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.

Going Steady

This weekend was wonderful! It was warm enough to be outside and we truly enjoyed our time.
On both Saturday and Sunday, I got my bike out, bundled up and went up to Prospect Park for a Ride. It was Chilly, but so worth it, and many of my cycling friends were Riding 109 Miles (yes, 109) in Tucson, AZ for the final JDRF Ride of the season.


Saturday afternoon we went into the city and enjoyed Central Park, Ice Skating and a quick visit to MoMA! Sunday afternoon while Billy watched football, Emma Rose and I got our Nails done and walked around our neighborhood!




The Icing on the cake was that the whole weekend + my blood sugars were steady. No highs, no lows, no swings or corrections for meals! It was a great feeling!

When everything can be so good in life and we have amazing opportunities to spend with our loved ones and families, diabetes can sometimes be a road blocker. It has an effect on your energy and your mood, or the need to stop and eat or fight headaches due to blood sugars raising.

It was a great weekend, I like going steady!

Call to Action!

Everyone get out your phones and call your congressmen and women in Support of the Special Diabetes Program. The SDP will expire unless it is renewed this year, and this is the time to call.

"The Special Diabetes Program is our nation’s most effective tool to combat diabetes and its complications. The program has received strong bipartisan support in Congress since 1997 and, given its successes, has proven to be worthy of continued federal investment."

find out who you need to contact here: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Without this funding we will loose CRITICAL dollars for research! WE have come so far, but still have a ways to go! Please help us secure this funding for For a Cure!

Thank you!

???

Last night after my kettle bell class, I noticed that my CGM sensor was becoming detached and so I took it off. The sensors they say are suppose to last 7-10 days, but because of my sweat and activities (here I go again) I find myself having to change them about every 5-7 days.

Later in the evening I reattached a sensor to and waited for it to calibrate- this takes 2 hours and then you enter 2 blood sugar readings that are taken back to back. Not paying attention to the time when I attached it, I then figured out that 2 hours would be around 11:30pm- after my bedtime.

So, I kept myself up until the time, entered my 2 blood sugars and by that time I was low. I sat awake for a bit to bring my blood sugar up and I waited for my CGM to register my blood sugar- it didn't for the next 2 hours the screen read ???

???- well I am not really sure what that means- the book states "The Receiver cannot understand the Sensor"... I don't like the ??? especially during the night.

I went to sleep and was alarmed another 2 hours later with the CGM vibrating, so at 2am I was up testing and calibrating.

Another fun night with Diabetes.