New Year, New Sweetness

I post at random with ideas of being a better blogger...and always come up short...but it's a new year and I have new goals, ones that I hope won't leave me feeling I've fallen short. 

I joined a running group.  I decided the best way to improve is to pay for something that makes me feel accountable!  My goal for this year's half marathon is just to improve my time again and actually run more than a mile total.  I think this group is going to be the perfect motivation to meet my goals.  I also hope that in this I can tighten down on my diet and lose a few pounds.  If I force myself to document it maybe I can motivate myself more.  Putting it out there means it has to be real, right?

So today I feel excited and nervous!  Our first run is Tuesday and to say I've been off the wagon is an understatement!  My goal for this week is just to make it to training and breath through to the end LOL!  Baby steps...

A Sweet Pouch

Kangaroos don't know how good they've got it. I know their pouch is to carry their young, but just think of the things you could keep in there when your baby is grown! As a diabetic planning on running a half marathon on Sunday these are things I think about. I've tried on every pair of running pants in the greater OKC area...and have various pouches and Fannie packs and belts and seriously, nothing quite does the trick. I did end up paying $60 the other day for pants with a perfect pump pocket...I'm sure not what it was designed for, but it fits just right! This way it's not against my skin getting sweaty and not hanging out flopping. The next day I found some with a similar pocket for 1/3 the price, but the pocket is in back.

It's not ideal, but saved me $40 lol! I now have to strategically place my CGM and pump for this pocket so that they transmit the whole time. This is what we call #diabeticproblems! I have to find a place to tuck a glucometer, lancet device, chemstrips, GU packets, extra glucose sources just in case (while I'm on the topic there are tons of these and I haven't found one I enjoy the taste of yet!), band aids, my car key, my pump and my cell phone all in spandex that fits the form in such a way that these extra bulges are less than appealing...and we know it's really all about the pictures and how cute we look! So short of bedazzling a Fannie pack I'm out of ideas! 

And this is where I found myself in envy of the marsupial with a convenient built in pouch. Diabetics should totally be equipped with one of those! 

20 Years of Sweetness

As I scrolled through Facebook today and saw all of the posts #oklahomastrong #weremember I am proud of the state where I grew up.  April 19, 1995...20 years ago today...we all know where we were and what we were doing.  We all remember when we felt the ground shake and thought something bad happened, but none of us expected the horror that was to come.  This day forever changed the state of Oklahoma and the whole world knows that story, but this day also changed my life personally on a different level.  On the morning of the OKC bombing my family was on the way to the doctor for my first insulin injection.  I was standing in my house getting ready to deal with my new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and our world was forever changed personally while the bombing was going on around us.  As the state grieved for those lives lost, my family grieved our own life changes...and well meaning people tried to comfort my mom by saying things like "at least she isn't buried in a pile of rubble."  Of course no one thought what we were going through compared to what those families were experiencing, but everyone does have to grieve their own personal loss and you can't disregard that moment or lesson that experience either. 

Last year my sister and I decided to run in the Memorial Marathon to honor our own experience and Oklahomas and we will be doing that again this year.  We decided that the best way to remember is to never forget.

 

Everyday people experience loss and hurt and disease and sadness.  These people might look like normal healthy people on the outside and smile as they pass you by.  You may never see that they carry a deep secret or that they lost a loved one, or they wear their own insulin pump and CGM, or that they had a heart valve replaced because they keep their head held high.  20 years is a long time, and time heals things, but it never goes away. 

Today I am sad for Oklahoma, but I'm also proud.  I'm proud that Oklahoma survived and is stronger.  I'm proud that I live in a state where people come together and support one another, where times are changing and people are giving and where next week more than 20,000 people will run to REMEMBER us.  That is amazing. 

But today personally I'm proud that I have survived 20 years with a disease that kills people everyday.  I have counted carbs and done injections and worn a pump and checked my blood sugar and I have survived and I am proud today to celebrate my 20th Diaversary! 20 years is a milestone for me.  It has not been easy or perfect, and it never will be...but 20 years later I'm here #diabeticstronginoklahoma!

 

Searching for Sweetness

I haven't written a blog in a really long time, so there are probably a million things I could write about...but today is a 

Kind of day...so that's that. 

My sister and I have been training to actually run a 5K...followed by 10K and then our goal is to successfully run the Memorial 1/2 marathon again next year...because this year although we finished and were super proud of our accomplishment, our time leaves something to be desired. 

So, I've learned in weeks of 5K training that if my blood sugar is high I feel like I'm going to die, can't breathe, and want to go home and take a nap...and complain the whole way...and if I'm low, well that would just end horribly, so I have to eat/drink first and them I'm sluggish. 

So the ideal goal is to be between 120-160 before starting because the next problem is that you usually lower while running *I say usually because there is that random day where I spike from 160-250 during a walk/run too*. However, I don't know what's going to happen when we go from our 30 minute 2-3 miles to a longer jaunt...because that will throw everything off. 

Not to worry! We will get there and power through one daily struggling run at a time lol! But damnit, sometimes I just wish I could go out there and run without the need for blood sugar checks, snacks, pumps, meters, monitors, etc. 

Sweet Ride

So last night we decided on a family activity for some fitness. We went to a local park and took our bikes. We rode the same path that we had run last week for our 5K. I was thinking it would be so easy on bikes that we could probably make two laps lol...but I've also worked out like twice a day all week and it was getting dark, so I was wrong! At any rate, we rode 3 miles as a family and had such a great time! When we were finished my son asked me if we could have special days where we did some exercise just he and I and another day just my daughter and I. I thought that was really cute! 

I am noticing since I've really upped my exercise this week it's taking a tole on the blood sugar. I'm seeing a lot more lows, but also seeing more highs. I guess it's time to start wearing the sensor to see where I need to adjust. I'm not sure if I'm having rebound highs from glycogen breakdown or what...diabetes-such a crazy phenomenon! 

Here's a picture of a little bridge we crossed during our ride. The kids had to stop and look over. I love getting them involved in our fitness, and they really enjoy getting out and moving! 

A Sweet Glo

We did our first 5K last weekend and the kids did a 1 mile fun run…and I think I’ve started something! This one was called the GloRun so it was at night and involved glow in the dark paint, neon, black lights, and so much fun! We got together and decorated shirts beforehand and the kids thought it was a blast! 

Nails were painted with neon glow paint and we were decked out with necklaces and bracelets galore! My favorite part was our glowing shoelaces, but I don’t think I got a good picture of those-so many compliments! My brother in law and his girlfriend ran with us…and by ran I mean I think I might have run 1 mile lol! Bless my heart, kids were passing me…but I finished! (Sadly their parents were screaming at them and not encouraging...I felt really sad for them. At one point we wanted to ask one to just join us and tell the jerk father to move along!) I think my time was like 47:06 and with no training and about 0 running experience, I’m okay with that. We had a blast! I appreciate so much that my brother in law stayed with my honey and his girlfriend stayed with me. They are in much better shape than us, but just encouraged us the whole way! 

This diabetic poses tricky problems having never done anything like this before. I was high in the morning, changed a pump site and low in the evening. After chugging juice, eating dinner and downing a bottle of glucose tabs my tummy was much fuller than I’d like for running, so we did a lot of brisk walking. Today I signed us up for another, but this time I’m going to be more prepared! I’m walking/jogging in preparation so that I can beat my time and I’ll make sure I wear my sensor! I’m also going to order this cool thing to carry Diabetic supplies (think trendy fanny pack for runners) it’ll be so great!

Sweet Success-Month 1

So my friend and I decided to measure ourselves one month ago after someone gave us advice that girls don’t always see their weight loss as quickly in pounds…so we did it-whoa…those numbers are scary! At any rate, yesterday was our 1 month weigh in and measure day. I was down 7.4 lbs and 6 1/4 inches. Not too shabby! 
I realized after a few weeks of serious struggles that some medication I was taking was causing me to hold onto weight so getting off of that has really helped a ton. I’m feeling so much better and finally seeing results! 
I’ve gotten really consistent with my eating habits, but my exercise is in need of some serious help. Insanity lasted about 7 days lol! So this month my focus is on exercise in some form everyday and I will write about that to hold myself accountable. Today I walked on my lunch break 1/2 a mile. It wasn’t much, but it was something. When I get off work tonight my plan is to do at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. Hopefully the kids will be in bed!