2 months to Ironman...do the math....

So you all know by now that I worship the ground that Lifescan walks on. Our biggest sponsor, the nicest people, the most supportive top reps as well as local reps.... they make the best meter around with the ultra-mini and my son still thinks the pink meter is "the new black." He's not afraid of his masculinity.

So it's time to gear up for the big race, 2 months and 9 days away....I have twelve diabetic athletes that are overexerting and rockin' the house. So what does this mean.

LOTS OF TESTING AND TESTING AND TESTING.

Now, you may ask, "Michelle, I thought many of the athletes are on an insulin pump therapy with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)?" Right you are, and thanks for paying attention! But you see, the meter is still the tried and true method to really put it to the test, so the triabetes athletes mount these ultra-minis right to their bikes!!! They put one in each transition bag and special needs bag during the race (that makes THREE additional meters just for race day), and they test sometimes upwards of 20 times per day.

So I fire off an email to Lifescan and say, "gosh, is there any way I can get the dream amount of meters and test strips for these athletes through their season?" I got a "you betcha, girlfriend!!!" (Ok, he didn't say it exactly like that, but close!)

So do the math.

I have 12 athletes needing enough strips and meters to get them through September 7, 2008 which is in addition to what they are already ALLOWED to get from their insurance (cheapskates).

I am requesting 10,500 test strips and 31 more meters.

I have to quote a few of the athletes responses:

"do they realize that we may be checking BG's like 15 or more times a day? they are okay with this?"

"Wow. To test whenever I need to......... that is a cool feeling. I'll take 1050 and a few meters, please!"

THANK YOU LIFESCAN! Did I mention Johnson & Johnson? Did I mention One Touch Ultra-Mini?

Making the Team: 2008

Thanks for reading! If you think I should be the next fully-sponsored member of Team Evotri, please write down the URL of this web site and have it ready for voting when you click the EVOTE button below. Thank you!

Contest #2 for Evotri.


500 words or less to illustrate my personality...





















Summed up: I'm fun and silly, I don't mind watching a group of hammers stopping in Montana to change my flat even though I am perfectly capable of changing it myself, and I can occasionally "dress the part".



And to tell you my commitment to the Endurance Community:


















I not only do the Ironman, but I am assembling 12 type 1 diabetic athletes to play one on TV. For real. http://www.triabetes.org/.



This isn't a popularity contest for me. It's about sending a message. Take note of every picture I put in this post. Whether it's a photo of a Ride to Cure Diabetes in Montana, or Death Valley, or a JDRF Gala, running with an Ironman friend who does the Ride to Cure Diabetes for me each year, or me posing with my son with diabetes, or me posing with my diabetic peeps in San Diego to promote the Triabetes project...are you seeing my message? I bring a message:



A person with diabetes can do what you can do. Go out there and inspire.



Why do I do it? Read all my posts below. I do it for Jesse. First. But I do it for John, Steve A, Steve C, Dave, Anne, Brian, Bill, Clayton, Maddie, Prentice, Peter, Stacy, Miles, Sean, Justin, Aaron, Lauren, Norm, Jim, Vaughn, Sarah, Bobby, Phil, Joe, Shawn, Larry, Joe, Kirch, Sam, Jenny, Colin, Casey, Daniel, Eric, Emily, Elisa.



A bit mushy? Maybe. But the names above are real and I am missing a few names of people I love in the list above by accident. And you know who you are...

Cross Training - Wisconsin Style

I could have rode by trainer today in my living room. I could have gone for a run outside. It would have been tough to get to the gym, but heck, I could have packed up my swimsuit and headed for the pool.

But no, today I did a little cross-training....Wisconsin Style. That's right, you Triabetes geeks. In Madison, Wisconsin we got 17 INCHES OF SNOW. 17. The picture above is the view from my driveway as I left for work today.

So, today's strength training was 2 hours of shoveling. Hard sweating, sore muscles, core training baby.

Come on, AHN..... can you BEAT THAT???????????????????????????????????????

I don't know about the rest of the Wisconsin Triabetes athletes...but I am ready to hit some dry pavement......I'm so jealous of Anne riding in San Fran..... Hmpfh.

Bad Medicine...is what I needed

"So, Michelle....where've you been spinning these days?", said the friend who teaches spinning, via happy email.

Michelle looks around the room. She glances nervously to the right and spots her trusted steed, Johnny C, hooked up faithfully to his cyclops fluid 2 trainer, gently collecting delicate powder we call....dust....

"Ummmm....nowhere? Ah, when are you teaching class?" says an out of shape Ironman Sign-upper who hasn't done a damn thing.

Says evil friend/spin instructor, "Tonight at 6:30 p.m. See you there!

I walked into my club, got on my fabulous JDRF spankin' new bike shorts, filled the water bottle, got the cycle ready, climbed on.

Giddy up.

The music started and WOW...did I miss spinning class! What was I thinking blowing off the club all this time??? I got in my groove and grinned like an idiot during Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" as I cranked up my standing climb and grinned for those 5 minutes of painful climbing. Oh yeah, bring it on!

Thanks, Ryan, for getting this butt back in the saddle....tomorrow morning I plan to run on the fresh powder (errrr...ah....I really mean that sickening 8 more inches getting DUMPED on us) and go for a swim.....

Next post is going to be about the giving of others and general kindness rumored......film at 11.

Crazy JDRF Moms Unite

In 1970 a mom was told her son had type 1 diabetes. The doc said, "Raise some money and we can cure it."

At the Phoenix gala I had the distinct honor to meet Lee Ducat, founding mother of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They showed an incredible video honoring her work with stories from her children. A picture graced the screen. It was dingy and old, obviously dated. It was a photo of a small dinner party. It is a photo I plan to get my hands on so I can hang it in my JDRF office. It is proof of the first official JDRF meeting - a bunch of crazy moms who wouldn't listen when they were told there wasn't anything they could do about their child's diabetes.

I am a happy enlisted "crazy mom" in this club. I hate to be completely cheesy, but I was completely breathless to listen to her speak on stage. There she was, telling a story of a little boy diagnosed. My story was her story, almost to a "t". I cried, I smiled, and I hugged the JDRF staff people who stood with me.

Of course, the whole evening was surreal, I mean, there I was listening to Kenny Loggins belt out Danger Zone as I danced with our CEO (who always cracks up at how much I love to dance at the JDRF functions) and then got my moment to introduce myself and chat with Lee herself. What an honor and privilege. Thought I would share with all of you.

And yes...I did sneak it in that we are doing a documentary about diabetes and the Ironman...I couldn't help myself.... ;)

Ninja Stealth

I saw this icon and thought of Steve "Ninja" Ahn. So I had to upload the photo. I was either going to load that up, or a picture of a thermometer to show the reason why I have a good excuse yet again today not to workout. I have managed to come down with the fever and chills on the day before I leave for a trip to Phoenix to attend the JDRF Gala. I'm going to be an airline passenger's worst nightmare! No one is going to want to sit next to me and all of my germs. But I'm determined to go.

Since I'm out here on the web and I usually ask anyone for anything - we are a nonprofit trying to spread the message that people with diabetes can do anything they set their minds to. That said, Dave Shack, the guy who "came off the couch" to do this Ironman is transforming rapidly and we need him to be equipped with hi-def cameras to capture the transformation (I never called you fat, Mr. Shack! So stop saying that!). My friend, Shawn, is working hard to track down some donated cameras, but if you believe in our mission and can get us some cameras for the athletes to record their lives, we sure would appreciate it!

Now I'm going back to bed. I have to rest before my trip.

I'm behind in the blog life, but I refuse to mention McDonalds

I have no business blogging about the Triabetes project because I can't come close to the riveting stories that are told by the athletes that are already blogging (go to http://www.triabetes.org/ to see the links to their blogs). But I thought, what the heck, blog. My perspective will be that of the mom of a type 1 child. I am doing the Ironman with these amazing people. Unlike the rest of them, I haven't begun my training. What's my excuse? Um, my day job as Executive Director for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation keeps me busy. I travel a lot for my job. I have 3 amazing kids ages 7, 11 and 14. I spend too much time on Facebook. My friends twist my arm frequently to come out and do stupid things like go to the Roller Derby (what? huh?) My bike coach (a Triabetes athlete as well) hasn't bugged me NEARLY enough to get off my butt. Errrr, my dog ate my swimsuit?

There are 5 of us I consider official Triabetic Wannabes that work very hard on this project. Me (of course) with a focus on keeping the athletes happy (you ARE happy, aren't you??), Nella Citino and Ray Ibsen who are putting the beautiful documentary together and have a child with diabetes, Matt Corcoran, M.D., the amazing doc for this team who also happens to run Diabetes Training Camp, and of course Nate Heintzman, scientist extraordinaire out in San Diego sweating his you-know-what-off to lead this project. If this blog doesn't go over well, Nate and I can always start a blog about burritos or something.

I can't tell you the reward I feel each and every day when I read the athlete's blogs and watch them transform before my eyes. Your eyes. I can't tell you what it feels like to know I brought them together AND we are having fun along the way. I can't tell you what it feels like to know my type 1 son, Jesse, is diggin' it.

I'm not mentioning McDonalds, and it's not on my running route. Not yet. If they become a sponsor, I promise to run past it and eat there. For now, I continue to run the Arboretum with my friend Zeke telling me to get my butt in gear. I look forward to my weekly runs to Picnic Point with my good friend, Tierney, who tells me I'm old and fat and MAY finish IM.

Bring on the smack talk...it's the only thing that will get me across that finish. I have a goal, it's shallow, but a goal nonetheless. I'll share in a future blog.