When life gives you sugar...Run it off! Great Bay Half marathon 2015

Standing next to the start line of the Great Bay half marathon, my mind was flowing on race strategy, fueling, proper nutrition, double checking shoe laces, socks, blood sugar, etc.  As the woman with the booming voice (later to find out, she was also a diabetic) starts to hit the high notes of the "start spangled banner" my heart sinks as I hear an all familiar noise-  I turn to my left, hoping my ears had deceived me, but it was confirmed: Approximately two minutes before the start of the race I had worked for during month after month of frozen, icy runs and the newly found speed sessions on this foreign surface known as pavement I stared at my wife in absolute shock.
  See when you have an alarm on your Omini-pod insulin pump it means the insulin delivery has been disrupted and you have no choice but to change over to a new pump-  Well, at the start line of the race is the last place you want to take the five minutes to prep and change your insulin pump (especially since changing the pump requires that you have insulin and a new pump to put on in the first place).
  I sunk down to my knees in disbelief, knowing that I really couldn't run this race and that we made the entire trip for not-  Then, after a couple second pity party, I thought, "hey, you've been in this place before (Vermont 50, 2014) and this isn't even an Ultra, it' going to be started and done in less than an hour and a half, you can do this!"-  I looked at my mom, my sister, and Jac, and said "can you meet me at the aid station, mile 6"- of course they could!  In a matter of seconds I mapped out a new strategy, and armed with insulin pen in one hand and water bottle in the other, I ran back past the sea of runners to the start line and promptly turned around at the start gate and began running the race!  As this race was timed by a timing chip, I didn't even have to worry about missing the true starting gun- Time to Fly!
  First few miles ticked by quickly, as I was weaving my way through runners, unsure of which ones were  running the half marathon and which we running the 5k.  I only knew one other runner at this event, and knowing we are very similar speeds enabled me to forge ahead, at least until I could locate him.  The 5k runners turned off at approximately 2.5 miles and I proceeded to keep the pace high, but not out of my comfort zone, at least not yet.
  After about mile 4 the course turned from pavement to dirt road: For the first time since the race began, I started to enjoy the ride!  It was also about the moment I caught up to Vincent!  He was looking strong, but he assured me he hadn't trained too much and just wanted to see if he could keep it around 7min. pace.  Well, I wanted to keep the pressure on so I proceeded to keep moving up, sure Vincent would catch me with his impressive stride as we made our way back toward the downtown.
  I expected to see the fabulous three Baker ladies as I cruised into the mile 6 aid station, but they were not their.  I checked to see if I could grab the pen needle and take a little insulin, but it had fallen out of my water bottle- Oh well, "Stay calm, and run on"-  So I gulped some more water and continued on.  By now I had caught quite a few runners and found myself around 15th position but I wanted to keep the pace high, as I knew I would have to waste a lot of time checking sugars and taking insulin when I caught the "fab 3".
  At the next aid station (mile 7.5ish) I saw my family at the aid station- I ran in, took a knee and tried to stay calm.  Clean the finger, test the blood, measure the insulin, grab some drink and Go!  Jacqui, Mom and Em did such a great job keeping track of me and giving me the support I needed to get the job done!  My sugar was higher than I Hoped, so I made a quick calculation, took a shot and got ready to run just as Vincent caught up.  Its always good to see friends out there on the roads and trails and he helped lift my spirits and get me rolling again and away from the negativity of the way the day had unfolded thus far.
  The end of the race was fairly anti-climatic.  There were a few nice rolling hills and friendly fans along the route, but the last few miles were a very much a survival fest-  hold onto that past for just a few more miles.  I caught a few more folks before I kind of settled into a rhythm.  I had caught two guys and one girl and we were trading back and forth as we started to get around the "out and back" section-  I think its always important to encourage other athletes and  to thank the volunteers.  At about mile 11.5 was our last water stop, I filled up on water one last time and thanked the volunteers (there was even a few belly dancers there to take our mind off the task at hand)!
  I ran within range of the last three folks as we snaked our way back to the beautiful downtown of Newmarket, NH.  I surged ahead around one of the corners and entered into the last little uphill right next to my compatriots.  As we started to cruise down the home stretch I decided it was time to go and upped the tempo one last time-
Well this was a LONG final stretch and I knew my muscles that were beaten down by 13miles of pavement and consistently high blood sugars to mix with our old friend lactic acid- Somehow I hit the finish line and held off those last few runners with a finish time of 1:28:50-  Not quite what I hoped for, but given the situation, I'll take it!!  18th/800- 3rd place 20-29AG-
  The Great Bay half was a great experience and I Hope to come back again-  I think Jacqui wants a shot at the half marathon and Mom and EM are thinking of rockin' the 5K!  Also, I want a shot at this run with some better sugar numbers and nutrition options (2 shot bloks are not enough for 1.5hrs of running).  As I may have said before, I am vey impressed with the weight and feel of the New Balance fresh foam shoes (I have the M980 Road) and enjoy road running much more with these  cushy, smooth shoes-  In addition to the support of these three awesome ladies; Jac's Mom, Deb and friend Julia also ran solid times on this beautiful day!
  The big take home on the diabetes front is to be superbly adaptable!  I had less than two minutes to fix my insulin delivery method to get through this event- and was able to make a decent solution to this sticky situation.  The other take home is that when you are a person with diabetes you simply cannot do it alone!  Friends and family and other people with diabetes are our greatest asset in staying healthy, staying happy, and running the long run of life with a unique challenge.  You CAN Overcome!
  Whats up next?
Still trying to figure it out, but I'd love to return to Pineland Farms and give a good shot at the 50k there-  I am hopefully ready in the body and mind to set some PR's this summer!
Until next time,
To Health and Happy Adventures!
Brando
  GPS Data on movescount below:

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move59279543

Live, Love, Run-Return

My intention with this blog was to create an athlete page (for myself) so as the help launch myself into being the best possible runner and athlete I could be, all-the-while using it as a platform for diabetes advocacy and generally awesome and fun ideas or findings, be they musical, outdoor or even spiritual-  The name has a significant meaning too-  One of my favorite bands had just released their last album entitled "Fading West".  Appropriate, being that they are a California band-  Well, I thought the opposite name was a pretty sweet idea, because I am, of course, an Easterner, but, additionally, I see the talent of runners from the East (and athletes of other sports too) and feel like they just don't get as much love as their Western counterparts...Anyways...
  See I had these HUGE aspirations of running myself right into the top (or at least top ten) of the still fresh and new field of ultra running at the Cayuga 50 Mile National Championships in Ithaca, NY...I was going to go top ten, get a sweet contract, quit my day job, and spend the rest of my career running mountains, visiting diabetes camps and driving my wife nuts-  I did mention I am an Ultra-runner right?  DO half the people reading this even though there are some folks who run as their only "day job" and primary income (even less than I originally thought)?
  Anyways, I finished 22nd at the race- which, can I say 22nd in a lot of "National" competitions in many sport would get you some serious dough in other sports!  Once again, Ultra-running-on trails; in the forest (and no, nobody or nothing is chasing you or making you do this)-  I digress...But I can say that this was one of the best weekends of my life (with an incredible crew person and great friend Matt Sheaff) and a host of other trail buddies along the way-
  So realizing (and being completely ok) with the fact that I was not quitting my job or getting a shiny "shoe deal", I had to recover for part two of the summer, this little thing called getting Married!
  The rest of the summer included said wedding stuff, pacing Brian Rusieki in what I believe was one of the greatest performances in all athletics, 2015 (winning and breaking the course record at the VT100)! and running with some awesome friends, including my constant training partner and older bro Chad Denning.
  Chad was played so many roles in our wonderful friendship, far shorter than I can even believe.  He was a mentor, a friend, an older brother, a fan.  I can go on and on, but perhaps I will save that for another post.  The point I want to make here is that Chad was many things to many people, but one of his greatest attributes was that his veins flowed with Hope and Adventures of recreation, whether with friends, in his job or with his beloved family.  Lets stop and think about it for  a second and break this down- when we recreate, we are in fact RE-Creating- something, an experience, ourselves.  Chad was a man who believed and lived out one of the greatest mysteries of Life.  That we must be renewed daily. Restored. Rehabilitated.  Whatever it may be.
  Just a day after one of the greatest days of my life, I shared with my new wife one of my worst.  Yet as we walked, and cried, and cursed, and laughed, and cried some more; on September 7th, 2014, I looked to the mountains and to the sky, and realized, Chad's life and Love will live on- Ever creating, ever believing, ever re-charging.
  As I write this, I feel a certain sense of freedom, in that the fears I have and used to share with Chad pale in comparison with a life lived with passion and purpose, full of adventure and creating things for yourself and others.  As I write this, I can't help but immerse myself into the song posted below- To keep believing in the good things of this life- to keep running, as I was meant to, as YOU were meant to- Free.
"Father’s hands work the ground
Turns the soil, lays it down
Everything done and said
Lives beyond the quick and the dead
Heritage passed along
To the sons like a blessed song
So raise your voices on high tonight

We came a long, long way back home
To see you one more time
‘Cause we came a long, long way back home 
To see you and say Goodbye"- Josh Garrels
Josh Garrels- "A Long Way"

I guess I never really answered the question as to what this blog should be about- and I still don't think I have an answer- but I Hope you'll join me as I continue to explore Life, Love, Spirituality, the Run... and the subsequent Return that always comes after.
Happy Spring...May you Run Free!