Hit a deer Friday night.

Hit a Deer with my car Friday night on the way home. The car is now gone. I miss it. Not the deer, the car. The deer was an 8 point buck. The bullet was a 97 VW Cabrio. The deer was launched several feet in the air by my car and died almost immediately. As a Vegetarian, I feel awful about this. The deer are in rut, that’s a guy’s way of saying “in heat” that sounds more manly, course, and unbridled. The buck probably didn’t even see me, he was just following his sense of smell with his blood all up in a boil and the next thing he knew he was dead.

Too much like me in some ways. I loose myself in passions, be they real or imagined. Sometimes it is easier to give in to desires, lusts, flights of fancy than to fight and stand still when everything inside is screaming to do something! I’ve let outward events determine my inward feelings, thoughts and motives and these, in turn, affect my actions. I’ve let my mind imagine situations and events inwardly that have caused me to follow the same chain of action and caused me to react and do things that were not right for those around me or for myself.

It’s a shame that it takes so long for me to learn self- control. It’s not a subject taught in schools, colleges or universities. It is taught through examples and role models. It is taught through our experiences of life. It is learned the hard way not the easy way. Self-control keeps us from having “melt downs” when life doesn’t go the way we want it. Self-control keeps us from not allowing thoughts and feelings move us to act “out of passion.” Self-control helps us to keep doing the things that are right for those around us and ourselves.

The last time I hit a deer, I called Karen, crying, upset about hitting and possibly killing that deer (I never did find the body of that one so I do not know for certain.) Upset about the insurance not being able to do anything to help. I worried that my wife would never trust me with her car again. I worried about the money to fix the car and since I used that vehicle for work, I worried what customers would think of me in a busted up Ford Escape!

Then a “miracle” happened!

At my first customer stop, on my first day back from vacation, a neighbor across the street backed into the front of the Escape in the exact same spot that the deer had broken! Now, the insurance company could help, I wouldn’t have to worry about what others thought about me. I didn’t have to worry about finding the money for the repair. I did have to worry about when Karen would ever trust me with her Escape again!

Me: Honey, I’ve got good news and bad news.

Karen: What happened now?

Me: I’ve been in another accident.

Karen: What!?!

Me: The neighbor across the street backed into the Escape.

Karen: What!?!

Me: The good news is that they hit the same spot that I hit the deer with!

Karen: What!?!

That was all of 3 years ago. This time around the difference was that I didn’t let the external event move me. I was upset but I was self-controlled NOT controlled. What a different experience!

That is all I’ve got this week.

PS.

No I didn’t run. The tendons in my right foot are still swollen but getting better. I’ve got the company truck to drive so I can work without issues. I will hit the gym today to start exercising again. I will do some strength training and I really believe I will be able to run next weekend. They say it can take up to 6 weeks to recover fully from a marathon and right now is just passed the 2 week mark so I believe this is normal.

Recovery Time

It’s been a week since I completed the Marathon.

My right leg is still sore. The tendons on the top of my right foot are still swollen. My right knee feels hinky from my IT band which I use a foam roller on the floor 2 or 3 times a day to get relief. Lots of Advil.

I can’t run again until the tendons on my foot calm down. Hopefully by next weekend I can run again.

I find myself missing running now. I need that cardio fix soon. Maybe this week I will use the circuit weights at the gym to help. I need my knee to stop hurting so I can work on my quads and flexors and abductors.

I have come up with a 3 year plan to get to Boston. I was very naive to even attempt a Boston qualifying time with less than a year worth of training. My goal this year will to be to train as injury free as possible. To work with my body rather than push it ahead of where it is now, today. So, in theory, which is a small town near Port Wentworth, Georgia, I should be able to beat 5:21:15 next November. So my goal next year is to run the entire marathon which will beat my time this year, since I walked about 6 miles total. The year after that will be to run a marathon in under 4 hours and the year after that to qualify for Boston.

Note to self. No more Brooks shoes. I really think they are fine for me for very short runs but definitely do not work for me for long runs. I guess I will go back to New Balance.

My Blood sugar control was very good after the Marathon! I did not have any severe lows for 48 hours. I took about 10% less insulin with meals. The week after has been really good. A couple of high readings related to drinks with extra carbs and no insulin taken for the drinks. Other than that things have been good.

They say after a Marathon that your body needs to rest. They suggest 1 day per mile run. The day after my Marathon my walk was more like the Dance of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz than a walk! I was very concerned if this was normal and then I saw all the YouTube videos about the day after a marathon and felt that all was right with my world.

Here’s to recovery time and working with my body!

I finished my first marathon!

I finished my first marathon yesterday after having done enough training for a half marathon only. My mistake was thinking I could do the whole thing. By mile 13 I really was rethinking my decision and since it was an uphill run on the Truman at that point I thought oh well, let’s get on with it. I have a love hate thing with hills, either big or small, I’m not bothered by them and enjoy them but I also loathe them as well. Nothing personal, they just get in the way, that’s all.

For the diabetic bean counters out there:

Woke up at 2 am with a Blood Glucose Reading (BSG) of 173. Ate my half bagel with cream cheese and banana and ½ cup of juice and 2 cups of decaf coffee with a little French vanilla cream in them. Took 27 units of Lantus insulin. This was the only insulin I took until well after the marathon.
Just before the race I took 23 g. carbs of a granola bar and 1 banana. I wanted to be in the 200’s for the start of the race. I used the facilities 2 times before getting in my corral. The Brooks VIP one that I had a pass for was out of order and I was not happy! My BSG was 281 before the race.

At about 7:44 am I crossed the starting line and that was it! I planned on taking 1 packet of GU every 3 miles. I actually took my first GU at mile 6. My BSG was 168 at that time. After this I started taking GU every 3 miles. I took only water throughout the Marathon. I saw Karen at mile 8 and was feeling really good!

Mile 12 my left knee, which had given no problems to me at all throughout my training started to ache. My BSG was 192 and I started walking for the first time.
By mile 16 both knees were aching. I was walking more. I met a bigger guy who was having quad muscle problems and said he was a type 2 diabetic. He thought his problem was glucose related so I gave him 2 packs of my GU. We then walked around the corner of the course and found a water station with a table full of salt packets. I took 3 along with 3 waters and soon was running again. I’m certain the other runner made it to the finish.

Mile 18. Muscles stiffening up everywhere! My right hip, my knees, my quads, my hamstrings! Just keep moving! Don’t stop! Check my BSG 184. Another GU. More walking, then a limping kind of stride that makes Quasimodo look like an Olympic sprinter, then more walking. I met a man from the Savannah Striders on the Truman on ramp saying “Go striders!!” I talk was walking along and telling him how much my knees hurt when these 2 girls run by saying “at least they won’t hurt more.” I thought, “Hell, she’s right.” And I trotted along for about another mile.

Mile 21 my BSG is at 93. So I took 2 GU’s and at the next water station had half of a Cyto-max drink. Kept run/walk till mile 22 which became my wall.
Mile 22. Here I am 4.2 miles from the finish line! I took another GU and some water from my Camelbak belt. I hurt, badly, my muscles in my leg are cramping and it seems that no amount of stretching will ease them. There is a head wind all along the Truman Parkway. I want to cry. The band playing at mile 22, Lorenzo, are absolute bad asses! I rally for a little bit, knowing that walking only will make the pain last longer but running will end the pain sooner. I go back to walking and running till mile 23. The medical tent is right there. I walk past. On the other side of the Truman Parkway are the Ambulances. I keep walking. At first the runners started occasionally stopping at stretching calf and hamstrings and quads around mile 12, maybe 1 here another there. By mile 16, there are more. By mile 21 we are dropping like flies! I’ve seen muscles spasming in legs before but nothing like this! I vow not to look at my legs till the race is over.

Mile 23, there is a girl walking with her left foot angled away from her body. Something is very sore with her foot. I catch up to her while walking. We walk the next 2 miles together. She is from South Carolina and just ran a marathon in California 2 weeks ago and her left foot feels like a knife is stabbing into the bottom of her foot each time she steps on it! We comment on the funny signs we see. The encouragement we get from strangers. She is upset and frustrated, she was on pace for a 3:40 marathon and now she isn’t. She thinks maybe this happened so she will be more compassionate for other injured runners. She used the think that they should “suck it up.” Not anymore. She feels her body is betraying her. I can relate. I don’t know what to say. I agree with compassion and that it is a good thing. We talk about a few other things. She tells me in a few months she is going to China with a friend to run a marathon on the Great Wall of China! I am amazed by this. I tell her that I hope her foot will be fully recovered by then and wish her well. My strides feel better and I want to run across the finish line so I start to hobble again.

Somewhere between mile 25 and 26 I start running again. The rusting iron in my legs is heavy, every stride hurts when I touch the ground. I keep moving. I have to sprint because I can’t lift my legs just a little bit, it is an all or nothing proposition. I finally cross the finish line! I cry like a baby. I did it. Finally I finished something I started. It wasn’t pretty. But I finished.

My time was 5:21:15

Almost to the Starting Line!!!

12 Days left!!! Getting closer to the starting line! Spent this saturday trying to get a schedule for race day going. Got up at 3:30am and got myself ready in a hurry by 4:30am which is when I plan on leaving to get to the parking area. I woke up with a Blood Sugar Reading of 52. I ate 1/2 a bagel with peanut butter and 1 cup of juice. I took 27 units of lantus insulin. This was all the insulin I took until I ate after my run of 6.2 miles. I stretched for about 20 minutes. I got ready to run at 7:30 and was stiff by then. I need to remember to stretch closer to the start time. My BSG was 188 at the start. I ran 3.1 miles then my BSG was 168. Took 1 GU. Then ran my last 3.1 miles. My BSG was 182 at the end of my run.

I'm so very nervous and excited too! I hope I can stay well and healthly for the next 13 days! Till next time...keep running!

The Final Long Training Run

Since I posted last this is what has happened...I fell of a ladder and badly cut my left calf, bruised my left knee and thigh and rib cage!!! I had to take a week off completely! Ugh! I started running to break in a pair of Adidas Snova's. Great shoes! It turns out that I'm a "over pronator" and I've needed a "stabilizing" sneaker for years. Anyways, started running in the Adidas and got a hot spot on the arch of my left foot. Other than that, they felt great. My knees felt good and everything. I changed my socks, applied sport glide, tried moleskin and band aids and I still got a blister. The shoes had to go back after 18 miles of running. I put on my old New Balance and hit the gym for this final long training day.

On this day, 20 mile runs are the norm. I missed 11 weeks total of a 20 week training plan so guess what I had to do to ensure I could still run a marathon in 20 more days? I hit the gym. I can't run 20 miles but I could move continually for 4 hours to "simulate" a marathon for my body. So I used the elliptical machine for an hour, the cycling machine for an hour, and the elliptical machine for another hour. Then I ran the 5.4 miles from the gym back home. Total time was just under 4 hours.

As a type 1 diabetic who has never done anything like this before I had a real challenge. How to keep my blood sugars from falling too low? How many carbs do I need? How often? Will I know if my blood sugar is too low? What about testing? What if my blood sugars go too high? How will I bring them down? Do I take my insulin before or after this session? Do I take the same amounts or do I scale them back?

I have an appointment with an endocrinologist but it is in FEBRUARY!!! I have asked several doctors and called diabetes clinics but either they do not have the answer or can't speak with me since I'm not a patient!!! I have some strong feelings about this situation: where general advice given to a person who is 100% responsible for their self care, for their disease, for their treatment cannot be given out because of the law of land, however, I will run this marathon and if I die because someone who can give general advice that would have saved my life but didn't.... anyways getting off this soapbox now.

http://www.shericolberg.com/diabetic-athlete.asp

This is a book that gives general information for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics who wish to become better athletes, healthy people and understand their disease better. I glanced through this book and using her general advice was able to prepare for this exercise session and it only took 30 minutes of reading to get my answers!!

2:30 am Got up, let the dogs out, fed and watered them.

Fasting BSG 185 So I took 27 units of Lantis so I could process carbs all day.

Took 1.5 units Novalog and ate 45g of carbs (1/2 cup juice, 1/2 bagel w/cream cheese)

Went to the gym by 3:30am. Forgot gym key so went back home, got the key and back to gym at 3:55 did a BSG (Blood Sugar Glucose test) 175. Started on the Elliptical!!! After I started, every 30 min. I would stop, use the rest room, wash my hands, check my BSG and eat a GU (these are gel packs with sugar and electrolytes to keep endurance athletes from hitting the wall), continue for another 30 min. repeat, change equipment, and so on. Got it?

so here are my numbers:

4:25 BSG 83 (low but over 70 so acceptable)

5:00 BSG 105 (ok. Type 1 diabetics try to keep their BSG between 70-150)

5:30 BSG 141 ( I thought getting too high so I skipped the GU. 150 is the normal persons high)

6:00 BSG 57 (Skipping GU was not a good idea! Too low! No symptoms of Hypoglycemia. Ate GU)

6:30 BSG 96 (Better!)

7:00 BSG 86 (ok) Now I started on my 5.4 mile run!

7:30 BSG 108 (OK)

Finished at 7:57am. Bought 16oz of Bordens chocolate milk. Drank it without checking BSG, I know that was a bad idea, but at 8:30 by BSG was 135.

For the rest of the day, when I ate I reduced my insulin intake by a third. I hovered around 55-65 for a few hours after this session, nothing a veggie burger and fries at "The Green Truck" couldn't handle!

I went back to Fleet Feet of Savannah to trade in my blister shoes for a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11. They gave me a pass to the VIP Bathrooms at the starting line of the Marathon!!!! It is for Brooks shoe owners only so I should not have to wait 20 min in line to use a portapotty!! It's the little things sometimes!!!

Hopefully I can break in the new sneakers in the 17 running days I have left!

I am running to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. If you would like to help please goto this link:

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=6969504&pg=personal&fr_id=7090&et=cughbcNNTObunY62Ld06Mg&s_tafId=336989

Next post will be coming soon!

Well. I've had 3 weeks of running 5 days and cross training 1 day a week without further injuries! You have to celebrate the little victories. I am hoping to just cross the finish line on November 5th. With just over 30 days left to be prepared I guess we will just have to wait and see. I ran 28 miles this past week. This upcoming week I should run about 37 miles total. I've done everything I can to be prepared. The training did not go as planned at all but it did go. I won't qualify for Boston this year but there are 4 more planned Marathons for Savannah so maybe next year I can qualify.

Realistic goal setting sucks! 44 year olds who haven't run in 10 years should NOT set a goal of running a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon with less than 7 months to get prepared. I didn't know this back in May but I've learned it now. Most of my ideas look great on paper-it's the reality that screws them all up! Karen and I thought that the "Portable Water Pik" would be a great idea but the reality of the device's potential problems of water source and water over spray-while being able to overcome them-would make marketability a real issue (especially the water over spray part!).

Regardless, I will continue to run 5 days a week and crosstrain 1 day and rest 1 day. I will keep adding 1 mile per day per week until the week before. This week I'm running 6 miles per day. Next week 7 miles...so the 2 weeks before the marathon I'll be running 9 miles per day. I will taper for the week before with rest on 11/4 and running the Marathon on 11/5!

Anyways, this is my plan. We will see what happens on race day!

31 days after another injury...

September 5th...31 days later...finally run/walk again for the past week and today I ran a full 3 miles. Damn muscles...not the "big" ones that get all the attention like your glutes, abs, biceps, calf or thigh. It is the little muscles like the piniformis and hip abductors that cause me to have problems!!! Again, it is a lot like life. People can get the "big" things right. But it is the "little" things that trip us all up!

September 17th...I've been running every morning for the last 6 days!!! 3 miles daily until today, Saturday, I ran 4.266 this morning. A little pain in my left hip. I stretched my piniformis and the pain went away!! I'm looking forwards to resting tomorrow!

Looking back I ramped up the mileage to early for this old body of mine to take it. I have some patience but not enough to keep me from biting off more than I can chew.

48 days till Marathon day!!! Ok, I have no chance of qualifying for Boston (that will have to wait till next year) but I can take my time and enjoy running my first marathon this year.

For now I guess I will celebrate the end of a full week of running and look forward to Monday!!

When the Starting Line is the Finish Line.

I did 8 miles on my long day! When you look at your training plan and see what is about to come I wonder if I can do it. I worry about another injury. I wonder if I'm going to over do it and get another injury. Mostly, I worry about another injury...a lot!!!

I'm beginning to believe that the hardest part of a marathon is just making it to the starting line in good health. I'm thinking that running the marathon will be the easy part.

Of course I'm a newbie and don't know what I'm talking about but Hey, I'm just talking out loud here.

So what if I've bitten off more than I can chew? So what if I'm in hopelessly over my head? It's just like life. If I knew what was going on and what to do all the time I wouldn't need to read, call mom for advice, talk with others, or my personal favorite, figure it out as I go along. Sure it's not a great plan for success but at least I'm doing it. I am trying. I give up sometimes, get hurt sometimes, but I'm trying no matter what.

I think that is what makes the marathon such a great event. It's the trying. It's the beginning. It's the starting that makes the marathon great. Finishing is great too, but to decide to commit to weeks of training, to DO the weeks of training, the planning of race day, the scheduling of work time, family time, illness, unexpected troubles, injury and to persevere and arrive in good health at the starting line on time, on race day...Yes, the starting can be a finishing line too.

Well I'm officially back! It took six weeks but I'm back in training again! I've been running for 2 weeks now. I'm having physical therapy two times per week as well. I did a long run on Saturday with the Savannah Striders of 6 miles in 62 minutes! OK, not very fast but I did it. I did walk a few times. I made the mistake of running on a full stomach! My stomach hurt off and on all day. It was a hard work out and I wasn't feeling good but I'm glad I put the effort in because what if it was a racing day? What if I feel bad and have to race? These long run days are a great practice for the real thing. The humidity and heat are pretty bad (Temps are well into the 80's by 8am, Humidity is over 70%!) I did 1 hour of Jivamukti Yoga this morning (Sunday). I needed the rest but Yoga is still a lot of effort, albeit "gentle" effort. (I hope David and Shannon won't be offended-Jivamukti is not "gentle" but it is low impact!)

Karen and I walked the first half of the marathon! I took several pictures. The course has a lot of asphalt. Some concrete and a few hills made up of mostly overpasses but there are some low, grade hills. A couple of train tracks to watch your footing at. We walked about 14.2 miles in total. Karen kept commenting that we were going the long way around and how inefficient the course was. She thought she could cut the first 13 miles to about 5 miles. I had to reminder her that it needs to be a total of 26.2 miles or it isn't a marathon....Her hips were quite stiff for about 2 days.

Stretching is really important in preparing to run a marathon. I used to stretch maybe 5 minutes before running. Since my injury I've worked up to about 30 minutes or more of stretching before a run. I try to warm up with 5 minutes of jogging in place before stretching but I don't do that every time.

Nothing like an injury to show you how marvelous the human body is! How delicate a balance we have in our bodies and how even one little thing can knock that balance out. But I'm awed at how with a few simple things you can bring a body back into balance.

I used to think that if something in my life happened to "lose my balance" that I would tailspin and crash, give up, quit or worse- Dig in and stubbornly keep maintaining the actions or attitudes that cause the imbalance in the first place.

I'm learning that the world won't end if something goes wrong. That the situation is a speed bump in life not a dead end, certainly not the destination - the end of that particular journey. If I need help, then I need help. Working with Theron, the Savannah Striders, and Coastal Therapy I am able to get help. Not necessarily about running so much as living.

It's funny how a little change can bring a life of a person back into balance.

Tomorrow is a Speed Day!! See you at the track!!

They say that when you train for a marathon you will have injuries. I got my first one 6 weeks into training. I was doing footwork drills like butt kicks and high knee lifts. Then I did some side to side shuffles when I stumbled and pulled my gracilis muscle on Wednesday. Now I am to rest up to 3 weeks!!! So I went to the gym Friday and did situps and weight lifting as cross training. Woke up Saturday morning and I'm limping every time I walk! I guess I need total rest. This sucks!!!

Oh well, could be worse. The marathon could be in a few days instead of months away so I should count my blessings!

Theron, from the Savannah Striders, is right..."Just run, leave that fancy stuff alone!"

Savannah Marathon Tip #2: The course for the Rock and Roll Marathon in Savannah has very few hills! Just a few overpass and on/off ramp kinds of hills for the most part. Mostly asphalt with some concrete will make this a good course for beginners and those running with injuries.

Here is the course map web site: here

Here are the turn by turn directions for the marathon: here

Keep running!!! Keep it simple!!!

I guess I'll just sit here and rest!

I will be back soon!

Why a Marathon Now?

I just turned 44 last month. 2 days later I found out that a Major Marathon is coming to Savannah!! I could never forgive myself if I didn't run a marathon that was in my own backyard! So I did it. I signed up. Paid the entry fee and on November 5th I will be running my first marathon at the Inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon here in Savannah, GA!!!

I have alot of fears and concerns. I'm 44. I last ran over 20 years ago and I got hit by a car which damaged my right knee. I am a Type 1, insulin dependant diabetic. So I've got alot of questions and concerns about my bodies ability to handle the stresses and endurance. I am a Vegan/Vegetarian who has been without caffeine for almost 4 years now so food is a part of my mix as well! Alot of "sports" drinks and gels have caffeine! Choices Choices Choices

I started reading every book I could get my hands on about Marathon running. I love my library. I've read almost every book on running and training that they have plus magazines like Runners World.

I've spent the last 3 weeks working out at the gym to see about keeping my knee strong. I've been doing alot of cross training with weights, circuit equipment (the inner and outer thigh master especially) to strengthen my quads and hip abductors. I also used the cycle and elliptical machines to save wear and tear on my knees.

Last Saturday I ran, for the first time on the road for 3.2 miles!! My knee feels great!! This Saturday I will be running at Lake Meyer Park with the Savannah Striders running club for the first time!! I guess there is a race this Saturday too so some of the runners will be there at 5:30am instead of the usual 6:30am time. Go figure.

If you or someone you know is coming to Savannah for the Rock and Roll Marathon let me know! I will help if I can.

Racing tip for Savannah, GA #1: Bring allergy medicine! This is the South and November is still allergy season for people like me with outdoor allergies!