February 2017 Running Challenge

Date Distance Total To Goal (55)
2/1 3.0 Mi 3.0 52.0 Mi
2/2. Yoga
2/3. Rest
2/4. 5.0 Mi. 8.0. 47.0 Mi
2/5 Stretching and rest
2/6 3.0 Mi 11.0 44.0 MI
2/7 Rest
2/8. 1.5 Mi. 12.5. 42.5 Mi

Planned on 3 miles today but there was a ridiculous amount of car exhaust fumes in the park for some reason and I was getting nauseated. I think I can make up the rest easily before the end of the month.


March 11- St Malachi 5 miler (partial course preview for Cleveland Half)
May 20 - Cleveland Marathon 8K (Maybe)
May 21 - Cleveland Marathon Half
June 10 - Run and Ride Cedar Point 5k
June 11 - Run and Ride Cedar Point Half Marathon (Back up Plan) or Quarter Marathon

BeeerRunner wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

BeeerRunner wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Where I live, pedestrians and cyclists are seen as lesser than drivers. When pedestrians or cyclists are hit by a vehicle, nothing happens even when the driver was clearly negligent. The only case I ever saw where the driver was held somewhat accountable was when a cyclist was killed when run over by a drunk driver. I'm not even sure the driver was charged with the death, just with driving drunk. Also, the guy was not a cyclist technically - was camping that night on private property when the vehicle left the roadway and ran over his tent. It just happens he was camping while on a week long cycling trip for an established and large ride.

Another cyclist last year nearby was hit and killed. The driver came up behind him and just kept driving. Driver says he just didn't see the cyclist, which was literally right in front of him. 7 months later, he was just given a traffic ticket. That's it!

Also recently, a driver in the next state over hit and killed a runner, then left the scene. He wasn't charged with anything at all because he claims he thought he hit a deer so he just kept on driving. Seriously?!

In my county last year, a driver hit a runner and killed her. She was running as part of the high school cross country team and doing a training run. Naturally, there was much public sympathy for the driver and a lot of outrage at the school for allowing their runners to go out and run. Nobody was asking why the driver didn't pay attention.

In the northern part of my state, a cyclist was hit and killed - similar story where he drove up behind a cyclist and drove right on through the bike and rider as though it wasn't there. Says he was distracted by his kid in the back seat. No charges.

Yet another driver who killed a cyclist and not charged is now being praised by the public for encouraging a law for bicycles in this state to use rear lights / flags. Sure - blame the bikes for your inability to pay attention to what is on the road in front of you...

Long story short: Drivers are allowed to negligently killed recreational users of roads without penalty. It has bothered me for some time now.

@midwesterner85
It happens here in Texas too. A man who negligently didn't take his diabetes medication drove to Target and had a diabetic seizure while driving in the parking lot. He injured a few people and killed a 7 year old girl. I was in the store with my son, checking out at the time when I heard the crash. He ended up driving over the top of the right half of a car. (There was a guy in the parked car. Luckily, he was on the side nit smashed by the driver having a seizure, but was illegally parked in a handicapped space.) It was horrifying!! No murder conviction for him either. I'm sorry, but if you have a known medical condition that causes seizures and you don't take your medicine that prevents those seizures and you go out and kill a child, you deserve to go to jail! My step daughter has epilepsy and she takes the bus and gets rides no matter thr inconbenience because it would be too dangerous for her to drive since she could have a seizure at any time without warning.

Actually, that isn't what causes diabetic seizures - it is the opposite. Seizures result hypoglycemia, which occurs from taking too much medication. That's obviously an over-simplification, as it may have been that the timing of the dose didn't match food; or it could be that exercise dropped BG; or it could be that a correction bolus was over-calculated. Or one of many other possibilities. Diabetics who take insulin can not prevent every hypoglycemic episode... I've had diabetes for more than 2 decades. However, we need to know when to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and respond. That's the part where the driver failed.

I definitely am not an expert on diabetes and am just trying to simplify the story. the news reported that he was diabetic, didn't take his medication that morning, and had an episode where he had a seizure, slamming on the gas while unconscious, injuring pedestrians and killing a child. The point was that it wasn't a 1st for him, he knew he had a condition, and went out and drove anyway, and didnt get convicted of murder. I'm definitely no expert and trust whatever you say caused it.

I'm sure the news didn't get their facts straight because failing to take diabetes medication doesn't cause a seizure, it causes hyperglycemia. That's a much slower process, and while fatigue is a symptom (every driver has been behind the wheel while tired), it doesn't explain the circumstances. If he really had a seizure, it would have been from hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia. I'm positive the news got the story wrong (or at least 2nd hand reporting from you) because I understand enough about diabetes to know that story isn't even possible, but I don't know what actually happened.

Saying that a diabetic shouldn't drive because they might become hypoglycemic is just like saying an overweight person should not drive because they might have a heart attack or that a pregnant woman should not drive because she might go into labor. All are possible medical conditions that can occur at any time to the affected people (in the case of a heart attack, obesity only increases risk but even healthy people with athletic bodies can have heart attacks). The question is whether he knew or should have known that his BG was low at the time. If he is unable to sense low BG, he should always test prior to driving. Even then, a rapid and unexpected decrease in BG could still have this effect. If he could have sensed it, he should have stopped and dealt with the low BG... in the same way that a pregnant woman who goes into labor should stop the vehicle, and a person who experiences a heart attack should also stop in a safe place to deal with the issue.

Stoshew71 wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

I'm sure the news didn't get their facts straight because failing to take diabetes medication doesn't cause a seizure, it causes hyperglycemia.

Would you call that Fake news or Alternative Fact?

Sloppy reporting. For a very long time, people who took insulin couldn't get a driver's license at all. Mostly that was because of misunderstandings like this. FTR, I have taken insulin since several years before I was old enough to drive. I put in more driving miles than average and have 1 collision on my record 14 years ago (the threshold for being an official collision at the time in that location was $1K damage or injury... this was $1,550 of damage and no injuries). Since then, I have had 2 minor incidents with so little damage that no report was necessary. 2 of 3 involved sliding off the road in slick road conditions, and the 3rd involved a fast and suicidal raccoon (I'll post the dashcam video later today if you would like to see it). In the interest of full disclosure, I've also killed 3 squirrels and 2 rabbits that I'm not counting at all because there was absolutely no property damage... not even at a level so low that I would even consider the question of whether it needs to be reported. Considering the mileage I drive, I believe that is really good. Almost everyone I know has at least hit a deer once every 5 or 10 years (this area has a high population). Where I work, someone just had a crash at the parking lot entrance about an hour ago - I think because they were going too fast and slid on the snow, but I only saw where vehicles were positioned afterwards. So figuring that I've driven a lot of miles in 48 states during my years of driving while also taking insulin, 2 times sliding in snow, 1 raccoon, 3 squirrels, and 2 rabbits is not too shabby.

@KatieJane83 Sooo pretty!! Wow!!

@Stoshew71 This is the 1st Barbie jeep race I've heard of, but I'm sure those races will make their way to Texas before you know it. Lol!!

BeeerRunner wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

BeeerRunner wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

BeeerRunner wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Where I live, pedestrians and cyclists are seen as lesser than drivers. When pedestrians or cyclists are hit by a vehicle, nothing happens even when the driver was clearly negligent. The only case I ever saw where the driver was held somewhat accountable was when a cyclist was killed when run over by a drunk driver. I'm not even sure the driver was charged with the death, just with driving drunk. Also, the guy was not a cyclist technically - was camping that night on private property when the vehicle left the roadway and ran over his tent. It just happens he was camping while on a week long cycling trip for an established and large ride.

Another cyclist last year nearby was hit and killed. The driver came up behind him and just kept driving. Driver says he just didn't see the cyclist, which was literally right in front of him. 7 months later, he was just given a traffic ticket. That's it!

Also recently, a driver in the next state over hit and killed a runner, then left the scene. He wasn't charged with anything at all because he claims he thought he hit a deer so he just kept on driving. Seriously?!

In my county last year, a driver hit a runner and killed her. She was running as part of the high school cross country team and doing a training run. Naturally, there was much public sympathy for the driver and a lot of outrage at the school for allowing their runners to go out and run. Nobody was asking why the driver didn't pay attention.

In the northern part of my state, a cyclist was hit and killed - similar story where he drove up behind a cyclist and drove right on through the bike and rider as though it wasn't there. Says he was distracted by his kid in the back seat. No charges.

Yet another driver who killed a cyclist and not charged is now being praised by the public for encouraging a law for bicycles in this state to use rear lights / flags. Sure - blame the bikes for your inability to pay attention to what is on the road in front of you...

Long story short: Drivers are allowed to negligently killed recreational users of roads without penalty. It has bothered me for some time now.

@midwesterner85
It happens here in Texas too. A man who negligently didn't take his diabetes medication drove to Target and had a diabetic seizure while driving in the parking lot. He injured a few people and killed a 7 year old girl. I was in the store with my son, checking out at the time when I heard the crash. He ended up driving over the top of the right half of a car. (There was a guy in the parked car. Luckily, he was on the side nit smashed by the driver having a seizure, but was illegally parked in a handicapped space.) It was horrifying!! No murder conviction for him either. I'm sorry, but if you have a known medical condition that causes seizures and you don't take your medicine that prevents those seizures and you go out and kill a child, you deserve to go to jail! My step daughter has epilepsy and she takes the bus and gets rides no matter thr inconbenience because it would be too dangerous for her to drive since she could have a seizure at any time without warning.

Actually, that isn't what causes diabetic seizures - it is the opposite. Seizures result hypoglycemia, which occurs from taking too much medication. That's obviously an over-simplification, as it may have been that the timing of the dose didn't match food; or it could be that exercise dropped BG; or it could be that a correction bolus was over-calculated. Or one of many other possibilities. Diabetics who take insulin can not prevent every hypoglycemic episode... I've had diabetes for more than 2 decades. However, we need to know when to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and respond. That's the part where the driver failed.

I definitely am not an expert on diabetes and am just trying to simplify the story. the news reported that he was diabetic, didn't take his medication that morning, and had an episode where he had a seizure, slamming on the gas while unconscious, injuring pedestrians and killing a child. The point was that it wasn't a 1st for him, he knew he had a condition, and went out and drove anyway, and didnt get convicted of murder. I'm definitely no expert and trust whatever you say caused it.

I'm sure the news didn't get their facts straight because failing to take diabetes medication doesn't cause a seizure, it causes hyperglycemia. That's a much slower process, and while fatigue is a symptom (every driver has been behind the wheel while tired), it doesn't explain the circumstances. If he really had a seizure, it would have been from hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia. I'm positive the news got the story wrong (or at least 2nd hand reporting from you) because I understand enough about diabetes to know that story isn't even possible, but I don't know what actually happened.

Saying that a diabetic shouldn't drive because they might become hypoglycemic is just like saying an overweight person should not drive because they might have a heart attack or that a pregnant woman should not drive because she might go into labor. All are possible medical conditions that can occur at any time to the affected people (in the case of a heart attack, obesity only increases risk but even healthy people with athletic bodies can have heart attacks). The question is whether he knew or should have known that his BG was low at the time. If he is unable to sense low BG, he should always test prior to driving. Even then, a rapid and unexpected decrease in BG could still have this effect. If he could have sensed it, he should have stopped and dealt with the low BG... in the same way that a pregnant woman who goes into labor should stop the vehicle, and a person who experiences a heart attack should also stop in a safe place to deal with the issue.

I'm sorry if I offended you, but it seems like you are trying to pick a fight with me over this. I in no way meant or said people with diabetes shouldn't drive. I would never in a million years say that. However, if someone has a known medical condition that isnt under control and causes one to have a seizure, pass out, lose control of their body, etc..., then that person should not drive.

Here is the article. The man's daughter said he must not have taken his medicine that morning and went into diabetic shock. So, I guess you can blame her reporting.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Driver-Runs-Over-People-In-Lake-Worth-165015106.html

As I stated, my step daughter has epilepsy. She has seizures about once or twice a month or can sometimes go a few months without one. Since she doesn't know when or where they will happen, she doesn't drive. If she got them under control and went 1 year straight without one, she would, but unfortunately, they are not under control. Some people with epilepsy can drive because they have their seizures under control. Others can't. It could be worse. At least she can have a job, has public transit available where she lives, and finally has an understanding employer who works with her. She once had an employer try to fire her over it and told her she should have disclosed it in the interview. (Legally, under ADA, she doesn't have to.)

I don't know if it was a seizure, passed out, or whatever, but he lost control of his body and his foot was pressed hard on the gas. So much so that he literally drove on top of another car.

So, there you have the story from the daughter. I never said everyone with diabetes should not drive. Hope all is good and we can be friendly again?

From the article:

His daughter told NBC 5 that Martinez is diabetic and must have gone into diabetic shock from improper insulin.

"He's a diabetic and he's been diabetic for several years," said Ester Zenteno, Martinez's daughter. "He does take insulin and I can't say 100 percent that he took it this morning. I wasn't with him this morning but he's real good about it, I'm assuming that his sugar went out of control."

She acknowledges that she is "assuming" and doesn't sound like she knows for sure what happened either, but the possibility of "improper insulin" could be that he took too much; which could cause hypoglycemia and hypoglycemic seizures. I don't see anything about a seizure in the article or that any actual cause was reported. It was just that they found someone who knew the driver and some of his medical history, who then made some assumptions about what happened based on some background knowledge of the person rather than the specific situation.

I'm not trying to be overly sensitive, but it is clear to me that you have a strong opinion about something you clearly don't understand just based on witnessing this crash and reading an assumption about the cause. You say that opinion is not what I'm taking from it, but then restate it as a similar impractical idea:

However, if someone has a known medical condition that isnt under control and causes one to have a seizure, pass out, lose control of their body, etc..., then that person should not drive.

Though I don't think you actually realize it isn't as clear and simple as that. I wish you could understand.

@girlinahat Usually seizures only occur in severe cases of hypoglycemia. That has only ever happened to me a few times, all of which were while I was sleeping so I didn't feel low because I wasn't awake anyway. That doesn't mean it can't happen to someone who is awake, but I've never experienced that myself. Only twice have I been so low while I was awake that I needed outside help, and I didn't lose consciousness in either case... I just got too low to be able to figure out how to treat myself. In both cases, people just put sugary beverages in front of me and I drank them. The lowest that I remember testing and treating myself was exactly 20 mg/dl (my meter will not display anything less than that). Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can happen to anyone who takes insulin. The more controlled someone's BG's, usually the higher their risk of hypoglycemia. This is because if your BG's are usually running high, then a drop puts you in the normal range sometimes where the same drop for someone in a normal range makes them low. Different people usually have different reactions when conscious. For me personally, I can usually function just fine and I can take care of it myself. When it gets really really low and I'm still conscious, I can't talk. I can hear, I can give mean looks still (haha), and I can motion/point, but I can't figure out how to talk. And I also have been told I walk around in small circles in severe cases. Someone else might have different odd behaviors.

@Stoshew71 I really want to do that now, it looks like fun (I will put the disclaimer that I was born in MS so it might be part genetic)

@RespectTheKitty Awesome job running! You're well on your way to having a big mileage month!

About running momre than 10 miles. I felt that about 6, then 8, then 9, and 10, then 12, and 13, and my current max is 14. You'll be AMAZED at what you're truly capable of. If you can run 10, you can run 13, it just takes longer and the running is slower.

Great job!

Oh, Will be keeping you and your interviews in thoughts and prayers.

2/1: 2.2 miles walk, 6.3 miles bike
2/2: Rest/PT
2/3: 45 mins elliptical
2/4: 10 miles bike
2/5: 67 mins elliptical
2/6: 9 miles bike
2/7: 40 mins elliptical
2/8: Rest

TOTAL: 5/22 workout days

Not too much to report on the last few days of the workout front. I've been trying to sort of replicate my general weekly running schedule by doing the same type of workouts on the elliptical or bike. The harder workouts (hills, speed/intervals, long workouts) I've been doing on the elliptical and the easier ones I've been doing on the bike. I know that the elliptical really isn't equivalent to running, but that's what I've got right now. We'll see if PT clears me to run on Friday. I only have 3 more weeks until my gait analysis and my PT said he'd like for me to be running for a few weeks by then to see if the PT exercises have helped my gait to be more balanced. Also, I have my follow up with the doc tomorrow morning, which I'm expecting to go well.