G'Day

I have neglected this blog for too long now, so I shall update...

What's new? For me, my first year of full time racing has been pretty bad. A lack of fitness, motivation, & experience is to blame. Being 20 years old and immature doesn't help either. Basically the first part of the year I burned myself out with all the travel to races and athlete days. My fitness was decent at the beginning of the year after Redlands but then quickly went south. The first part of the season has been a bit sloppy & embarrassing, lets hope I can pull it together for the last hoorah of racing.

I've learned a lot from this year so far. Racing on a team and for a teammate is WAY harder than just looking out for yourself. Last year my only job in races was to conserve, follow wheels, conserve some more, then sprint at the end. This year it's been quite different. With the caliber of riders on the team, I've taken a worker roll. It's really an honor to get to ride for the girls on the team, but dang it's hard trying to make the race happen!

When it comes down to it, things could be worse. I just need to do my part in getting it together and being a valuable teammate. I have had 3 weeks at home and was able to rest up a little and then do a small block of training. Lets hope it works out!

New on the diabetes front is that I am back on Apidra in a OmniPod. I forgot how much easier it is with a pump vs. having to carry a syringe and vial around everywhere.

I also got an awesome cat named Nobu. I have never been a cat person until now... Speaking of Nobu I think he's coughing up his first hairball!!! Sickkk!!!!!!!

Later folks

PS- Shouts out to Mon.. she's to blame for this Internet whine sesh on my blogo. Hope you're healing up nicely. (Check out her blog, she wrecked damn hard in Tulsa breaking 3 vertebrate and separating her shoulder!)

Update

Still have diabetes & blog will now be titled Morslow

G'Day, folks!

Diabeetus

So since I have returned from camp I have been without the FreeStyle Navigator. If you are unaware the Navigator is a continuous glucose monitor that lasts for 5 days. It measures your glucose levels constantly and sends the reading to a little monitor that you can easily carry with you on training rides or doing whatever you do. For me, it has been one of the most helpful training tools that we have been allowed to use with being on Team Type 1. But because of technically difficulties with insurance companies I have been left without sensors. Most do not cover such lavish diabetes management tools which is truly stupid in my opinion. In the long run it can help prevent complications!!! So when they are chopping off my foot & paying to get me a really nice seeing eye dog I'm totally pulling the, "I told you so" card! Well honestly, by that time they will probably have dropped me as a customer & then I'll just be without insurance and really bitter...

Any how hopefully Abbott, the makers of the FreeStlye Navigator hook us up soon with sensors. With all the training I have been doing and spending all last night not being able to sleep because I kept having to eat Dex 4 glucose after spending yesterday in the mountains, I realize without it what a great training tool it is on and off the bike!

Training Time!

So just returned from the 2009 Team Type 1 training camp out in Santa Barbara & Buellton, CA area. It was a blast. The first photo is the view from our hotel balcony. We were really spoiled!

Next is a picture by Team Sports photographer Marco Quezada.
The first 3 days of camp were full on with sponsor commitments. We did a whole day of media training followed by a few days of video & photo shoots. It was exhausting! If only shammy time really was training time.. because I would seriously have three 9 hr days in a row! It was a lot of riding back & forth, stop & go. The next photo is a view of the beach where we had our last photo shoot... I love that view.


The next photo is a bit blurry. (I forgot my digital camera and was left with my blackberry to document the trip) It is of the 2009 kit. Personally, I think they make us look like Buzz Lightyear which is pretty rad. To infinity & beyond!
After the first few days of camp that consisted of all the meetings & what not it was actually time to start training. I was absolutely creaking the first few rides with the team. I guess long days of standing around, being not well rested & eating lots of food that tasted good but not good for you was not the best way to prepare. It was so great to meet all the girls finally & get to see everyone in action. It was pretty impressive to see how strong everyone is. I really think it's going to be a great year of racing. I know that I am going to be learning heaps with all the experience of the girls on the team.

After the 2nd day of training a few of the riders were invited to a school in Solvang, CA to speak to students about the team & what it is like being a bicycle racer. The host cities of the TOC are doing a program where they teach the children in school about bicycle safety and invite some of the teams to come visit. It was really fun. I love hanging around kids. They always say the funniest things & are so creative. After our presentation we signed Amgen Tour of California pamphlets for all the kids. I loved Solvang! You can really tell everyone in the community is very excited about having an event like the tour coming through. A family even invited the womens team to there home one night during camp where we had a traditional danish dinner of ableskivers. They are basically pancake puff balls that tasted like sugary goodness! I know it's hard to spot me because the lack of height difference, but here is a photo...


So after a few hard days of riding we were all lucky enough get massages by our new soigneur Avery May. She is awesome! This winter she went to Thailand & learned Thai massage. It's real crazy.. she uses her feet a lot. At first I was like, "whoa nelly!" but it works really well & felt great.
So I am back in Athens where it's a bit chilly & rainy... tad bit of a change from the beautiful weather in CA.. but I am focused & ready to start buckling down & preparing for the season. It's going to be a long year of learning lots!!

While I was out on a 2.5hr training ride I realized I am not meant to do certain things in life. Those things include...

- doing training routes/races where the words "hill, mountain, or climb" are used in the description
- eating heaps of cake
- training on days where the high is 30 degrees

Upon my arrival back home, I pealed the layers of lycra off as quickly as possible & jumped into the shower. My ice cold feet started singing in pain as they were doused in hot water.. it was then I realized I need to HTFU.. I used to think I was somewhat tough & good at suffering... Nope. Florida sure did spoil me! Although the weather has taken a turn for the worse the last few days I am truly enjoying Athens. The training is good, the people are nice.

I sure am looking forward to being in Santa Barbara on Thursday though... Pictures from camp to follow :)

Team Type 1 2009

Happy New Year! The TT1 website is currently evolving...

It's a work in progress but checkout a few of the new links on the webpage. Take note of the Triteam, TT2 & the WOMENS PRO TEAM :)

www.teamtype1.org

Monthly Update

Okay.. I have figured out my 2009 New Year's Resolution.. update my blog more than once every 5 weeks! I really should share more about training and management because lately I have had a lot of inquires about how I do it.

What's been going on...
Well I just returned from 8 days of warm & sunny training in Southern California. Oh boy was I spoiled being able to ride in that weather! I stayed 25 miles Northeast of San Diego in Poway, CA. A little town in the mountains. Only about 50 min ride to the coast & 5 min's from some climbs.

Two of Team Type 1's sponsors were nice enough to put me up for the duration in exchange for a little bit of work. No a bad deal! Dex 4, rapid acting glucose that raises your bloodsugar quickly & Sanofi Aventis, the makers of Apidra & Lantus insulin's were really great out there! For Sanofi, I did an afternoon program at the Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA where I met with physicians and patients and told them about TT1 & being an athlete with Type 1. For Dex 4, I went to the Take Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) in San Diego, CA where it was a big expo & conference for physicians & patients about being more proactive in diabetes management. It was mostly Type 2 diabetics (not a surprise since of the 24 million Americans with Diabetes, 3 million have Type 1 & the rest Type 2/Gestational) that I met. It was a great time and hopefully inspired some Type 2's to get out and be more active.

I just finished off my first block of base and enjoyed an easy week of training for the Thanksgiving Holiday. It's good to be back training lots again. I am always so surprised by how much easier management is. And it's always surprising how much quicker & better insulin works once you get the metabolism running.

My mom came up to Atlanta and hung out for a few days. We went to the Ritz on Thanksgiving evening for dinner. The meal was fantastic and it was a great way to spend the night! We went out on "black Friday" and did a bit of shopping. It actually wasn't too bad crowd wise. I got a new digital camera that I have been doing my best to put to work. That afternoon we drove to Athens to check out a place I am renting starting at the end of December and to attend a wedding. It was fun & I was happy to be able to show my mom Athens & get her approval.. mother's know best. Then Saturday we went to the Atlanta Symphony for a great program where they combined the symphony & cirque du soleil. It was so cool! I love having my mom in town to go do things like that with.

Yeah so I didn't last long in Atlanta. It was fun for the off season & when I wasn't really training. But now that I am getting back on the boat, it's not really my scene. Some people don't mind always having a car driving by every minute & always hearing a car engine in the distance, but I do. One thing I miss about Tallahassee is the fact that I could be out on some quite road in 20 minutes and not hear or see a car for hours. I also miss the plethora of dirt roads all over North Florida/ Southern Georgia. I am the kind of person that likes the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere and you feel as if you are exploring roads no one has ever seen. Every time I go out for a training ride it takes like 50 min to get out onto a somewhat quite road and all the drivers are psycho here. I've decided to give Athens a go. It reminds me more of Tallahassee and the training will be more my deal I think. It's also close enough to Atlanta so that if I want to come into the city, (for something like the Symphony again!) it's an hour and 15 min away. Only thing that's gonna suck is having to make the drive to the airport.. eh I figure it'll be worth the trade off for some quite riding.


Well y'all, it's been real. Hope to report good things from Athens soon!!