Living Well With Diabetes

Yesterday, I went out on the last big training ride of the year before the Logan to Jackson (LOTOJA) Classic on September 8. I wrote about the LOTOJA in my previous post.

My goal yesterday was a 130 mile test of my level of preparation. I’m pleased to report that I managed 132 miles in about 8 hours and 47 minutes. With over 6000 feet of climbing on this ride, I felt pretty good about it.

The other thing I felt pretty good about during the ride was my blood sugars. For only the second time this year, I wore a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) during the ride. I still carry my Breeze2 meter by Bayer HealthCare because 1) the CGMS that I have is approved for adjunctive use only which means that the CGMS readings are intended to complement, not replace, the readings from a standard home glucose monitoring device, and 2) I still prefer the Breeze2 meter because of its 10-strip discs that mean I don’t have to haul around an entire bottle of test strips on a bike ride.

I’ve uploaded the CGMS readings from my ride here:

(click on image to view a larger version)

I started the ride at about 8:00 AM and didn’t finish until about 4:45 PM. As you can see, the blood glucose readings remained fairly level throughout the ride. During the ride, I consumed five energy bars at about 250 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrate per bar plus two and a half quarts of energy drink (150 calories and 39 grams of carbohydrates per quart). I had dropped my basal rate to 70% of its normal rate and amazingly enough, I still didn’t have to bolus for any of the food I consumed during the ride.

There’s a spike in the blood glucose readings from the CGMS at about 4 PM. It headed up as high as 205 mg/dl and then came back down. I’m not sure what that was all about because I stopped to test my blood sugar at about 4 PM and the Breeze2 meter read 84. Just one of those occasional wacky CGMS readings, I guess.

Below is some more data from my ride.

Total distance:	132.72 miles
Time:	8:47:41
Average speed:	15.1 mph
Maximum speed:	39.1 mph
Total calories:	8675
Average heart rate:	??? (no data — I forgot to strap on my heart rate monitor before I left home)
Maximum heart rate:	??? (no data — I forgot to strap on my heart rate monitor before I left home)
Total ascent:	6392 feet
Total descent:	6274 feet
Ride map:	(click on image to view a larger version)
Ride profile:	(click on image to view a larger version)
Ride comments: Started at Jeremy Ranch (near Park City, Utah) to avoid the high temperatures ot Salt Lake City (predicted highs in Salt Lake City were 96 degrees F and only 81 in Park City). I enjoyed the company of two other riders for about 10 miles and then I was solo the remainder of the day. Winds were moderate. I had a headwind as I headed for Echo which somehow seemed to still be a headwind after I turned around to head back to Jeremy Ranch. Temperatures were still pretty warm — a thermometer in Coalville read close to 90 degrees. Towards the end of the ride, I cooled off and got some extra miles out of my legs by holding my head under a faucet of water. It wasn’t even very cold water, but it felt SO good!

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This year, I’ve been training for the annual Logan to Jackson (LOTOJA) bicycle race.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the LOTOJA, it’s a one-day, 206-mile bicycle race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. It’s the longest USCF-sanctioned event in the United States. The route takes riders through three states (Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming) and over three mountain passes (about 9500 feet of climbing total).

This will be my eleventh LOTOJA. My first was in 1989 when there were just over 200 starters in the event. For the past six years or so, they’ve had to limit the entries to 1000 riders. I was lucky to get into the race this year because registration filled up within two days and I had neglected to register. I got myself onto a waiting list in March, my entry was confirmed around May 1, and I’ve been training hard ever since.

Here are some photos from my 2003 LOTOJA experience. As for my 2005 LOTOJA, the last time I entered the race, here are some course maps and a race report.

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One thing I’m not doing this summer is driving my car. When average gas prices were hovering around $3.25/gallon back in late May, I decided to start commuting by bicycle.

My commute by bicycle takes about 30 minutes and is 6-7 miles each way. During rush hour, the same commute by car was taking me about 20 minutes, so it didn’t seem like a huge sacrifice.

One unexpected benefit of commuting by bicycle is my latest HbA1C test result. I went to visit the doctor earlier this week. It was just a quarterly visit with the diabetes educator. I’m still awaiting results from the blood chemistry tests, but I am pleased to report that my latest HbA1C came in at 5.5%. Very nice! Usually, during the summer months, my HbA1C’s run in the high 5% range. Even though it’s only 6-7 miles each way, the commute by bicycle is an extra hour of exercise each day and every bit helps towards better control, I think.

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