Courage is a good word, one we need to get out and dust off now and again to remind us that every word you write down is your assertion and insertion into a world of both thought and image that hasn’t existed until you wrote down that word. Yet simply writing down words isn’t in and of itself a courageous act; it only becomes so when the words and the order in which you’ve placed them aren’t borrowed from the vast steaming piles of clichés we always have ready at hand. – Brett Lott, Letters and Life
diabetes
Don’t Give Up
My younger brother says I’m determined. Other people have said I’m resilient. Perhaps. I err on the side of self-awareness and say I’m stubborn. Whatever the case may be, it has proven a trait, if kept in check, that helps me keep going no matter how bad the start or the day.
Tough Mudder: Complete
I know some of the readers asked on the post “Diabetes, Tough Mudder, and Resilience” that I share how the Tough Mudder event went. More precisely, they wanted before and after photos. I’m happy to acquiesce with that request. I’m also happy to share the list of obstacles, both man-made and natural.
Tough Mudder Obstacles
- Kiss of Mud
- Walk the Plank
- Glory Blades
- Firewalker
- Arctic Enema
- Boa Constrictor
- Funky Monkey
- Cage Crawl
- Mud Mile
- Balls to the Wall
- Log Jammin’
- Hold Your Wood
- Electric Eel
- Island Hopping
- Berlin Walls
- Dirty Ballerina
- Underwater Tunnels
- Kiss of Mud #2
- Trench Warfare
- Wounded Warrior Carry
- Everest
- Electroshock Therapy
FREE Obstacles
- Cow Patties
- Cacti
- Rock Climbing
- Hills
- Rivers
The Tough Mudder
Although I finished the Tough Mudder, I skipped the Berlin Walls and Dirty Ballerina. I just couldn’t do the whole “mind over matter.” It didn’t help that I’d already scaled some walls and had to have a lot of help to do that. By the time I reached the Berlin Walls, I had developed an overwhelming case of self-consciousness. The Dirty Ballerina simply scared me. I overcame my fears on Walk the Plank and Balls to the Wall, but I just couldn’t do it with the Dirty Ballerina. In the interest of full disclosure, I also skirted the Firewalker obstacle. Jumping over the fire just didn’t agree with me. I edged along the fire, then jumped into the muddy water below.
The Diabetes
My diabetes didn’t behave very well for the first few hours. The medical stations had limited supplies, which resulted in testing only when I saw my brother at a spectator station. One of those readings told me my blood glucose was high, so I took steps to bring it down. Unfortunately, my high blood sugar meant I didn’t take advantage of the snacks (bananas and CLIF bars) at the refueling stations, which perhaps explains the muscle cramp I experienced later in the day. The Aquapac (a waterproof pack) kept my insulin pump dry, but it left me wondering if the high blood sugar could be attributed to it. The instructions that came with the pack say the delivery of insulin can be impeded by it. I can’t prove anything in that regard; my blood sugar sometimes spikes when I panic, and I panicked on a couple of obstacles.
The Little Things and the Highlights
- I will be forever grateful to the people who helped me with some of the obstacles. I don’t know any of their names, but I’m grateful for them.
- I’m grateful my youngest brother came even though he had a long day of waiting in the sun. He’s the photographer for most of the photos below.
- I’m grateful I had a teammate who didn’t seem to mind how inept I am when it comes to physical feats of strength. I minded, but he seemed to be alright with the fact.
- I overcame Walk the Plank, a fifteen-foot drop into a pool of water. It took three tries, but I finally mustered the courage to count to three and jump.
- I overcame Balls to the Wall, some sort of contraption that should be in a rock climbing gym. It was a twenty-foot wall (I think.) with minimum toe holds. The point was to use the ropes attached to the wall to climb to the top and down again. It took a lot of effort to get to the top and even more to get down to the bottom.
- I somehow dodged the electrical wires on the final obstacle. I think that’s fair. I’d been jolted a number of times on the Electric Eel, an obstacle that required one to army crawl through a mesh of electrified wires.
The Photos
It’s taken a while to get to the photos, but here they are. Enjoy.
Diabetes, Tough Mudder, and Resilience
Since today is World Diabetes Day and I’m diabetic, I thought I would share some of my story. We’ll return to the regular schedule tomorrow.
I don’t talk about diabetes very often, even though I am diabetic. Before I’m asked what type, I’ll say it: I have type one diabetes, which used to be known as juvenile diabetes until adults started to be diagnosed with it (hence “juvenile-onset” and other terms). I like to be clear about which type I have. Mine can’t be controlled through a strict diet and exercise. Those things help me to manage it and to be a healthy person, but they don’t have any bearing on my ability to break down glucose and to transmit that glucose throughout my body. I have to rely on an external source for that. It used to be insulin injections, then insulin pens. These days, I use an insulin pump, and it looks like a pager.
How to Write and Publish More Often
I didn’t awaken one morning and decide to publish posts five days per week. I had to work up to that number. I had to train for it.
Six Things Readers Need: Respect
I hated my childhood endocrinologist. I would get nervous about seeing him weeks in advance. The reason was simple: he made me feel small, worthless, and stupid. After waiting for hours and hours to see him, he would rush into the examination room, tell my mother and I what was wrong and what I was doing wrong, and leave. He never spoke with me; he didn’t even speak to me. He spoke over and around me.