2015 Top 5

As 2015 comes to an end, I can’t help but think what a crazy year it was for me and my loved ones.

There were some amazing moments, though! Here are my top 5 (in no particular order):

1. Marriage–On April 18, 2015, I married the love of my life after 10 years together. It was a beautiful spring day (we got lucky)! We moved into a new home and have made it our own, and we honeymooned in Disneyland and San Francisco. I can’t wait to see what our life together has in store.
2. Road trips–My twin and I spent all year traveling all around the tri-state area (and Canada!) to catch our favorite Broadway shows and artists. We said good-bye to favorites, “If/Then” and “On The Twentieth Century,” and we were introduced to the beautiful “Finding Neverland.” We drove a total of 5,511 miles!
3. Kitty–On July 16, 2015, my husband and I adopted Miss Bianca Olive. This little cat did not like us at first, and it took a good month before she let us pet her. Now, she’s a cuddler (when she wants to be), she makes us laugh and she has loads of personality. I never thought I’d love an animal, but she makes my heart so full.
4.  Stage debut–On August 29, 2015, my twin and I traveled to Ohio to see Kristin Chenoweth in concert. During most performances, she chooses an audience member to sing the duet,”For Good,” from “Wicked.” I am by no means a singer, but I had hoped for this moment for a long time, and I was lucky enough to be chosen! She was so sweet and encouraging! What a rush!
5. New York City Marathon–My ultimate goal for 2015 was to run a marathon. On November 1, 2015, I ran 26.2 miles throughout the New York City boroughs. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, and I am so proud of myself for crossing that finish line!

Cheers to 2016…I wish for health and happiness ❤

MIA This Christmas!

Well, I’ve certainly been MIA this month. The reason I haven’t been writing isn’t because of all the running I’ve been doing, unfortunately. It’s been quite the opposite.

I started the month with a goal of hitting 600 miles for the year, but my knee had other plans. Though I started out running at the beginning of the month, I quickly realized I needed to stop if I wanted to cross the Princess Half Marathon finish line in February. At this point, I can get my miles in a little later than initially intended and properly recover before I pick up on training for Princess again.

It’s been two weeks or so since I’ve run, and while my knee is feeling much better, it’s still a bit sore. I’ve been working on some PT exercises to strengthen my quads and calves with my sister, so hopefully that helps.

To compensate a little for my inactivity, I started parking father away for work. It’s going to save me a ton of money each year and I will get in at least 1-1.5 miles a day — and I have a pretty nice view of the city. It’s something, I guess.

The winter has been so mild here so far! It’s going to be in the 60s today and 70 tomorrow for Christmas Eve. It’s seriously perfect running weather. Oh well. At least my walks have been pleasant!

Diabetes management has been OK for the most part, surprisingly. With the combo of not running and all the Christmas goodies at the office, it could potentially be a disaster. I’ve done well, and I’ve been trying to eat less (or only when I am hungry). I’m a snacker, so that’s been tough, but I want to lose a few pounds and just get into a good habit of only eating when I need to. Plus, I’m not as hungry now as when I am running.

I hope everyone is having a nice holiday season! I’ll make it a point to check in next week 🙂

Merry Christmas!

 

 

December Run Challenge: Week 1

Toying around with the idea of running at least one mile a day in December was short-lived. Making time to run is obviously always an issue, but when you throw diabetes into the mix, it’s almost impossible. I had every intention of running on Friday, and despite my best efforts to get out there for at least one mile, my blood sugar didn’t cooperate. So, there went that.

Instead, I am trying to focus on a more realistic goal– hitting 600 miles for the year by Dec. 31. Even if I can’t get a run in every day, I am going to try my hardest to get to those 600 miles. As of today, I still have 61.2 miles to go. If I do run every day, that averages to about 2.4 miles a day until the end of the year. It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy either.

I’ve been struggling with my knee issues again. Not sure where it came from, but the pain came back when I was starting to run again after the marathon. It got really bad on Thanksgiving. It goes away, but then comes back mid-run or right after a run. I’m experiencing the usual symptoms–stiffness, popping of the knee, soreness when bending/using stairs. However, a new symptom is tenderness when I press on my knee cap. No fun. It always works itself out, so let’s hope for some relief soon.

It’s been getting really dark out before 5 p.m. I ran outside the other night along my usual 2-mile route, and luckily, it’s well-lit. That is good for nights when I want to get a quick run in. If I want to run longer, I might just stick to the treadmill. I have been experiencing issues with my CGM when I run outside in the cold, though. It displays the “???” or hourglass because it can’t get a reading, which was an issue for me that night. I had gone out for a quick 2 miles and stuffed my phone, CGM receiver and OmniPod PDM into the pockets of my NYC Marathon Finisher’s jacket. Right after showing that my levels were dropping at the 1-mile mark, my CGM immediately gave me the “???” symbol. I got home only to find that I was locked out and my husband was showering. I was forced to sit around and wait in the cold, rather than continue running to warm up because I didn’t know what my levels were and if they were still dropping. Sure, I can typically feel what’s going on, but when it’s cold and I am running, there are too many other factors to consider and it throws me off. It’s really annoying.

Yesterday, I went out for what I was hoping would be 5 miles, but about 2.5 miles in, my knee hurt a lot. I decided to just run a 5k and call it a day.

Activities this Week

Wednesday: 4 miles (11:53 min/mile)

Thursday: 2.1 miles (10:16 min/mile)

Sunday: 3.1 miles (10:53 min/mile)

 

 

November Slacker

I feel like I’ve been slacking in my blog posts since the marathon ended. It’s been exactly one month–it feels like forever ago!

It’s December 1, which means Diabetes Awareness Month and Thanksgiving are behind us. Where does the time go?

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill Thanksgiving morning between peeling and boiling potatoes. My right knee has been hurting again, and I really aggravated it. It was so painful throughout the weekend, so I tried to stay off of it, but it’s more dull now.

My husband and I hosted our families this year, and it was so nice. I had amazing control of my diabetes that day, despite all the good food in my belly. I briefly spiked into the 200s a few times, but nothing major.

Friday, however was another story. I struggled with high blood sugar all day, especially after eating some leftovers for lunch. My family gathered for leftovers for dinner, and by that point, I was in the upper 200s to 300s, I think. Despite the warnings, I proceeded to eat, thinking I’d get it under control. I could not have been more wrong. By 1 a.m., I was in the 300s for more than six hours, and I was feeling it. I was dreaming that I needed to go to the hospital–I don’t know if I had ketones, though. I haven’t had strips to test in a really long time.

Saturday was a yo-yo day. I felt queasy and dehydrated…despite not eating much, I stayed pretty steady into the 200s and my insulin resistance was at an all-time high. My blood sugar WOULD.NOT.BUDGE. I finally started getting better Sunday and my control has been back to normal since then. I wish I would have been able to run. I totally credit that for aiding my good control on Thanksgiving day.

I sure learned my lesson.

For The rest of December, I’m going for a running streak, so until New Year’s Eve, I’ll strive to run at least a mile a day. That’ll help me burn some extra calories and meet my goal of 600 miles for the year. Let’s hope I can keep up!

 

Jinxed Myself

Well, things certainly took a turn for the worst not long after I hit the post button on Friday’s blog about how I was rocking diabetes management last week.

On my way home from work, I started to feel funny–when I checked my CGM, I noticed my blood sugar was dropping. I hurried to shut off my insulin and I grabbed a bag of Skittles from my bag. I was about a half mile from home, but my levels continued to drop.

That really set the tone for this weekend. I spent the entire evening on the diabetes rollercoaster. My levels were in the 200s and 300s all throughout the night, despite the fact that I would wake up and give myself insulin. It would not budge. That is, until Saturday morning, when I woke up to rapidly dropping levels…I was in the 50s by the time I got to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

I went out for a run mid-morning…I felt fine, but my CGM alarmed loudly, alerting me that I was LOW. That freaked me out…luckily, I was on my block and hurried home to test. Nope. I was at 190. Once I got it all worked out, I set out again, only to be greeted by the ??? on my CGM. Great. I completed 5.1 miles (10:45 min/mile pace and longest since the marathon-whoop), and changed my CGM sensor, but again, I took a ride on the diabetes rollercoaster.

Sunday was the same thing. High…normal…super high…dropping fast…CGM receiver malfunction. I reset it and it seems to be working fine, but then I had to restart the sensor, and sit through another two-hour calibration period, which I had already done on Saturday. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill but couldn’t do more because I was dropping. A this point, I was so sick of eating to correct lows because I had been doing it all weekend. Went low again before bed.

My skin has been having a weird reaction to my insulin pump. The corner of the pump keeps rubbing against my skin on my back and creating tape burn or something, and it hurts. It’s not bad enough to stop wearing it all together, but it’s creating marks/scars and it’s painful.

Sigh.

I try to be positive about diabetes the majority of the time, but I feel defeated. I’m so over it.

Let’s hope this week is better.

 

 

BG Management on Point!

I’ve really been slacking on updating this blog. I wanted to participate more with the social aspect of Diabetes Awareness Month, but I haven’t done it as much as I wanted. I’ve been reading, though, and I wore blue on World Diabetes Day! We still have several more days left, so I hope to be more present.

Things have been really busy since the marathon. I can’t believe that was 20 days ago already. It feels like a lifetime, though. I don’t despise the 26.2 mile distance anymore, and I am certainly more open to running the NYC Marathon again, but I don’t know if 2016 will be the year. Training is such a time suck, and I have a lot going on in my head that I want to accomplish next year. I’ve been fighting the urge to throw my name in for the NYC Half in March, but I won’t give in.

I’ve been running 2-3 miles when I have some time to do so after dinner. I’m not following any sort of training plan, but it’s good, if not better, than long distance training for my diabetes management and overall health. However, I’d like to be able to maintain a 10-mile fitness level throughout the winter.

I’ve been doing a really good job keeping my levels between my 70-200 target. I experienced a pretty big spike Monday evening, but other than that, I’ve been keeping good control! My diet hasn’t been the best this week either because of all the running around, so that makes the control surprising, but super welcome. I had been using about 30 units of insulin per day but that number has actually been dropping as the week has passed. I was down to 22 yesterday and I ate a big dinner consisting of Italian food.

I’m trying to lose a few pounds (I’d be happy with 3) and get back to some good snacking habits. Marathon training left me hungry all the time, and there have been quite a few treats available at the office kitchen. Anyway, I went back to having Light and Fit Greek Yogurt and coffee for breakfast. I had been eating oatmeal or a banana, but they were causing my levels to spike in the mornings. Eating the high protein/low carb yogurt first and then eating my banana for lunch or a snack later in the afternoon works well because I’m more insulin sensitive in the afternoons. Keeping my levels in range also helps with hunger, so hopefully that helps with my goal.

 

 

Ring the Alarm…

I typically wake up at night when my blood sugar reaches the 50s, but over the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that by the time I wake up, I’ve been low for over a half hour to an hour.

I’m not really sure if that’s really bad or not. Before the CGM, I’d wake up, drink juice and go back to bed. I do the same thing now, but it’s a little alarming to see how long I was low before waking up. The vibrations of my CGM used to be enough, but I guess they aren’t anymore.

Last night, I was in the 50s for 45 minutes before waking up. A few hours before, my husband woke me up to tell me my blood sugar was falling rapidly. I ran 3 miles, and experienced a spike a few hours after due to my evening snack so I dosed for it. I guess the exercise kicked in with the insulin. Anyway, I woke up, nodded and didn’t take any action for the falling levels. I paid for it.

After drinking two juice boxes, I was good enough to go back to sleep.

Looks like my CGM alarms are going to be on sound from now on…

Heidi: Battling Diabetes With Exercise

Thank you to GluCase for featuring a Q&A with me on their blog!

Source: Heidi: Battling Diabetes With Exercise

My Big Blue Test

I ran for the first time since the marathon this evening and used it as an opportunity to participate in the Big Blue Test, a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation that rallies communities to experience the impact that small changes can have on their health. To participate:

• People with diabetes test their blood sugar (if you don’t have diabetes, skip this step)
• Exercise for 14-20 minutes
• Test again (if you have diabetes)
• Share your experience on BigBlueTest.org

My blood sugar spiked way high after dinner, so I put on my running clothes and jumped on the treadmill. Over the course of the next half hour, I watched my blood sugar drop on my CGM. It’s leveled out since I finished and has been steady for the last half hour!

My my insulin usage has increased a lot this past week because I haven’t been eating as well as I should be and I haven’t been running. Tonight I saved myself a couple a units because I ran a quick 2.5 miles. It’s worth it.

The Runner’s High Kicked In

The famous runner’s high from the NYC Marathon finally kicked in! Despite being so happy and proud of myself, the challenges of it all weighed heavily on me for a few days.

Marathons are hard, period. The magnitude of it all is obvious, but I don’t think it completely hit me until a few days ago. 26.2 miles…it sounds hard and it felt hard because IT IS hard! As I was running, I kept thinking, “Why am I struggling with this?! Why is this so hard?” DUH. It’s supposed to be hard. I’ve heard only 0.5% to 1% of the population has finished a marathon. I now can say I am part of that small statistic. Which is pretty amazing!

I was too hard on myself initially…I didn’t meet my time goal and I felt sick for a good chunk of the race. In the midst of this boo-hoo, woe is me attitude came some crazy inspiration. Reading about everyone’s experiences in their recaps, I realized that fast, slow, abled, disabled, we as runners all had our challenges, our good moments, our bad moments, our moments of pure determination to cross that finish line. It didn’t matter if you crossed it at 2 p.m., 5 p.m. or 10:30 p.m., you crossed it. That’s something to be super proud of.

I stopped limping yesterday, and the pain in my left leg is gone. I’m already hoping to get back into some easy activity (for my blood sugar’s sake). I spent the majority of yesterday out of range with high blood sugar levels (yuck), and my insulin resistance is kicking in hard core. One thing is for sure–if I don’t get back into some sort of exercise routine soon, I’m going to have to drastically adjust my basal/insulin-to-carb ratio figures on my pump. I prefer to use less insulin, thankyouverymuch.

This is the perfect opportunity to bring up the Big Blue Test, a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation that rallies communities to experience the impact that small changes can have on their health. To participate:

• People with diabetes test their blood sugar (if you don’t have diabetes, skip this step)
• Exercise for 14-20 minutes
• Test again (if you have diabetes)
• Share your experience on BigBlueTest.org

For each submission, $1 will be pledged to support people around the world who have diabetes and are in need.

I have participated in this ever since I was diagnosed. It’s always so amazing to see just how much of an impact a small amount of activity can have on my health. When I was still using injections, a few minutes of activity made the difference between having to give myself another shot or not. Now that I am on the pump, it saves me from using extra insulin, and my pods last longer because of it. It’s the little things!

A few closing thoughts:

• I started this blog to chronicle my training for the marathon. Now that it’s over, I’m changing the focus of it a little bit. I’m not sure what direction this will head in, but I am thinking it will continue to focus on my running/diabetes management. This is still a medium to create awareness, and I will certainly embrace it.

• Now that I am feeling better, I’m more open to possibly running another marathon in the future. If I do it, though, I’d like it to be New York again. A) Because I am familiar with the course now B) It would give me the opportunity for some redemption C) It’s just an amazing place.

I think marathon training is the one factor that will hold me back from doing it again. Yes, I am dedicated, but I believe I was under-trained because I had to cut back on mileage due to multiple injuries/health issues since early August. Training for a marathon is super time consuming and the stress of putting in all the work while trying to stay healthy/uninjured is a crazy challenge. Half marathon training is more forgiving.

For now, I will focus on training for the Princess 5K and Glass Slipper Challenge (10K and half) at Disney in February. I have to whip my sister and husband into shape 🙂