All packed, and ready for a morning flight to Miami where I will be joining my three teammates! Bill, John and I met at training camp in Tucson, and I'll be seeing Joe for the first time. I am looking forward to cycling in weather above the freezing mark and seeing actual stretches of real pavement as opposed to the tile of my entry way floor from the heights of my trainer. (As an added bonus, I doubt these cycling partners are going to stop me mid-ride to announce that they wet the bed, need a cup of milk or lost their dolly in the shed. And they probably don't sing the words to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" during ascents, either.)

My endocrinologist made some changes to my diabetes regimen last Tuesday, which always makes me a bit nervous before long rides. I like to have a few solid stretches under my belt before embarking on a century with a new plan for managing my blood sugar. I got in a good seven mile run this morning, with a starting BG of 158 and an ending BG around 96. That seems to bode well...but then, I had a series of inexplicably high numbers on Wednesday and, as happens, over-corrected leaving me miserably low.

 

45 minutes and two Jolly Rancher's after I first dropped.

It's always something of a chore to pack all the needed diabetes accouterments. I have this persistent fear that I will find myself in the TSA line at Denver International Airport, only to realize that I have left my insulin at home, or that I failed to pack my needles. And then I go through it all over again when I get on my bike, at the starting line, checking and double-checking to ensure I have everything I require.

I never go anywhere without a stash of LaraBars. This is not just the habit of a diabetic (I am never without a supply of carbohydrates), but of a vegan. One particularly hungry night at training camp, we were served a meal of bean soup, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, and about seven dishes of various meat-laden pastas. My gluten-free counterparts (Celiac and Diabetes often walk hand-in-hand) and I made a supper of the soup and veg. Hardly a satiating dinner, I made the way up to my room and devoured a couple Coconut Cream Pie LaraBars, and went to sleep happy and full. I found myself in a similar predicament a few weeks back, when a well-meaning pharmaceutical rep came to the office with lunch - a turkey and cheese sandwich. I had assumed we were dining out together, and that I would be able to order my own selection. Faced with a lunch hour meeting and a full patient book thereafter, I resorted to the desk drawer's stash of Cashew Cookie and Peanut Butter & Jelly bars.

So, with my kit and shoes, pills and shots, lancets and test strips and quick-acting carbs and, yes, LaraBars, I am set to go! Fingers crossed for an uneventful flight in the morning, and an awesome ride with dear friends.