Fun ~ Fit ~ Fast and Type One Diabetes

November is Type One diabetes month; a month where awareness for those living with Type One diabetes is brought to life. 

Diabetes, clinically known as diabetes mellitus, is a disorder in which the pancreas has a difficult time regulating its blood glucose levels.  There are two types of diabetes; Type One (juvenile diabetes) and Type Two diabetes.  While both are something to be taken very seriously this article is going to specifically speak about Type 1 (T1D).  

Type One diabetics are known as insulin dependent as they must manually take insulin in order for the body to continue functioning.  An autoimmune disease that occurs when the bodies immune system attacks and destroys beta-cells within the pancreas resulting in the body no longer being able to independently produce insulin needed to break down glucose levels within the body.  

Living with T1D can be very challenging and often frustrating as you are constantly having to watch the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming and your blood sugar levels are always in the back of your mind.  Yet living with T1D is not debilitating; one of the largest misconceptions is that a person with T1D cannot live a normal life.  There are a lot of myths and lack of knowledge from the public in regards to T1D such as someone with diabetes cannot participate in sports, they can't eat sugar, and no matter what someone with diabetes does there will always be complications in the end.  Yet these are all myths.  A diabetic can participate in athletics and exercise; in fact leading a healthy and fit lifestyle ensures a reduce in the chance of having complications later in life.  Physical exercise helps to lower blood sugar levels keeping them within a healthy range.  The key to preventing future complications is maintaining within a healthy range; it is known that merely four years spent constantly in the two - three hundreds can start causing damage, something that can be prevented by living a fit and healthy lifestyle.

One of the biggest issues with T1D is the lack of education many receive when being diagnosed with diabetes.  When you are not educated on the affects carbohydrates, protein, fats, and sugars have on your body it makes it hard to understand why your body is acting the way it is.  Yes you are probably told you should stay within a certain range and when you should inject insulin however it can be seen that the affects that not strictly monitoring your glucose levels can have on a person's body is not adequately brought to attention. Often the idea that living a fit and healthy life, where one exercises on a daily basis, eats well balanced meals, and keeps a close eye on their blood glucose levels is put on the back burner. 

Some of the main goals that those with T1D should be made aware of are:

• Maintaining normal growth and development (particularly in children)
• Keeping blood sugar levels within a target range (not too high, not too low) by controlling through a balance of exercise, healthy eating, and insulin

This article is inspired by my amazing boyfriend, Brandon Bowker, who in February will have reached the milestone of 15 years living with T1D.  At the age of 15 Brandon was diagnosed with T1D and since then he has made it his a mission to live a healthy, fit, and normal lifestyle.  Even at the age of 15 he made the mature decision to constantly pay attention to his blood sugar levels, and to continue living his life as was.  While it was a challenge and learning to count carbohydrates and sugars was not always something he wanted to do he did not let it stop him from running cross country, playing basketball, and baseball.  Now 15 years later his strength and dedication is something that inspires me everyday. 

His blood sugar levels are steadily within a healthy range resulting in his HBA1C levels being as low as ever, golf game the best he's ever had, and in the best shape since he was in high school.  He never lets anything stand in his way and because of it has overcome many obstacles put in his way.  Someday he wishes to help others who are diagnosed with diabetes to understand that just because you have diabetes does not mean you can't lead a fit and healthy life.  His passion for life has been an inspiration for myself throughout my work and training.  

Currently approximately 3 million people are living with T1D and more than 15,000 children are newly diagnosed with T1D yearly.  While the research is out there for finding ways to better maintain and help those diagnosed with T1D it is sorely under rated.  Most importantly education and awareness for those diagnosed is seriously lacking.  Take some time today to learn a little about the life that those with T1D have, maybe your awareness and support will help others to understand that they too can lead a healthy, fit, and long life.

" There will be obstacles; there will be doubters; there will be mistakes; but with hard work there are no limits"

Maintaining Your Goals

The fall season is officially upon those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest; and while we have been blessed with a beautiful fall season the sun does take longer to great us in the morning and says good night much much earlier.  For myself this means my motivation begins to follow the suns lifestyle and begins to diminish along with the amount of light we receive through out the day. Following right along with the motivation goes my goals and sometimes even my belief that I can accomplish them.

This morning while preparing myself for the work day and accomplishing my usual social media viewing I came across a quote by Jordan Belfort the author of The Wolf of Wall Street that struck a cord deep within me:

"The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it"

It is easy to make up an excuse as to why you cannot do something; much easier than actually doing it.  We've all been there.  We have all said "oh its too dark to go for that run", or "going back to school is too expensive I can't do it" with the key note excuses of "I just don't have the time", "that costs to much money", or "I am just not good enough to do that". What many of us forget is that these are just hurdles or as Jordan Belfort calls it "a bullshit story" that can very easily be over come if you are willing to take the chance.

Goals do take work.  They take time, effort, money, strength, and sometimes even tears to accomplish but that is the point of a goal.  It is a marker or a dream to something bigger and better.  Goals are important as they keep you focuses and dedicated.  Yet it can be easy to loose sight of those goals.  When you do feel yourself loosing the sight or always having a story as to why not, remember that you are the only person that can affect change.  You are in the drivers seat and it is up to you to move past those stories and find the belief in yourself to accomplish your dreams.  

This morning Jordan Belfort reminded me to continuing pursuing my goals and for me that means not giving up on setting them.  For myself to always strive for something new and to continue believing in myself that I can accomplish what I have set out to do.  To believe in the strength that resides within; through that belief you will find a way to continue pushing forward and realize that those stories are not as exciting as the ones you obtain from accomplishing your goals.

My goal for this month is to complete my first marathon and push towards qualifying for Boston. 

What are some goals you have set for yourself? Do you have a dream for someday? 

10 Day "You" Challenge: Eight Fears

I must apologize I know this is a little late in coming.  Between work, training, trying to maintain a semblance of a calm with Age Group Nationals coming up in a week, and living the pretend social life Brandon and I have life has been busy and the thought of taking ten minutes to think about my fears became low on the list.  Though in reality I may have just been a little lazy preferring to sit on the couch watching the Food Network or the Mariners play at the end of the day instead. :) So now I must stop being lazy and spend a little time delving into my fears.  

You hear the word fear and you instantly start thinking of spiders, being afraid to speak in front of crowds, or not taking chances because you are afraid.  There is another way to address fear and that is as a challenge.  An obstacle that by jumping over you become stronger.  Not to say that you may not still have a aversion to that particular fear but the self pride you gain upon accomplishment of that said fear is worth it.

Alright, I will get off my soap box and give you my eight fears.  These are not in any particular order and I pray that, if I haven't already done so, I will conqueror these fears.

Needles: A fear that has haunted me since I was little.  My parents will attest to the challenge and chore it was to give me my shots when I was little. There is something about the idea of a needle entering my muscles that just makes my stomach churn. This may seem a little bit crazy as I have two tattoos and do plan to get more so it is often, especially from my loving mother, that I get the question "how did you get those if you are afraid of needles?"  There is no answer from my part for that question, I just did it. The difference may go back to me not liking the thought of the needle actually going deep into my skin verses just grazing the surface.  

Not being able to see: Since the 3rd grade I have been legally blind (couldn't even see the Big E on the eye chart) and it continued to get worse as I aged. While my vision has stabilized the idea of going completely blind terrifies me.  Every time I go into the eye doctor I breath a sigh of relief when they tell me everything looks good.

Disappointing people: If I was to categorize my fears or rank them I would probably have to say this is my greatest.  There are so many people out there, my family, friends, people I have worked with and grew up with, Brandon, and his family that believe in me and I am so afraid I will not live up to their belief.  These people have put their trust, time, support, love, and more often than not money into me for so many different reason the thought of disappointing or not living up to who they believe I have the ability to be can be suffocating.  I strongly believe in failure, and it is not something I fear as it is a part of growth, but more that I will fail all those who have been there for me.  

Having children (the whole darn process)/children in general: Now this may seem a little bit crazy and most people when I tell them this give me this look like I am seriously deranged. Supposedly I am supposed to have this maternal instinct that when I look at babies, hold them, see them, etc. instead this extreme panic and uncomfortable feeling fills me.  What if I break it? What if I ruin my own children? Those are just two of the millions of concerns that run through my mind.  Yes I do want to have children, someday--in the fairly far off future, but oh my goodness it is a terrifying idea and right now it gives me heartburn :).  I guess if it something that is meant to be I will have to take my own advice, face the challenge head on and hopefully jump over this obstacle.  I guess we will eventually find out for right now I will stick to riding my bike, running, training, and living life to the fullest.

Scary Movies: Will not watch them.  They give me nightmares.  Watched the "Walking Dead" one time and woke up seeing Zombies in my room, it was not pleasant.

Airplanes: It is not necessarily the flying that bothers me, except for take off and landing.  But the being so close to other people.  They just cram you into those things, everyone breathing the same recycled air and smelling each others body odor.  Combine that with the headaches they give me its just not a pleasant experience. I swear I am going to be trapped in one one day.

Not being able to exercise:  I understand that I will not be able to continue pushing my body as hard as I do now for the rest of my life but I pray that I will be able to continue being active for the rest of my life.  Running, biking, swimming, lifting, etc gives me such joy, peace, and fulfillment that the idea of not being able to do them definitely unnerves me.

The dark: I am not necessarily afraid of the dark where I have to sleep with a night light (anymore) but more that I am uncomfortable in the dark, especially when I am alone. The second the lights go out my balances gets off kilter and my vision starts doing funny things.  Shadows become more pronounced and noises become a lot louder (hence the heightened senses concept) and I do not enjoy it.  That being said whenever Brandon is traveling for work I sleep with the closet light on and always have a light on when I am in a room.   

Well that was a little bit of a dark challenge.  No one likes to talk about the things they are afraid of.  I hope to be a little bit less lazy the coming week, though my nerves in regards to Nationals next weekend may get the best of me, for a little more light hearted subject "Seven Wants" and a pre/post race recap of Age Group Nationals!!! 

Stay tuned and have a wonderful weekend

What have you done to overcome your fears?  

Troika 70.3: Ironman administrative body of 70.3 miles

THE 34th TROIKA LONG DISTANCE TRIATHLON

An administrative body of three or more simply a group of three the Russian derivative Troika embodies the swim bike run trifecta that is the sport of triathlons. The 34th annual Medical Lake Troika Long Distance triathlon was my first attempt at the long distance course of the Ironman 70.3.

On Saturday May 31, 2014 at 8:05 am I hoped into the murky lake waters of Medical Lake for my first attempt at the IM 70.3 distance.  For the past year my focus had been on the Olympic distance as Age Group National Championships  continues to steadily loom in the distance.  


Yet there I was on Saturday May 31st with butterflies in my throat and my family taking pictures behind me.  Due to it being my first one I had no clue what I was getting into and merely prayed that I would cross the finish line in one piece.

My Goals going into the race

Me and my number one supporter: Brandon

1. Finish the 1.2 mile swim in 45 mins
2. Successfully get out of my wetsuit without falling over myself
3. Make up time in the bike by completing it in 3 hrs
4. Maintain/do whatever I could to make it through the run
5. Finish the race in 5 hrs 45 mins

The Swim

Swimming is not my strong suit.  It seems as though whatever I do I end up in the back of the pack and after previously barely finishing 1500m at HITS in Napa Valley in under 35 mins I realistically did not expect much out of the swim.  I merely put my head down and kept my eyes on the yellow caps in front me, next thing I know I am emerging from the water, ripping my wetsuit off (succeed in not tripping over it) and hearing the timer yell out 38 mins.  My fastest swim time ever!  I guess the last month of open water swimming in the 50 degree ice cold water of Lake Couer d'Alene paid off.

The Bike

Despite coming in with my fastest time yet I was still in the back third of the pack and knew I needed to really push it in order to gain during the bike.  One of the biggest struggle during races for me is eating.  I either forget or can barely stomach whatever I try to force down.  It is something I have been working on and when I heard my stomach grumble I was forced to choke down a chocolate GU and rip into my Probar Bolt chews.  I am not 100% sure what went through my head while on the bike I merely put my eyes on the person in front of me and kept my legs moving until I passed them and repeated the process.  

Coming into the dismount I saw my dad and sister standing on the corner, as my family had gotten up at 2:00 am to make the 5 hour drive from Hood River, OR to come watch, and my dad yelled at me that there were only 8 women in front of me. 

The Run

Big thank you to the Bowker and Lloyd family
for all their support

So now it was time for me to do what I do best, time to take charge of the third and final group of three: the 13.1 mile run.  Putting one foot in front of the other I tried to shake out the ache from my hip flexors and quads and took off down the three loop course around Medical Lake all the while hearing my dad's words in my head: "only 8 women in front of you, go after them Kayla." So thats what I did.  Averaging 8:14-8:30 min miles I slowly but surely went after every racer out there.  It didn't matter if they were a man or women I was going to over take them.  Upon rounding the corner at after lap two and having caught three women putting myself into 5th place I came to the realization that I was going to break 5 hrs and 30 mins.  

The final push

At this point I was hungry, dehydrated, and my knees and ankles were screaming at me; all I could think about was wanting to be done.  Not really thinking I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and urging myself to continue doing so a little faster each time.  With a mile to go I was averaging 8 min flat per mile pace and begging myself to keep going to the end, then all of the sudden the finish line appeared and the announcer yelled my name and I crossed with a time of 5 hrs and 13 mins way under the goal I had set for myself.

Learning Curve

Each race provides you with the opportunity to learn and grow.  Participating in my first IM 70.3 really afforded me a chance to take a step back and find my strengths and weaknesses.  While it is not the distance I am going to be focusing on for the rest of the season it really helped me to get a better gauge of what I need to do in order to prepare for Nationals in the Olympic distance.

1st, 2nd, 3rd place award ceremony

Goals for summer training

Speed, Speed, and more Speed.  It is time to increase my power and force output, across all disciplines, which in turn will increase my speed.  So how will I go about this?

1. Introduce more interval, and lactic threshold workouts into my running program
2. Similarly introduce tempo, interval, and lactic threshold workouts into my biking program
3. Continue with brick sessions
4. Utilize swim practice offered by Team Blaze in order to help build strength in my swimming
5. Get a better understanding of fueling and nutrition for training and racing.

Participating in the IM 70.3 taught me that despite being an individual sport being a triathlete wouldn't be possible without the support, care, and love you receive from your family, friends, and fellow athletes.  The journey isn't one that you can do on your own it takes a village and a team.  I am blessed to have such a caring family, friends, and boyfriend who's belief in myself has taught me that I have the strength to keep pushing the limits.  

Being new to the triathlon circuit I am still learning a lot; how to fuel my body properly, train most effectively, and my biggest obstacle when to rest.  The process has been a blessed and amazing one so far and I look forward to what the rest of this season and future seasons has to offer.

Hit the Hills not the Floor

HILLS, HILLS, HILLS, HILLS

I believe this is a long time in coming.  It has been a while since I have had the time to sit down and tell you all why the all dreaded running of hills is an important aspect to your training.  For those of you who have been aching to get out there and run some hill repeats I apologize for my delay; for everyone else now you have no excuse :)

Can hill running make you stronger, quicker, and more light footed?

The brief answer to this question is YES! 

Imagine a weightlifter and/or body builder who is trying to increase his one rep maximum weight.  Their workouts wouldn't increase in light-weighted lifts and they wouldn't just do their repetitions at a faster pace; they would increase the weight on the bar.  Running works in the same fashion to increase strength we have to increase the maximum amount of force.  

"Running up hills forces the knees to lift higher, one of the most desirable developments for any runner, because this governs stride speed and length," wrote Lydiard (with Garth Gilmour) in his book Running With Lydiard. "It also develops the muscle fibers, increasing power."

The brilliance of hills comes from their ability to train and target all three muscle fiber group:

slow twitch-aerobically utilized and slowest to fatigue, intermediate fast twitch-producing more force than slow twitch they help to create the long slow powerful strides as seen in middle distance runners, and fast twitch-function anaerobically and used only in short bursts.

Olympic Coach Joe Vigil looks at hill training from an physiological side: "We use oscillatory terrain to increase the athlete's adaptation to stress, and to teach a more efficient use of glycogen," he says. "It also gives them a nice reactive power that improves their running economy."

You may be thinking "I am a long distance runner why would I need to strengthen by fast twitch muscles?"  If you take a second and break down the sections of a race (whether a fun one or competitive one) you find that at some point you will utilize all of your muscle fiber groups.

• Starting gun goes off: Fast twitch muscles activate to get your from a stand still to moving
• Right after the start: intermediate muscles are firing as you get into the groove of the race
• Meat of the race: the most used fibers slow twitch fibers maintain an active state through most of the race as they are the slowest to fatigue. 
• Kick: You're a half mile away from the finish line and from hitting the personal record you've been striving for time to kick it into gear.  Once again those fast twitch muscle fibers take over propelling you towards the finish line.      

As all fibers participate in the process of running it is important to strengthen all so that you have the ability to recruit one or the other when the timing is right.

Ok; you believe in the concept of increasing strength increases the amount of force and power output you can have so why can't you just go to the gym and lift? 

Combining strength work with endurance work is very important and this can be obtained from weight training at the gym.  While strength training through lifting does increase muscle strength and power it does so in an isolated format by focusing mainly on individual joints and small muscles groups.  In contrast hill training forces the muscles in your hips, legs, ankles, and feet to work in a coordinated fashion while supporting your body weight, this leads to your muscles contracting with more power as you continue uphill and in the end results in longer and more powerful strides

MECHANICS OF RUNNING HILLS

Most people are afraid to run hills not only because they can be mentally, emotionally, and physically challenging but the stipulation that running hills will cause injuries.  However, as with most physically demanding activities if you preform them correctly you have no need to worry.   
 Running uphill
There are three key concepts to running uphill. 

1. Keep you chest straight, stand up tall, and lean into the hill.  Think about standing on the balls of your feet and pushing off with your toes.  
2. Eyes up.  One of the biggest mistakes people make with running is general is watching their feet.  Looking down drags your shoulders, head, and torso downward putting your energy into the ground instead of propelling you forward.  
3. Maintain your rhythm going into the hill.  Running hills is all about rhythm, by maintaining your step cadence and just making minor adjustments you will find you will stride up the hill with ease.  

Running downhill

You've made it up the hill (and powered through the top of it) and now its time to go down.  The

key to efficient downhill running is to stay in control:

1. Stand up tall: one of the biggest mistakes people make in running down hills is to lean backwards.  Leaning back causes you to take pound your heels into the ground and have a forceful front foot slam, both of which are not conducive to staying injury free.  Lean forward and let gravity help propel you down.
2. As your pace increase equally increase your foot turnover rather than increasing your stride.
3. Keep your feet close to the ground and land lightly on your feet.

Hill Workouts

Here are five hill workouts as detailed by Runner's World Magazine, Mastering Hill Workouts via Runner's World Magazine. 

1. Long Hill Runs: the staple to every runner's training arsenal the long hill run is masterful at increasing the strength of slow twitch muscle recruitment, ankle flexibility, and stride power.
2. Long Hill Repeats: everyone's favorite.  These force your body to climb the muscle fiber recruitment ladder.
3. Short hill Repeats: here your hamstrings and quadriceps learn to coordinate with each other resulting in longer smoother strides.
4. Hill bounding: great way to build strength and stride efficiency
5. Downhill strides: through eccentric contraction your quadriceps will get a great workout during these strides.

Hills: they are the worst kept secret in the endurance world.  Runners of all ages, abilities, and professions love to hate them.  Choose to embrace them.  Embrace the discomfort, the aching, and gain a strength of mind, body, and spirit.  Choose to be a hill seeker!

COMING SOON: Hit the Hills not the floor

Hill repeats, everyone's favorite workout. More often then not they get avoided. However, I'm here to tell you that pushing yourself up to the top of that hill not only provides you with an often spectacular view but provides you with strength, power, and focus. Find out why hills are an important aspect to your training coming soon.