May 14, 2009
Wendy

Spring has finally arrived in the great white north and I have taken my first outdoor ride on my spiffy new bike. I was in great fear of the clip pedals as I have managed to injure myself many times on a bike (actually skis, bikes, roller blades, ice skates, the list is quite extensive- I hate filling out forms at a doctor office on previous injuries- I digress) My fear was unwarranted. It felt so amazing to be outside again.

I have also bought a wetsuit and have been practicing wearing it in the pool. I will do my first triathlon on May 31st at a local conservation authority. It is a 750m swim, 30 km bike ride and 7.5 km run. It will be my first open water swim race.

My swim coach, who is also an Ironman finisher, has been practicing with me on how to get in and out of the wetsuit. She has also advised me about buying a tri suit and strongly suggests not getting a one piece in case you have to make a pit stop you will have to remove the full suit. Then again wearing a pump make a 2 piecer more reasonable- any thoughts on this?

I also completed my first full marathon last Sunday. I think I have finally figured out my fueling – after the first 10k, 10-15 grams of carbs every 15-20 minutes (about 1/3 of gel) followed by water. I stopped at a medical tent about every 5 miles and tested my BG. My local coach had told me to not race and think of it as a training run to check my BG. So I did, and feel better for it.

I just got copies of the photos from the race and I burst out laughing. I had my fuel belt on, a jacket around my waste and my running skirt had slipped under my belly so my lower belly was exposed – including my pump insertion site and my CGM monitor. Nothing like being out there with your diabetes.

Happy racing!