Type 2 Clydesdale Cyclist: diabetes

Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts

Monday, October 31, 2011

Boggs to Farmhouse Coffee

10/31/11 #234 43miles

Rode 43 miles on the Montour Trail in 45F.

I started off at my fave LBS (local bike shop) the Ambridge Bike Shop, where they quickly set my left bar-con shifter right and sent me on my way. I placed an order for my Christmas present, a new ABS bicycle kit. You've got to support your local bike shop.

I planned to start at the Boggs Trailhead riding west. The name 'Boggs' has prompted me to shut off my Droid phone's auto-spellchecking because it turns Boggs into something unfortunate.

It was 43F when I started, and I've come to realize that I need to dress differently for every ten degrees - 45 is very different from 35 or 55. Today I started in my bicycling shorts (no overpants), an UnderArmor ColdGear shirt, my helmet cover, and lightweight full-fingered gloves.

There's a lot of improvement work being done to the trail west of Boggs, between MP12 and MP14 - new drainage, grading, and in places they're redoing the bed of packed limestone. There were quite a few volunteers out working.

The received wisdom is that you're supposed to be cold for the first few miles and then you'll warm up, but I was quite chilly after six miles so I added a jacket.

Around MP20 there's a lot of clearing and bulldozing to prepare for the new railway servicing the Marcellus Shale frac-water. I've been told that the train tracks are going to be placed over the existing trail (which was, of course, a trackbed) and that a new trail will be built next to the tracks.

I rendezvoused with R. around Route 50 and we rode south together. The National Tunnel is awesome but there's water continually dripping from the ceiling, and once the temps move into freezing you really can't safely traverse the tunnel so I was glad to get out there again before it's unusable over the winter.

At Morganza Road the trail detours for the construction of two bridges, and the detour (on a small road) takes quite a bit longer than I'd have expected. Then you use an underpass to go below the trail and onto the golf course side of things, and join the trail there. It's well laid out and well marked.

We continued to trailside FarmHouse Coffee, a favorite stop. I had hot chocolate and a doughnut. It was nice to get inside a warm up, and we lingered a while.

When we got back on the bikes and reversed course we could feel the rain beginning, and as we continued on I realized I wasn't feeling very well in a blood-sugar sort of way, a bit lightheaded and dizzy, so we stopped for a while. R was very patient, and after a respite we got back on the bikes.

Just before the National Tunnel I felt better again, I think the hot chocolate may not have been a smart move on my part, I believe I had a sugar rush and an insulin crash from it.

We finished the ride in a light drizzle, I was glad to have the helmet cover on and the ride was really pretty comfortable. I got back to Boggs at 6pm, a little before sunset, and I was impressed to see an Allegheny County police vehicle checking on the trailhead as I left. Those trailheads are pretty isolated places and it can't hurt to have an occasional check.

It was a great ride.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Atlas Drugged: Diabetes Art

9/02/11 #231

September 1st is Diabetes Art Day.

My favorite: Atlas Drugged, by Bob Pederson, a Type 2 oral-meds-only diabetic.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Tour De Cure Diabetes Pittsburgh 2011, Often Alone but Guided by Velocio

6/26/11 #223

Rode the Tour De Cure (diabetes) 50 mile course today; great weather, perfect conditions, had a great time.

The discredited auteur once explained that 86% of life is just showing up. I almost didn't show up for the ride. I woke early, went back to sleep for a bit, and woke up much too late. Argghh.

I had my gear packed the night before. I drove quickly to the start, and I rushed through the registration. Fortunately the event was a little behind schedule and I joined the group of riders for the start of the 100 mile ride.

The logistics of the start were very well organized, and in fact the entire ride was a demonstration of planning and execution.

The riders doing the 100 mile ride were a quite fit bunch, and they were off and well out in front of me. Essentially, the peleton dropped me coming out of the starting blocks. As I rode along contemplating my lot, feeling unprepared in terms of breakfast and chamois creme, I considered my option to switch to the 50-mile route, and I chose to do that. Success in the 50 was as certain as these things could be, but the 100-mile distance was a stretch, and the hills in the area were more than I'm used to. What tipped it for me was Velocio's Maxim: Ride Within Yourself.

Velocio was the pen-name of Paul de Vivie, father of French bicycle touring and randonneuring and the developer of the derailleur. That's quite a palmares. Mssr. de Vivie was a contemplative bicyclist and philosopher, which may be redundant, and he distilled his advice for bicycle riding into seven rules:

Make your stops short and infrequent so as not to lose your drive.
Eat lightly and often. Eat before getting hungry, drink before you are thirsty.
Never ride until you are so tired that you cannot eat or sleep.
Put on extra clothing before you’re cold, and take it off before you’re hot. Don’t be afraid of exposing your skin to the sun, air and rain.
Don’t drink wine, eat meat, or smoke – at least during the ride.
Never rush things. Ride within yourself, particularly during the first few hours of a ride when you feel strong and are tempted to force the pace.
Never pedal out of vanity, don’t be a show-off.

The course was very well marked. Navigation was no problem. It was a bit hilly, but no more so than is necessary in this region.

After the 100-mile and 50-mile routes diverged (I took the path less traveled), I was in a new situation for me; I was the first rider out on the 50-mile course. All the cars that passed, all the dogs that barked, I was their first rider of the day. I was first into the rest-stop at 29 miles.

We rode west into Beaver County, then turned north and rode by the Cemtex smokestack I've been passing on the highway for a long time. The route included beautiful homes and trailer parks, golf courses and boat clubs, industrial and pastoral settings. It was a ride through America.

I finally got to see McConnell's Mill, and it was a challenging climb out of there. At the 38-mile marker I was joined by the leaders of the 50-mile's main pack, and at around the 42-mile marker we were joined by riders on the 20-mile and 30-mile routes. (Sally Wiggin rode the 20, I'm told)

There was quite a bit of climbing - nothing epic by Western Pennsylvania standards, but it was a significant bit of work.

The finish line was great. There were folks applauding as the riders arrived, they checked you in against the tally of starters, there was lunch (ice cream!) and t-shirts. It was very well organized.

This was a great ride, I look forward to doing it again next year, especially after I eat breakfast. I think the decision to ride the 50 was a good one, a great experience and 50 miles is better than a DNF and 85 miles out of 100.

I'd like to say Thank You to:
Marc Yergin, President WPW, Team Lead of Red Riders
Nicole S of the American Diabetes Assoc for a well-run event.
Ambridge Bike Shop

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saturday Coffee Ride

6/25/11 #220.6 34m

Rode 34 miles with R. Nice day. We rode down to FarmHouse Coffee, my favorite trailside indy coffee shop, I had a Espresso Machiatto with an Extra Shot and half a cheese danish, mmm mmm good.

On the way down we saw a through-bicyclist breaking camp from an overnight stop, that was cool. I've been continuing to nag at my dashboard organization, I think it's coming along. An older lady cyclist at Farmhouse Coffee found my assembly of geegaws somewhat amusing.

This was a 100-mile-week, and I crossed 1500 miles year-to-date.

6/25/11
Week 25

this week: 115 miles [2nd quarter: 1227 ] 2011: 1543

In the news: TB shot (BCG) and spleen for Type1 Diabetes?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Diabetes by the Numbers

Wed 06/15/11 #221

Went to see my Endocrinologist today, a routine visit. if you have health insurance, when you get diabetes you get an Endocrinologist. A lot of the diabetes thing is about numbers - are they in the range, which way are the numbers trending?

I'm told that for diabetics, the key numbers are the ABC's - A for HbA1c, B for Blood Pressure, C for Cholesterol.
They tell me my numbers are moving in a good direction.

It's always a good thing when they don't give you the speech about cutting your toes off.

No riding today. I was getting ready to ride and it took on the feeling of a rote obligation; I don't want to burn out or get turned off, so I took the day off. Strictly affective behavior; the body was willing but the spirit was weak.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Tour de Cure Pittsburgh 2011

1/09 215#

On cold winter days I think and scheme about warm summer rides, and today I've registered for a Century (100 mile) ride in June. The Tour de Cure Pittsburgh raises fund$ for diabetes research. Last year, the Pittsburgh ride raised $204,316 with over 533 riders pedaling and 120 volunteers supporting.

I'll be riding with Team Red, which consists of diabetic riders. I don't know the team members yet, but the team captain, Mark Yergin, is well known among the Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen, and I think it'll be a great day.

If you'd be willing to sponsor me (for any amount) I'd be grateful, and either way I thank you for thinking about it.