Running with Type 1
"Why do you run? Doesn't it hurt? Dude, no way, ten minutes and I am done. Aren't you worried about your knees? What about your heart, is that healthy to run 13.1 miles? Aren't you tired after a 5 miler? Wow, running sucks"
The questioning from non runners always makes me laugh. When you see somebody who naturally walks around stressed or who look to pop off in anger after the slightest irritant, don't you just want to tell them, "Hey bro, go for a 20 minute easy run and tell me how you feel after." While it takes time to build up your body for a run to feel desirable, you have to start somewhere. Every runner has their own reason to get out there, lace up the shoes, and go. Stress relief, to lose weight, lower their blood pressure and resting heart rate, improve their blood panel, or simply for the love and freedom that comes with a run.
While running provides tremendous upside to the above ailments listed; for me, running has brought me perspective. After being diagnosed with diabetes at 14, my teenage years and early 20's were riddled with more emotional rollercoasters than a health book could describe for a developing young adult. Emotions play a role in everything we do. While my journey of self discovery can't in no way shape or form be compared to the poor children whom are diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer and leukemia, specific to diabetics, our challenges can't be undermined or overlooked.
I am apart of of the lucky estimated 5% of Diabetics that are Type 1. When you hear the public discuss Diabetes, most times, they're citing Type 2. Type 2 has hugely been attributed to the gluttonous meal sizes, highly processed foods, and lack of nutrient basis. Type 1 historically has been referred to as "Juvenile Diabetes". Children diagnosed as early as 1 or 2, all the way up to their late teens is most common.
I was diagnosed at 14, and like most life changing diagnosis', you're never prepared for it. To say I've taken the diagnosis in stride and have been a poster child for Diabetes management since 2002 would be total BS. I've fought with Dr's orders, struggled with anxiety of low blood sugar, depression, and regular insomnia. Through some of my darker moments as a Type 1, produced some of my greatest insights on the disease and ways to naturally reverse the pancreas' lack of functioning.
I grew up a runner. I always wanted to run, and I wanted to run fast. I prided myself in easily finishing first in the Mile run amongst the football team. Sure, there were guys on the team that would edge me out in sprints, but I always had pride in my strength and endurance on the track. Not that the Mile run has anything to do with football, but it was a good base of aerobic/anaerobic fitness for the coaches to measure us on.
While I grew up in suburban Pittsburgh, the Western PA region has historically been known for it's love of High School Football. I grew up watching the sport and admiring the NFL and collegiate greats of the 90's and early 2000's, so it was natural to want to emulate them on Friday nights. I enjoyed the sport, and had above average local success, but found out after a year of college football, amongst my poor diabetes control and disdain for the college football environment, I called it quits.
I used my newly found spare time to finally invest in my health. You might have looked at me, 6'2 205 lbs in 2007 and thought, wow that dude is the epitome of health, but I had myself and everybody fooled for a long time. My HbA1c regularly ran between 8.6 and 9.8 between 2004 and 2008. I was quietly struggling with anxiety, and at times depression due to the chronic blood sugars in the 2 and 300's. Fears for my long term health began manifesting and I didn't know where to start. However, I do vividly remember one night playing basketball in the Summer 2008, I felt awful. My breathing mirrored a 42 year old whom hadn't done anything athletic in 20 years. After that night, I vowed to begin running again and begin making lifestyle changes for my overall health.
As my running continued to evolve and become a regular staple in my training regimen, my blood sugar control was improving and my body began requiring less insulin (I learned this the hard way with hypos between 2009 and 2012.) Instead of going directly to the weight room to push around heavy weight in front of a mirror, if the sun was shining, I put on my running shoes and hit the pavement and trails. I began noticing a slimmer face, greatly improved endurance, and better sleep patterns. I found myself reacting to stress differently. During a run, my mind would wander. I would recall moments of hurt and frustration and after those runs, I felt more at ease, I was at peace. I, for once in my life, was in the moment. I found moments of clarity while challenging myself uphill, or extending a run by 10 minutes, I found myself with confidence in my body, something that had been foreign to me.
I've been a runner since I was old enough to know what running was. My first meet in 8th grade, I ran a 5:29 mile, 1 month shy of my Diabetes diagnosis. The same runner's high I had then, is the same runner's high I seek out now. The high we all chase in our own way is a heightened perspective. Perspective for me is hindsight while in the moment. Hindsight in the moment has provided me with reassurance.
As an amateur competitor, I compete more with myself than I do others. When I sign up for a race, I don't anticipate chasing down Galen Rupp or Meb Keflezighi like times on the road, or running 100 miles like Scott Jurek or Dean Karnazes in the mountains. I compete against myself because it keeps me accountable. Being accountable as a diabetic will hopefully give me longevity, a healthy mind and body. Somewhere between strides, running connects us all. No matter if you're an elite ultramarathoner or proud to finish your first 5k, the connection to your spirit via running is more than just a myth.
The questioning from non runners always makes me laugh. When you see somebody who naturally walks around stressed or who look to pop off in anger after the slightest irritant, don't you just want to tell them, "Hey bro, go for a 20 minute easy run and tell me how you feel after." While it takes time to build up your body for a run to feel desirable, you have to start somewhere. Every runner has their own reason to get out there, lace up the shoes, and go. Stress relief, to lose weight, lower their blood pressure and resting heart rate, improve their blood panel, or simply for the love and freedom that comes with a run.
While running provides tremendous upside to the above ailments listed; for me, running has brought me perspective. After being diagnosed with diabetes at 14, my teenage years and early 20's were riddled with more emotional rollercoasters than a health book could describe for a developing young adult. Emotions play a role in everything we do. While my journey of self discovery can't in no way shape or form be compared to the poor children whom are diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer and leukemia, specific to diabetics, our challenges can't be undermined or overlooked.
I am apart of of the lucky estimated 5% of Diabetics that are Type 1. When you hear the public discuss Diabetes, most times, they're citing Type 2. Type 2 has hugely been attributed to the gluttonous meal sizes, highly processed foods, and lack of nutrient basis. Type 1 historically has been referred to as "Juvenile Diabetes". Children diagnosed as early as 1 or 2, all the way up to their late teens is most common.
I was diagnosed at 14, and like most life changing diagnosis', you're never prepared for it. To say I've taken the diagnosis in stride and have been a poster child for Diabetes management since 2002 would be total BS. I've fought with Dr's orders, struggled with anxiety of low blood sugar, depression, and regular insomnia. Through some of my darker moments as a Type 1, produced some of my greatest insights on the disease and ways to naturally reverse the pancreas' lack of functioning.
I grew up a runner. I always wanted to run, and I wanted to run fast. I prided myself in easily finishing first in the Mile run amongst the football team. Sure, there were guys on the team that would edge me out in sprints, but I always had pride in my strength and endurance on the track. Not that the Mile run has anything to do with football, but it was a good base of aerobic/anaerobic fitness for the coaches to measure us on.
While I grew up in suburban Pittsburgh, the Western PA region has historically been known for it's love of High School Football. I grew up watching the sport and admiring the NFL and collegiate greats of the 90's and early 2000's, so it was natural to want to emulate them on Friday nights. I enjoyed the sport, and had above average local success, but found out after a year of college football, amongst my poor diabetes control and disdain for the college football environment, I called it quits.
I used my newly found spare time to finally invest in my health. You might have looked at me, 6'2 205 lbs in 2007 and thought, wow that dude is the epitome of health, but I had myself and everybody fooled for a long time. My HbA1c regularly ran between 8.6 and 9.8 between 2004 and 2008. I was quietly struggling with anxiety, and at times depression due to the chronic blood sugars in the 2 and 300's. Fears for my long term health began manifesting and I didn't know where to start. However, I do vividly remember one night playing basketball in the Summer 2008, I felt awful. My breathing mirrored a 42 year old whom hadn't done anything athletic in 20 years. After that night, I vowed to begin running again and begin making lifestyle changes for my overall health.
As my running continued to evolve and become a regular staple in my training regimen, my blood sugar control was improving and my body began requiring less insulin (I learned this the hard way with hypos between 2009 and 2012.) Instead of going directly to the weight room to push around heavy weight in front of a mirror, if the sun was shining, I put on my running shoes and hit the pavement and trails. I began noticing a slimmer face, greatly improved endurance, and better sleep patterns. I found myself reacting to stress differently. During a run, my mind would wander. I would recall moments of hurt and frustration and after those runs, I felt more at ease, I was at peace. I, for once in my life, was in the moment. I found moments of clarity while challenging myself uphill, or extending a run by 10 minutes, I found myself with confidence in my body, something that had been foreign to me.
I've been a runner since I was old enough to know what running was. My first meet in 8th grade, I ran a 5:29 mile, 1 month shy of my Diabetes diagnosis. The same runner's high I had then, is the same runner's high I seek out now. The high we all chase in our own way is a heightened perspective. Perspective for me is hindsight while in the moment. Hindsight in the moment has provided me with reassurance.
As an amateur competitor, I compete more with myself than I do others. When I sign up for a race, I don't anticipate chasing down Galen Rupp or Meb Keflezighi like times on the road, or running 100 miles like Scott Jurek or Dean Karnazes in the mountains. I compete against myself because it keeps me accountable. Being accountable as a diabetic will hopefully give me longevity, a healthy mind and body. Somewhere between strides, running connects us all. No matter if you're an elite ultramarathoner or proud to finish your first 5k, the connection to your spirit via running is more than just a myth.
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