Here is what I wrote for the Mark Allen Online Newsletter about my journey and race. My journey to the 2010 Ironman World Championship began approximately 6 months before the race when I received and email announcing the lottery win. I had never done a triathlon on my own in my life and had only run 1 marathon. Originally my plan was to complete the Boulder tri series and have the Boulder 70.3 be my big race. That email in April changed it all. Now the Boulder tri series was all training and the 70.3 was a long training session that would seal the deal for my lottery spot in Kona. I was using Mark Allen Online to train for the Boulder 70.3 race so after making a few calls and talking to some other coaches I knew I was going to work with them for Kona. It was the easiest decision to make in my journey.
The work began and I did my first triathlon in June. Not bad, wet suit swimming was miserable for me and I didn’t like the cold but Kona is warm and not a wet suit race. As my training progressed I was struggling with staying in my heart rate zones and Coach Vargas (Coach Kona in our house) was asking me about my recovery and non-training behavior. I was doing what I needed to be doing so we just chalked it up to fitness improvements and it would get better. In July I did the Boulder Peak and had the longest transitions ever recorded because I was late to the race. Newbie lesson learned there.
As my training continued I was really starting to notice my run pace decline and I was tired, not just worn out but exhausted. I was chalking everything up to Ironman training, you read about fatigue, weight loss, eating everything that you can. All these things I assumed were part of training. Not to mention my heart rate “issue” was indicative of not drinking enough water. I focused on having solid training sessions, eating healthy balanced meals, sleeping and drinking water. Still, my sessions and recovery weren’t 100%. In the middle of July I spoke to my doctor and we talked about some different things that could be going on, ultimately deciding to do some blood work after the August 70.3.
On August 8th I woke up with the beginning of a head cold, but knew I had to race to keep my Kona spot. The race went okay. I finished the swim with my average pace, my bike was so much better than my usual. I really focused on my nutrition during the bike, taking in my gels and drink as planned every 15 minutes. I started the run feeling awesome, I was ahead of my race plan and going to do great. As the run progressed I started going slower and slower and finally just walking. My legs felt like bricks and I was running in a mental fog. I figured my cold was getting the best of me and all I needed to do was finish the race. I did finish and I thought that I was experiencing the dreaded bonk. I was white as a ghost and barely able to stand. I’ve never felt like that in my life.
That Monday after the race I called the doctor and by Tuesday afternoon I felt like I had donated a pint of blood to the tests. I told him that Google had diagnosed me with Type 2 Diabetes, after laughing about the idea of me as an adult in my 30’s in the best shape of my life being diagnosed with Diabetes we focused on some other ideas. Wednesday August 11th my doctor called me at 7:30 AM. That’s never a good sign and began the conversation with I’d like you to come in. He told me I had Diabetes. I scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. The initial diagnosis was Type 2 Diabetes as I was an adult. I learned later that afternoon that there is a percentage of adults who have adult onset Type 1 and that was me. I am insulin dependent and will be for the rest of my life. I have to give myself multiple insulin injections daily. There isn’t a cure right now and even with excellent diet and exercise I will always be insulin dependent and need injections.
My doctor is an athlete and understood the importance of my opportunity to race in Hawaii. We agreed that I would keep training and he would find me an endocrinologist who would support me. That evening I was referred to the University of Colorado Endocrinology Center. I met a phenomenal diabetes educator there who works with a team of women triathletes who are type 1. Between CU, the Barbra Davis Center and the Triabetes Team, I was able to get a crash course in Type 1 Diabetes management. Coach Kona didn’t skip a beat and within two weeks of diagnosis I was seeing significant training improvement. I credit Coach Kona with helping me have an earlier than most diagnosis, according to my doctors I was days away from a hospital visit because I had such high blood sugar levels. Luis asked the right questions and made me look for the answers, not something I would have known to do on my own.
Training post diagnosis was a bit different now, and nutrition took on a whole new meaning. I had to incorporate eating halfway through my swim and pricking my finger on the bike and run into my sessions. I had eight weeks from diagnosis until race day and I was on a mission to prove that even the ‘Betes weren’t going to stop me. I arrived in Kona feeling better than I had felt in weeks. I was ready to finish my first Ironman race.
I finished the race in 15 hours and 53 minutes. It was not my planned finish time but I didn’t have any significant diabetes issues, felt good at the end of the race, and I was an Ironman.
During the race there were a few moments of high blood sugar but not enough to have to stop racing and there were no lows. The highs make me sluggish and my performance declines but the lows are very difficult to overcome during physical activity and are potentially life threatening.
I am fortunate in that I am surrounded by people who say I can do amazing things like Ironman races. For many years diabetics were told not to do anything more than walk. Now, with Coach Kona and my ‘Betes peeps I am going to take on IM Wisconsin and IM Florida in 2011 and maybe one day again Kona. I heard from many Type 1 athletes and triathletes that Diabetes made them better athletes. At first I thought they were just trying to find the best in a less than desirable situation but now I know they are correct. I am more aware of my nutrition and how everything I do in life effects my blood sugar and how that effects my ability to do anything from daily life to Ironman training.
