The Plot Thickens

May, 2010

I used to run quite a lot, but stopped entering races after our daughter was born fourteen years ago.  Let me tell you what a fantastic runner I was.  We lived in Maine during the years I entered a lot of 5-mile and 10K races – I never entered anything longer because diabetes complicates running for an extended time.  In 1994 I entered the LL Bean 10K and at the starting line found myself right next to Joan Benoit Samuelson (the Maine resident who won the Olympic gold medal for the very first women’s marathon in 1984).  I want you to know I kicked her butt…for the first fifty yards, and then it was “bye, bye Joanie” lol…

Seriously, I could complete five miles at a 6:30 pace before parenthood found me hanging up the running shoes.  Though this pace didn’t even approach the elite ranks, I felt it was respectable.  Probably more so because I never had a clue of how to train, I just ran hard for several miles several times a week.

Running a marathon never crossed my mind with diabetes.  But to run Le Grand Raid would let me celebrate with locals and veterans at the finish line, an intimacy I cherish, and the challenge to test my commitment at preparation seems apt to celebrate the landmark birthday.  Here is motivation.

The glimmer intensifies as I contemplate the possibilities.  My mundane existence might count as meaningful if I could orchestrate the attempt as a fund raising event for a cure for my disease.  I’ll keep this brief, but please endure a few thoughts around life with Juvenile Diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes.  The majority (90%) are Type II, where the body can’t effectively use insulin.  This is often referred to as the “over forty, over weight” strain.  Type I, or Juvenile Diabetes, is a condition where the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin and typically strikes during childhood.  Even though Type I mandates insulin injections and cannot be controlled by diet and exercise alone, the end results for either type of diabetes are the same.

Though I have often felt cheated by diabetes, my life has been a blessing and I frequently remind myself that if I had been born a hundred years ago I would not have had a chance to celebrate turning fifty.  Research yielded insulin and helping raise funds to identify ways to further benefit folks with the Juvenile Diabetes would be wonderful, especially since most are children.

Attempting Le Grand Raid may not feasible, but if my doctor gives me the green light I will be obliged to make the attempt.  There is also hope to reach out to inspire others with Juvenile Diabetes.  Having to inject insulin into your body four times a day and test your blood four times a day seems terribly constraining, but I’m here to tell you the disease is not a roadblock to enjoying the wonders of life.  Running an ultra-marathon at fifty should be persuasive in underscoring that statement.  Damn, this might be the best birthday ever.

How This Started…

May, 2010
Next year I celebrate half a century of existence on planet earth…the big 5-0.  I don’t feel like an old fart and really can’t complain that physical ailments have slowed me down tremendously…but the fear of that day of reckoning when I am no longer able to enjoy rigorous undertakings compels me to contemplate one last hurrah.

For some time I had been mulling a conquest of Kilimanjaro.  The highest peak in Africa at 19,000 feet (and the highest free standing mountain in the world), scaling this gem is a magical journey.  Researching the endeavor taught me this climb is a slow and steady ascent that despite the rigors shouldn’t be crossed off my list for a few years yet.  Regardless, Kilimanjaro would remain at the top of the list until fate stepped in.

There is an island off the coast of Madagascar which has intrigued me for years.  Reunion is a volcanic island reminiscent of the Big Island of Hawaii and the home of Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world’s most active volcanoes - one which you can hike right up to!  Reunion is in fact a hiker’s paradise, featuring miles of splendid trails, a wonderful culture (uninhabited until the seventeenth century, there is a melting pot of African, Indian, Chinese and French today) and enticing food (curry calamari, anyone?).

Alas, my first serious attempt to visit Reunion in 2006 coincided with a horrible mosquito borne virus plaguing the island. Chikungunya is not fatal, but infected over one third of the population (800,000) and ground the tourist trade to zilch.  So Reunion was dismissed for four years until I attempted to visit to the Yemeni island of Socotra.  When tensions between the US and Yemen jeopardized this trip, my buddy Mark prompted me to reconsider Reunion as a better alternative.  Thus I was motivated to buy a Lonely Planet guide on the island in December of 2009.

The Socotra venture was brilliantly diverted to Oman and it wasn’t until after that expedition that I actually got around to reading my Lonely Planet guide.  The temptations of Reunion resurfaced and within the guidebook pages I stumbled upon an event that struck me as a brilliant way to celebrate approaching decrepitude.  Le Grand Raid is an ultra-marathon event that challenges you to race across the entire island – roughly a ninety mile course!  Did I mention that the up and down elevation change is 9,200 meters?  I think I can tackle Kilimanjaro sometime within the next decade, but the gauntlet of Le Grand Raid would humble me today.

Here’s the challenge to celebrate turning fifty.  I have about sixteen months to train for an incredible journey.  Is this even a possibility?  I do not pose the question lightly because I am a Type I diabetic and Le Grand Raid is one of the world’s most demanding ultra-marathons.  The window of opportunity is closing quickly, so Le Grand Raid it is.