Positive Mental Training

I have come a long way from where I started with regards to training and racing. In my first race, I was so scared to swim in water over my head that I grabbed onto a kayak about 100m from the finish in a 400m race. In my last race, I swam 2.4 miles in the Indian Ocean! Yes, the water (and things that live in it) still makes me nervous, but I have learned to face my fear and anxiety to deal with it.

I am very proud of my accomplishments in getting faster, stronger, and gaining more race experience. A lingering issue with me is my lack of confidence, which I feel holds me back. In the past, I always said to myself "You don't know if you can finish this, so stay conservative and do what you can." Now I know that I can go the distance and I want to get faster.

I am stealing some statements from "Cultivating Your Desire to Succeed" from Active.com. This helped me to articulate what I want to mentally train for this year:

Believing that I can achieve my goal to finish and PR at Ironman St. George 2011.
Believing that I have what it takes to try.
Believing that I can bring everything I have within me to a moment that requires it.

One thing that has never been a factor in my mental race preparations is my diabetes. I don't ignore it, but I believe in my ability to control any issues that might arise during a race (which is normally--nothing). I have pulled out of races with low blood sugar, so what. People pull out of races due to a whole host of other reasons.

Wish me luck. This will definitely be more challenging than a 20 mile run or 100 mile bike ride!

Bay to Breakers Madness

I am back from a wild weekend in San Francisco where I participated in the 99th running of the Bay to Breakers 12K. Me and 12 of my closest running friends were tied together in a centipede as we meandered around naked folks, drunk people, and others in all different costumes. The picture above is from the SF Gate and is a picture of us running. (I was in the rear wearing the stinger-don't mess with the bumble bee dragon...someone called us that during the run).

This was a great race. So many times we get absorbed with PRs and performance and forget about the joy of participating. This was a great race to remember the excitment of getting up early for a race. San Francisco is a great host city. My centipede partners were awesome. Brenda sewed and planned out our costumes and they were great. Chuck, the person that I was next to, provided great commentary throughout the race. I was surprised by our performance given the possibility of tripping, but we didn't do to badly and were able to run most of it.

Maybe next year some triabetes and glucomotive folks can join up in a centipede....

Peanut Butter Overdose!?!

I eat a lot of peanut butter, but I am afraid I might have crossed the line. I eat almost a jar a week. I eat it for breakfast....everyday. I eat PB&J during workouts or even for dinner. I eat peanut butter with apples as a snack. I eat it with chocolate chips as a 'dessert' sometimes (no really, it is not every day).

This does sound a little overboard, but in my defense it is natural and a protein source. Recently, however, I have not been able to stand the smell of it and the thought of eating it is almost repulsive. What have I done? I'll need a new go-to food that is easy to eat with pretty much anything that I have in my pantry or fridge. Is there such a thing? I feel like it is breaking up with me.

The horror.

Anyways, I am gearing up for one of the best "block party" 12K races next weekend at Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. I am part of a centipede, which means I am tied to 11 or 12 other "runners" dressed in a crazy costume. Should be fun, however, I am not sure what I am going to bring with me to fuel up. Is there something like match.com for your favorite (relatively healthy) snack?

Pumps, Doctor's Appointments and Rainbows

I am not sure how many people can relate, but I have been frustrated with my health care lately. I really cannot say that it is anyone's fault, but why do things take so long? Why aren't doctor's more proactive in their approach to treating diabetes? Why aren't I researching possibilities that are out there for me? I am sick of settling for the easy way, and really hope to be more proactive. My frustration currently lies with the fact that, I finally agreed to getting a pump last October. I finally have it at my house as of last week, but due to work/training/schedules/life I won't be able to start using it until July. Sheesh.

When I got home, there was the perfect rainbow outside my window. I could actually see it end to end (although no gold was visible). It was amazing. The weather was beautiful and I had a great view of the ocean rolling in. This is the great thing about being in Hawaii. If you take the time to look around you and take it in, immediate frustrations are immediately put in perspective. I need to do this more often.

My First Blog Entry

Hi everyone, this is a true first for me. I am starting this blog to outline the trials, triumphs, and tribulations that I will experience over the next year training for Ironman St. George with the Triabetes team. I am a Type 1 diabetic living and training for triathlons in Hawaii. Triabetes is out there to change stereotypes about diabetes and educate people about the disease.

Let me tell you, even though I have lived with diabetes for 11 years, I learned a ton of things this weekend with my Triabetes teammates. Most importantly, I learned a lot about attitude. I have HATED having this disease since I was diagnosed. I have wanted nothing to do with it or acknowledging it as part of my life. I really see myself as a "normal" person who just happens to have to count carbs, test my blood sugars, and take insulin. I have never joked about the disease and have never been able to take it lightly....until this weekend when I met the 2010 Triabetes team and support crew. first They were able to share a new perspective that included a lighter side that could joke about things while still being steadfast in treating and dealing with the disease.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you over the next year. I hope to learn a lot.. Thanks for reading, I hope that you can get something from this.