Howdy from HotLanta,
How goes it? Thanks everyone for the great comments, and showing of support. To Mr. Anonymous who likes to talk trash: I don't care. Post your name, then maybe I will take note.
This past weekend was a lot of fun. I haven't raced mountain bikes since, well, um... I have no idea. This race meant a lot more. This was one of the first times I got to go away from home with the boyz, and for a 14yr old, it was the coolest thing in the world. I also remember finishing one 7 mile lap, and being dead. Here we are, 12-13 years later, same camp ground (minus a few who bailed at the last moment...) I was there with RAAM Crew vets Chris Big Daddy Slaton, Daren, Ricky Silk, and Jim. I always new Rick was fast, but I did not know that if you named a song, he could immediately go into chorus, and sing the whole thing... Any song too...
Back to racing in a minute. The past 2 weeks of blood sugars have been pretty good. I was back to finger stick full time. Having run out of sensors, it was time to go old school. At first, I was high, then low, then high, then low, but after a few days I got my rhythm back, and #'s were solid, with 14day avg down to 108. Here is the thing though, with CGM, I could have 14day avg at 103, with 3-5%below target, and no blood sugars under 50. Now to get to 108, I had to drop way too low a few too many times. I woke up low one time, another low while on the phone with my literary agent, and once on the bike. What I found was in the transition period after CGM (Day 4-8,) I was only checking about 14 times a day, and I saw too many #'s that I did not like. So I went old school OCD, and began to check 20-22 times a day. Guess what: No more high BS, cause I caught them before getting there, and a lot less lows. Even without CGM, you can still simulate it... I found myself checking 2-3 times in a 20 minute window to get a real idea of my trend before making a correction. Although this method works, and with effort, it works very well, I still think that CGM is the way to go. I am back on it now (thanks to a study) and have hit the button to see my BS 47 times today, and that is in the last 8.5hrs, or checking an avg of 5 times/hour.
Then the bike race... So 2 weeks ago I got news my artery was healthy, yet I am still having blood flow problems to my left leg. So at a friend's (thanks Joe E. and Tim J) I decided to play with position. No dice. Tried riding mtb, and leg went numb. Pretty bummed out, and not that excited about racing, if one leg is not gonna work, but the thought of mountain bike racing, and doing it with my big bro Slaton brought a smile to my face. Ya see, when I first started riding, while everybody slaughtered me, and left me out in the woods, Mr. Slaton waited. Every Sunday I would make it farther and farther before he would have to stop for me, but every Sunday he waited until he didn't have to wait any longer. I am forever grateful to his Jimminy Cricket for telling him to wait for this punk kid so he would make it home alive.
So we have a good time dying on the pre-ride, camp out, get up and get ready to rock. We take off down the dirt road, and then up a climb. I was 2nd wheel into the woods, but no middle chain ring, as I was stuck in the big ring. This didn't work for this steep climb. So I got off, had a few guys pass me, then back on it, with only a middle ring. Then pass a few guys, blow up, get passed by a few, and settle in. I was 15 seconds back of this one guy for a long time, when it felt like my bike was not right. Sure enough, my crank (attaches to the pedal) was coming off. So I walk up the hill for about 10 minutes (wanting to quit) until a guy came by and let me borrow his wrench. I fixed the bike, and got going again. Passed 3-4 guys, and then at the start of the 2nd lap wanted to quit so bad. I was no longer racing for the win, not really competing, but decided to keep on going. I am thinking that my BS was a bit low at this point. I didn't get to eat too much on the first lap, and then only snacked a bit for the 2nd. I was pretty bad off at the start of the 3rd lap, and seriously thought about stopping. I waited for my BBray for a few to have someone to ride with. At this time, I ate a bunch of food, and had a gel. Then I passed BB, and took another gel, feeling better. I saw another guy and passed him, then had another gel, at which point I felt really good. I was flying the last lap, and I want to say that I had a great Blood sugar for the last 8 miles, where I put 10 minutes into a few people. Fueling, and having the right # is something we all strive for, and with the right technology, CGM, the playing field is close to level, and when we do the other stuff right (eat, insulin, timing...) then I think we have the edge. Over the past few weeks I have gotten to go old school in a few different categories, which I think is always good to put in in perspective. Rapper Rick Smith got 2nd, with Big daddy Slaton winning his, as did Darren. I won my division thanks to nobody else showing up, and had a great time doing it. The experience was priceless if for nothing other than getting the refresher: Finishing what you start is very important, and no matter the result or the pain in the process, always seems like fun. Can't wait till next time. Now is time to move forward with "The Tour of Somerville" coming up this week, and a lot of big events at Sanofi-Aventis this week.
Tomorrow I am off to Jersey, and will be there for a week. Then back, and off to Cali for 5 days, before getting back and then going to Camp Kudzu for a few days, before going to NO for 5 days. All in all, I think I have a run of 22 days away from home coming up. But I am back on CGM, and have weined off the 2-day basal and am now back to once per day. Messed up last night, and had to bolus a few times with rapid bed, so hope to have the right dose tonight.
Thanks for reading, and have a GREAT night!
Phil
P.S. TT1+TT2 jersey's are now available for sale!! http://teamtype1.myshopify.com/
Team Type 1
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Lessons Learned
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
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
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Diabetes Game: The Sign and the Jinx
Howdy from Emory Radiology Dept:
So the bike racin has not been all that great for me (but great for the team!!) Tuesday in Beaufort was a quick one for me. Before my leg quit working, I typically feel really good, and have no problem riding the front of a race. But once the left leg gives, there is no need to be there, as I just get in the way. Beaufort was a hard race, no doubt about it. Krazy Ken Hanson made the break, and those guys stayed away for most of the race. Got caught with a few laps to go, but he still managed a top 10. Then Wednesday was Walterboro, which is a good one. I like the course, and have ridden well there in the past. Spent 5 laps moving up, then cover a move, and then shut down. I slowly worked my backwards, and then off the back. 2 guys stayed away, and Aldo and Ken took 1-2 in the field sprint again for 3rd and 4th. It was a solid performance, and the team was starting to ride better together. Most of these days, we would ride in the morning, typically to a coffee shop, then back take a nap, and then get ready to race at night. The 2-a-days really boost the metabolism, and for me especially at night. I got the s-a pen, and it seems to be more potent than the vial, or my metabolism is just really flying. I haven't done a bolus over 4 units in a while now, and have been hovering at about 15u of basal a day. Back to 16 now with no racing. Weird though, as every night at 9, I would just need more and more carbs. I was taking in Dex4, and Gatorade at bed time, as that was when it was racing.
There was one night I thought I had it all good, but could not sleep. For me, not being able to fall asleep is a tell-tale sign that I need more food, or insulin. My body won't let me go to sleep having messed up. So sure enough, I check again, and am hovering at 60, got some more carbs in, and then 15 minutes later I was in dream land. Also, I think it is a guarantee that if I brush my teeth before that final check, then I am going to drop and need more food. This is a jinx that has proven itself time after time. Funny little intricacies of The Diabetes Game.
I was planning to stay with the team, and keep trying to race, but I got a call from the Radiology Dept at Emory, and Dr. Diego Martin ( a radiologist) was not happy with the first MRA. So in for another, which is supposedly 2x as powerful as your standard MRI. Diego also rides bikes, and wanted to take everything into account. He actually sat in while they did the MRA, to ensure they got every possible image. Now I get to play the waiting game for a while, and hope to hear something that will allow me to move forward. For some leisure reading on this condition,
I have a couple of links below, which are more descriptive of the condition I have.
http://www.velonews.com/article/13064
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/bicyclinginjuries/a/Arteriopathy.htm
Thanks for reading, and the Well Wishes!
Have a great weekend.
Philpott
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
TeamType1.org
So the bike racin has not been all that great for me (but great for the team!!) Tuesday in Beaufort was a quick one for me. Before my leg quit working, I typically feel really good, and have no problem riding the front of a race. But once the left leg gives, there is no need to be there, as I just get in the way. Beaufort was a hard race, no doubt about it. Krazy Ken Hanson made the break, and those guys stayed away for most of the race. Got caught with a few laps to go, but he still managed a top 10. Then Wednesday was Walterboro, which is a good one. I like the course, and have ridden well there in the past. Spent 5 laps moving up, then cover a move, and then shut down. I slowly worked my backwards, and then off the back. 2 guys stayed away, and Aldo and Ken took 1-2 in the field sprint again for 3rd and 4th. It was a solid performance, and the team was starting to ride better together. Most of these days, we would ride in the morning, typically to a coffee shop, then back take a nap, and then get ready to race at night. The 2-a-days really boost the metabolism, and for me especially at night. I got the s-a pen, and it seems to be more potent than the vial, or my metabolism is just really flying. I haven't done a bolus over 4 units in a while now, and have been hovering at about 15u of basal a day. Back to 16 now with no racing. Weird though, as every night at 9, I would just need more and more carbs. I was taking in Dex4, and Gatorade at bed time, as that was when it was racing.
There was one night I thought I had it all good, but could not sleep. For me, not being able to fall asleep is a tell-tale sign that I need more food, or insulin. My body won't let me go to sleep having messed up. So sure enough, I check again, and am hovering at 60, got some more carbs in, and then 15 minutes later I was in dream land. Also, I think it is a guarantee that if I brush my teeth before that final check, then I am going to drop and need more food. This is a jinx that has proven itself time after time. Funny little intricacies of The Diabetes Game.
I was planning to stay with the team, and keep trying to race, but I got a call from the Radiology Dept at Emory, and Dr. Diego Martin ( a radiologist) was not happy with the first MRA. So in for another, which is supposedly 2x as powerful as your standard MRI. Diego also rides bikes, and wanted to take everything into account. He actually sat in while they did the MRA, to ensure they got every possible image. Now I get to play the waiting game for a while, and hope to hear something that will allow me to move forward. For some leisure reading on this condition,
I have a couple of links below, which are more descriptive of the condition I have.
http://www.velonews.com/article/13064
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/bicyclinginjuries/a/Arteriopathy.htm
Thanks for reading, and the Well Wishes!
Have a great weekend.
Philpott
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
TeamType1.org
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Twilight Time!
Howdy from Beaufurt, SC:
We are hanging out in the marshland these days, at a beautiful house compliments of Mr. Mike! Last check it was time for the crits. We cam in with a solid team, great staff, and motivated to get some results. First on the block for me was an MRA (MRI of the arteries) to see what is going on with my leg. I got that out of the way on Wednesday, then an easy cruise on Thursday, same on Friday in good ole Athens, GA! It really was great to be back, and good to see a lot of old friends in advance of Twilight.
Friday night we had dinner with the Team Type 1 ladies team, who were also motivated for some good results. Saturday am was an easy ride, and then some relaxation in prep for the race. The writer of my book (due out next June) John Hanc came into town to experience the race scene, and work on the outline so we can get the story straight. It was a pretty hectic day. With the race slated for 9pm, we went to get the last meal at 5:30, which was going to be my last shot of rapid until after the race. I did my 3 units for the All Star breakfast at Wafflehouse (usually 5) and was hoping to be sitting at 130 or so after the meal. Low (no pun intended) and behold I had a bit too much basal, and the metabolism was cooking, which kept me at about 90 after the meal. Then 2hrs before I made an attempt to get the blood sugar up, but no response. 45 minutes before I ate some more, and then at 8:30 I was sitting at 171 and flat lined on the FreeStyle Navigator. At 9pm I was sitting in the start house and adrenaline was pumping. If the race would have gone off at 9pm, or even 9:15, BS would have been between 200-220, but at 9:30 I was 225 going straight up. 260 on the start line. Did I eat too much? Was the adrenaline from 40,000 screaming fans and a front row start jacking me up? Who knows, and at that point who cares. All I could do was focus on the race, and know that I would not be going hypo. The gun went off, and it was madness. Full gas from the go, and I just stayed in the top 5, top 10 hoping to have a functional leg. The race began to get pretty hard, and the leg slowly died. About 10 laps in I was having trouble maintaining position, and jumping out of each turn with my right leg only. If the race would have eased up for a bit, I may have got through it, but that doesn’t happen at twilight, so I pulled the plug. I was pretty bummed, as this is practically a hometown race, and lots of friends were out watching, but that’s life. I got to see the end of the race, and 3 guys had snuck off the front. Ken Hanson and Aldo looked good, and came in 1-2 in the field sprint for 4th and 5th overall, which ain’t bad for Twilight. Followed this with a celebration on the town, and time to think about Roswell.
Also, big congrats to the Ladies, who animated the race with many attacks, and Jen McCrae who took 3rd place!!
Day 2, we did a quick ride in the morning, then drive home, and off to the race. John and I spent some time together, as did my mom and I. Then it was race time. Today, I had backed off the basal a bit, and got my meal about 3hrs in advance. 1hr before I was sitting at 90, but took a less drastic approach to raise the BS today. 20 minutes before I was at 170, and then on the start line I was 206 and flat, when the gun went off. Roswell is a completely different race. I knew to have a chance to help the team, I had to make it through the numbness. Vassili told me to chill for the first half, and then try to help. So for 40 minutes, I sat at or near the back, conserving as much as possible. Took in 1 gel 20 minutes in, and drank some sugar drink, and water. 40 minutes in there was a lull in the race, and I hopped up to the top 10, which was a tough run. It was much tougher to fight for position, and jump out of the turns on this one. I started losing power in my left leg, and began to go into survival mode. Ken and Aldo were flying out there, and Timmy Hargrave looked decent in a crit. So I drifted back to the back, and used the “Jason Snow” method to get through the race. With about 5 laps to go, I started to move up, and Vassili was telling us to try and win the sprint. There were 5 off the front, and with 2 to go, I snuck to the front, and thought I would give it a good drag for half a lap, to help Ken/Aldo, but then I ended up with a small gap. I went about as hard as I could for .5 a lap, and with .5 a lap to go got caught, and Mad Man Ken Hanson took over. He gave Aldo a leadout through the last turn, and Aldo blasted the sprint to take 6th.With the race over, I checked the Navigator, and was 170 headed straight down. Perfect BS for the race… The team is looking good, and if we can keep it together to the line, we have good shot at taking a W this week. Jen McCrae took 3rd again, and Monique and Morgan began to show the goods in the race. I did not get to see it, but I heard that the ladies kept the pressure on all day.
Out west Fabio spent many hours in the breaks, which helped to set up Darren Lill for the Win in Vuelta de Bisbee! Congrats guys!
I decided to come try and race this week, in hopes of lending a hand to the team. A big thanks to our Swanny: Sergey who makes everything off the bike perfect, and also to our mechanic Alex Banyay. He rocks the house, and our bikes have been flawless every time he touches em!
Bike racing and diabetes are very similar in that we are very dependent on our team around us to help make us succeed. If we have the right tools, we have a chance. Also, winning 2 race here will be a success, but that also means we will lose 5 races. After the defeats, if we learn, and do it better next time, then it was a lesson, not a loss… On the bike side we have Orbea bikes, Shimano parts/wheels, director, mechanic, souigneur which are all necessary for success. On the diabetes side we have sanofi-aventis, Navigator, Omni-Pod (for some,) dex4, endo, educator, and for each game we all depend on our family and friends to support us. When one is going good for me, the other typically is too.
Off to grab a nap, and get ready for the race tonight. Thanks for all the comments, and well wishes! Also, thanks TJ for making it out to watch!
Our schedule is on the blog off www.teamtype1.org so please come meet us if you can!
Have a great day, and thanks for reading
Phil
We are hanging out in the marshland these days, at a beautiful house compliments of Mr. Mike! Last check it was time for the crits. We cam in with a solid team, great staff, and motivated to get some results. First on the block for me was an MRA (MRI of the arteries) to see what is going on with my leg. I got that out of the way on Wednesday, then an easy cruise on Thursday, same on Friday in good ole Athens, GA! It really was great to be back, and good to see a lot of old friends in advance of Twilight.
Friday night we had dinner with the Team Type 1 ladies team, who were also motivated for some good results. Saturday am was an easy ride, and then some relaxation in prep for the race. The writer of my book (due out next June) John Hanc came into town to experience the race scene, and work on the outline so we can get the story straight. It was a pretty hectic day. With the race slated for 9pm, we went to get the last meal at 5:30, which was going to be my last shot of rapid until after the race. I did my 3 units for the All Star breakfast at Wafflehouse (usually 5) and was hoping to be sitting at 130 or so after the meal. Low (no pun intended) and behold I had a bit too much basal, and the metabolism was cooking, which kept me at about 90 after the meal. Then 2hrs before I made an attempt to get the blood sugar up, but no response. 45 minutes before I ate some more, and then at 8:30 I was sitting at 171 and flat lined on the FreeStyle Navigator. At 9pm I was sitting in the start house and adrenaline was pumping. If the race would have gone off at 9pm, or even 9:15, BS would have been between 200-220, but at 9:30 I was 225 going straight up. 260 on the start line. Did I eat too much? Was the adrenaline from 40,000 screaming fans and a front row start jacking me up? Who knows, and at that point who cares. All I could do was focus on the race, and know that I would not be going hypo. The gun went off, and it was madness. Full gas from the go, and I just stayed in the top 5, top 10 hoping to have a functional leg. The race began to get pretty hard, and the leg slowly died. About 10 laps in I was having trouble maintaining position, and jumping out of each turn with my right leg only. If the race would have eased up for a bit, I may have got through it, but that doesn’t happen at twilight, so I pulled the plug. I was pretty bummed, as this is practically a hometown race, and lots of friends were out watching, but that’s life. I got to see the end of the race, and 3 guys had snuck off the front. Ken Hanson and Aldo looked good, and came in 1-2 in the field sprint for 4th and 5th overall, which ain’t bad for Twilight. Followed this with a celebration on the town, and time to think about Roswell.
Also, big congrats to the Ladies, who animated the race with many attacks, and Jen McCrae who took 3rd place!!
Day 2, we did a quick ride in the morning, then drive home, and off to the race. John and I spent some time together, as did my mom and I. Then it was race time. Today, I had backed off the basal a bit, and got my meal about 3hrs in advance. 1hr before I was sitting at 90, but took a less drastic approach to raise the BS today. 20 minutes before I was at 170, and then on the start line I was 206 and flat, when the gun went off. Roswell is a completely different race. I knew to have a chance to help the team, I had to make it through the numbness. Vassili told me to chill for the first half, and then try to help. So for 40 minutes, I sat at or near the back, conserving as much as possible. Took in 1 gel 20 minutes in, and drank some sugar drink, and water. 40 minutes in there was a lull in the race, and I hopped up to the top 10, which was a tough run. It was much tougher to fight for position, and jump out of the turns on this one. I started losing power in my left leg, and began to go into survival mode. Ken and Aldo were flying out there, and Timmy Hargrave looked decent in a crit. So I drifted back to the back, and used the “Jason Snow” method to get through the race. With about 5 laps to go, I started to move up, and Vassili was telling us to try and win the sprint. There were 5 off the front, and with 2 to go, I snuck to the front, and thought I would give it a good drag for half a lap, to help Ken/Aldo, but then I ended up with a small gap. I went about as hard as I could for .5 a lap, and with .5 a lap to go got caught, and Mad Man Ken Hanson took over. He gave Aldo a leadout through the last turn, and Aldo blasted the sprint to take 6th.With the race over, I checked the Navigator, and was 170 headed straight down. Perfect BS for the race… The team is looking good, and if we can keep it together to the line, we have good shot at taking a W this week. Jen McCrae took 3rd again, and Monique and Morgan began to show the goods in the race. I did not get to see it, but I heard that the ladies kept the pressure on all day.
Out west Fabio spent many hours in the breaks, which helped to set up Darren Lill for the Win in Vuelta de Bisbee! Congrats guys!
I decided to come try and race this week, in hopes of lending a hand to the team. A big thanks to our Swanny: Sergey who makes everything off the bike perfect, and also to our mechanic Alex Banyay. He rocks the house, and our bikes have been flawless every time he touches em!
Bike racing and diabetes are very similar in that we are very dependent on our team around us to help make us succeed. If we have the right tools, we have a chance. Also, winning 2 race here will be a success, but that also means we will lose 5 races. After the defeats, if we learn, and do it better next time, then it was a lesson, not a loss… On the bike side we have Orbea bikes, Shimano parts/wheels, director, mechanic, souigneur which are all necessary for success. On the diabetes side we have sanofi-aventis, Navigator, Omni-Pod (for some,) dex4, endo, educator, and for each game we all depend on our family and friends to support us. When one is going good for me, the other typically is too.
Off to grab a nap, and get ready for the race tonight. Thanks for all the comments, and well wishes! Also, thanks TJ for making it out to watch!
Our schedule is on the blog off www.teamtype1.org so please come meet us if you can!
Have a great day, and thanks for reading
Phil
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Diabetes Game: Walking the line...
Howdy from HotLanta,
As always, it is great to be back home. We are heading into the crit series next, so I should have a steady influx of temp roommates in the house. First it was Daniel Holt, now Ken Hanson, but the guys are cool which makes it easy. Last I wrote, was after the test, and I was a bit down. Lots of work has been put in to getting faster, stronger, leaner to have a chance at success this year, and to find out the surgery was a failure really sucked. But, even with the semi-functional blood flow, I was still going ok, and the team was solid for Battenkill, so I went in ready to do my best for the team.
Saturday was a shorter race, at 80 miles. The weather was sketchy, in that it was nice and sunny at the start, but a good chance for rain. Normally I would have brought a rain jacket, and some arm warmers, but instead of having my bag go to Albany NY (on my flight) it went to Lafayette, LA. How this happened, I don't know, but Ken Hanson gave me a kit to race in. I was wearing Navigator, and 1 hour pre race was sitting at 150 flat line. Then there was a slight upward trend as we edged closer, and closer to the start. This is good, as typically at the beginning of a race is when the biggest drop happens for me. But apparently I either a) didn't have enough Lantus on board or b) ate too much before the start. But no way I am doing Apidra this close to the start. We started the race, and there was a solid climb at the start, and Dan and Ken made the break. They began to get more and more time on us, as the field rode a nice easy pace. There were tons of dirt roads on the course, and a lot of big rollers. It may be the coolest bike race course I have ever done. On the shorter hills, I am good, and was able to ride at/near the front. On some of the longer ones, the left leg would go numb, and I would have to gauge my effort very carefully as not to completely kill my leg. About 45 minutes into the race shortly after I ate a gel, I checked the Navigator and was 250ish. Then 30 minutes later 290, then 350... So it was water time. I quit eating food and gels, and just tried to stick to water. We then came up this 4km stair step climb. Steep at the bottom, then less steep, then more steep, for a while... 1km from the top I was unable to pedal with the left, so just went at a nice steady pace thinking my race was over. We made a left, and then down a long dirt descent. It was now raining, and I was freezing cold, so figured I would just pull out. Then I saw the group about a minute up the road, going slow, so I went a hard tempo to get back on. The blessing in disguise here was that we passed my buddy Johnny Sundt, who was just out riding, and he gave me his rain jacket. Thanks Johnny! Got back in the group, and we decided to pull the plug at the feed anyway. Dan had flatted out of the break, and Ken was trading attacks with the others up there, and ended up with a solid 3rd place. I got back and immediately gave a massive bolus, and after about 30-45 minutes started taking in calories again.
After that I was very sensitive to my Apidra, so was giving 3/4 boluses for food and snacks. Good BS's through the night, and after the high in race the day before, decided to stick with same basal instead of reducing. Mistake!
Day 2 was 200km (125 miles) on the same course, but with more teams in the race. It started pretty quick from the gun, and we had some good fights getting to the front for the dirt. Shawn Milne was our leader for the day, and we all felt good that we could rock it. I had a gel early, and then another, followed by some cliff blocks. I thought things were good, and made it through the tough parts of the course, gauging my efforts over the climbs carefully. As we got near the feedzone, I pulled out the Navigator, and saw 157 with an arrow Straight down, which gave me a quick alarm. So immediately, I downed 2 gels, more cliff blocks, and whatever sugar bottle they gave me. At the feed zone, I took 2 more bottles, downed another gel, and saw that I was 155 and flat. I thought I had avoided disaster, and was now 100% focused on the enxt dirt sections. Team Type 1 was well represented at the front, and we were constantly jostling for position on the dirt. We made it over a long gradual climb, and were bombing down the descent, when I heard the sound of air leaving my tire rapidly... Flat- happens all the time. I called Vassili on the radio, and started drifting through the line of 150 guys behind us. Alex gave me a quick wheel change, and was off chasing. So here I am chasing down the hill in the midst of a bike race induced dust storm. It reminded me of "Days of Thunder" and the cloud of smoke. I had a field to catch, so just closed my eyes (not really) and went for it, dodging cars, riders, and some rocks. It took about 20 minutes, but I got back on, dead from the chase, and at the base of a climb. Came off over the top, and then chased back again. It looked like it was slowing up, so I grabbed some bottles from the car to take to the guys. Then we began to go full tilt again. I was at the back, dying a slow death, but determined to get these bottles to the guys, as I could tell my race was coming to an early end. I managed to get Dan and Aldo feeds, just as my alarms began going crazy. I had already puked a bit of gel, and was sick to my stomach from the overload of carbs early, but still dropping. I guess the chase had me thinking of one thing and one thing only, which was to get back on. I should have been thinking get back on, well fueled, and help the guys. But for about 30 minutes of hard, hard riding, I forgot to eat a thing. When I saw 115 with an arrow going down, I knew I would have to take in about 75gms of carbs to have a chance, but couldn't even fathom a sip of gatorade. But, I got the bottles to the guys, and then Shawn went onto 4th place. He was nearly guaranteed 2nd, but a mis-timed flat ended our hopes of the podium. Scott Nydam (BMC) was off the front the entire day, and really deserved his win, and Karl-(10-Men)zies (Ouch) came in 2nd. All in all, it was a good day for the team. Our Orbea bikes were perfect for the fast stretches on the road, but also very good on the dirt.
What is the moral of the story here?? It isn't easy to nail the blood sugars every time. But knowing the # gives the power to deal with it accordingly. Had I not had Navigator on Saturday, I would have eated too much, and come home at 400, and on Sunday, I would not have been able to eat so much in advance of the low. Knowledge is power here, but no more so than off the bike. Check and correct, no matter where you are. It will help!
Then it was time to head home, and get ready for Twilight, and all the crits. I did my MRA, (which is an MRI of the arteries,) yesterday, and I will hopefully here from the surgeons at Emory as to what my options are. In the meantime, I have got some good advice from Tim Johnson, and a few others, so will continue to tweak things to make that leg work.
I really appreciate the support, and well wishes, and hope to see you at the crits. Please come say hey, and meet the team. Time to see big Joe turn on his speed, and Morgan Patton has a great chance at scoring her first NRC win this next week. I am real excited for the team.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Phil
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
www.TeamType1.org
As always, it is great to be back home. We are heading into the crit series next, so I should have a steady influx of temp roommates in the house. First it was Daniel Holt, now Ken Hanson, but the guys are cool which makes it easy. Last I wrote, was after the test, and I was a bit down. Lots of work has been put in to getting faster, stronger, leaner to have a chance at success this year, and to find out the surgery was a failure really sucked. But, even with the semi-functional blood flow, I was still going ok, and the team was solid for Battenkill, so I went in ready to do my best for the team.
Saturday was a shorter race, at 80 miles. The weather was sketchy, in that it was nice and sunny at the start, but a good chance for rain. Normally I would have brought a rain jacket, and some arm warmers, but instead of having my bag go to Albany NY (on my flight) it went to Lafayette, LA. How this happened, I don't know, but Ken Hanson gave me a kit to race in. I was wearing Navigator, and 1 hour pre race was sitting at 150 flat line. Then there was a slight upward trend as we edged closer, and closer to the start. This is good, as typically at the beginning of a race is when the biggest drop happens for me. But apparently I either a) didn't have enough Lantus on board or b) ate too much before the start. But no way I am doing Apidra this close to the start. We started the race, and there was a solid climb at the start, and Dan and Ken made the break. They began to get more and more time on us, as the field rode a nice easy pace. There were tons of dirt roads on the course, and a lot of big rollers. It may be the coolest bike race course I have ever done. On the shorter hills, I am good, and was able to ride at/near the front. On some of the longer ones, the left leg would go numb, and I would have to gauge my effort very carefully as not to completely kill my leg. About 45 minutes into the race shortly after I ate a gel, I checked the Navigator and was 250ish. Then 30 minutes later 290, then 350... So it was water time. I quit eating food and gels, and just tried to stick to water. We then came up this 4km stair step climb. Steep at the bottom, then less steep, then more steep, for a while... 1km from the top I was unable to pedal with the left, so just went at a nice steady pace thinking my race was over. We made a left, and then down a long dirt descent. It was now raining, and I was freezing cold, so figured I would just pull out. Then I saw the group about a minute up the road, going slow, so I went a hard tempo to get back on. The blessing in disguise here was that we passed my buddy Johnny Sundt, who was just out riding, and he gave me his rain jacket. Thanks Johnny! Got back in the group, and we decided to pull the plug at the feed anyway. Dan had flatted out of the break, and Ken was trading attacks with the others up there, and ended up with a solid 3rd place. I got back and immediately gave a massive bolus, and after about 30-45 minutes started taking in calories again.
After that I was very sensitive to my Apidra, so was giving 3/4 boluses for food and snacks. Good BS's through the night, and after the high in race the day before, decided to stick with same basal instead of reducing. Mistake!
Day 2 was 200km (125 miles) on the same course, but with more teams in the race. It started pretty quick from the gun, and we had some good fights getting to the front for the dirt. Shawn Milne was our leader for the day, and we all felt good that we could rock it. I had a gel early, and then another, followed by some cliff blocks. I thought things were good, and made it through the tough parts of the course, gauging my efforts over the climbs carefully. As we got near the feedzone, I pulled out the Navigator, and saw 157 with an arrow Straight down, which gave me a quick alarm. So immediately, I downed 2 gels, more cliff blocks, and whatever sugar bottle they gave me. At the feed zone, I took 2 more bottles, downed another gel, and saw that I was 155 and flat. I thought I had avoided disaster, and was now 100% focused on the enxt dirt sections. Team Type 1 was well represented at the front, and we were constantly jostling for position on the dirt. We made it over a long gradual climb, and were bombing down the descent, when I heard the sound of air leaving my tire rapidly... Flat- happens all the time. I called Vassili on the radio, and started drifting through the line of 150 guys behind us. Alex gave me a quick wheel change, and was off chasing. So here I am chasing down the hill in the midst of a bike race induced dust storm. It reminded me of "Days of Thunder" and the cloud of smoke. I had a field to catch, so just closed my eyes (not really) and went for it, dodging cars, riders, and some rocks. It took about 20 minutes, but I got back on, dead from the chase, and at the base of a climb. Came off over the top, and then chased back again. It looked like it was slowing up, so I grabbed some bottles from the car to take to the guys. Then we began to go full tilt again. I was at the back, dying a slow death, but determined to get these bottles to the guys, as I could tell my race was coming to an early end. I managed to get Dan and Aldo feeds, just as my alarms began going crazy. I had already puked a bit of gel, and was sick to my stomach from the overload of carbs early, but still dropping. I guess the chase had me thinking of one thing and one thing only, which was to get back on. I should have been thinking get back on, well fueled, and help the guys. But for about 30 minutes of hard, hard riding, I forgot to eat a thing. When I saw 115 with an arrow going down, I knew I would have to take in about 75gms of carbs to have a chance, but couldn't even fathom a sip of gatorade. But, I got the bottles to the guys, and then Shawn went onto 4th place. He was nearly guaranteed 2nd, but a mis-timed flat ended our hopes of the podium. Scott Nydam (BMC) was off the front the entire day, and really deserved his win, and Karl-(10-Men)zies (Ouch) came in 2nd. All in all, it was a good day for the team. Our Orbea bikes were perfect for the fast stretches on the road, but also very good on the dirt.
What is the moral of the story here?? It isn't easy to nail the blood sugars every time. But knowing the # gives the power to deal with it accordingly. Had I not had Navigator on Saturday, I would have eated too much, and come home at 400, and on Sunday, I would not have been able to eat so much in advance of the low. Knowledge is power here, but no more so than off the bike. Check and correct, no matter where you are. It will help!
Then it was time to head home, and get ready for Twilight, and all the crits. I did my MRA, (which is an MRI of the arteries,) yesterday, and I will hopefully here from the surgeons at Emory as to what my options are. In the meantime, I have got some good advice from Tim Johnson, and a few others, so will continue to tweak things to make that leg work.
I really appreciate the support, and well wishes, and hope to see you at the crits. Please come say hey, and meet the team. Time to see big Joe turn on his speed, and Morgan Patton has a great chance at scoring her first NRC win this next week. I am real excited for the team.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Phil
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
www.TeamType1.org
Friday, April 17, 2009
The good, the bad, the ugly (and unknown...)
Howdy from the Atlanta airport,
I hope everyone is rocking. Lots has happened since last time here. Last week followed up the with some real good training. Mountains, a 4 hour tough day, and some racing. As the week wore on I started getting more and more sensitive to the insulin. I was down to 13u basal, and less than that of rapid. Life was good, and metabolism moving. Did most of my training with Daniel Holt, and until last Thursday he was practically forcing me to ride. Weather was bad, and motivation not so high, but as the sun came out, I started getting really stoked to ride.
The Good:
Saturday came around, and it was race time in the Big B (Birmingham.) Joe's home town, and on a real cool speedway, so we were motivated to win. Joe, Dan, and I lined up with 50 others for the race. We were aggressive all day, and covering a bunch of moves from Cleve... Joe said he was feeling good, so we banked on a sprint for him. I got in some move for a few laps, and looked like we might stay away. With about 2km''s to go, we got caught, and Dan went straight to the front with Joe in tow. I stayed on the big man's wheel, while Dan kept things in check. On the last little rise 2 guys attacked, and Joe was on them like white on rice. Then came the kick to the line, and My boy Joe lit that sprint up to win by close to 5 bike lengths. It was the first time we had raced together in a long time, so to pull it off was nice. Real stoked for Joe. He has been knocking on the door for the past few weeks, and is definitely riding better than he has ever gone before. Expecting some good stuff from him come Speedweek.
The Bad and the Ugly:
So all this riding has been good, and my form was coming around nicely, but all with a little hint of doubt. During my last day in Taiwan my leg went numb for the first time since surgery last May. I was a bit freaked, so took 8 days off the bike, then every time I went hard since it has repeated. So I go in to the Vascular lab at Emory to do an ABI, or blood pressure in arm, relative to leg. At rest I am normal, 3 minutes after exercise I am normal. BUT, immediately after intense riding I have 33% less blood flow to my left leg than I should. Functional ABI is anywhere from .85-1.00 during exercise. Before surgery last year I was at .68, and at retest I was at .66. I am much stronger than last year, but still at a big disadvantage. I go in for an MRI of the arteries next week, which will determine if the surgery is recommended again, at which point I am unsure of what I will do.
I am a firm believer in the old "everything happens for a reason," yet I am also not happy about this at all. I had a problem, had surgery and a pretty brutal climb back, only to be standing at the same ledge again. Screw it though! I can still pedal, and still like riding my bike, so I am gonna race. This weekend is the Tour of Battenkill which will be a brutal 200km race with 30miles or so of dirt. Should be a real slug fest, with some of the best in the country. To get through it will be tough, but we have some guys going really well, and I want to do as much as I can to help set up another W Team Type 1.
Also, a quick thanks to all those who drive on Johnson Ferry that read this last week ... Dan, Colby, and I rode to the crit again on Thurs, and only got honked at 2x by people who weren't happy about where they came from, or where they were going... Maybe a honk free ride next week? Is it possible??
Thanks for reading, and I hope to have some good news to report next week, on a multiple levels.
Phil
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
www.teamtype1.org
I hope everyone is rocking. Lots has happened since last time here. Last week followed up the with some real good training. Mountains, a 4 hour tough day, and some racing. As the week wore on I started getting more and more sensitive to the insulin. I was down to 13u basal, and less than that of rapid. Life was good, and metabolism moving. Did most of my training with Daniel Holt, and until last Thursday he was practically forcing me to ride. Weather was bad, and motivation not so high, but as the sun came out, I started getting really stoked to ride.
The Good:
Saturday came around, and it was race time in the Big B (Birmingham.) Joe's home town, and on a real cool speedway, so we were motivated to win. Joe, Dan, and I lined up with 50 others for the race. We were aggressive all day, and covering a bunch of moves from Cleve... Joe said he was feeling good, so we banked on a sprint for him. I got in some move for a few laps, and looked like we might stay away. With about 2km''s to go, we got caught, and Dan went straight to the front with Joe in tow. I stayed on the big man's wheel, while Dan kept things in check. On the last little rise 2 guys attacked, and Joe was on them like white on rice. Then came the kick to the line, and My boy Joe lit that sprint up to win by close to 5 bike lengths. It was the first time we had raced together in a long time, so to pull it off was nice. Real stoked for Joe. He has been knocking on the door for the past few weeks, and is definitely riding better than he has ever gone before. Expecting some good stuff from him come Speedweek.
The Bad and the Ugly:
So all this riding has been good, and my form was coming around nicely, but all with a little hint of doubt. During my last day in Taiwan my leg went numb for the first time since surgery last May. I was a bit freaked, so took 8 days off the bike, then every time I went hard since it has repeated. So I go in to the Vascular lab at Emory to do an ABI, or blood pressure in arm, relative to leg. At rest I am normal, 3 minutes after exercise I am normal. BUT, immediately after intense riding I have 33% less blood flow to my left leg than I should. Functional ABI is anywhere from .85-1.00 during exercise. Before surgery last year I was at .68, and at retest I was at .66. I am much stronger than last year, but still at a big disadvantage. I go in for an MRI of the arteries next week, which will determine if the surgery is recommended again, at which point I am unsure of what I will do.
I am a firm believer in the old "everything happens for a reason," yet I am also not happy about this at all. I had a problem, had surgery and a pretty brutal climb back, only to be standing at the same ledge again. Screw it though! I can still pedal, and still like riding my bike, so I am gonna race. This weekend is the Tour of Battenkill which will be a brutal 200km race with 30miles or so of dirt. Should be a real slug fest, with some of the best in the country. To get through it will be tough, but we have some guys going really well, and I want to do as much as I can to help set up another W Team Type 1.
Also, a quick thanks to all those who drive on Johnson Ferry that read this last week ... Dan, Colby, and I rode to the crit again on Thurs, and only got honked at 2x by people who weren't happy about where they came from, or where they were going... Maybe a honk free ride next week? Is it possible??
Thanks for reading, and I hope to have some good news to report next week, on a multiple levels.
Phil
http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
www.teamtype1.org
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Diabetes Game: Rock Hill and Johnson Ferry Rd...
Howdy from Atlanta,
Last I wrote, things had been a bit hectic in the airport, and I was trying oh so hard to relax. Went and hopped on the next flight, and had some really cool flight attendants, which makes all the difference in the world. So had a nice flight, got to Charlotte, and began to think about the bike race. Took about an hour to drive with Daniel Holt back to Joe McConkey's house to grab a ride. We went out for an hour, and I felt pretty crappy. Dan kept saying, we have to be aggressive and get in the early break, which was the last thing I was thinking with how I felt Saturday.
Sunday am, came. I woke up at 171 (decreased basal that night, and ran hot) gave a small rapid bolus, ate some oatmeal, and then a steak egg and cheese bagel 1 hour before the start. I was able to hit the start line at 191, which was Perfect!! So as the race went, I knew that one effort too hard, and I was going to see my McD's again. I sat dead last wheel, telling Dan "I am not making the early break!" About 7-9 miles in a small group got a gap, and had some strong riders in it. Dan lined it out down a hill, and when he came off I jumped across to the move. There were 4 of us working, and then another 6 came across, and that was the early break. After about 20 minutes off the front, and flying we had 2 minutes. Mark Hekman was flying and kept the break rolling fast. I was pretty close to losing breakfast multiple times, and after the hard effort to get established, I had a huge loss in power in my left leg, similar to pre-surgery last year. I wanted to puke so bad from these efforts, but knew I had to keep those calories in, so I avoided the quick fix. After getting the feeling back, the break started to attack each other. One guy got a minute gap, and then the 3 other strong guys in the move got close to him, leaving 6 of us behind. We worked steadily, and got the gap down to 15 seconds. There was a hill that is about 1km long, and fairly steep, and I knew that was my chance. When we hit the base I went full tilt getting across, got there with one eye half open, and sucking air through a straw. Needless to say, that really hurt, and I was in survival mode for a while. We caught Andy, and Mark immediately countered, to which I had nothing. There went the move, and not a thing I could do about it. We chased for a bit, but lost ground, and then it was "stay off the front time." About 30km's to go, we found out we had a 8 minute gap, and so kept it steady. I checked the Navigator, and was sitting at 97, which may have explained the lack of power. In about 1 hour of riding in the break, I consumed a lot of carbs, and still dropped 100 points. I was tired, and still stuffed from breakfast, but managed to take in everything I had. We stayed away, and I got smoked in the sprint for 5th by muscleman. I was able to finish 6th, which was good on some levels, but disheartening on others, cause if I would have made the front group, would have been going for the W. Oh well. After the race I was at 103, gave 6 units of rapid, then put down 75 carbs 20 protein, and then ate a muffin. This was enough rapid for a while. I ate some chips, and then about an 1.5 hours after got a bunch of junk food calories in, and was recovered. Legs didn't agree, but technically I was... Hopped in the car, drove home, and that was that. Day off Monday, and then came Tuesday, and Johnson Ferry Rd.
Tuesday was freezing cold. Went out for 1.5hrs in the am did some sprint workouts. The "feels like" on the Weather Chanel was 38F or something like that. Dan and I even got sleeted on for about 45 minutes. He the meteorologist says sleet, I saw snow... Get home, work with my little brother Jack for a while, and then set off for ride #2 to the Tuesday Crit. We head up getting a little lost, and it is looking like 1.5 ride at 44 degrees to get there. Riding N through Buckhead was ok, but then we hit Johnson Ferry Road in Cobb county, and all hell broke loose. This road is 6 lanes wide. 3 on each side, and an additional lane for any turns. Plenty of room. But we had more road rage here then any stretch of my life. One old man driving a Corvette laid on his horn. A guy on a motorcycle hung right there to watch over us, and the vetteMan so inconveniently changed lanes to pass us, and my buddy on the Moto flicked him off for us. Dan and I continued to ride, and had at least 9 more people lay on their horns.
To everyone who drives on Johnson Ferry Rd: I am sorry about your life, and that your day at work was so bad. I urge you to get on a bike and de-stress, try it out, and see that as much as it pains you to switch lanes to pass 2 guys on a bike, it hurts even more to go full gas trying to make a group ride. Maybe then you could re-think taking your frustrations out on your car horn for no real reason. I admit, I have been in a hurry, and if it was a twisty 2 lane mtn road and we blocked the whole road, I would understand. But 6 lanes!!!
Did the crit, or some of it, and then jetted back home to get 5 hours in for the day. Good times, and my legs hurt. The great thing about these 2-a-days are that the metabolism just flies!! I barely had to bolus at all yesterday, and ate close to 3800 calories for the day. Keeping steady at 16u of basal and will see how the changes happen after this week of training.
Another big day today. Dan is trying to get me to go the mtns. I am trying not too... Prolly will though. No racing this weekend, and then BattenKill with a full Team Type 1 squad in NY the next.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
Philpott
www.TeamType1.org
Last I wrote, things had been a bit hectic in the airport, and I was trying oh so hard to relax. Went and hopped on the next flight, and had some really cool flight attendants, which makes all the difference in the world. So had a nice flight, got to Charlotte, and began to think about the bike race. Took about an hour to drive with Daniel Holt back to Joe McConkey's house to grab a ride. We went out for an hour, and I felt pretty crappy. Dan kept saying, we have to be aggressive and get in the early break, which was the last thing I was thinking with how I felt Saturday.
Sunday am, came. I woke up at 171 (decreased basal that night, and ran hot) gave a small rapid bolus, ate some oatmeal, and then a steak egg and cheese bagel 1 hour before the start. I was able to hit the start line at 191, which was Perfect!! So as the race went, I knew that one effort too hard, and I was going to see my McD's again. I sat dead last wheel, telling Dan "I am not making the early break!" About 7-9 miles in a small group got a gap, and had some strong riders in it. Dan lined it out down a hill, and when he came off I jumped across to the move. There were 4 of us working, and then another 6 came across, and that was the early break. After about 20 minutes off the front, and flying we had 2 minutes. Mark Hekman was flying and kept the break rolling fast. I was pretty close to losing breakfast multiple times, and after the hard effort to get established, I had a huge loss in power in my left leg, similar to pre-surgery last year. I wanted to puke so bad from these efforts, but knew I had to keep those calories in, so I avoided the quick fix. After getting the feeling back, the break started to attack each other. One guy got a minute gap, and then the 3 other strong guys in the move got close to him, leaving 6 of us behind. We worked steadily, and got the gap down to 15 seconds. There was a hill that is about 1km long, and fairly steep, and I knew that was my chance. When we hit the base I went full tilt getting across, got there with one eye half open, and sucking air through a straw. Needless to say, that really hurt, and I was in survival mode for a while. We caught Andy, and Mark immediately countered, to which I had nothing. There went the move, and not a thing I could do about it. We chased for a bit, but lost ground, and then it was "stay off the front time." About 30km's to go, we found out we had a 8 minute gap, and so kept it steady. I checked the Navigator, and was sitting at 97, which may have explained the lack of power. In about 1 hour of riding in the break, I consumed a lot of carbs, and still dropped 100 points. I was tired, and still stuffed from breakfast, but managed to take in everything I had. We stayed away, and I got smoked in the sprint for 5th by muscleman. I was able to finish 6th, which was good on some levels, but disheartening on others, cause if I would have made the front group, would have been going for the W. Oh well. After the race I was at 103, gave 6 units of rapid, then put down 75 carbs 20 protein, and then ate a muffin. This was enough rapid for a while. I ate some chips, and then about an 1.5 hours after got a bunch of junk food calories in, and was recovered. Legs didn't agree, but technically I was... Hopped in the car, drove home, and that was that. Day off Monday, and then came Tuesday, and Johnson Ferry Rd.
Tuesday was freezing cold. Went out for 1.5hrs in the am did some sprint workouts. The "feels like" on the Weather Chanel was 38F or something like that. Dan and I even got sleeted on for about 45 minutes. He the meteorologist says sleet, I saw snow... Get home, work with my little brother Jack for a while, and then set off for ride #2 to the Tuesday Crit. We head up getting a little lost, and it is looking like 1.5 ride at 44 degrees to get there. Riding N through Buckhead was ok, but then we hit Johnson Ferry Road in Cobb county, and all hell broke loose. This road is 6 lanes wide. 3 on each side, and an additional lane for any turns. Plenty of room. But we had more road rage here then any stretch of my life. One old man driving a Corvette laid on his horn. A guy on a motorcycle hung right there to watch over us, and the vetteMan so inconveniently changed lanes to pass us, and my buddy on the Moto flicked him off for us. Dan and I continued to ride, and had at least 9 more people lay on their horns.
To everyone who drives on Johnson Ferry Rd: I am sorry about your life, and that your day at work was so bad. I urge you to get on a bike and de-stress, try it out, and see that as much as it pains you to switch lanes to pass 2 guys on a bike, it hurts even more to go full gas trying to make a group ride. Maybe then you could re-think taking your frustrations out on your car horn for no real reason. I admit, I have been in a hurry, and if it was a twisty 2 lane mtn road and we blocked the whole road, I would understand. But 6 lanes!!!
Did the crit, or some of it, and then jetted back home to get 5 hours in for the day. Good times, and my legs hurt. The great thing about these 2-a-days are that the metabolism just flies!! I barely had to bolus at all yesterday, and ate close to 3800 calories for the day. Keeping steady at 16u of basal and will see how the changes happen after this week of training.
Another big day today. Dan is trying to get me to go the mtns. I am trying not too... Prolly will though. No racing this weekend, and then BattenKill with a full Team Type 1 squad in NY the next.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
Philpott
www.TeamType1.org
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