Great Race and NOT last place!

Parents weekend was filled with fun on campus. A much needed hug for the injured, a puppy and all his friends, a rugby game and social, and an early night in the city for Big Tone and Miss Missy. Pittsburgh's Great Race was Sunday morning bright and early. The weather was dry but extremely humid! Missy and I caught a shuttle (no easy task) and thought it would be a breeze to get to the start and for her to get back down to the finish. Not so. We eventually got my number and Missy caught the shuttle but it dropped her 2 miles from the finish! She got her workout in to make it to see me finish in the nick of time. While she was doing that, I was in line to use the "facilities" during the national anthem and the start gun! By the time I finished my business, the crowd of 3700 was off and running/walking. It took me a while to get around the walkers and slower runners (if you can imagine a runner slower than me!). A beautiful 3 miles from Pitt's campus down to the point. Ran the whole way and was greeted by the two little Cranberry boys in the picture and Lil Tone. Thanks for coming out. Also, thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. They fuel me and lets me feel like I am competing for all of your sakes! And, as always, thanks to my Missy. She's the best (wife, friend, coach, and manager).

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

I ran the Shiver course early Sunday morning. I really wanted to check an actual 5K route for this Sunday's Great Race. I did well and came in under my super slow goal time. I followed it up Monday with a 4 miler to get my legs under me and felt great. Rest day Tuesday but I was in a mood to grind something out so I hopped on the road bike (still unnamed!) and attacked some hills. It felt good to get up and over even after a couple of run days. I am tapering a bit for the race but I want to swim twice this week and I will get in some easy runs before taking Friday and Saturday off. I really wanted to run early morning but some blood sugar highs have gotten in the way. More of an pain in the neck than anything. A bolus of insulin and a 20 minute nap before getting the Bean to school usually helps.
We snagged a bit of a bump in the road in our house. Wiggles has taken it on the knee, again. I feel terrible for her but I know that because she is such a strong willed and determined young woman this will only be a bump in the road. Re-inventing herself is what has made her so incredible. Love you, Wiggles. I'll train harder with you on my mind.

Swimming with the Swedish Fishes

So I got in the pool for the first time this week. Let's just say that Aquatic Director Mike didn't arrest me for foul strokes! I did 3 sets of 2o0M with a minute break in between. Not a bad workout for the first time. I even wore a cap and goggles. I'm glad there wasn't anyone else in the pool! I mixed it up with freestyle and breast stroke, Big Tone style, and a few side stroke laps. I think I can do the swim part as long as no one takes away points for style.
My run workouts this week weren't that great. The beginning part of the week was nice with a 4 miler then a 3.5 miler. The rest of the week had me crashing into a low that caused me to have to walk briskly home for some cranberry juice pick me ups! I should know better by now but I don't. I plan on taking better care this week for my runs since I have the Pittsburgh Great Race a week from now. As for my blood sugar in the pool, I knocked it out just fine with some swedish fish!
Special thanks to Janel L. I got a "Go Big Tone" from her this week on one of my better runs. That definitely helps me out there.

Happy Birthday, Nick Jonas

I have been informed that today is Nick Jonas's 16th birthday. For those of you not following along, Nick is a member of the latest boy band who has diabetes. He wrote a song called "A little bit longer" that kind of chronicles his life with Type I. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceHlXAZ5_U0 for a listen). He talks about having to stay in the hospital a little bit longer and goes on to say that he has hope for a cure if he only waits a little bit longer. Because Type I usually gets diagnosed when you are a kid, it has been called juvenile diabetes. Nick was diagnosed when he was 13, I was 26. The same symptoms of excessive weight loss, constant thirst, irritability (ask the the ladies I live with!!), headaches, and shakiness drove both of us to seek medical attention. I was fortunate enough to have asked my doctor at a well baby visit for guess who (it is dawning on me that my beaner is my Type I angel!). By contrast, Nick, and so many others, find out by having to land in a hospital. The Type I comes as an immune system suppression. One day for me, it cracked and my pancreas stopped functioning properly. I went undiagnosed for about 9 months. So, if anyone has been feeling different with some of these and other symptoms, go ask a healthcare professional.And, to Nick and all those other young folks battling the "highs and the lows", happy birthday! Let's all work hard and have hope a little bit longer!

Shiny New Bike!

So, Stoli (our Lhasa shi tzu mix) and I went to our first triathlon on Sunday morning. We went to check things out and get a feel for how this event runs. I had pre race jitters on the way to the staging area even though I wasn't even competing! However, what I realized is that all kinds of people do this and, despite the fact that I am a ways from being ready, I feel good about myself completing the event. My favorite part was hearing the cheers from the crowd. A "Go Daddy or Mommy" from the little ones brought a tear to my eye (if you know me, then you know that tear was literal!). One man even slowed about 15 yards from the finish so he could cross the end line holding hands with his 5 year old daughter. It reminded me of one of my first 10K's where Sports ran with me to the end line for about 20 yards (yes, another tear there!).
Well, I picked up my road bike on Friday. I was very excited. It is a white Bianchi Eros with a multicolored bar tape. I name all my bikes so I will look for suggestions from anyone posting. My red Gary Fisher is named Fergie and my old white Giant is called Carmen Electra. I hope to name my new girl soon so feel free to come up with a good one! I rode a short 10 miler last night before dusk and I am very pleased. I can't wait to train harder on her(twss!!).

Big Tone 1, Type I 0

Well, as I was waiting on a doc this afternoon at 3, my blood sugar dropped. Probably because I over bolused but it was low. When I got to my car, I checked. It was 49 (ugh!). I scampered with a pack of Twizzler's and some nerds. After a struggle to focus again, I rebounded just fine. Since I did not make it to my early morning run, I still had to rally to get the 4 miles in. By 6:30 tonight I finished a 4 mile run and walked with Missy for 20 minutes as a cool down. That is an example of the potential struggle with this zero insulin producing pancreas of mine! Either way, I managed and still got the 4 miler in!

A thousand thanks and treading troddin trails

First, I want to thank everyone for responding to the emails and viewing and posting on the site. You will motivate me everyday. I want to say a couple of special thanks. One to my sister for charging the masses, one to my parents for the email (you probably can't imagine how important your support is to me), a one to my wife (from the moment you said the site was in your favorites, I knew you will get me to where I need to go).

Second, so many people are asking about my training. Well, I have set myself up with quite a long time frame. I did this intentionally so that come race day I am over prepared. Most sites for training plans put out a 12 week program. I would like to compete by June 2009. For now, I am still attached to my bike as much as possible. The end of this week sparks a new chapter in my cycling life because I am acquiring a road bike. I can't wait. I'll post more info on that later. The swim part, the biggest challenge, will begin next week for me. The local high school has some rec swim times where I think I can get in a couple sessions per week through the winter. As for the run, this is where I can focus and keep up to pace! I train near my house on a trail that runs from the neighborhood in which we've raised our girls to the neighborhood in which I grew up. It is a 3.5 mile track on a railroad line. It will soon be paved and will be so much better. Running here makes me think of the similarities and differences between my childhood and our girls. I love having that close to my house. When I run on the road, I "glide" through the halloween parade route (I will explain that event in another post!!) and on past the schools we all went to (ie my father, my in laws, my wife's grandmother, my wife and me, and our kids!!) and up around the church where I received sacraments, got married, and have had our girls receive their sacraments. If you haven't figured it out, I live in a small town and always have. Some might say this isn't so grand, but if you meet our daughters, you might think otherwise.

I will be entering in some 5K and 10K runs through the fall and winter. First up is The Great Race in downtown Pittsburgh. I hope to have a good size cheering section since it is Family Weekend at Wiggles's university, which is near there, and I have secured two little boy fans from Cranberry Township (will those 2 boys make it to see Big Tone finish? I hope so!).

With each training run and each race I enter on my journey, I think of all of you who support me. Whether it's Wiggles and her run last weekend that she claims caused her calf muscles to fall off or my wife who has me weighing in on Monday mornings (I hope that I can cross off my weight goal each week. She can be mean if not! Ha ha ha).

Ok, rest day today. Kiki says I everyone needs them! Early morning road run. 4 miles is my goal. Don't forget, if when you see me out there, let out a good "Go Big Tone"!!

Unintentional Inspiration

Claudia, or Bean to some of us, shared with me a concert experience with the Jonas Brothers. One of the 3 brothers has Type I and has written a song about his life with diabetes. After a couple of beers on the beach, I told her I should run or bike or something and raise money and maybe we can somehow get his attention and meet him! That idea seemed fun during the day and spilled over into a triathlon (we were right by the ocean!). I bought into it. The thought of being fit enough for a triathlon was very appealing. As I went on and on about it, she quickly reminded me that there would be no way I could get in shape for a tri and continue to do the things I do with diet (including those beers on the beach!). Being put in your place, unintentionally, by your own offspring can have an effect on your mind. So, with that, there were no beers the next day and plenty of thoughts on acquiring a bike to ride the tri and a scamper for a place to swim. I already have running shoes! The blog was a way to hold me accountable and I hope it becomes someplace many people visit. The attention will fuel me to become a triathlete for real! So, if the Jonas Brothers come out with support or not (of course, in my research of this idea I am only one of about 10,000 people who do this! Ha ha), I still want to complete my mission. Thanks, Bean. I love you.

Ready, Set, Go!

I am Big Tone. I am a 39 year old husband and father with Type I diabetes. I enjoy running and biking for exercise and I do it to keep my health in check. A couple of weeks ago, my youngest daughter unintentionally sparked me to train for a triathlon. I thought that if I would write about the ups, downs, and sideways about my training on the web I would be more likely to keep up the training. Also, I wanted to add an element of diabetes awareness to the site and eventually, when I can enter into a race, help raise money for diabetes research. I hope the site educates and possibly inspires anyone who visits. I am quite motivated to good health for my family. Please visit regularly so that I can show you my progress and teach you about this chronic illness with no cure available. If you happen to see me while training or, eventually, in a race, I would appreciate a hearty "Go Big Tone!" Thanks and I look forward to getting fit with all of you.