Insane. You look like you just came out of the ring with 1988 Mike Tyson
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Iâd hate to see how Mike Tyson would look like after a fight with Eric in his Semper Fight modeâŚ
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At the very least Iron Mike would know his current blood sugar.
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Thank you!!! That means the world to me!!!
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8k
At this point I had 2 races left, and only about 8 miles, so that part seemed trivial. But the rule I had for this event from the outset was to do all of the races in 1 calendar day, so I was trying to figure out the best way to parcel out the remaining hours of the day, and come up with the smartest plan to use the time for the races and the rests between.
I decided to do the 8k pretty soon, and give myself a bigger cushion of time between the 8k and the 5k. I was tired from the 10k, but I would just try to gut-it-out in the 8k, and hopefully be able to recover a little more for the 5k.
All the between race stuff was the same - change clothes, upload results, reload supplies, carb-up a little bit, etc.
I went with the same lightweight gear for the 8k as I did for the 10k, except I added a headlamp. I ran the 10k without a light, but it got dark toward the end, so I knew I would need a light for the 8k, especially since the course for the 8k had no lights.
It was 55 degrees at the start of the 8k. That is not cold by race standards, but I was shivering before the start. I am guessing it was because my body had used up a lot of energy and was now struggling to stay warm. I knew once I started running I would be okay. But I was freezing sitting in the car before I started.
Here is what we saw while driving to the site for the 8k.
There was something absolutely surreal about this race. It was Halloween night, and there was a full moon. The park was closed now, so I was running alone in the dark. There are no lights at this park.
The park has a trail that goes through the woods, and there is a wooden bridge that goes over a river. It is a pretty high bridge, and it was totally dark, like running over an abyss. There was a sign on the bridge saying it would be closed for repairs in 2 days. I had to cross the bridge 4 times and go through the dark woods 4 times.
And it felt so cold to me.
The feeling is hard to describe. The full moon, the bridge in dis-repair, the darkness of the trail in the woods, the empty feeling of the park. I felt like the shadow of childrenâs laughter from hours before was now echoing through the park. The dark quiet was eerie.
But I really did not care about the atmosphere.
Hi Halloween chainsaw dude. Sorry, I have to finish my races.
This race was just survival mode. Just get it done.
This was my slowest pace of the day. BG crashed a few miles in but I had some carbs with me so I was able to push through it.
I circled back around and ran past the car to get more carbs - a crumb cake this time, because I was just ridiculously hungry and I had my limit of gels by this time. I was in the mood for something real to eat.
I ran back across the bridge and through the woods one more time to finish the distance.
I was not happy with this one. A little bit tired, I guess. But Iâd have a shot at redemption in the 5k, and I had a little extra time now to recover and get ready for my last race, so I did not dwell on it too much.
Afterwards in the car, I ate a honeybun which was sent by @LarissaW. Thanks Larissa!!
Again, just trying to do what the elites do. 
The shirt I made for the 8k was one of my favorites.
@T1Allison gave me something for my birthday, a reference to our Zombie Apocalypse Team discussion. The formulas on the picture she made for me are for NovoLog and glucose.
I put that image on my shirt and added adrenaline, because for me that is always the formula.
Insulin + Glucose = Adrenaline
I loved this shirt image.
Still have no idea what was happening here, but at some point I guess it doesnât really matter where the blood comes from. I had about 50 BG checks on the day and I think I just stopped caring about precision. Just get a drop anyway you can.
Just like they taught us in diabetes camp.
I had a little bit of time now to recover, to ride in the car a short distance to our final destination, and to rest and see what was left for the 5k.
And I decided I would squeeze every last minute out of the day that I could.
Four down.
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Ya knowâŚnot to detract from all of the really, really inspiring and impressive themes hereâŚ
âŚbut your super bloody hands and zombie eyes after this race seem to fit right in with a full moon 2020 Halloween!!
I love that you pulled from the Zombie Apocalypse Team plaque for inspiration!!!
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I love the t-shirt - Zombie Apocalypse Team! Perfect color, too, for Halloween! Oh, man, and I guess your fingers could be a Halloween result, too, sort of bloody!! 
Wow, 50 finger sticks in one day, definitely would be a record for me!!
One 5K to go!!
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5k
One left. Now it was a matter of watching the clock and deciding when I would start, and how to maximize my rest time but also make sure I had enough time to get it finished, as well as upload my results to the last race website.
BG settled out nicely for this one. I had 35 grams right after finishing the 8k, and my BG numbers between the 8k and the 5k were 82, 95, 100, 91, and 80.
My last check of 80 was 6 minutes before the start of the 5k. I didnât need to check at all during the 5k, it was too short to worry about it. The only thing I would have available for the 5k would be some gels for carbs. No BG checking, no insulin, it would be too short for any of that.
BG was flat and in range, so that part was taken care of. 
My brain was a bit foggy at this point, so I donât remember the timeline of this or the sequence of txt messages, but I got a message from @T1Allison saying she was going to run a 5k that night to support my last race. She wanted to know if I wanted to be on the phone for encouragement.
She had seen the glazed look in my eyes from the 8k picture I had sent, so she wanted to support me for the last one.
I donât know what time it was, things were blurry by then. Everything was hazy now. I had been up since 4am, and had been running for a lot of the day.
Alli had not been planning to do a 5k run that day. But somewhere between 10:00pm and 11:00pm that night she decided to do it. And thatâs 10 times more baller than what I was doing, because I had planned all of this and trained for it. She was going to do it without any prep, just to help out a friend.
Again it hit me, the thing I mentioned previously in this thread - how acts of giving and kindness are multiplied and returned to us.
I was speechless on this. 
I went super light for this race. Nothing but carbs available if needed. And I changed into my Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknitâs. There is a little magic in them.
I started off a bit slower than I needed to, because I had no idea what I had left. But as I went, I got more confident and I kept increasing my speed.
I donât remember the conversation, but I think I said something to Alli along the lines of how I am going to spend everything I had left in this day, and then start borrowing from tomorrow, and borrowing from next week, and next month.
And I kept repeating, âRun with a chip on your shoulder!â. I donât know what else I said, but I guess it does not matter. It wasnât really a conversation, just a rant.
I tried really hard to catch her at the end. I was closing in on her, but she ended up finishing ahead of me in this race. 
Here is the picture Alli sent to me as a response to the pictures I had sent to her this day. I got a good laugh from this pic. 
I donât know where this race came from, but it was bizarre that my legs did what they did in the 5k. The best I can figure, they were really pissed from being held back and having to go cautious all day, and when I finally turned them loose, they were celebrating the freedom and the feeling of a little speed.
On a normal day this run would be nothing special. Today, it made no sense. The feeling was hard to describe, it did not feel like they were my legs.
The technical side of me might analyze it, and say it was because of the extra rest time I had for this one, and all the carbs helped me replenish some of the muscle glycogen.
But that is not the reason. The other side of me just embraces the real reason. The idea I had 2 angels on my shoulders for this one. And truly for me, there is no other explanation for how I felt on this one.
As I have said before - sometimes you donât run with your legs.
This shirt was for my 2 angels, Liam and Carmela, who were a big part of this day for me.
I cut it kinda close. As it turned out, I finished at 11:42pm. I had no time to celebrate and enjoy it all. I had to frantically try to get my results uploaded before midnight. 
I would have loved to enjoy the moment, but there was no time for that. I tried to say thanks to Alli, but I did not do a good job. I couldnât speak well, and I had stopped making any sense hours before.
I was just hoping I could get it uploaded. Not only was midnight my own personal deadline, but the actual deadline for uploads for this particular race was also midnight. That was part of the design - to make this day legitimate, that it all had to be completed on October 31st or it would not count.
I got my 5k race upload completed with 7 minutes left on the day.
Five down.
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Wow, what a great final race. And a very sweet and emotional run to end the very long and challenging day!! Love the two angels helping you along, and Alli, too, joining you remotely on her own 5k! What a special day for all of us here on FUD! ! Thanks for sharing! Oh, and wow, perfect BGs, too!!
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My effort was small potatoes here. But it was out of loyalty. So thereâs that. Last time I ran 5k was pre kids!
YeahâŚI started 20 minutes before you and you finished within a minute of me. That totally counts as me beating you, right? 
Never mind the 50 prior miles of yoursâŚ
It was an honor to tag along on that last little bit that totally kicked my unprepared legs and lungs!!!
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You are a wonderful inspiration.
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My husband is still telling people about what you did for your All-athlon. He works with a lot of runners and everyoneâs reaction so far has been, âHoly Sh!t.â
And I had a friend (who is a parent of a teenager with T1D) who ran a 5k the next day in solidarityâŚin CRAZY windsâŚwhich I thought was awesome.
Major ripple effects, @Eric. 
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Wow, I donât know what to say!
Thank you so much for saying that. That means the world to me!
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Anything
Now that I have posted about all the races I can get to the part I really wanted to talk about.
As I mentioned before, I had gotten to meet Carmela and Liam after previous marathons. There was something really wonderful about discussing the idea with them that you can do anything, and hearing them say it and know it.
As adults, we are always telling children things like they can be whatever they want, or they will be able to do anything they choose to do.
But something hit me - if it is true that we can do anything, why am I not doing it? Shouldnât I be out doing some âanythingâ myself?
Words are easy. Why donât I back it up with something? Shouldnât I put some mettle into those words?
Race-day pods
While training, there were times I was beaten down to exhaustion during a run. Sometimes it hurt. But something really pushed me to keep going, and that was the idea of what it would be like to tell themâŚ
âWell, you can do almost anythingâŚâ
âYou can at least try anythingâŚâ
âMaybe you can do anything, but maybe you canâtâŚâ
âNo, Iâm sorry. I couldnât do itâŚâ
The thought of those words was more painful to me than any physical pain I could ever imagine. That is what kept me going. Finishing was much easier than the alternative.
Below is a letter to my little ones.
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Hi Carmela and Liam!
I was very sad that I would not get to see you after a race this year. So I decided that I would do something different!
Two young ones once told me that we could do âanythingâ, so I was excited to try. And I spent a whole day making sure!
Whenever something you love to do is planted in your heart, you take care of it and âwaterâ it a little each day, and watch it grow. And when it gets so big and strong that nothing will stop it, that thing will become a part of âanythingâ too.
âAnythingâ is a big word, and there is so much that is a part of that word. It isnât just about running. There is so much that is a part of âanythingâ, we all have to work on it together. Each one of us doing what we love to do.
We all build that word together. Bit by bit, piece by piece, letter by letter.
One day many years from now, someone will be wondering, âCan I do this thing?â and they will know the answer â Yes, I know I can, because Carmela did it! Yes, I know it can be done because Liam did it!
I canât wait to see what you two will do to help write the word âanythingâ!
One thing I want you to know though!. When we write the word âanythingâ, letâs write it with BIG letters. Huge gigantic letters. Letâs write it with letters that are 53 miles tall, so that everyone can see it no matter where they are.
Love you both, my precious little ones.
Eric
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Speechless
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reading this from you, I know that your heart and soul are bigger than the sun, and I am without a doubt certain that you are the greatest Daddy that ever lived to your two boys. Lucky them, and lucky for us you share yourself with every member of this FUD community. God only knows the impact you have on this world, but I think we can certainly, rather accurately, imagine!
PS: your enthusiasm for life is something you have definitely passed on to me, and it is something I cherish every day. You lift me up when I am down, and you push me with encouragement to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be.
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Eric, you are truly an amazing guy! That is totally bonkers and totally Eric all at the same time. Congrats on a great ârunâ
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Thanks @Chris! But runS!
Itâs funny, usually when I finish a race, I immediately start thinking of the next time. Like right away!
On this day, after the whole thing was finished, I didnât do that. I didnât immediately start thinking of doing it again. All I could think about was eating. 
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