An endurance athlete once told me (or maybe chided me) "it's a privilege to be able to toe the starting line". I guess she's right. But I am only an endurance athlete wannabe so I got to wondering what is the starting line. And when did I toe it? Truth be told I was already in the race for a while when I suddenly realized I was hitting the wall.My race started on March 4th 2006. Yes, I know the date - I'm willing to bet every single parent of a type 1 diabetic knows the exact date of diagnosis. I was out with a client when I got the call from the pediatrician's office that my daughter, Camryn, has Juvenile Diabetes and she needs to get to the hospital. Like any parent of a sick child, I could expound upon that day endlessly. But I will save it for another time.
As a part of the routine screening of all type 1 diabetics it was also discovered that Camryn has Celiac Disease. Through further investigation we learned that her twin brother, Stratton (my son, obviously) also has Celiac Disease and I am the tree from which the sweet little apples did not fall far from.
So, we have a completely gluten free house - meaning we eat no wheat, rye, barley or oats right down to our gluten free dog and cat food. Camryn uses an insulin pump and we carefully count all of her carbohydrates and calculate her insulin needs for every morsel of food.
When all this hit the fan, I was tipping the scales at almost 100 lbs overweight. Well that's a bit of a mis-statement 'cause I wasn't tippin' any scale - you couldn't pay me to get near a scale. And I tell you one thing, you'd have to pay me even more to squeeze into a bathing suit!!
So there I was spouting the virtues of good health, a healthy diet, the importance of exercise and counting every carb that passed through my house - but what kind of role model was I? I could hardly make it up a flight of stairs and carrying the laundry basket up constituted a major workout and the need for a nap. I was still able to tell myself that kids could be led by lesson and not by example. But I now know that's simply not true.
On April 1, 2007 (the irony of the date not lost on me) I joined the gym. I actually had to go out and buy a pair of "sneakers" to do this - that's a very bad sign! But with my 40th birthday looming just a couple of months ahead I was being smacked up side the head with my own mortality. So off I went.
Okay, flash forward, I'll fill in some of the details later. I have now competed in several 5k races, a couple of sprint triathlons and a Century ride (that was actually 110 miles on the bike!). But most important is how "on board" my whole family is!! I have to say, I did this "for me" and without realizing it the benefits are every bit for THEM! They are movin'. They are now 8-1/2 years old. Stratton runs and bikes with me. Camryn swims with me. He is a fantastic gymnast and rock climber and she is an amazing little equestrian. We all love to hike, ice skate and cross country ski together. I knew we had become a "healthy" family when I came home from a run one morning and saw the chalk drawing (above) on my driveway.
One of the things we do together as a family is work hard to raise money for JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). JDRF is an amazing organization that was started in the 1970's by a group of parents who did not think enough was being done to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. Today this is an international organization that funds much of the research being done to find a cure. Since Camryn's diagnosis our family has raised close to $40,000 for JDRF.
Our family's focus on health, diet and fitness is intertwined with diabetes. I have dropped about 70 lbs. and my mantra has been: if you are faced with the possibility of a life with diabetes, and you have a choice to go the other way - don't walk, RUN!!! Like most people who are morbidly obese I was faced with the likelihood of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. So I'm running!!
I'm not running fast (or swimming or biking fast) but I am literally running for my life. And I have decided to run for Camryn's life too. And for the lives of all kids with type 1 diabetes. I am using every mile to raise money for JDRF.
So, I didn't choose to be in this race, but unbeknownst to me I toed the line. And now it's all about having my head in the game, keeping the body moving and fueled and I'm not planning on taking home a medal but I am out for a personal best and I plan to still be standing at the end of the race.
