Weeks 4 and 5: Hurts... So... Good...

Over and over again, I am astonished at the levels of physical exertion to which I am able to push myself. Admittedly, I've harbored the deeply buried and shameful idea that being a diabetic makes me more brittle than a non-diabetic. I am proving to myself that this is wrong.

Which, of course, is staggeringly life-changing. Though I've always believed that I should be just as physically capable as a non-diabetic, I never thought I actually was. Since the beginning of my training in January, noticeable changes have been appearing in my physicality, performance, and appearance. This is truly an achievement for both myself and diabetics everywhere; to know that the condition does not have to dictate your abilities. Attitude and discipline are everything.

This past week or so was intense. As my climbing technique, strength and stamina are all increasing and developing steadily, I conquered my most challenging climbs ever at the rock gym; a couple of 5.9's a few times and one 5.10! I'm not at all solidly on that level yet, though, because even some 5.7's challenge me. I am hoping to master 5.9's very solidly within the next couple of months so that I can learn to sport lead, a much more demanding and dangerous style of rock climbing.

To feel my body changing is very exciting, and it's almost at a rate too fast for my consciousness and awareness to maintain. When I am up on the rock wall, my muscles feel much stronger than I can ever remember, and I'm moving in ways I don't fully understand. My creativity in climbing movements is surprising me, and it's encouraging to feel myself improving in my skill and ability. Needless to say, I'm still in the honeymoon phase of my physical training.

This last weekend was perhaps my most physically demanding of all. I managed to do a 7-mile hike over very rocky terrain with a 44-lb. pack (approximately 32% of my body weight) that lasted about 4 hours. Three days later, and my gluteus maximus is hurting so very, very good. Buns of Steel's got nothin' on that hike.


The hiking crew and I, far left. I'm the dipstick with the massive pack.

If that weren't tortuous enough, I just had to go climbing at the rock gym immediately afterward to bag those tough aforementioned climbs. Whoo dillay! I am hurtin' from my ankles, to my calves and things, to my back, shoulders, forearms, and everywhere in between. I need some aspirin, a massage, and perhaps a punch in the face for having lost my mind. Does anyone know a good masseuse/ dojo/ pharmacy?

Truth be told, I loved every minute of the grueling agony of physical exhaustion, and I had even more energy left over. In fact, I wanted to push myself further, but enough is enough! There is always time for more masochism later...

Since that hike, my blood sugar has practically resolved itself. In the graph, take a look at the last third of the readings. Those are my blood sugar results since the hike and following climbs. It may not be easy to see, but my blood sugar finds a much tighter range, with one high reading of 285.



This is a breakthrough in my understanding of how exercise affects my metabolism, and I'm excited for the good news. Also, I blasted through all of my emergency sugar while on the hike, so I can't be too careful about that. I'd rather carry too much than too little, and that's a lesson I don't ever want to have to learn the hard way.

Lastly, I will be doing a late winter climb of Mount Washington come March. Weather conditions ought to be crushingly cold and windy, perhaps below zero and >40 mph winds. I can't wait! What a great opportunity for me to get some instruction and experience with snow travel, crampons, ice axes, and self-arrest. Also, I'll be anxious to see how my glucometer and insulin will fare in such harsh conditions. I'd rather make some mistakes and learn from them on Mt Washington than Mt Rainier.

Week 2: 12 New Callouses and One New Insulin Pump

This week, I was able to do my hardest climb ever. On the Yosemite Decimal System, a 5.10 is a challenge for many experienced climbers. I was able to attack a 5.10 not just once, but twice! I am very proud of my newest climbing achievement, and it helps to further my motivation to improve into a strong and skilled climber. 

I've become a member at my rock gym, and I intend on going several times a week. 

I'm also happy to announce that it is only a matter of time now before I am officially on the Omnipod, Insulet Corporation's insulin pump with tubeless technology; the first of its kind. It's been a very long time coming both for me and the diabetic community. 

Admittedly, I've tried traditional pumps with infusion sets and long tubes - no good. While many pumps out there are truly spectacular, a pump is a pump. The Omnipod, however, is more than a pump: it's a guarantor of freedom. 

When I wore a traditional insulin pump, I felt imprisoned by its tubing and weight. As soon as I put it on, I felt great, but my happiness quickly dissolved into a very unhappy flashback to when I was first diagnosed. It wasn't pretty. 

The Omnipod is different from other pumps in the enormously advantageous respect that it is sans tubing. Because of this functionality, I was able to forget it was even there! What invaluable peace of mind! As a diabetic, that feeling is mostly a foggy memory. I'm delighted. 

Besides my new equipment, I'm also happy to announce a budding partnership with the ADA annd JDRF. With pleasure and respect, I will be representing both organizations at future events, such as fundraisers, radio interviews, and health conferences. I'm sure countless good can come out of such a partnership, and I am very excited to begin collaborating our resources to raise money and awareness for the benefit of diabetic everywhere.

So with my dying grip and newly calloused hands (12 in total, thankyouverymuch), I'm off to get some rest to finish up another week of training. Week 4, prepare to be climbed/ hiked/ attacked/ rocked!

Day 3 and Will Cross

Today was my third day of my intensive training schedule. On day one, I began with 15 minutes of warmup, followed by 30 minutes of 100% incline on a treadmill with a 20-lb. pack, and ending with 15 minutes of cool-down.



For today, I took an introductory rock climbing class at the world-class rock gym Earth Treks with the masterful instructor Ryan (you're the man!). I learned the basics of belaying and top-roping, such as tying in, anchoring, and all that good stuff. I now have a 15-foot rope to practice my knots on, and I will be taking the belay test very shortly to qualify as a belayer. Also, for the next 15 days, I will be focusing my training on rock climbing to jump-start my upper body's development, as that is my weak spot. After Day 1's training, I felt I could do another 30 minutes with a pack that was twice as heavy. Clearly, my legs are strong, but my arms are in dire need of attention.

And attention they will get, because typing is a bit of a chore for me presently. I am a little disappointed in my performance climbing today, because I was hoping to have more endurance. My grip died first, then my wrists and forearms, and lastly my reserve. Here, I was immensely helped along by the encouragement of my climbing partner (my brother) and the direction of my awesome instructor Ryan.

Day 3 total: two 5.6 climbs, not bad.
Week so far: 30 minutes, 100% treadmill incline, 20-lb. pack

Off to a great start! But I have a LOT of work to do. As I like to say, I am going to climb many mountains before I even set foot on one. I wouldn't have it any other way! I look forward to kicking my own butt, and having you come after me as well. Feel free to comment if you have any suggestions for my training plan, and I will be happy to take your ideas into consideration. I'm going to do whatever it takes to prepare myself for Rainier.




On another note, I had the incredible honor and pleasure of speaking with world-class mountaineer Will Cross on the phone today. I wrote him and asked him a lot of questions about blood sugar and altitude, sponsorship and even insulin pumps. He gave me a call and inspired me a great deal. It's so validating to hear a true pro tell you that you can do it! He is on the Animas 2020, which I have all but decided to use myself. I've contacted Animas, and I should be hearing about that shortly. Will said it was very durable, and the Animas customer service is rock-solid. Sounds good to me!

Good news with the pump, in general, though! My insurance company is going to cover me 100%. No out of pocket expenses! I couldn't be more stoked to be with an insurance company. It is almost too good to be true. I've spent one and a half years wishing I could be on the pump, and I've been through about 4 different insurance companies. Finally, the Heaven-sent news I needed to hear!

As for my blood sugar so far - I checked before and after my day 1 exercise, and also before I started climbing today and after I came down. The only notable issue was that my sugar was 89 before my class today, so I had a granola bar (30g carbs) and I was at 98 two climbs later! Obviously, my body used up a lot of energy and tore into that snack. This helps me gauge pre-climbing snacking in the future. I also made sure to stay very hydrated.

After all is said and done, I'm doing pretty well for my third day. I rewarded myself with a junior whopper this evening:) I'm pretty darn proud, but I'm going to work even harder next time. Which will be tomorrow. Wish me luck on my belay test!