I love it when it all comes together

While it's taken awhile I think I've finally mastered my latest gadget the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor. Just at it took me awhile to master the OmniPod when I first started using it, any new device has a learning curve. After all like most guys I didn't really read the manual until I absolutely had too. (Thankfully I have a GPS system in my car or I would also follow the age old rule of not asking for directions even when I know I'm lost.)

The best part of the Dexcom device is the it provides me with trend data - I can now tell if my levels are going up, down or staying in a range. Another nice feature is the device has an alarm that notifies me if my levels are too high or too low. This nice feature came in handy today while I was running as the alarm went off and told me I my levels were low. Thanks to the good people at Dex4 I sucked down some liquid glucose that allowed me to finish my run without incident. I actually could have run longer but I'm scheduled for a long run this weekend and didn't want to over do it.

Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to combine the data from my Dexcom device and OminPod system which will give everyone a better picture of just what's going on with my body during a run - I promise no pictures of me - just some fancy graph's (hopefully).

Back in the groove

While the week got off to great start my run yesterday just plain stunk. I didn't feel particularly well and my sugars were all screwed up. This happens from time to time and I honestly have no explanation as to why. It could have been something I ate or perhaps I had something in my system, it's anyone guess. After having diabetes for 10 years the one thing I know is these things happen.

Today on the other hand was a complete reversal, I felt great and ran well. I've been real busy at work and have lots going on which could explain why my body was screwy yesterday. When you have diabetes there are so many factors that go into how you feel. And those factors go beyond what you eat and the amount of insulin you take, stress also plays a role.

Tomorrow while I run I will have special motivation as my friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer will be undergoing surgery and it's my mom's birthday. I consider both events a reason to celebrate as for my friend it's the beginning of riding herself of this devastating disease. I know these past few weeks have been very hard for her and her family. Being the trooper she is she's already vowed to run next years marathon. Knowing her I'm confident that she'll keep her word.

As far as Mom goes, another year in the books. I've been sworn to secrecy and will not reveal her age what I can say is she's old enough to remember when radio was the main source of entertainment. Happy Birthday Mom - and don't worry I'll be careful running.

Welcome Dex4

I'd like to welcome my latest sponsor Dex 4 - these people make a product that is essential to people with diabetes and hopefully one that I won't need to use during training or on race day. Dex 4 is instant glucose and used to prevent or fix a hypoglycemic event.

Hypoglycemia in simple terms is when sugar levels drop too low. In severe cases this can be a dangerous event for a person with diabetes, in particular those who are not hypoglycemic aware - which means they don't realize their levels are dropping. Thankfully I am hypoglycemic aware and can feel when my sugar levels are falling.

Unfortunately dealing with hypoglycemia is part of living with diabetes. I am not aware of any insulin using patient has not experienced a hypoglycemic event. I can speak from personal experience such an event is not pleasant especially when your levels are crashing.

This is one reason I carry the Dex 4 products with me wherever I go - I keep them in my car, my golf bag, my briefcase, my fanny pack, etc. As hard as I try to avoid hypoglycemia during a run sometimes it can't avoided - thankfully the Dex 4 products work quickly and get me back to where I need to be.

Like I said before this one product I'm glad I have and hope I never need. My thanks to good people at Dex 4.

Welcome Nutrition 21

I'd like to welcome Nutrition 21 to my growing list of sponsors. Pictured here is their Joint Relief product which I use. In my previous 3 marathon runs I never used supplements as I wasn't sure if they did any good. Well let me say that I'm glad I'm taking Joint Relief as it does make a difference.

When your running four or five days each week it can take a toll on your body. As I've said before no matter how hard I train there are days when pain is just part of the routine. In the past I used to ice down after my longer runs. I must say since I've started taking Joint Relief my recovery time has improved dramatically. I no longer feel pain in my knees or ankles after long runs.

I attribute this improvement to using Joint Relief as it is the only thing I am doing differently from my previous marathon runs.

While I'm no expert on supplements I can only speak from my own experience, which has been great.

The Six Million Dollar Man

When I was kid I used to watch a show called the The Six Million Dollar Man - Steve Austin we can make him better faster stronger - all for mere six million dollars

I felt this way when my ipod shuffle died during the run - I then realized just how dependent I am on devices attached to my body- This past Friday I started wearing the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor - this device basically has two parts - the sensor which is inserted in my body - and the receiver which displays the readings - as everyone knows I also wear the OmniPod - which thankfully does not require any charging or batteries and I now bring my cell phone

Too early to give an assessment of the Dexcom device - about all I can say so far is that the readings have been off by a fair amount from what my conventional meter says but based on what others have told me this is not unusual and the device should provide more accurate readings as time goes by - my hope is to combine the data from all my various devices - almost forgot I also wear the Garmin GPS device when I run- to get a better picture of what happens to my diabetes during the run

The week is off to a good start with 15 miles plus in the books today - with the holiday weekend coming up and no major rain in the forecast looking forward to a solid week - hard to believe the race is 10 weeks from today

Welcome Bayer, Can-Am Care and Nutrition 21

While this may not have been the greatest week for running, too much rain and too much work. It's been a great week as I've signed up three more sponsors - Bayer Diabetes, Can Am Care and Nutrition 21 - as soon as I more information from the companies I will posting their links and product information.

I'm thrilled with the support I've been getting and look forward to even more donations.

Keep those donations coming- Can't thank everyone enough

Unexpected off time

This hasn't exactly been a great running week so far. After my best run of the year this past Saturday, I've only been able to get in one run since and a short one at that. Because Saturday was a long run, Sunday was a scheduled off day - Monday I wanted to run but work got in the way, same happened on Tuesday - thankfully I was able to get a short run yesterday and was hoping to get another effort in today - unfortunately we're in the midst of major thunderstorms

As much as I appreciate the off time as it lets my body heel up - I would really rather be running - like any other sport and running is no different you get in a groove and like to keep going -I also use my runs as stress relief and with as busy as things have been I could have used the release - but bills need to be paid and work has to come first

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll be back at tomorrow

Dexcom Device Here

I am truly excited as I got my Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system yesterday. If all goes well I should be wearing the device by this weekend as it looks like the Dexcom rep will be here to train me on Friday.

Although I have worn an earlier version of a different device I have never worn one while training. I'm really curious what my levels do while I'm running - in the long run (no pun intended) I think the more information I have the better I will able to train. The better I train the more likely it is I will hit my goal of running in 5 hours or less.

Since the system comes with software my hope is to show everyone what happens during a run or even when I'm not running. If I can figure out an easy way to do it I hope to combine the data from Garmin device, OmniPod and Dexcom into one nice chart. This would be awesome and provide a great picture of just what is going on with my diabetes.

Stay tuned.

A great run to cap off a good week

Before I get in the details of the week, take a look at the great logo the people at Signs of Success (my latest sponsor) came up with. While I know little about promotional products I think the logo is cool.

Today's run capped off a great week, 39.01 miles total for the week and today's 14.19 mile run was at the pace I want to be at for the marathon. I actually could have gone longer as my body actually felt great but at this point there is no reason to push things.

Looking ahead it looks like a raining week here in the Windy City. While I prefer cool and dry weather, you never know what race day conditions will be like. So rain or shine I run.

Off day tomorrow and back at it on Monday.

Welcome Signs of Success

I'd like to welcome another sponsor Signs of Success located right here in my hometown of Chicago. For anyone looking for promotional products or advertising specialities Signs of Success is the place to go.

This family owned company has been around for over 50 years and is a leader in it's field. Although I am no expert on promotional products what I do know is that these people are dedicated to providing their customers with the finest service there is.

While they may located right here in the Windy City, I found out they actually do business across the country and internationally.

About the only thing wrong with the company is there are too many Cubs fans working there. I should add the term long suffering whenever I mention the Cubs (which really stands for Completely Useless By September) as unlike my White Sox who won the World Series in 2005, the Cubs haven't won a World Series since moses crossed the desert.

You can find a link to their company store in the links section of the blog, check it out. I think you'll be as impressed as I was.

My friend pain

Lets face facts there is no way you can run a marathon without hurting somewhere on your body. Think about what a body goes through - 20 weeks of training than a 26.3 mile run - frankly I think it's amazing that the body can withstand all the pounding it takes

While I do my best to take good care of myself - eat right, stretch, drink plenty of fluids and get my rest - I still have not found away to avoid pain - I'm sure part of this is that I'm not a kid anymore and the older I get the longer it takes my body to heal.

Today's run was good example of how I try and make pain my friend - after all I know it will be with me for awhile so I might as well deal with it in a way that turns the pain into a positive- so I have made pain my friend - yes I even talk to it - telling my friend that there is no way he's going to beat me - he may slow me down a little - but in the end I will prevail

This may seem strange but it's become my way of dealing with it - just like running with wrist bands and taping my ankles - I started taping my ankles when I was training for my first marathon - I really don't need to do it anymore but I guess I'm a little superstitious - same with the wrist bands they don't make me run any faster but I will not run without them

Well three nice long runs this week, day off tomorrow then another long one on Saturday - actually feel pretty good - my friend doesn't stay with me for long and I told him to stay away until at least late in my run on Saturday - hope he listens

Overcoming Obstacles

With the a little help from the weatherman I decided today to try and complete a route that I have run before but with no walking breaks. It seems like every time I run this route it's 95 and humid. Although the humidity was there today it was a rather comfortable 76 and with a little breeze for good measure.

Not only did I complete the route I was able to extend the run - needless to say I was very pleased with myself as I overcame what was previously an obstacle. Besides a solid confidence booster - it runs like these I'll remember at mile 20 during the race - when I'm in pain and need something good to think about - as hard as anyone trains there are points in the race when your hurting and need some motivation- I was also happy to find out that even the really good runners go through the same thing - they just happen to get to that point faster than I do - for all miles I put in before a race - it's the space between my ears that gets me through the race- there comes a point when you basically say to yourself I am going to cross that finish line no matter what and heck with everything else

Having a positive mental attitude is only reason I completed my second marathon when I cramped up at mile 19 and was in more pain than I thought I could bear - looking back on that race I probably should have called it a day but I just couldn't - after all I had been through training I just wouldn't allow myself to quit - I am not alone as other runners I have spoken with have gone through similar situations

Looking forward to another cool day tomorrow, actually the next few days will be cooler, which really helps as your not sweating the moment you walk out the door - hope everyone has a great day

Extending the run

As much as I like running it can become boring running the same routes. To keep things fresh during my mileage build I extend runs beyond my normal routes. The same goes for my music, some days I run with my Ipod shuffle others I listen to the radio.

One of my favorite things to do is to what I call an exploring run. Basically I start on of my regular routes but take a different turn and see it where it takes me. The only problem with exploring runs is I'm not sure where I'll end up or how long I'll go. Since I run close to home and I know carry my mobile phone with me I'm not too worried.

In other news I have decided to start allowing ads on my blog but will donate the ad revenue to the charities that I'm running for. I know everyone hates ads but my goal is to raise as much money as possible. I was wavering on whether to do this but what tipped the scales was news I received regarding my fellow marathon runner who was recently stricken with breast cancer.

Unfortunately she will be undergoing surgery in an attempt to rid her body of the cancer and will be unable to run the race. While I am confident she will recover to lead a full life and run more marathon's the best I can do at the moment is to raise funds to fight this disease.

Another week in the book's - hoping for cooler temps

Total miles this week 29.66 a little less than I wanted to do but with the heat and 5 days of running this week my body is a little beat up. I was encouraged that my average pace continues to improve and I feel my running form is improving. But with temp's in the 90's all week and heat indexes at 100 or higher this was one tough week for running. As much I tried to run in the morning's when it's cooler my work schedule just didn't allow for morning running this week.

Besides making running tougher the heat also has an impact on the tools I use to manage my diabetes. When I do long runs like I did today I bring with me a little cooler that has water and Gatorade on ice - nothing better than finishing a run on a hot day and sucking down fluids. I also keep my OmniPod PDM in the cooler along with my test strips. Most people don't realize that your not supposed to store test strips in direct sunlight and if they become too hot they will deliver the wrong reading or just plain won't work. Although I'm not sure if the heat has any affect on the PDM I don't want to take any chances the PDM is just too important.

Before being on a pump I also used to put my Novo insulin pen in the cooler - insulin is not something that should be stored in heat.

Looks like two days off coming as Deb and I are taking my daughter Sammi back to school - hard to believe she will be a senior at Indiana University and thankfully will be graduating in four years - can't imagine what life will be like without tuition payments but I'm anxious to find out - back at on Tuesday

Donating Just Got Easier

I have added a button that makes it easier than ever to donate. All you need to do is click on that button and follow the instructions.

You can also donate by clicking on the links on the right hand side of the page.

Just to clarify a few things you will notice that I have set up links to several different sites - as I indicated in a previous post besides donating for diabetes, you can also donate to fight breast cancer. The donation link on the right hand side of the blog takes you to The Children's IBD Center at Mount Sinai Hospital - they are doing research into Crohn's & Colitis which is why I posted a link to the foundations web site.

All this may seem a bit confusing so let me clarify - The NY Marathon is not like the Chicago Marathon - to race in Chicago you just need to pay your entry fee - NY does it a little different - for non elite runners there is a lottery - if you don't get in through the lottery you can run for a charity - since I did not get in through the lottery I had to select a charity to run for - since there were no diabetes related charities I chose the Children's IBD Center at Mount Sinai - in reality I am raising money for three very worthy causes

The links to the American Diabetes Association and JDRF can be used to make donations or just more information on diabetes - I prefer that when making donations select the JDRF site as they do exceptional work and dedicated to finding a cure

When you make donations directly to Dave's Run for Diabetes using the PayPal button - I will divide those donations between diabetes, breast cancer and Mount Sinai

You can also send a check to

Dave's Run for Diabetes
603 Hackberry Ct E
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089

Hope that clarifies everything - I'm just glad that I can do something for these worthy charities with your help and support -

Does testing matter?

This is actually the second time I'm writing today's post - was all done, went to publish and splat the wonderful error message - and the bummer is it was a great post - so I'll do my best to repeat it - hopefully it won't blow up on me again

Being an insulin user I check my glucose levels frequently as it is vital information. For example, last night at 8pm my level was 127, I calculated that my dinner added up to 44 grams of carbs and my OmniPod PDM (the device that controls my pod) calculated that I needed 3.5 units of insulin to get to my target range which I set as 100 -

This is no easy calculation as the OmniPod PDM takes into account how much insulin I have in my system, what my pre-programmed basal rate is (basal rate is how much insulin I get every hour- with a pump I get insulin all day long unless I stop it), how long the insulin works (this called duration of action) and it knows how much unit of insulin lowers my levels by - I can't imagine someone using an insulin pen or syringe going through all these calculations by hand and I'm thankfully my OmniPod PDM does all the work - all I have to do is check my levels

For my brother it's a completely different story as he takes pills to control his diabetes. No matter what he eats or what his levels are he takes his pills - even if he did test and his level was 300 (way to high) not being on insulin there is really nothing he could do anyway - also he doesn't know if he at 300 and going lower or 300 and headed higher - this number could mean his meds aren't working - it could also be because he just ate a candy bar or drank a can of Coke

Glucose levels aren't like a person's body temperature which everyone knows is supposed to 98.6 - glucose levels fluctuate widely throughout the day for a wide variety of reasons

Now it would be great if my brother tested 4 or more times each day, kept track of what he ate, whether he exercised and downloaded his meter readings to his PC - he could then take this info to his doc or educator who could use all this info to determine whether his therapy needs to be changed (it would also be great if he tracked his weight too) - but who has time for all this

I suggested that he check his A1c levels quarterly instead- A1c measures a person average glucose levels over a three month period - a reading of 7 or below is good, above 7 means more work to be done - besides being an easy number to understand - my brother doesn't have to carry around a meter, test strips and a lancing device everywhere he goes

Perhaps as he learns more about diabetes he will test more frequently but for now A1c is great starting point - being an insulin user I don't have that option as the information is vital - but for someone like my brother I can easily understand why he doesn't test regularly

I encourage everyone with diabetes no matter what they do to control their diabetes to have an A1c at least twice each year, quarterly even better - as being at 7 or under helps a person delay or possibly avoid the many complications associated with diabetes when it's not under control

Which is harder training for a marathon or managing diabetes?

At first glance many would say that training for a marathon is more difficult than managing diabetes. Having done both I can say without question that managing diabetes is actually more difficult than training for a marathon. The reason is actually quite simple, there are no days off when managing diabetes. While there are days off from training there are no days off when managing diabetes.

After the marathon is over I will be able to take some time off and recover. Yet the moment I cross the finish line my diabetes will still need to be managed, I cannot take a day off. Each day I must check my levels, watch what I eat and be aware of how I feel.

This is something I don't think people who do not have diabetes understand fully. Once your diagnosed, diabetes is not something that goes away. Yes, people with diabetes can control it, but there is no cure it never goes away. This is also frustrating.

People with diabetes have a host of tools and drugs that help them manage their diabetes. Tools and drugs which have improved greatly over the years. Still even with all the advancements that have been made we are really no closer to a cure than we were 10 years ago.

Hopefully this will change and I can be part of this change. Research cost money, lots of money. You too can be part of this change by donating to this very worthy cause. While it would be naive to believe that next year when I run my next marathon I can raise money for another cause because a cure for diabetes has been found. But it sure would be nice if with our combined efforts we are closer than we are today.

Say Hello to my latest Sponsor Dexcom

I can't help but be excited with the addition of my latest sponsor Dexcom. Dexcom makes a continuous glucose monitoring system. Unlike a conventional blood glucose monitor which measures my glucose levels at one point in time, the Dexcom system delivers readings on a continuous basis.

The good people at Dexcom have agreed to provide me with their system so I can measure my levels during training and on race day. As everyone knows I'm really just a boy with my toys but this is one toy which will provide some very valuable information. I've always been curious what my levels are during a run and I believe by knowing this information I will be able to train more effectively.

Many people when they see my OmniPod system automatically assume that besides delivering insulin the Pod also measures my glucose levels. While this may happen one day that day is not yet here. By combining the data from my Dexcom system with the data tracked by my OmniPod I should be able to more effectively manage my diabetes.

I have spoken with people who have used the system and they say it's an eye opening experience. As I do with my weekly running stats I will share my glucose levels - hopefully I won't overload everyone with all this data but I think it will be interesting to see what my body does during different runs.

Many thanks to Dexcom and welcome aboard.

Overall a Good Week

32.27 miles this week which is a good start when building miles. Next week I'll shot for 35 miles and so on. Haven't decided yet just how far I want to go during the building stage. Frankly it comes down to how much time I have to run. Now that I'm in the building stage even my short runs are 6 miles or more which means each run is at least an hour.

One of things that goes unnoticed is that training is more than just running time. There's prep time, cool down, stretching, etc - this adds another hour or so to the run - this is one reason runners save their long runs for the weekend - in my own case running 16 miles will take at least 3 hours of just running time - although I must admit that this year my recovery time has been better than ever - I don't feel totally dead even after my long runs which is good sign that I'm making progress.

Looking ahead the heat will return next week which means more morning runs and lots of water.

Well that's all for today now it's own to the wedding.

A Fellow Runner Striken

While running this morning I couldn't stop thinking of a fellow runner who's been diagnosed with breast cancer. I know this wonderful lady through her mother another wonderful lady. The mother happens to live with one of my best friends and this family is very close to ours.

I can remember talking with the daughter recently and how excited she was as like me she was also running the NY marathon. Unlike me, she's an elite runner and would have likely finished the race in under 4 hours possibly 3 and half. As she was recently diagnosed it's still too early to tell what treatment option she will pursue. All I know is that this women is a true fighter and I know she has the spirit and desire to beat this disease.

While my thoughts and prayers are with her I would like to do something more tangible than just offering my support. As such I have posted a link where you can donate for breast cancer. I realize there are many worthy charities and I also know that you can only give so much. Still I am willing to sacrifice donations to diabetes to help fight this deadly disease. Keep in mind that I have beautiful and equally beautiful daughter (see if you can guess who's who in the picture) and understand all to well the concern women have.

If your are kind enough to donate consider splitting your donation between breast cancer and diabetes. Thank you for your support.

Too hot today

With a heat index of over 100 and a schedule that didn't permit an early morning run - so a an unexpected day off. Will shot for an early morning run tomorrow which looks like my schedule for the next or so, as the from the looks of the forecast no let up in the heat wave.

Training is hard enough as it and there's nothing wrong with an occasional run in the heat, but running consecutive days in excessive heat can do more harm then good.

I've noticed a big difference in my training this year - call it a more confident attitude. This being my fourth marathon I know I can run 26.3 miles - but this year I really want to set a personal best time - my goal is to run NY in 5 hours or less - that requires an average pace of just under 12 minutes per mile - this pales in comparison to the elite runners who run in under 4 hours - and the truly elite who run in under 3 hours - but it means something to me

This one reason I want to maximize every run I make leading up to the race and if that means getting up early in the morning and running when the temp is more comfortable than that's what I'll do -

This goes much further than me

I mentioned yesterday that my brother's daughter is getting married this weekend. This means the whole family will be here and I've just got to make time to get my runs in.

What I didn't mention yesterday was my brother, my oldest brother who is 10 years older than I am, was just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I tried to warn him that he was getting way to fat and if he wasn't careful he would join the growing ranks of people with diabetes. Unfortunately I was right and he's now has diabetes, something he will have for the remainder of his life.

Lucky he has me, an over-educated diabetic who knows first hand what it like to live with diabetes 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Naturally I offered my insight to my brother knowing full well he was not going to get a an education from his physician. I taught him how to use a blood glucose meter, heck I even gave him one. I got him a subscription to Diabetes Health magazine. I told his wife, who also happens to be named Debbie- which is kind of strange that there are two Debbie Kliff's in this world - some things to look for and what not to cook. I told them both about the benefits of even a little exercise.

At first like most newly diagnosed patients and my brother was no different, he checked his levels, lost some weight and got on Avandia (now since switched to ActosPlus) - but this only lasted for a very short period of time as his real life got in the way of diabetes and when you have a wedding to pay for real life wins - diabetes doesn't pay the bills

He tells me that once the wedding is over he'll get back at it and I hope he does. The sad reality is my brother's story is all to common. My neighbor and very close friend was also recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The other day his family was over at his house, another wedding event also ironic, and his father-in-law didn't even know about it. This too is very common - not sure how it happened but adults with diabetes are somehow ashamed they have diabetes and don't even mention it to their family members.

There are over 20 million people in this country with diabetes and 51 million with pre-diabetes who will likely develop full blown diabetes sometime during their life - 95% of these people have type 2 diabetes - diabetes is not contagious - you cannot transfer diabetes from one person to another - yet millions of adults see themselves like lepers - this is why I run for people like my brother, my neighbor and the millions more who have or will develop diabetes

Hopefully one day people won't fell ashamed they have diabetes and there will be a cure or at least better treatment options - that will make their lives easier

By the way I'm the young, good looking guy in the picture - the much older guy is my brother