When we are not running

One memorable moment  in my high school life was the day I was Chuck Eichten’s assistant.  The ever-fabulous Chuck was our student body president and valedictorian. He was also the acting Principle in an administration sanctioned “Freaky Friday” day in which the student council ran the school (could that ever happen now?).  I don’t recall why my 1980’s feathered-hair coiffed self chose this role, but I do remember that I was a big fan of Chuck.  He was our leader.  I remember him as smart, funny and kind.  I don’t remember much ado about his diabetes, only that it was not in the forefront of his personality.  So after 30 years of avoiding the dreaded high school reunion, it was a true pleasure to find him at the one I decided would be fun (in my mind…thirty years being the perfect reunion to attend–people “are who they are” by this time, so you miss the years they pretended to be someone else.).  In what turned out to be a wonderful day of re-connection with so many old friends, learning that Chuck was/is a designer for Nike and writing a book about diabetes was of no surprise.

The Book of Better–Life with Diabetes Can’t Be Perfect–Make it Better, like its author, offers a witty and ardent view of the disease using a fresh approach. Through amusing graphics and ultra-positive prose, Chuck gets to the heart of being a diabetic.  This is the anti-text book look on living with diabetes.  But don’t look for sympathy here, Chuck wants you to get over yourself and get a grip on how you can make it better, in spite of your diagnosis.  He has made mistakes and offers them up as “road kill” so you don’t have to do the same.  His self-deprecating humor and strategically placed artwork is entertaining for the reader.   It’s as if he is saying…”Now that I have your attention…let me hi-light the seriousness of what you must do (to make it better)”.  Ask for help, know your doctor, get a pump, and assume control of your illness before it controls you–all important advice given in an honest tough love manner.   He puts forth a call to action that requires you to step up to your own plate, because with this disease (unlike most others), you can actually do something about controlling its effects. You should continue to support the cause, do what you can to facilitate change, donate to research–but ultimately, be your own hero.  Love it.

Chuck also wants you to MOVE your body.  As runners we all know the importance of thoughtfully fueling our bodies and making them move.  This book sings to all our obsessive callings for eating in moderation, embracing routine and digging deep when we are exhausted.   If you have diabetes, I am sure you will be inspired by this pep-talk of a book and if you don’t you will just enjoy learning more about a disease that affects so many of our friends and family in a simple entertaining way.

And speaking of high school…I think this book would be a great addition to any high school, middle school or college library.  It’s the graphic novel of diabetes books.  My teenagers thought it was pretty cool.  Great job Chuck!  And for those of us who love to use mantras for racing…I found one here for life:  “Make it Better, man*” (*circa-1980).

10 Questions for Chuck Eichten author of “The Book of Better—Life with Diabetes Can’t Be Perfect—Make it Better”

1. What is your idea of the perfect run?  Details please…when, where and with whom?

The perfect run is always early in the morning, everyone knows that. I bring Zipper the black lab and we go for a run in the hilly forests around our home in Portland. The forest is thick with this sense that you are not alone. Not scary sense, just this feeling that there are other living things around. I love it. And an early morning run feels like you are getting away with something –this great experience is yours for the taking and the rest of the sleeping world doesn’t even realize they are missing anything. Makes no sense to anyone who likes to sleep in the morning. If you come to Oregon we will go for a run in the forest early in the morning and undoubtedly you will see exactly what I mean, Monica.

 2. Do you race and what other forms of training/exercise do you do?  What one training tool/item/gear can you not live without?

No I don’t race! That is far too taxing for me!  Running for me is more of a personal experience than a community one. Oh, and I am too slow.

I figured out a couple years after I was diagnosed that moving regularly made a huge difference in managing my blood sugars. That was 30+ years ago. Since then I’ve done some form of exercise every single day. I’ve probably missed 10 days. Pretty obsessive.

I love to bike. I used to bike every day. It’s a great workout, easier on the knees. And I really like the idea of actually going somewhere. But running of course is more portable and clearly less equipment-dependent so I do far more running than biking. Plus the dog gets to run, and he, like me, needs the workout.

In terms of gear, I’m not a real gear guy, but I don’t know if I could get along without some Nike trail running footwear. Where I live, in Portland Oregon, it is wet maybe 80% of the year. I know wet feet never killed anyone, but the longer my feet stay dry, the better my run. I think Nike makes the best stuff, but—full disclosure—that is where I work.

 3. I learned more about the role carbohydrates play in diabetes from reading your book.  Can you discuss that balance and how you fuel for a run/exercise? What are the greatest challenges to running/exercising as a diabetic?

I love carbs, and I eat a lot of them but they drive up blood sugars. I try to mix carbs with protein and fat. Cheese and bread, trail mix, protein bar. It’s the old balanced diet thing your mom told you about. The combination slows the rate of absorption of the glucose and slows the rise in my blood sugar. The object is to keep blood sugars from going too high but still at a level where I can sustain a workout.

Strenuous moving, like running, is a tremendously helpful tool in managing blood sugars, which is what people with diabetes have to do constantly. The challenge is that when your blood sugar gets too low, the diabetic body says, in no uncertain terms, “STOP AND EAT. NOW.” Athletes think everything is simply “mind over matter.” We get used to overcoming barriers—like pain or heat or cold or hunger.  However, food becomes glucose in the body and glucose is what the body uses for fuel. Just like a car, if the fuel runs out—if blood sugars get too low—the vehicle simply won’t go. The body says, “No. You ain’t going.” Athletes aren’t used to anyone telling them they can’t do something.

Monica, I am convinced that all this food stuff is not that complicated. Humans, including humans with diabetes, happily can eat virtually anything they want. That’s the good part. But the hard truth is that we can’t eat AS MUCH as we want, WHENEVER we want. It’s that simple. Sometimes we have to restrain ourselves. Sometimes we have to say, “No, thank you very much. Maybe later.”
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