The Ride- Delayed Post

Well, it has officially been over 2 months from The Ride, and I have neglected to post a re-cap update since!
There has been a lot going on.... mainly that we got married! Yes, that is right, on September 17, I married the most amazing man and became Mrs. Lianna Durney.
But before that, at the end of July we returned to Vermont and once again had a fabulous Time. We had a turnout from the New York Crankees and together as a team we raised over $100k. Amazing!
The ride was a personal best for me! I spent time riding with Lewis Runnion, Aly Levine and Brian Rafferty and when we hit the 100 mile mark, we had just over 6.5 hours of Bike time. We minimized our breaks and maximized our speeds! together we Rocked out the course and had an amazing accomplishments! Aly completed her firs Century ride, showered and returned to work to put on the best of the best Ride Program as usual.
This program, challenge, event series has made such an amazingly positive impact on my life. I have learned more about my diabetes than ever before. I have set and accomplished more personal challenges than ever before and I have met some of the most amazing people that I know will be a life-long part of my life! I can honestly say that finding The Ride program not long after moving across the country has made me feel at home. It has given me a sense of belonging and self in a new and different place. I am grateful for this and the people that make this happen.

It is starting to get cooler in New York and as time passes the bike will be shelved for the winter- I cannot wait to get started next year on my 3rd year of Ride to Cure and to see what lies a head for us!

Inspiration

What pushes us to set goals and achieve them, to find strength and pride in accomplishment, to become proud of who we are, what we do and what we represent!

Yesterday, Sunday July 24th, my friend and fellow T1D Jen Davino, became and Iron(wo)man. Yes an Iron man: 2.4 Mile swim, 112 Mile Ride and 26.2 Mile Run!

I just got the chills writing that because I am so proud of her, of this accomplishment, of her pure drive to take a challenge and not give up- an Inspiration to all of us!

I incessantly checked my computer and phone yesterday tracking her progress, and although athlete tracker was not helpful, returning to her Facebook page multiple times we got small updates from people on the course and witnessed the overwhelming support and community that she has and she deserves it all!

This weekend, I will ride my 2nd Century for JDRF- I will be driven by her strength and inspiration, and I hope that soon we are able to Ride100 miles for a Cure together soon!

Rough Patches

I am still trying to recover from last weekend so I have been absent from writing.
I am torn, because although it was the hardest ride I have ever conquered (yes!) it wasn't the riding that has left me drained from the weekends events- this time it was the diabetes!
Exhausted, frustrated and pissed off!!! Rarely do I feel this way, but this weekend I did!



The ride was great, we did 65 miles and climbed 5,900 feet! There were a few personal challenges that I had with previous routes in this area that I overcame, which was a huge accomplishment! Out of aprox 12 riders that started with our group, only 5 of us that made it to the top of - another accomplishment! However my diabetes and my medical equipment failed me big time and that sucked!

About 50 miles into the ride, while climbing a hill I felt like I had hit a brick wall- I looked at my CGM and it read 317 ^^ (double arrows up) this was not right because only 20 minutes before I had given myself insulin- I looked at my pump and the screen read BUTTON ERROR- and was frozen, it was dead! Minimed pumps are apparently not built for heat or sweat (athletes beware) I stopped on my bike for a minute, and luckily I had syringes in the SAG support car, gave myself a few units through a needle, ripped the pump of and continued to ride! We had another 15 miles to the top of the mountain and about 10 of them were climbing. My blood sugar came back to normal and then started to drop as I was in the final 2 miles of the Ride, again thankful to our great SAG support I was able to do drive by sugar pick ups and not have to stop!

I felt good after the ride, physically strong, but diabetes weak! From Saturday afternoon through Monday evening everything was off! I had 3 'bad' lows, bad like the kind that just hit you, then you are stuck, sweat dripping from your body, dizzy, delirious, the kind of lows that knock you out and take a while to recover from- the kind of lows that are scary especially when they are during the night, which one of mine was! The kind of lows that people do not wake up from- I am lucky I did, but low blood sugar is frightening and exhausting!
On Sunday evening, I had low blood sugar that led me to a complete break down on being frustrated with my diabetes- again while sweating profusely and crying this time I gathered all of my Diabetes STUFF which included 3 broken pumps (mine, an old one and a loaner- all that didn't work) infusion sets, resiorvors, needles , insulin, meter, CGM, sensors and on and on into a pile and put them on the kitchen counter and started yelling- 'look at all the stuff I need to keep myself alive...' ok I had lost it. Finally I was able to stabalize and normalize and get a few hours of well needed sleep.
Work was hard on Monday, I hadn't taken long acting shot from the night before because my replacement pump was arriving that morning and I couldn't have the insulin on-board- so my blood sugar ran high during the night then dropped in the morning. I had another low on my way out the door and that combined with the heat this week in NY- it was a rough morning. I went home on my lunch break to pick up my replacement pump and while re-setting all of its functions it dawned on me a little as to why things were so difficult. I have somewhere around 25 different settings on my device: there are different carb to insulin ratios for different times of the day; different sensitivity (how fast my body absorbs the insulin); different target rations (day and night) and active insulin time. All of this is imputed and then CALCULATED by the device; something that I rely on it to do. The more in control I am, the more settings I have to mimic how the pancreas and body actually work, the more work it is for my mind and the more exhausting it is!

On Monday night, my pump site got kinked and my blood sugar had risen to almost 400 in the night, I had to switch my site and bolus enough to get me to Normal!

That was my weekend and my Monday- the crazy thing is that I had a really good weekend- I had a great time on the ride, I had fun hanging out with Billy and bowling with some of his friends, but the scary thing is that I had a really rough and exhausting time with my diabetes, I rely on these devices to help me manage my condition- no let me re-phrase that- I rely on these devices as life support to keep me alive and when they fail I fail, I fall, it becomes exhausting and I get frustrated!

I don't like to use my diabetes as an excuse, I don't like to feel controlled or limited. I hate having to explain to people WHY I am having problems with anything- that I am not weak! I hate that I have to rely on machines and devices to live! I hate it that many of my fingers have no finger print from years of multiple daily finger pricks! I hate it that I have no idea what normal is! II hate it that I have a condition that requires a charity- multiple charities! I hate it that people feel sorry for me or always have to be concerned for me! I hate it that although there is treatment for us diabetics, it is NOT good enough! I hate it that I fear for my future, my families future! Sometimes, I just HATE IT....

But I am thankful for all of the support, for almost 29 years and a lifetime to come! Next week I will Ride 100 Miles in Vermont for JDRF's Ride for a Cure! Together we are doing what we can do to bring us closer to a CURE and together WE WILL RIDE until we are there!

(yes this is a graph of our Saturday "training" ride)

Getting Close

I have been riding a lot more than I have been posting, and we are getting close. In 2 weeks we will be up in Vermont enjoying the pre-activities of The Ride. Taking in the sights and enjoyment of Burlington, the company of the other riders and the Energy of everyone who is there to support finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes!

This season I have enjoyed a lot more time spent on the bike with the New York Crankees and we have over 15 riders going to Burlington. This year Jon Reitzes came back on board as a coach and has done a tremedous job on leadership, communication, recruitment and retention of the team. Together the Crankees have raised over $85,000.00 for JDRF- it is really amazing!

This weekend is our Ride of Passage- Bear Mountain! Tomorrow we will return upstate to do a 66.5 mile ride through Westpoint, Harriman State Park and will end on with a grueling climb up Perkins Memorial Drive.

I have done pieces of each of these rides in my 2 years cycling- Perkins was one of my first challenging rides last year: I felt superhuman that I could climb a mountain on my bike until I learned that my coach rides hill repeats on that- he took the win on superhuman; I did the Westpoint ride in a thunderstorm- the rain was literally chasing us. and to have them incorporated into one will be Awesome! There will be very challenging climbs, amazing lookouts and views, great descends and overall I couldn't imagine a better way to get our final miles in before the Century!

30 Miles Day 2 (hills)

On Sunday I left Brooklyn early, I had the car packed with bike gear, dog gear, dog crate, dog and I picked up my friend Jen Davino and we headed out of the city.
I am lucky to have friends who have great parents that are willing to help out with our special needs puppy while we went for a ride- in this sense, 'help out ' means let him run around and nap in the back yard since he doesn't have a lot of trust in anyone outside of our imediate family (poor guy).
So we dropped Otis off in Monroe, NY and got him acquainted before we headed over to Harriman State Park. Like many cyclists I have a love/hate relationship with Harriman. I love it when I am done because I feel the sense of accomplishment, of challenge, but while riding well I hate the hills- and Harriman is all hills!
I got to Ride with Jen Davino, also a JDRF rider, but who will be competing in the Lake Placid Iron Man on July 24th! That is amazing, she is incredible determined and fearless I am so proud of what she is able to do! She was looking very strong as a rider and I know that she will take on this challenge and overcome with no problems.
It feels good to ride with other Type 1 diabetics- we learn from each other and support each other and I was thankful to have her there when we came down that killer hill and I felt unstable, I tested in at 44 (LOW) and she helped me get through that! It put a little strain on my energy, but I was able to get through another 15 miles of riding and finished strong!
We had a great ride and a lot of fun at the Barbecue back at the Levine' s house!

Two days- two Rides- 60 miles day 1

This weekend my bike and became good friends again. With Burlington only 45 days away, it is about time.
Saturday I joined the NY Crankees Ride team for a training ride from Brooklyn to Nyack.
We met at 8am in Brooklyn, rode to the West Side Highway via the Brooklyn bridge where we met some other riders and took off for the George Washington Bridge, crossed over and met some other friends. At that point already 17 miles in, we headed up to Nyack via River Road. The weather great for riding, despite thunderstorm warnings we stayed 'ahead of the storm'
Aly Levine and I worked on our pace lining- riding on each others wheel and exchanging effort between us for less exertion on the back rider- this allows us to ride consistently at a faster speed, when the lead rider gets tired, the back rider pulls to the front. You ride close so there is a lot of trust involved, I definitely trust Aly, and she is a strong rider, look out for this in Burlington.
The 9W/Nyack ride is a popular one for the city people, because it is easily accessable our of the city ride and it can be challenging. The ride takes you from the GW bridge on the Jersey side, back to New York State and up the Hudson river. Long stretches of roads, some challenging hills, and cute little river towns- I fell for it!
We stopped for a snack break at the Runcible Spoon- a little cafe frequented by cyclists (they provide bike racks for parking outside) there it was decided we would add an extra 10 miles in to our Ride- led by the Wonder Wheel Rider himself, Lewis Runion, which meant one thing- hills.

We finished up early afternoon and headed back to Brooklyn before the rain started. It was a great ride with the team and a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Noah's Ride

This past Sunday a few of us New York riders returned to upstate NY for Noah's Ride to benefit JDRF. We left the busy choas of Brooklyn early Sunday morning in exchange for 40 miles of rolling hills, flowing waterfalls, red barns, the smell of fresh cut grass and oh that damn menuer truck that I was stuck behind for a good mile!
Noah's Ride began over 8 years ago as a small town fundraiser to help a family who's son (Noah) had been diagnosed with a rare form of Cancer, now Noah is in remission and the Ride continues. Today the proceeds go to the Hudson Valley Chapter of JDRF. The Ride honors a family who tragically lost their son to a battle with Type 1.
The Ride is great, challenging at times however the steepest hill where I was grinding my pedals at a mear 6 mph was followed by almost 5 miles of rolling hills where I reached almost 40 mph and the inertia of the downhills glided me through the uphills with little exertion- it feels like flying!
At the finish line, there was a great raffle, food and friends all supported by the local bike shop Bikeway- we thank them for the continuous support for this cause!

Around 30 miles we stopped to take a picture (above) at one of the most picturesque landscapes- green for as far as the eye could see against the blue sky with silos and barns. The beauty however was not captured in the photo, instead we look like three Shorties in bike helmets standing near a fence.

Please Return

Sun, will you please come back to Brooklyn so I can get on my bike to train. The wet weather just is not safe or appealing to ride in at 6am.... Please? I haven't seen enough of you this year.

Thank you,
Li

As time goes on

Today I have been feeling a little overwhelmed…. there is a lot going on.

First off in February we took on the responsibility of getting a puppy; little did we know that our handsome little man would come with a series of separation, emotional and behavioral problems. He is adjusting but it has taken a lot of work on our part.

I am training for my second century Ride to Cure for JDRF, a 100 Mile Ride at the End of July in Burlington Vermont. Training while working a full time job is difficult. I wake up early and ride 15 -20 miles BEFORE work or ride from when I get off work until the sun goes down and then usually a longer ride on the weekend. And for my health and well being I signed up for a Boot-Camp Class which is 2 days a week from 6:30-7:30am.

I am managing my diabetes, which is always a full time job in itself. I went to the Dr. yesterday and my A1C came down again (BIG pat on the back) but I need to “tighten it up” avoiding lows that re-bound into highs, so I am back to record-keeping. this means writing down what my blood sugar is when I test, everything i eat, how many carbohydrates it is, and how much insulin I take- so that we can see how the fitness is affecting me and where i need to temp up and down… it is almost like second nature to me, but it is still a big PAIN

And, we are planning a wedding in Rural Connecticut. getting people in and out of there and all set up is a lot of work, totally manageable but lots of work, and because I keep thinking it is a ways off (IT IS NOT) I have been slacking on my planning.

We are heading up to the Farm on Memorial Day weekend. I will be able to focus in on what goes where and what needs to be done. We will bring the puppy and of course my diabetes will be there, but we will have a lovely time.

Focus on Lovely Things.

Not Born to Run- but I'll give it a shot

In January I got a CRAZY idea to sign up for a half Marathon. I run here and there, but have never put my feet in motion for a continuous 13.1 miles- but I like a physical challenge.
so I started training, 3x a week I would run 4-5 miles and a long run on the weekend. The weather here in NY was awful- bitter cold, snow, rain and wind.
Then we got a puppy- Otis- a good looking little guy but has some socialization anxiety issue after relocating to Brooklyn, so my comitment changed to him and my training started to diminish- but the race kept approaching.
At one point I didn't know if I would be able to do it, so before giving up I tested myself, ' if I can run 9 miles this weekend- I can do 13.1 next' and I did it.
So last Sunday, we woke up early on 4th ave in Brooklyn, we fed the dog, took him out. Got breakfast in our bellies and heading into the city to Central Park.
The event was the More Half Marathon; 10,000 women and 2 laps around Central Park.
It was a beautiful day and energy was high, but at mile 2 I started to feel stinging pain in my shins, but I kept running, took some Advil at mile 6 and kept running- despite my injury I finished, not with a great time, but I completed it. Another check of my list of accomplishments.