Something funky happened, and my site went kaputz! But alas, it is now working again! (funny, though, I doubt anyone still reads this!)

Lots going on in life these days! Biggest news lately is that I am still employed. My company laid off 8000 folks, and I somehow managed to get through it - though not without gaining tons of responsibility, and losing lots of great friends. I guess at this point I should be happy I still have health insurance to cover my diabetic goods and visits… Still this economy has really got me down… so much so that I FINALLY GOT BACK TO THE GYM YESTERDAY…. the eliptical was my first workout, and I hated it so much that the next workout will HAVE TO BE A RUN, (despite a broken toe on the mend…)

Looking forward to getting back into this, and sharing my progress with you. Hope to have good things to share soon, and sorry for the extended hiatus!

Hello again friends,
The Diabetic Runner (RETURNS)

That’s been me lately… hiding and not running.

Let’s catch up shall we?

First of all, Charlie is a marathoner!

Next: I’ve stopped using the CGMS sensors - it’s more of a money thing, and I hope to resume using them again next year, as I’ve already seen my A1c slip.

Next: I haven’t been running, but with this too, I hope to resume again soon… I really miss it, and my body could use some exercise.

Next: The DR 5H and 1K - I am not going to meet EITHER of these this year, but hope I’ve inspired others to complete the task. I have received emails from some of you, and you’ve done great! Many have already met their goal, and others are closing in fast as the year draws to a close. In the end, 70 people signed up, making it more popular than I had imagined when I started the challenge at the beginning of the year. If I hear even one comment that I should set it up again for 2009, I will, and I’ll even strive to meet the goal this time!!!! THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

Next: I have been playing tennis to keep the bones moving.

Next: I like running more than tennis.

Next: Sorry I’ve been out of touch with so many of you fellow runners/bloggers. I’ve been really bad about reading, commenting, and posting lately.

Next: Merry Christmas!

Always running (errands),
Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

I haven’t turned my blog to the obit section, but just wanted to take a minute to remember one amazing man, Dr. Degallier, who delivered me in 1974.

Dr. Daniel Degallier
July 6, 1923 — Sept. 17, 2008

Dr. Daniel Degallier was delivered back into the hands of the Creator on Sept. 17, 2008. He was first delivered into this world July 6, 1923, to Edmond and Marie (Rochat) Degallier in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. He was raised and educated in Lausanne, Switzerland, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1950 to intern at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul. Then, he spent two years of residency training at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis (one year in pathology and one year in Ob-Gyn). In 1953, he went to Germany as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and delivered many babies there. Returning in 1956, he completed one more year of residency training at Minneapolis General Hospital. In 1957, he came to Winona and practiced his specialty of Ob-Gyn with Dr. Boardman before joining the Winona Clinic in 1958, where he continued to practice until his retirement in July 1993.

Daniel married Lucienne Raymond in 1946 but was later divorced. They had one son, Jon (Alice) Degallier of Ukiah, Calif. He married Velma Runkel (Ask) in 1960. They had three sons, David (Jan) Degallier, Paul (Sue) Degallier of Winona and Mark (Beth) Degallier of Fountain City, Wis. He also gained a stepdaughter in his marriage to Velma, Carol (Mark) Freed of Coon Rapids, Minn. They also had numerous grandchildren. He was the youngest of four children. A brother and sister, Michael Degallier and Nancy Chetteoui go before him, as have their parents. A brother, Roland (Ann-Marie) still resides in Paris.

He was a member of many associations, including president of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) and the Exchange Club of Winona. He was also a member of the Pleasant Valley Evangelical Free Church, the Gideons, the Community Concert Association and the American College of Ob-Gyn. He was on staff at Winona General Hospital and then at Winona Community Memorial Hospital.

Daniel was an accomplished pilot and loved flying, even building his own aircraft, including full-sized and model airplanes. He loved music and art. He played the flute and painted with expertise. He had a passion for playing baroque music with his children with four harpsichords that he built. In 1967, he designed a cabin for his family and for many years took pleasure in spending time with them snow-skiing, windsurfing, and sailing and water skiing in the boats that he built. He also enjoyed shooting rapids in kayaks he made and camping in his homemade tent. He liked building furniture and home decorating and was excellent with a needle and thread, both as a tailor and a surgeon.

Above all this, he was a committed, devoted man of principle who stood firm for what he believed in, one of which was his faith. He loved his career because he claimed that he got to see life coming into the world. He was honored and privileged to be able to catch in his hands more than 10,000 miraculous creations of God.

Services to remember Dan will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at Pleasant Valley Church, Winona, with the Rev. Rick Iglesias officiating. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery, Winona.

Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m., today, Sept. 18, at Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home, Winona, and at the church Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m.

For the last several years of his life, he suffered from Alzheimer’s, diabetes and finally cancer. Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, the labor of transition from this world to the next was eased for him. We look forward to the day when those of us who trust in Jesus Christ, as he did, will see him again. Dan no longer follows Jesus, but walks with him hand in hand. Praise His name.

Thank You Dr. Degallier!
Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

Blogging just isn’t one of them lately.

Fortunately running has become a priority, and I consider it one of the spinning plates. Tennis is another - a trade off to get my wife to start running, I’ve comitted to taking tennis lessons with her, and it’s actually quite fun (a compliment given that I don’t like tennis).

Another “project” plate has been spinning up all my time lately, and hopefully will bear large juicy fruit that I can blog about later this year.

Thanks for hanging in there, and I’m excited to read all about your Chicago Marathon experiences next month y’all!

What are you spinning?

Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

Over the weekend I ran (mostly walked) a 6.2 mile trail in Pittsburgh. It was excellent! I experienced for the first time calf cramps and my eyes having difficulty focusing

I also just received in the mail this cool tote for my nike+ pod. Jamie made it himself and I have already tried it out. I don’t have to keep checking to see if the thing has fallen out of my laces anymore! Thanks Jamie!

Richard

If you don’t know me then you can’t really appreciate how difficult a task this was for Jamie. Personally, I have always hated running and could never run more than 1 mile at a time. But with my waistline heading in the wrong direction, and seeing the excitement from Jamie having a running buddy (albeit, 3000 miles away), I thought I would give it a try. However, saying I am going to start exercising and buying equipment has always been super easy for me. I usually last a couple weeks max so don’t get excited yet :D.

I have just uploaded my second run and am 3 miles into our nikeplus challenge. There seems to be a trend in Jamie’s ability to convice people that running is a good idea because he just called and said his wife Kaori just ran her first run with her newly purchased shoes (her motivation to keep running)

Well, lets see if the motivation will continue and both Kaori and I continue running.

- Richard

So, last post I introduced you all to Rich, my buddy in PA - and he is now runninng (and I’ve started again too, believe it or not)! Go Rich!

With a lot of coaxing, and a little bit of bribery I talked him into getting a Nike+ SportBand, and more importantly to start running. He has fulfilled his end of the bargain thus far (posting his first 1.3 mile run today), and in turn I will fulfill mine when he reaches the agreed upon milestones. 100 Miles earns him a bottle of Scotch (here’s the bribery part), and when he reaches 500 miles, I promise to fly out to Pitt with a FINE bottle of Scotch and will help drink it in celebration. I’m excited to get someone else interested in the sport, and am looking for your comments to help encourage him to stick with it!

So I’ve decided to try something new here at The Diabetic Runner, posts from a guest runner. I created an account for Rich to log in and post articles here on the site, and there will be a new category for all his posts: “RICH RUNS” for you to follow his story as a beginning runner. Please let him know what you think of his journey by commenting on his posts, and with me - talk him into signing up for the “Kick the Couch” 5K Race in Oct.

Welcome Rich!

Running for riches,
Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

First the motivation. My buddy Rich (pictured left) and I have a lot in common. We are both mid-westerners at heart, and met scuba diving. We also have tech backgrounds, and in fact my current job is his previous job. We also share a love for the same vices in life… Guitar Hero Wii and Scotch nights online have been known to occur. Recently he visited and his wife’s disapproval of our activities matched that of my wife… so in an attempt to get off her S*LIST and do something healty for both of us, I’ve managed to convince him to start running with me… the trouble is that he’s in PA - so we are going to use Nike+ as our virtual enabler. I have high hopes for it to become habit for both of us - and will be pushing hard for a 2010 Marathon for both of us once he gets hooked…. (It can happen Rich!).

Additionally, there’s some other motivation for healty habits that’s recently entered both of our lives… Wii Fit. I’m just 2 days in, but think it will help motivate me to see my BMI (as artificial as it may be or not) regularly. I find the games and fitness activities pushing me to a sweat, and feel the effects afterwards, so I’m going to give it a shot along with a renewed commitment to running (which I’m sure you’ve all noticed has bee severly lacking as of late - in fact I’m now feeling like I love NOT running… SAD) But alas here we go!

On the Mickey front…. Interesting thing happened when we visited Tokyo Disneyland Resort… Upon entering, our bags were checked, and the security guard wanted me to open my diabetic “kit”. I did, and the questions ensued. It was fine that I was diabetic, and okay that I bring needles into the park (even though I’m on a pump and wouldn’t be needing them). BUT he told me under no terms was I to use a needle where ANYONE could see me! It wasn’t Disney-like to see someone “shooting up.” I agreed, but thought things would be different if Mickey had a bad pancreas and didn’t make all his money selling cotton candy and ice cream. Ah well, I still love Mickey, and all things Disney, even if he is a hater!

Screw Mickey, I just got Rich!
Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

So, here’s the update. My kids and wife were in Japan for most of June, and all of July as our daughter attended Preschool there over her summer vacation. She had a great experience, and it was well worth it, but it left me a bachelor for about 6 weeks. During that six weeks, and 10 days following that I visited Japan the following has been accomplished: Gained 6 pounds. Made progress on my CGMS/workout tracking site. Lost total control over my BG. Ran like 1 or 2 times. Begged to get back to my normal life. Now we’re all home and life can resume as normal. WHEW!!!! Easy to fall into the path of self-destruction I guess, what with Costco selling beer by the case and all….

Japan was excellent. I’ve been there many times before but this trip was pretty cool. Busy & HOT though. We took the Shinkansen all over while there since we bought Rail Passes. Nagano/Hakuba to visit some friends. Nagoya to visit my sister/brother in-law and their new baby boy. On to Hiroshima for my first time. Stop in Kobe for a (expensive) Kobe Beef lunch. Tokyo Disneyland for our daughter’s birthday, and then prepping and partying at grandma/grandpa’s house with our daughter’s new classmates for her birhtday and goodbyes. My only complaint was the intense heat and humidity - that was the one thing that made me REALLY glad to be back home.

Finally, when I returned home this week, there was a letter from the running store I frequent, Runner’s Feet. They are closing shop here, and having a big sale, inviting customers first to take advantage of discounts. Doors opened at 10AM this morning, and I was number 18 in line, arriving 20 minutes before 10. Doors opened and chaos ensued. When I left there must have been over 50 people inside the small store. I bought 2 boxes of GU gels, 2 running shirts and a running bra. HMMMM….. I know you’re getting worried about me Charlie, but I swear it was per my sister’s request that I bought this…. Kinda bummed to see them go - now I’ll have to go to a chain like store until I find another mom & pop sort of place that has comparable service. These sort of shops are perfect for dedicated runners as they don’t pretend to be everything to everyone! I’ll miss them.

Good to be back,
Jamie, The Diabetic Runner

P.S. Huge shout out to Ed at Ring The Bolus for becoming an Ironman while I was gone. WAY TO GO ED!

Well, the past week and a half of running again has been going well! I probably came out of the gate a little fast, as I’m feeling some laziness in my legs these days, but happy to be running again. Now the heat! It is DAMN hot here in California this week. Even staying inside for the treadmill is hot. Like others have noticed, you sometimes forget how nice you have it until something changes - for me it’s the heat… It’s usually so perfect heat/humidity wise here that I forget what it’s like to SWEAT LIKE A PIG… Man, all you Florida runners… you have my respect now for sure… if you train in the weather we are having now you are hard-core!

Been running without any devices the last few runs (on a treadmill for mileage recording) and it is LIBERATING, though I noticed something funny. I created XML files for Nike+ (since it’s kind of my all-encompassing repository of run data), and uploaded them to track the runs… My total mileage then had an asterisk after it (*). Man I felt so “Barry Bonds” that I decided to delete the runs from there since they weren’t actually recorded with the device. I suppose they do this to keep people from cheating in challenges, but it made me feel like a cheater even though I HAD done the runs. Haven’t gone back to see if my * disappeared after deleting the runs yet - or to see if I’m branded for life. Aw, like I always say - “if you cheat running, you’re only cheating yourself.” So life goes on.

SENSOR AND BG UPDATE: anyone that actually looks at my BG data will notice a recent absence of data…. I have been without sensors for a while, and am hoping that UPS showed up today with another batch. I feel naked without them.

Naked and still sweating,

Jamie, The Diabetic Runner