@Eric, I love that you strive for these epic challenges of your own creation…and I love that you share them with us. I interpret that as a compliment of the highest order for us as individuals and as a community. 
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This really resonated with me
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I have one son that loves running. If Liam grows up to become a runner, I’m so that that FUD has such a plethora of information from avid runners that can help him navigate how to do so successfully! Thanks for always updating the community and if I can just add…you’re nuts. 
I got tired just reading your post title. lol
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It took many weeks of training just to be able to type that title! 
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Training
The goal was to be able to do all 5 races. So there was not a speed goal. Because of that, one of the things I needed to get used to was going at a slower pace during training. I hardly did any speedwork. 
At first it was difficult to slow down, but eventually it worked because I was just too tired to go fast anymore. The mileage volume got kind of crazy. And there were a lot of long days back-to-back. Instead of running marathon distance and then getting an easy week like normal, it would be a long run followed by another long run the next day.
There were a lot of long days, but Saturdays were extra long. I would do 24, 26, 28, 31 mile runs on Saturday.
One time Leslie asked me, “How far are you running today?” I told her 20 miles, and she said “Oh, it’s a short run today!” 
That was what it had come to, 20 miles was considered a short run.
Usually after a marathon, the next day I would feel very sore. I was amazed to feel much better this time during training. I remember one time, I think it was the day after 28 miles, I told @LarissaW that I felt really good, not sore at all, it didn’t hurt.
But after many weeks I finally realized, it was not that I was no longer sore after those runs. I had just gotten used to the feeling. Soreness had become the new normal, so I just didn’t notice it anymore.
The mileage was piling up, day after day, week after week. The cumulative miles taught my body how to run tired. That was what I needed.
I was meticulous about core work and stretching. I made it through training without any big problems. I only took Tylenol or Advil just few times. I did not really need it too much.
Basal reductions and total insulin usage got silly.
If this keeps up, eventually my body will be putting insulin back into the pods!
I was gonna match Carmela and Liam unit for unit!
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Hey, that works for me, too, but then I’m NEVER fast, but my body slows me down anyway!! I ran with my ultra runner friend today after I finished my regular run. She just happened to arrive when I finished so I happily ran a bit with her. I was so happy to run with her that I forgot that I was going low. Luckily I had some carbs left over to raise my BGs back up.
I am still amazed that you were able to do FIVE races in a single day! The running I understand if one trains well, it can be done by extreme athletes. But man, add T1 in the mix, and I’m floored!! I’ve learned so much from you though, that I believe if anyone can do it, you are the one! Did you have to carry tons of carbs on your person and use ZB? Low BGs is a sure way to zap energy, something you very much needed, so I’m sure you avoided them!! 
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Wow!!! 
If only …!!!
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I will go over a few of the logistics and stuff for each race. But in general - I tried to eat/drink a lot between races, but I also did not want to have a lot of IOB.
And yes, I need to post my basal profile for race day. Basically it was ZB from 6:00am to midnight!!! 18 hours of ZB. (0.05 per hour was the setting because you can’t set ZB on the PDM within a basal profile, but I turned it off to make it Zero. )
I did IM shots after the races to try to speed up absorption. And I had to take insulin between races so the carbs could work.
So the logistics and stuff is kinda wacky. Run a Marathon, take insulin and eat as much as you can without getting sick or bloated, and then run a 1/2 Marathon. Rinse, repeat…
I am looking forward to sharing my BG numbers.
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Whoa, incredible!!!
Wow, I will have to make the leap to IM shots!!!
Me, too!!!
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Logistics
Here are some of the logistics we had to plan for.
I had to find races that were all within the day I was planning. Generally “virtual” races have a time frame of a few days to a couple of weeks in which you must run. I needed to find races for all 5 distances that would allow me to run them all on that one day (October 31st). I found those and signed up for all 5 of them.
My goal (and my own personal requirement) was to finish them all on the same day. It had to be finished before midnight.
Each race has their own way of uploading results - Garmin uploads, Garmin links, Strava, Runkeeper, etc. I needed to have detailed directions printed out that were easy to refer to so that I could upload each run right after I finished. You get “Marathon brain” sometimes, so I needed to be able to have the references easy. Each one was different, and post-race is no time to try to think!
My Garmin would not last 53 miles, so note to self - recharge your watch immediately after you finish each race!
I wanted to run at 5 different locations. That made it more like the 5 different races were distinct. The locations worked out very well for us! Run, drive to the next location, run, repeat.
We drove the routes the weekend before and had all the spots picked out for getting water from my wife. The plan was that she would drive to the next place and wait for me with the water, and after I passed, she’d drive to the next spot.
I think Leslie drove about 200 miles that day.
Car was loaded with everything. My 5 race shirts, 5 pairs of shorts and socks, complete change of clothes, different running shoes, lunches, coolers of all kinds of drinks, water for during the races, all kinds of sugar treats (both for during runs and after runs), paper towels, Clorox wipes, masks, portable chargers for my phone, watch charger, hat and gloves for the cooler morning race, laptop to upload race results, first aid kit, test strips, syringes (some loaded with mini-doses), Tylenol, Advil, salt pills, on and on. And a spare of everything! Can’t even remember all the stuff I had packed.
A complete inventory of all the carbs in the car, so that afterwards I could count and try to track how much I ate, just by seeing what was missing! (Again - you can get dense after a while, can’t remember much of anything).
I wore 2 pods in case of an occlusion, and had 2 PDM’s (carried one, the other was with my wife and I would get it from her if I needed it).
Race-day basal profile! I just love how silly this profile looks.
At one point during the 1/2 Marathon, I came to a spot along the trail that was underwater because of the recent hurricane. That wasn’t planned! So I had to change course. On the new course there was a lot of traffic, and I had to cross a busy street. In a really cool and unplanned move, my wife drove in the street and slowed down to a crawl and blocked all the traffic behind her so I could cross the street. Just a beautiful moment of adjustment and us being on the same page. I crossed over the street, and kept going. 
I needed a million songs, so thanks to @Millz and @mike_g for the song recommendations!
I will get to the races soon. One important thing I gotta mention first!
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Wow, ZB for 18 hours!!! Amazing!
So you chose Halloween for race day!! Did you see lots of scary creatures (ie., trick-or-treaters)?!!
This is a great list for preparation for hiking as well as running!! Finding the races alone would have been challenging for me, much less uploading results! I don’t recall the weather down by you, but I hope it was nice so you could enjoy the routes!! I guess the hurricane rain covered route was not quite expected but amazing how you both re-routed yourselves in-sync!!
This is a great point! I usually enter carbs in Loop several hours AFTER I complete exercise so that it doesn’t effect the algorithm. Otherwise, Loop will give me too much insulin for missed basal and bolus for them. I sometimes forget to enter them though!
Looking forward to your next post on the races!!
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Tomorrow
I was diagnosed at age 5. The specter of a smaller life was hung around my head for a long time, so I lived faster than I should have. Eventually it became clear that tales of my demise had been greatly exaggerated. And because of that, I wanted to dedicate some time to make sure others would know that for themselves. Especially the little ones.
I was sad when it became apparent I would not be able to go to one of my traditional marathons and get to see my two little angels this year. So instead, I wanted to do something a little different. Something a little bigger.
Those 2 precious little ones are both around the same age as I was when I was diagnosed, so getting to talk to them is like looking at my yesterday.
That is a wonderful gift to be able to do that, to get a glimpse of yourself again and have a moment to see a lifetime of tomorrows in their eyes.
So I wanted to do something special for them. I wanted to give them a day unlike any other.
You let me see yesterday, so let me show you your tomorrow, little ones.
And while it is promising to think of improvements that will be available - better monitoring and apps and faster insulins and new pumps and so many things that will be in the future - I did not want to talk in terms of what we are waiting for.
This is not about waiting for, or hoping for, or wondering what will make it better. This was about saying - Everything you will ever need, you have right now. (Except a little experience, but experience is guaranteed. There is no way to live without gaining experience.)
So there is nothing here about what “might be”.
On this one day - with what we have available right now - let me make a day for them. Let me paint a beautiful picture of their tomorrow, and let me do it today.
If I could give them one day, this would be the day.
And because of that, I knew it better be one hell of a day…
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This is so insightful and beautifully written. I hope this will one day be understood by Carmela and Liam when they are older. They will surely appreciate your dedication to show them the way! And, yes, amazing what can be done today by you!
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53 miles!!! Amazing!!!
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That is such an important reflection. I can relate myself. I was older… but I felt the same way— that all my hopes, all my dreams, everything I’d worked hard for was going up in flames—- but as you are so good at demonstrating— that is absolutely 100% bullshit and no person, and no parent with diabetes ever needs to let that thought live rent free in their head just because you have to take some medicine that’s kind of a pain in the ass in order to stay healthy
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“Able to leap tall buildings with a single bound…” Keep it up Eric, you continue to inspire!
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LOVE this. LOVE it so much!
You may be doing this for your little angels, but it is helping all of us. 
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Crazy man. Just crazy. Oh, and pretty darn inspiring, too. Can’t forget that part.
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Marathon
When I was looking for a Marathon that fit into my time-frame, there was one I saw that was my immediate choice. In honor of my 2 special New York City friends, @daisymae and @Trying , I chose the New York City Marathon. As the race progressed, it was really cool what happened. Will get to that in a minute.
I slept really well the night before. I didn’t have any of the normal race nerves because this was not a speed performance, it was just going to be an all-day-long kick in the groin. Nothing to be nervous about.
I had been drinking a lot of water the day before like you are supposed to, and I woke up at 1:30am to go to the bathroom. I looked at the clock and was worried I would not be able to fall back asleep and I was going to need to wake up at 4:00am to get started with the day, but somehow I fell right back asleep. 
Everything felt good and normal on race morning, I had done this all a million times. Breakfast at 4am, left the house at 5am to drive to the Marathon start.
Beautiful day, cool with temperatures in the mid 40’s. Really good weather. And I was very relaxed and ready to get started. I had significantly cut mileage the whole week, and I was seriously ready to run.
When I got there it was still dark and the trail was still closed. That made me feel good. No sense starting to follow the rules now!
Screw 'em. Try to catch me!
It was very dark, and I wore a headlight for the first 8 miles.
Here is a neat thing that happened. My mp3 player was setup to play in random order, and I had a million songs on there, but somehow it kept playing New York songs. Songs with New York or Brooklyn in the lyrics, or songs from Studio 54. Such a cool sign. When that happened I waved to @daisymae and @Trying and felt great knowing they were with me in spirit.
Something else really special happened during that race. 6 months ago in April I ran a Marathon “with” @LarissaW. (I talked to her on the phone a bit to help her along, since she was running it by herself.) I had only trained a few weeks and was not super ready for it.
I was so honored when @LarissaW told me she had signed up for a Half Marathon and was going to run on the phone with me a bit, and return the favor. And she also had not trained very much for her effort!
So it just goes to show - you really can coach “crazy”. 
But seriously, the important thing - it was truly such a touching and a kind gesture for her to help me with my day like that. I felt so much from that, I can’t really express the gratitude I have for that show of support.
She also told me about how another T1 had trained for a Marathon after hearing what Larissa had done, and was running Larissa’s same course from April, and on the same day as this event.
All those things hit me so strongly on that morning. How acts of giving and kindness are returned a thousand times over. How the ripple effect of what we do can affect others.
What a beautiful thing to be able reflect on that. The miles just melted away.
Thanks for the company and encouragement @Larissa!
And also thanks for all the pre-race goodies! 
You are super sweet.
I smiled and waved to everyone I saw. I ran happy on this one!
I had made up different shirts for all the races. This one said “…a 26 mile warmup lap…” And that is all it was.
The marathon was incredible. It felt so good. It was slow and steady, and I had saved a lot so I was happy with the morning. I had a lot left, and it felt great to feel great!
Here I am finishing, I was super excited with it
One down.
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