2am at 94, drank some Muscle Milk Protein drink and woke up at 134.
Coffee, Oatmeal, and 4u Apidra, and set off for a 3.5 hr ride with some intervals. Had my new Orthodics in from Bill Peterson (wedofeet.com) and felt better on the bike than when I took off the training wheels. Big thanks to Bill for the final touches of straightening me out, which has been the culmination of 3 years of work on that body project that some 25 specialist (outside of diabetes) have helped seen me in the process.
Started today at 220, ate Sport beans 50 minutes into the ride, and then it was interval time. Took a minute to get the HR up and then sat in the zone for 15 minutes. Took a nice recovery period, ate ½ cliff bar, then another bag of sport beans, then 3x2 minute all out efforts up mtn! These hurt real good. Ate the other ½ of the cliff bar, then another 15 minute effort. Ate a snickers, and set off on the hour ride home. Nice day, felt good, and finished the ride with a BG of 113. Took care of some email, and spent some time reading “What is the What” by David Edgers. I am really enjoying this one, and it makes any pain that we go through on a daily basis seem small and insignificant relative to what this man went through. I thought I knew hunger, but now know better.
Post ride was 7 units Apidra, with 40gm carb, 30gm protein from Choc Milk and Protein mix. Then another 90gm carb 9gm Protein from Oatmeal. Metabolism is moving now. I think I am gonna roll with 18u of Lantus again tonight, and another shake right before sleep. Tomorrow is an easy 2 hr ride, followed by travel to Sacramento for the Tour. After the ride, it is pack the bags, and hit the road.
Wed it will be 3 more days, and I am more and more excited the closer it gets. I really appreciate all of your support, and will need it during the Tour. I will try to update as often as possible, and give my personal play by play throughout the race.
Thanks for reading, and have a great Day!!!
Phil
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