Unsupervised BG testing

While I was away last week for the Cyclebetes national relay, my son was home with his older brother and my husband, which meant I wasn't here to keep him on top of his bg testing. And frankly, I find the idea of him taking responsibility for his own diabetes care is both exciting and frightening.

Dylan has always been mature for his age, especially when it comes to looking after his diabetes, but he is 10 after all, and is apt to make mistakes. Nonetheless I left him in charge of his testing I was gone for exactly 1 week and I uploaded his pump data when I returned last weekend. 

Results: I was very pleasantly surprised to see that he tested an average of 4.8 times per day. No, this is not the 6+ times he SHOULD be testing daily, but it's still pretty good. There was just 1 day that was scary. On the Wednesday he didn't test at all - NOT ONCE between the time he woke up and the time he went to bed (which also means that his average was better than 4.8 times per day because this big "0" certainly lowered the daily average). He also changed his own infusion set not once, but twice, all my himself!!

So overall, I can't complain. While the one missed day is scary as hell, he did a pretty darn good job looking after his own diabetes care. Way to go Dyl!

Conquering Fear

A couple of days ago, while I was writing my summary of day 3 of the Cyclebetes National Relay, I realized that part of my post was worthy of its own entry. I have reposted a portion of the day 3 post below, to provide context...

"Next area we rode through was the lead up to Rogers pass. Now anyone who knows me or has ridden with me knows I hate riding up hills. In fact, that's not even entirely accurate; I am terrified of riding up hills. When I see a large hill coming up in the distance, I can feel my body physiology start to change - my heart rate accelerates, my palms sweat, and my stomach starts to spin. It's gotten quite ridiculous actually, but I know it's all in my head. I decided then and there that the only way I could ever overcome my fear is to face it head on. So at the next shift change (not my regular shift) I jumped out to ride. I thought I was getting out about 1/4 of the way up Rogers pass, where the grade isn't too steep, but it turned out we were actually about 1/3 up the mountain already and the worst section was about to come. 

I cranked up the volume on my iPod and just started pedaling. I forced myself to look at the pavement immediately in front of me, instead of at the massive hill ahead and I simply just kept going...and going, and going, and going. For some bizarre reason, I felt terrific; I had a ton of energy, and my legs felt fresh and strong, even with the 68km they had already pedaled that morning. My original plan was to go as long as I could, whether that be 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour, but I was going to cap it at an hour at the most and save some energy for one more shift later. At about the 45 minute mark I realized I was easily going to finish the hour."

Maybe it was karma, but at the same time a song came through my headphones that is very dear to my heart because it reminds me so much of my son, and that giving up on the fight to find a cure for diabetes will never be an option for me. My reaction was profound, and I'm glad no one was in front of me to see it. Overcome with emotion, tears of joy, or relief, and of hope, streamed down my face and I felt something shift in my core. It's hard to describe, but something changed in me in that moment, and I was reminded that anything is possible if I simply put my mind and heart to it. I felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt invincible, and free. 

The ride came full circle for me in this moment, its purpose at the forefront of my mind, the cycling taking a close second place. Everything around me seemed to stop; all of my fears, my worries, my trivial concerns, disappeared, and I suddenly became the force I need to keep working for a cure. All I could hear was the sound of my own breath, all I could feel was the beating of my own heart. Nothing else mattered. There was nothing but me in the present. I had conquered by biggest fear, while being reminded of why I was riding and what really matters to me. It was a truly magical moment for me and one I will never ever forget.

What now, you may ask? Now I continue to hope and continue to fight, until a cure is found.

Cyclebetes Day 4 ~ Golden to Calgary

The fourth and final day of the relay and I have to admit the feelings were bittersweet. I was happy to be headed to Calgary; I have been missing my family and it was thrilling that the relay had been so successful so far, and that we all rode so well, but I'm already missing all the great new people I met, and I'm really missing the awesome group riding.

Shift 1 was not the opening shift, but the second shift of the day. We got on about 30km east of Golden, about 2/3 of the way up the hill to Kicking Horse Pass. It was a cold morning, only 4 degrees when we started, but we quickly warmed up with the hills! A stunning leg, as we rode over rolling hills atop the Rocky Mountains, headed to the BC/Alberta border. We passes pristine lakes, full of sky blue water, and didn't have to look far up to find snow. Our shift ended just shy of the border, after 31km of riding.

We were in Canmore, AB, before we had a chance to ride again, and this one would be our final shift before arriving in Calgary. Canmore is such a cute little town, and the landscape just east of it, with the jutting rock-face mountains perched atop the dry grasses of the prairies, was absolutely breathtaking. A bonus presented itself to us early on this leg: tailwind!! We hadn't had any tailwind in BC, but man did we ever have some in Alberta! Our average pace for this leg was over 30km/hour and 50km/hr was not hard to come by on the flats. We got a whopping 1:42:00 for this leg and sped over 51km before packing it in approximately 60km west of Calgary. Total for day 4 was 82km.

My personal riding total for the 4 days: 351km! My original plan was to aim for 100km per day on days 2-4, and 50-60km on day 1, so this is pretty much exactly what I had hoped to ride!

Cyclebetes Day 3 ~ Kamloops to Golden

Another early start on day 3, and our group was to ride first again. This is the day I had most looked forward to leading up the relay because of it's unique conditions. The longest day of the western portion of the ride, today we would cover 380km as a team, including Rogers Pass, the 1350m mountain pass through the Rockies.

A much more peaceful and serene leg would kickoff the day, however, with a long flat stretch between Kamloops and Salmon Arm. Our group, narrowed to 4 for today, started promptly at 6:00am, following the highway out of Kamloops, heading east. With a fast pace right from the get-go, we covered a whopping 52km in our 1 hour and 45 minute shift. By the end of this shift, we had our drafting down to an art form, each taking 10 minute intervals at the lead before dropping back to the rear to draft. The system was working for us and we looked darn good too.

Shift 2 was not so great. We started right at the base of Mount Revelstoke Park, just ahead of a large black thunder cloud. The thunder was audible, but the rain was light enough that I contemplated not wearing a rain jacket. Man am I glad I did! Within 2 minutes of riding, the rain was torrential, with thunder and lightning, and heavy, heavy rains. Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, it started hailing. And not just regular little hail stones, but big marble size hail. Within 5 minutes of riding I was soaked through to my skin and freezing. After 30 minutes I was so cold, I couldn't feel my hands and feet and started to worry that I wouldn't be able to pull my brake levers because my fingers were so cold. I was literally chilled to the bone and could not shake it. So, as much as I hated my decision, I had to cut my shift short and warm up in the RV. My group went on to have a stunning ride through the park while I watched. Bummer, but what can you do, right?

Next area we rode through was the lead up to Rogers pass. Now anyone who knows me or has ridden with me knows I hate riding up hills. In fact, that's not even entirely accurate; I am terrified of riding up hills. When I see a large hill coming up in the distance, I can feel my body physiology start to change - my heart rate accelerates, my palms sweat, and my stomach starts to spin. It's gotten quite ridiculous actually, but I know it's all in my head. I decided then and there that the only way I could ever overcome my fear is to face it head on. So at the next shift change (not my regular shift) I jumped out to ride. I thought I was getting out about 1/4 of the way up Rogers pass, where the grade isn't too steep, but it turned out we were actually about 1/3 up the mountain already and the worst section was about to come.

I cranked up the volume on my iPod and just started pedaling. I forced myself to look at the pavement immediately in front of me, instead of at the massive hill ahead and I simply just kept going...and going, and going, and going. For some bizarre reason, I felt terrific; I had a ton of energy, and my legs felt fresh and strong, even with the 68km they had already pedaled that morning. My original plan was to go as long as I could, whether that be 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour, but I was going to cap it at an hour at the most and save some energy for one more shift later. At about the 45 minute mark I realized I was easily going to finish the hour. I rode the last 15 minutes and hopped into the RV, so proud of my accomplishment. Total distance in that hour: 18km, all uphill.

My final shift of the day started 32km outside of Golden, at the base of the Rogers Pass descent. It wasn't my turn to ride, but I still had tons of energy and I wanted to get back out there. I wound up riding most of the way alone, but that's ok. It had been a long, emotional day and I was just happy to ride. Total distance for day 3 was 116km - a good hard day and one to remember for a long time.

Cyclebetes Day 2 ~ Whistler to Kamloops

Yes, the original plan was to recap the day's events each night, but seriously, what was I thinking? Between the riding itself and the amount of time involved in dinner, team meetings, etc, sleep was my one and only priority at the end of the day.

I did, however, keep lots of notes throughout the journey, so that I could blog about it once I was finished riding and well rested, which is now!!

Day 2 started with a jolt, as my roommate and I missed our 5:00am wake up alarm and slept in 35 minutes longer than we had planned. A quick breakfast later and we were on our bikes, ready to ride at just after 6:00am for the 35km ride north to Pemberton.

5 of us set out for the first riding shift, under cloudy skies and a chilly 12 degrees celcius. The roads were wet, but the rain had stopped, so we quickly warmed up as we pedaled over rolling hills and along short flats. In less than 90 minutes we arrived in Pemberton for a shift change, as group 2 got ready to take on the challenging grade up to Joffre Lakes.

A few hours later our group was up again, for a much different kind of ride. 25km outside of the town on Lillooet we began, ready for some serious ups and downs! Almost right away we had a 2km descent down a 13% grade, followed by an equally steep ascent. Sadly, about halfway up the hill I tried to pull off into a gravel area to catch my breath and my cleat (which I later discovered was shredded) got stuck in my pedal. Not good! I fell to the left, yes into the traffic, thankful to see the Sanofi RV behind me, but not before absorbing all of the impact on my left elbow. I jumped into the RV with my bike, quickly cleaned up my bleeding elbow and jumped back out at the next pullout, missing a 4km section of riding. I got out just in time for what is likely the best road descent in BC: a 14% grade of switchbacks down into Lillooet. An amazing stretch of road, it was a struggle to keep my speed under 50km/hr, but necessary with the hairpin turns. As the descent continued, the temperature rose and by the time we left the quaint town of Lillooet, it was a lovely 21 degrees. Another shift change and we were waiting for the next round.

3rd and final shift of the day and again new scenery and road conditions. We started off about 75km west of Kamloops in warm, sunny weather with a light breeze. A nice tail wind to start helped us up hills at 30km/hr, and then about 30 minutes in we got hit with some pretty substantial cross winds. Towards the end of the leg it changed to a headwind and we found ourselves coming down a steep hill but barely moving! Strongest headwind I've ever felt on the bike!

All in all a great day, aside from a sore elbow. 92km of riding for me and we got into Kamloops an hour ahead of schedule - can't beat that!

Cyclebetes Day 1 ~ Vancouver to Whistler

Wow, what a day! Today's section was was substantially less mileage than the next few days, but it was still pretty darn awesome!

So here's the lowdown for the day. We left John Henry Bikes in North Vancouver at 10:00am ready to pedal. All of the team cyclebetes and team sanofi aventis riders started together, along with a number of other cyclists planning to ride with us to Squamish. The first 30km were awesome - great pace, wicked conversation, fun times. Then we got to horseshoe bay and I felt my blood sugar plummet, thanks to poor breakfast choices on my part. A whole lot of carbs later, and I was back on the bike, ready to ride! At least that's what I thought. By the time we hit Lions Bay I was in full hyperglycemic hangover mode, a typical reaction when I get really low blood sugar and then over compensate with carbohydrates. So off the bike I went, into the RV, to battle my bg back to a tolerable level. At Brandywine Falls I finally felt human again and jumped back out onto the bike to ride the last hour into Whistler.

Quite the day! Not at all what I expected from myself, but hey, I can only control my blood sugar levels so much...all in all I rode about 60km today, which is not far off what I had planned.

Tomorrow I am up first shift, at 6:00am, to start the 100km+ day for each of us! Lookin' forward to it!

Cyclebetes Live Updates During the National Relay

Tomorrow we officially kickoff the Cyclebetes 2011 National Relay, as 6 riders for team Cyclebetes and 6 riders for team Sanofi-Aventis leave from North Van, BC, and ride to Calgary, a distance of 1045km over 4 days. City schedule is as follows:

Day 1: Vancouver to Whistler (130km)

Day 2: Whistler to Kamloops (300km)

Day 3: Kamloops to Golden (360km)

Day 4: Golden to Calgary (280km)

The awesome Cyclebetes / 4 What Matters Crew will be working tirelessly throughout the ride to ensure that everyone at home can stay up to date with the riders and see where they've been, where they're going, and how they're doing, so you won't miss a thing! There will be regular Facebook updates, tweets, blogs, YouTube videos, and live GPS tracking. 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cycle4

*Updates 3-4 times daily

Twitter: http://twitter.com/c4wm

*Updates 3-4 times per hour, hashtag #c4relay

Blog: http://www.4whatmatters.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/4WMFoundation

GPS (follow live): http://www.facebook.com/cycle4?sk=app_137331002992480

*Updated every 15 minutes or so, depending on satellite positioning

In addition to all of the above, I will be blogging daily with my own ride feedback, here at Blood, Sweat, & Carbs as well as posting facebook updates and tweets. Follow me on facebook at www.facebook.com/jenlesliearagon and on twitter at www.twitter.com/bloodsweatcarbs.

Along Came A Spider

OK, so I've decided to read Patterson's Alex Cross series from beginning to end. There are currently 16 books in the series, with a 17th to be published this fall.

The first installment, entitled Along Came A Spider, introduces us to the character of Alex Cross, the tough detective/psychologist from Washington DC, as he sets out to catch a sociopathic serial killer with a possible split personality, Gary Soneji, who has kidnapped 2 young children. After one of the children is found dead, Cross partners up with a female secret service agent to find the surviving child before it's too late. His search leads him along a journey through the darkest alcoves of the human psyche before emerging into the light. A page-turner from beginning to end, the novel captures the reader's attention and doesn't let go until the killer is caught.

This was my first EVER eBook, and while the screen on my iPhone is a bit small, I quickly got used to it, and read the novel in a couple of days. I love the convenience of having the book wherever I go too!

Training Schedule Week of August 8th to 14th

Unbelievable that all of my training and hard work over the past few months is finally going to be put to the test. Beginning this Saturday, August 13th, I will be taking part in the Cyclebetes National Relay, in which I will hop on my bike and cycle from Vancouver to Calgary, a distance of 1045km, over 4 days.

This week's training schedule currently looks like this, but as usual it could change as the week progresses, especially considering I still need to prepare for a week away from home and work.

Monday ~ Cycle 1 hour, moderate

Tuesday ~ Run 60 minutes, pace

Wednesday ~ Cycle 3-4 hours, easy

Thursday ~ Cycle 2 hours, hills

Friday ~ Run 75 minutes, easy

Saturday ~ Cyclebetes begins! 

Sunday ~ Cyclebetes, day 2!

For more information on this incredible ride, visit: http://www.cyclebetes.com/national-relay-info.htm

The BEST Strawberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my absolute favorite desserts, and this is the best one I've ever made. I made it with fresh, organic local strawberries, but it could just as easily be made with raspberries or blueberries too. Simply delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 pkgs (8oz ea) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp grated lemon zest
4 eggs

Strawberry Swirl:
1 cup quartered hulled strawberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp all-purpose flour

Preparation

In bowl, stir crumbs with butter until moistened; press into lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Centre pan on large square of heavy-duty foil; press foil up side of pan, scrunching to hold in place. Bake in 325°F oven until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Beat in sour cream and lemon zest. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Pour all but 1/2 cup over crust.

Strawberry Swirl: In blender, purée together strawberries, sugar and lemon juice; stir in flour. Stir remaining cheese mixture with strawberry mixture.

Push spoonfuls of strawberry mixture randomly and deeply into batter, dragging spoon slightly so mixture sinks into well left by spoon. Using skewer or tip of thin knife, gently swirl colours together to create marble effect. Gently tap pan on counter.
Set springform pan in larger pan; pour in enough hot water to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) up sides. Bake in 300°F oven until shine disappears, edge is set yet centre still jiggles, 55 to 60 minutes.
Immediately run knife around edge of cake. Let cool in pan in water for 15 minutes. Transfer springform pan to rack; let cool completely. Remove foil and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Makes 15 servings.

Nutritional Information (per serving): Cal 322, Pro 6g, Total fat 23g, Sat fat 14g, Carbs 23g, Fibre 1g, Chol 111mg, Sod 208mg, Pot 149mg.

The original recipe is from the Canadian Living website, though I made some variations above. 

Nanaimo Triangle ~ A Cycling Paradise

Cycling is such a terrific way to see the world, so every weekend I make sure to do one long ride. I try to do something new each time and aim to keep it around 100km. Two weekends ago I tackled the "Nanaimo Triangle," as we called it, a 112km ride from Nanaimo to Victoria, on Vancouver Island. A super ride and a perfect distance to add to my training repertoire for the upcoming Cyclebetes National Relay August 13th.

Up at 5:30, I drove out to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, met up with a group of 16 other cyclists, and we caught the first ferry over to Duke Point, in Nanaimo. Upon arrival we headed south, following the highway for the first part of the trip. Our first scheduled stop was in Ladysmith, where we converged on the Tim Horton's for a cold drink and brief rest.

Moving south, we left the highway in Ladysmith and turned down to the waterfront route to enjoy rolling hills and peek-a-boo views of the ocean.

An unscheduled stop in Chemainus to take some pictures of its famous murals, and we were back on the road in no time!

From Chemainus we continued along the waterfront route, crossing an old wooden bridge just before entering the small town of Crofton.

In Crofton, we broke for lunch, but not before encountering two young boys and their lemonade stand. The boys didn't know what hit them; their quiet lemonade stand was quickly transformed into a high pressure booth, as seventeen hot and sweaty cyclists lined up for a glass of ice-cold lemonade!

After a longer than planned lunch, we upped our speed a bit and pedaled towards Cowichan Bay, the next planned rest stop. By the time we reached Cowichan Bay, we were about 70km into the ride and it was very hot.

A very brief rest for a cold drink, and we were off again, allowing us one hour to travel the 21km to the Brentwood Bay ferry in Mill Bay. Seemed like more than enough time, but no one expected the elevation increase that was coming next. Immediately south of Cowichan Bay is very long and steep (15% grade) hill. Between the scorching temperature and the miles we had already logged, the majority of the riders decided to walk their bikes up the hill and save their legs for the remaining 40km+ of the ride. It turns out that this hill was only the beginning of a very hilly section, that would cause us to split into two groups for the Brentwood Bay ferry. Five of us made it to the ferry in time, and the other twelve riders missed the ferry and had to wait for the next one. Brentwood Bay ferry itself is a tiny little twenty minute ferry that travels back and forth over Mill Bay, allowing drivers to bypass downtown Victoria.

Once on the Saanich side of the ferry, our group had over ran hour to wait for the other riders, so we stopped at the Mill Bay Resort & Spa's pub to enjoy a bite and the breathtaking scenery.

The last leg of the ride consisted of a fast 20km sprint to Swartz Bay and the ferry back to the mainland. All in all, it was 112km of gorgeous riding. What an incredible day, I will definitely be doing this ride again!

The 9th Judgment

9th in Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, this book satisfies one's craving for a crime drama just as did the preceding 8 entries. In 9th, we return to the lives of Linsday Boxer and her 3 friends as she and her partner investigate two separate but related serial crimes. The first, a cat burglar who breaks into homes of the wealthy while they are entertaining in their own homes, and second, a serial murder who is targeting and shooting women and their young children at point blank range. As always, Patterson provides nonstop excitement as Boxer and her friends race against the clock to solve the crimes before any more innocents are affected.

I find Patterson's books ideal for summer reading. They are easy and quick to read; perfect for camping or an afternoon at the beach. This latest fails to disappoint I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller.

The Countdown is On ~ 11 Days until the Cyclebetes National Relay begins.

11 days until the start of the 2011 Cyclebetes National Relay! 11 days until we ride 1045km from Vancouver, BC to Calgary, AB, to raise money and awareness for type 1 diabetes. 11 days. Wow.

Am I ready? I think so. I still have a little fundraising to do, and a few more hill training sessions, but I should be ready for the kickoff on August 13th. I've done loads of training over the past few months and logged hundreds of miles on my bike.

Am I excited? Extremely. Last year's ride was incredible. The scenery, the people, the support we received, all of it was magical. This year I'm thrilled that Vancouver is the launching pad of the ride, rather than the finale, and I'm super-psyched that the route has changed and that we're riding through towns I've never cycled in before. I know it will be an amazing experience again, and I look forward to blogging about it each day!

Am I nervous? Yeah, probably more than I should be. I know I've put in the work, but the hills involved this year do scare me. There are some serious elevation gains, as we have to go up and over two mountain ranges - the Coast Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. I'm not a fan of hills. I love riding on the flats, and I'm a bit of speed demon, so downhills excite me. I am much more comfortable doing 60km/hr on a twisty downhill than riding up a 10% grade. But I'll do it. For Dylan and the thousands of other people living with type 1 diabetes. And when the hills are really steep, and the pedaling really hard; when my thighs are burning and I'm gritting my teeth trying not to cry from the searing pain, I will think only of why I am doing this. To cure diabetes. Period. After all, a few hours of discomfort for me pales in comparison to what Dylan, and other type 1s live with each and every day.

Interested in riding with us for the kickoff community ride? Join us Saturday, August 13th, as we leave from John Henry Bikes in North Van at 10:00am, and ride with us to Squamish! Check out the following video for highlights of last year's 150km community ride from Hope to Vancouver to get an idea of what it entails! And visit Cyclebetes for full info on this year's ride.

Should you wish to donate to my 2011 Cyclebetes fundraising campaign, visit Cyclebetes - Jen Aragon. 100% of funds raised will be donated to JDRF.

And be sure to stay tuned to my blog as I countdown to this extraordinary journey!

With Pride

With "Pride" I live in this incredible city of Vancouver, where for the last week we have celebrated "Pride Week," a festival of events in Vancouver's West End all centered around 1 common theme: Educate, Liberate, Celebrate. It is a celebration of humanity and our inherent differences; of tolerance and acceptance of all; and of putting an end to discrimination. For a complete background of the festival, and a detailed explanation of this year's theme, visit the Pride website at http://www.vancouverpride.ca/pride-theme.

At the culmination of Pride Week, is the Pride Parade. With 130 entries, ranging from colorful floats, to musical marching bands, to community groups, the parade extends through the west end over a 3 hour period. It is the largest single day event in the city, attracting almost 700,000 spectators and bringing 30 million dollars into the city. It is wild, over the top, stunning, and incredible, all at once.

Yesterday was my second time watching the parade. I went with my daughter, my brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. Here are a few highlights of the day...

Mu daughter and brother-in-law



Men on stilts



And more stilts!



Yes, that is a birdcage!

Wouldn't be Pride without half-naked, dancing young men



The cornerstone of Pride - lots and lots of rainbows, even 20 stories up!