I love you fall

Yes, that's right. I love fall. My favorite season, and its here!!!

My favorite indulgence, pumpkin spice lattes, are back and now Caribou offers them sugar-free - wahoo, a guilt-free (and non-bolus requiring) indulgence!! In fact, I am enjoying a pumpkin protein smoothie right now, love it!

I was also excited to get in a longer outdoor run with my TBFL tonight! We ran the trail by our gym, extending it past our usual turn around point to get an extra mile. Total of 5 miles and it felt good and of course went by fast because we chatted quite a bit! (I was surprised to see my BG fall from 166 pre-run to 70 post-run)

Then, another fall favorite, when I got home it was freezing in our house, but I was uber excited to put on big comfy, warm SWEATS!!

Now that the sun goes down earlier, it should be a little easier to fall asleep earlier and get my much need 8 hours of sleep - another plus in my book : ) Speaking of books - more indoor time will also allow me to get caught up on the 4+ books I have started and should really finish (yup nerd alert!)

I know that this love of mine is short lived (I live in MN and before I know it never-ending winter will set in, shuddering just thinking about it), so I am going to enjoy this while I can : )

Hiatus

Whoops, looks like I let time slip by.

I have definitely been doing lots of fun things, but have been in an anti-diabetes mood. Not that I am ever pro-diabetes, but I just wasn't in the mood to think/talk about it I guess. I think it had to do with a multiple lows in the past week. The post low recovery just puts me in a really bad funk. But now I am focused and ready to get back on track with great BG numbers (positive thinking helps right?!)

The bach party in NYC was A-mazing!!! I could write a book about this trip, but to sum in just a few words: 13 girls from all over the US (CO, MN, IL, AZ, NY, MO...), Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, getting on the subway going the wrong direction, Mamma Mia, endless dancing at Kush Lounge, brunch at Georgio's, French and Italian dinners, free wine hour on the hotel veranda, some fun bach games ; )....

Last weekend was spent in ND celebrating our friends newly-constructed house (beautiful!) and hanging with the Sis and her BF. Fun fun! We managed to squeeze Yoga in there too!

The TBFL and I have felt quite lost these last couple of weeks. I really thought I would enjoy not having anything specific to train for and just enjoy all the things I like to do, Yoga, Body Works, Spin....but it turns out this couple of accountants like a schedule and routine - who knew??? So today we came up with a game plan, which will still be flexible but will at least provide a weekly guide to follow! Yay for the comfort of predictability!

Tomorrow I have two doctor appointments - yikes! I am getting a temporary CGM. I have never had one before, so I am really nervous about what it will involve. I am not even sure I know what it looks like or where it goes or how it works. Wish me luck!

Three Things Thursday (already!)

1. Today is actually Friday for me! I worked really hard today and yesterday to get all my month-end responsibilities taken care of before the loooong weekend. I am flying to NYC tomorrow for one of my bestest friend's bacheloretty party. It's going to be EPIC! This isn't my first time in NYC so I am just going to go with the flow and be a follower. The agenda includes MAMMA MIA, Statue of Liberty, the Met, a run with another bestest friend in Central Park, and lots of good food and FUN! It should be fantastic.

2. Hmmm, what can follow-up a loong weekend in NYC? As far as workouts go, yesterday the TBFL and I attempted Body Pump, round 2. This one was on a different day at a different time and with a different instructor and the result? Not as sore! This class involved music (that's always a plus in my book), lots of lunges (boooo) and less planks (yaaaay). Today we planned a morning run, but I woke up to a nice thunderstorm at 4am, and we had a quick text-fest and decided to move the run to after work. By then I was feeling Body Pump a little more, but we managed to crank out a nicely paced 3 mile-ish run outdoors (so much better than the treadmil!)

3. Yesterday I had an insatiable appetite, and no carb-free snacks in my drawer at work! It was torture. I ended up buying some vending machine snacks. The crazy thing was that I had about 3 extra carb-choices that I did not take insulin to cover, and every time I checked my BG it was in great shape - WTH?!?! However, I did not take a free snack this morning, and the result was a miserable low, followed by a recovery in which I felt like crap most of the rest of the day. Sigh. Some days are better than others I guess!

Big lights will inspire you in New York....

GAGA Ooooo La La

Last night was LADY GAGA!!!! and words can't describe how awesome the concert was!

First of all, I was not expecting the crazy freak-show crowd. The things people were wearing were quite interesting, and made for very good people watching pre-show. I noticed quite a few people wearing caution tape - is that from one of her videos or something?

The opening act was alright. Lots of f-bombs, but did an alright job of getting the crowd pumped for Gaga. The crowd went ab-so-lutley crazy when she finally came out. I mean seriously, a sold-out Xcel center screaming at the top of their lungs = loud!! Her performance was a non-stop 2 hour crazy freak show - and I loved every minute of it!

I had been to Britney last year, and thought it was really entertaining and fun. But GAGA was beyond entertaining. Unlike Britney, she actually performed live (I think most of it anyway) and talked to the audience a lot. She really portrayed a message of loving who you are as individual and not letting others bring you down for being different. But her music is just so much fun - you can't resist dancing!

So it was a fun night, but a late night, which really throws my week off - man am I an old fart! Even though I struggled through my day at work, and drank way too much caffeine (mocha in the morning and diet coke at lunch) I forced myself to get a run in. Ended up doing 3 miles at a little under a 10 minute mile, not an improvement, but much better than I was expecting! I have no BG facts, because I was feeling rebellious and frankly just didn't want to take the effort to check before or after. I know, I know...

Off to bed I said!

MN Military Appreciation Fund 5k

Saturday my hubby B, my TBFL, our best buddies M&R, and another friend H. headed to Harriet Island for the MMAF 5k run. Pre-race I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and a banana, and took enough insulin just to cover one of the two, in hopes of preventing a race or post-race low (my BG was 78 prior to breakfast). I was a little concerned about going low, because on Friday I had an unexpected low right before lunch. I had just read in "Diabetic Athlete's Handbook", that havin a low the day before strenuous exercise event raises your chances of going low then too.

This race started a little later than most - 10am, which I was appreciate of, as it allowed me to "sleep-in" a little. However, the other side of the coin was that the temperature was warmer than I would have liked. The race wasn't all I had hoped it would be. I started out keeping pace with my TBFL, but from the start just seemed to be struggling. At the turn around point half-way through, I just couldn't keep up with my running buddy. My side-ache continued to worsen, and around mile 2 I even had to stop and walk it out, which was a big bummer. I pushed through it though and B joined me in the last little jaunt across the finish line. As soon as I stopped I did not feel so hot, well I did feel super hot, but not in a good way. I ended up finishing at about 30:10 - not my worst and not my best. I decided not to fret too much about the seemingly treacherous run, because it was after all for a good cause and it was over! (my BG after was 181, a little high, but better than going low!)

The whole day was a Say Thanks Day, so there was lunch, beer, and live music to enjoy all afternoon. I ate a half a hot-dog, chips, and an apple, taking enough insulin to cover each item. We didn't stick around too long, but it was great to give our troops a small sign of our appreciation for them (B just got back from Iraq and out of the guards after 10 or so years of service, so it means a great deal to us).

After the race my BG continued to drop - 146 at 11:20 before lunch, 138 at 12:22 after lunch before a treat of Starbucks frapuccino which I also took insulin to cover, 88 at 2:28 which was when I was pretty sure I was going low, but the numbers weren't quite proving it yet, and 64 at 3:02 a low I treated by eating Chobani. So I am not sure if it was all due to the tough run, too much insulin through-out the day, or too little food, or a little of all 3. Either way, the result was a pretty bad headache all day, that was still there when I woke up this morning. I guess better luck next time!

The remainder of the weekend included grilling and Farkle with friends, successful shoe shopping (two super-cute pairs!), girl talk, a slooow movie "Brooklyn's Finest", bathroom remodel decision making (white trim, dark stained doors, brushed nickel hardware), cancelled bike ride today due to the lingering headache and sore quads (HUGE bummer), an afternoon massage, and some house cleaning. Another weekend come and gone - SAD! Here's to enjoying the last couple of days in August!

3 Things THURSDAY!

1. If you have read and enjoyed the book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", you must see the Swedish movie! My TBFL and I had a date night last night, as if we don't see each other enough (probably more than we see our significant others) which included MAC GRILL!!! The food was oh so yummy. Another sign that we maybe spend too much time together -- we ordered the exact same meal! I had low expectations for the movie. I figured it would be a low budget foreign film with poor acting. I was wrong! The actors were fantastic and kept me intrigued the whole 2 1/2 hours. I was a little disappointed in how not-so-good looking Mikael Blomkvist was, but he grew on me. The girl that played Lisabeth was spot on! I will be curious to see how the Hollywood version, which is being filmed currently, compares.

2. I love my dog. She is the cutest and smartest little creature evah! However, she does have a little attitude (anyone that's met her would agree). This attitude comes out especially when she feels left out. So today after work, my hubby came home, quickly changed and headed of to go motorcycling with some buddies. I left shortly after to go for a run and then grab a bite to eat with a good friend. When I got home, I knew right away she was not happy:

She always pulls something out of the garbage, doesn't really chew it up, but just leaves it out, whenever we don't stay home long enough with her. This was her pay back. I couldn't even be that upset with her, so instead we played fetch until she got bored with it. 

3. Today my Manager sent me an email letting me know that he thought I was in a good place with my projects, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to take off at 3ish and still leave around noon tomorrow as well. I so couldn't pass that offer up! I love my new job : ) Summer Fridays are the best - leave whenever you feel you are in a good spot; I haven't stayed past 2 yet!

Tomorrow's Friday - whoo hoo!

Is it only Tuesday?!?!

So in my last post I explained how sore I was from Yoga. Since then I have:

1) Went for a nice bike ride with the hubby. I was planning on doing nothing Sunday, but to my surprise B was actually interested in going for a ride with me. Typically I have to beg and plead, and usually fail to get him to do physical activity. You are probably thinking I must have a lazy husband. Nope, not true. He is always busy doing something, its just leisure activities aren't really his thing. He'll run a race (and kick butt) if I sign him up, but that's about it. So I couldn't say no! And it was nice. It was way too hot, so I was dripping quite a bit, but that just made me feel even more hardcore ; ) In the end we did about 8 miles in 45 minutes. (BG was 148 before and it looks like I forget to check after, but a few hours later it was 78)

2) I wasn't about to get up early and run on Monday, as we went to a late Twins game the night before, which I should add was a great game - nice weather, fun company, home run, and a Twins win. I couldn't ask for it any other way! (I even indulged in some gelato for the first time at the game, which is dangerous because the booth is right behind our seats). Ok, back on track. So I knew I needed to get a run in, with this 5k coming up on Saturday. Unfortunately, towards the end of my work day, I felt that nagging cold coming back - sore throat, running right nostril (why only one?), ick. When I got home all I wanted to do was lay around, but I forced myself to hop on the treadmill for a first effort at "speedwork". I was actually very surprised and pleased with myself and the workout I knocked out. It consisted of a 5 minute warm up at about an 11:13 pace, 1 minute sprint (or whatever you want to call it) at between 8 and 8:30 minute pace, 1 minute at warm-up pace, repeated 5 times. Then repeated the whole process 2 more times. Ended up taking about 45 minutes. It was hard, but I was proud of myself for pushing through! (BG before the run was 135 and after was 87)

3) I thought I might have been able to run away my cold - no such luck. Today my TBFL and I planned to try out the "Body Works Plus Abs" class this morning, as part of our effort to increase our core strength. I woke up at 5AM feeling absolutely crummy (BG was 62, which didn't help either). I dug around in the dark (trying, but failing to not wake up B)  for the last dayquil in the house. Even with the drugs, the class was HARD. It started with some brutal planks, held for a minute each, then 30 seconds. I could barely hold it for 10 seconds - sad! Then it moved to lunges, squats and lots of dumbbell reps. Whew - we survived, barely. We'll be back next week ; ) (BG after the workout was 140)

4) A friend asked if I wanted to go for a 3 mile run with her tonight. My initial thought was - No, I am sick and I just need to recover. Then I thought, ok, maybe that wouldn't be so bad, especially since I am planning on taking tomorrow off. Then I had to walk something to our other building at work, and as I crossed the parking lot, I felt the effects of the body works class hitting me. There was no way I was going for a run. By the time I left work my entire body was one big sore muscle (kinda similar to Yoga just a few days ago). So no run for me tonight, which is ok. I did make some delicious tomato basil soup with cheesy ciabata bread. I am stuffed!

Well I think I am going to do more reading tonight - did you know Mary Tyler Moore is a diabetic and wrote a book about her life with it? Pretty interesting stuff.