Well, my friends, the race has been run with disappointing results. Only made it about fourteen miles, through the worst up-and-down hill stretches before stopping in Hell-Bourg. Will provide a detailed report once I get home, but wanted to provide a quick update.
Got up at 2AM and Jeff drove me to the start at the Cilaos stadium. When we finally lit out I was feeling great and roughly in the middle of the pack after the 3/4ths mile uphill to Cavern Dufour. However, the energy requirement was well beyond anything I had trained for --- overall I would make it about fourteen miles and usually all I need to eat during a run of that length is a single Clif Bar. For this stretch, however, I would eat three Clif Bars, a Mojo Bar (pretty much the same as another Clif Bar), a Hammer Gel and three packs of Sports Beans.
I was wearing my Continuous Glucose Monitor and it usually revealed a blood sugar in the 90's but falling rapidly...so I kept eating. I can only guess that the continuous tumbling of my blood sugars induced hypoglycenic symptoms (even though I wasn't low), because towards the middle of the big mile plunge down to Hell Bourg I lost my foot coordination...what happens when I truly am low.
The trail was incredibly difficult --- a constant steep downhill grade, with the footing all loose rock at the top and then muddy roots and rocks at the bottom. When my coordination abandoned me I began falling...constantly. Seemed like everybody passed me during these last few miles and I was SO frustrated. I would turn the corner of a switchback and it would be yet another massive downhill blanketed in muddy roots and I would think "here I go falling again".
Really banged my elbow and it was bleeding at a good clip, in addition to my legs (my one leg actually looks like I shaved it because I scraped all the hair off!). Then I fell and smashed my glucose monitor. Well the race was over now because I could hardly continue without being able to assess blood sugar levels. Of course I stumbled more times trying to get to the check point and managed to bang my cheek on a rock during one of the final tumbles.
But at last I got there and was I ever happy to see Jeff waiting to pick me up (he had been there since 10AM and it was now 1PM). The sad thing is that I wasn't tired...simply could not get my feet to fall where I willed them. Guess the sorry news is that ultra-marathons really aren't for diabetics (at least not this one), but I have so much respect for these trail runners after truly experiencing how challenging it is.
I am so sorry, my friends, really feel like I've let everyone down, but there was no way to go on. To everyone who donated towards my drive, I can never thank you enough and I hope these dollars go towards allowing Type I's to really live normal lives! Its hard to feel too blue being on Reunion, however, and after I return I look forward to sharing this beauty with everyone. Thank you, thank you again my friends!!!
Still accepting donations until the end of 2011 if you don't mind supporting a loser ---
http://jdrfevents.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=775&participantID=4931
Got up at 2AM and Jeff drove me to the start at the Cilaos stadium. When we finally lit out I was feeling great and roughly in the middle of the pack after the 3/4ths mile uphill to Cavern Dufour. However, the energy requirement was well beyond anything I had trained for --- overall I would make it about fourteen miles and usually all I need to eat during a run of that length is a single Clif Bar. For this stretch, however, I would eat three Clif Bars, a Mojo Bar (pretty much the same as another Clif Bar), a Hammer Gel and three packs of Sports Beans.
I was wearing my Continuous Glucose Monitor and it usually revealed a blood sugar in the 90's but falling rapidly...so I kept eating. I can only guess that the continuous tumbling of my blood sugars induced hypoglycenic symptoms (even though I wasn't low), because towards the middle of the big mile plunge down to Hell Bourg I lost my foot coordination...what happens when I truly am low.
The trail was incredibly difficult --- a constant steep downhill grade, with the footing all loose rock at the top and then muddy roots and rocks at the bottom. When my coordination abandoned me I began falling...constantly. Seemed like everybody passed me during these last few miles and I was SO frustrated. I would turn the corner of a switchback and it would be yet another massive downhill blanketed in muddy roots and I would think "here I go falling again".
Really banged my elbow and it was bleeding at a good clip, in addition to my legs (my one leg actually looks like I shaved it because I scraped all the hair off!). Then I fell and smashed my glucose monitor. Well the race was over now because I could hardly continue without being able to assess blood sugar levels. Of course I stumbled more times trying to get to the check point and managed to bang my cheek on a rock during one of the final tumbles.
But at last I got there and was I ever happy to see Jeff waiting to pick me up (he had been there since 10AM and it was now 1PM). The sad thing is that I wasn't tired...simply could not get my feet to fall where I willed them. Guess the sorry news is that ultra-marathons really aren't for diabetics (at least not this one), but I have so much respect for these trail runners after truly experiencing how challenging it is.
I am so sorry, my friends, really feel like I've let everyone down, but there was no way to go on. To everyone who donated towards my drive, I can never thank you enough and I hope these dollars go towards allowing Type I's to really live normal lives! Its hard to feel too blue being on Reunion, however, and after I return I look forward to sharing this beauty with everyone. Thank you, thank you again my friends!!!
Still accepting donations until the end of 2011 if you don't mind supporting a loser ---
http://jdrfevents.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=775&participantID=4931
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