August 26, 2008
Lorrie

This past weekend I participated in the Chicago Accenture Triathlon. It’s a huge triathlon in participant size, and includes three event choices: Super sprint, Sprint distance and Olympic distance. It’s the first year I participated in this triathlon, and I choose to do the sprint distance. I have to admit, it was overwhelming. There were so many people, from elites to your average “Joe.”

I had it all planned out, from what I was going to eat, how I was going to use Levemir as an insulin alternative when off the pump, the use of my CGMS system, the order that I set all my gear up in transition including, where to put my pump, easy access to my meter, etc.

This is what I most thought about days before the event. So, how did it all turn out, here goes:
• I tried to eat healthy the days prior to the event. I believe I did well in this area. Also, I kept a close eye on BG levels to ensure they remained in normal range. I wanted to avoid any highs and lows, or those nasty rebounds.
• I hooked up my CGMS the afternoon prior to the event.
• The evening prior to the event, I went to bed early, around 7:00pm. The alarm was set to wake at 10:00pm to take a Levemir injection. I awoke to take 7 units, and then set a temp basal at 20% on my pump for 10 hours.
• My sensor alarmed me at midnight informing me that my BG level was around 80. I set another temp basal to 0% for 8 hours and took 3 glucose tablets.
• Got up at 3:15am and BG level was at 102. Yippie…I thought this was perfect. Ate a waffle, some protein. Gave a full bolus and headed out.
• In transition, I set up all of my gear, and checked BG levels before existing, and put my pump away. I was at 98. I wasn’t concerned because I knew that it would start to increase as the nerves kicked in.
• My wave was to start at 6:46am. So, I had 45 minutes from the time I exited transition until my wave was called. As I sat there waiting, waiting and waiting, then wondering, wondering, wondering if my BG level was too low prior to leaving transition. I had always gone high in an event, so why would this be any different. Was I just feeling nervous, or was I starting to go low. I started to panic and decided to eat half a nutrition bar to play it safe. So, I packed about 15 carbs on just to be safe.
• Okay, now for the race. I waited in line with my race wave, which was a mixed group of men and woman. About 1 minute prior to our start, we jump in to Lake Michigan until the starter said “Go.” I could feel my heart pounding. As I waited, I glared down toward that finish, which was a half mile away. I didn’t seem far.
• I started swimming. I really concentrated on pacing myself. However, there were so many people in my wave that it was hard to find an empty path. Somehow, I was caught in the middle. I just couldn’t get away and people were clawing all over each other. I managed to get to the outside and just kept counting the boats as I passed them and set a goal to make it to the next. Finally, it was over. I reached up and grabbed a volunteered hand that pulled me out of the lake and headed off to transition.
• On the run from the water to transition, I grabbed my sneakers, which I carefully placed under a banner. I knew it was about quarter mile from the swim to transition, and I didn’t want to run in my bare feet.
• In transition, I stripped off my wetsuit, reconnected my pump and selected find lost sensor. My sensor BG level was 254. I confirmed it with a meter check, which indicated 234. My temp basal had completed and I was back to my normal basal rate. I decided not to set a temp basal and also decided to correct for the high reading.
• Now off on the bike. 15 miles on Lake Shore drive, averaging about 17 miles an hour. This was pretty none eventful, except who put those hills there and it was pretty windy. Wind in my face on the way out, but at my back on the way back. I wasn’t sure if the pain in my quads was from the pushing through the wind, or because my BG level was high. I drank a lot of water on the ride to ensure that I remained hydrated.
• Back in transition, my sensor read 234, but was trending down. I opted not to do a finger stick. I really wanted to decrease my transition time, so I put on my sneakers, grabbed my hat and headed off.
• Boy, were my legs tired from the bike. I struggled through the run. I wasn’t used to running on uneven surfaces. At least one mile, maybe more was on grass. I was constantly looking down instead of forward. I finished, but was tired.

Finally, the race was over as I smiled crossing the finish line. My final time isn’t the best, but it is what it is: 1 hour 54 minutes. My transition times are my biggest problem. If I could cut those in half, I would be much happier. However, I know the importance of taking the time to check BG levels and correcting if needed. I would rather jeopardize my time, not my health. I ended the race with a BG level at 184. I’m happy with that. An hour later, I continued to drop to 154. I did drop further and ended up setting at temp basal at 80% for three hours to ensure I wouldn’t drop too much. The lowest I drop was to 94.

Now, bring on that Half IM ladies. I’m ready!