BIG Catch Up!

I know I haven't blogged in over 2 weeks. My Web Site Angels would not be impressed. So here goes with a major recap.

My last blog was from the Indianapolis Colts game. I wanted to write a recap of the Pittsburgh ADA Expo as well. Pittsburgh was amazing! I had only been to the city once before and there was a lot of snow on the ground when I was there. Luckily the weather cooperated a lot more this time. I was staying in a hotel right next to the convention center which is right next to the river. Out of my hotel room window, I had a pretty good view of the steel bridges and flowing river as well as the surrounding hills. But it wasn't the view that brought me to Pittsburgh. It was the local ADA's Diabetes Expo. Diabetes Expos are events that bring a lot of information about diabetes into one venue. There are booths with health screenings, product information, Divabetic makeover programs, inspirational stories, kid's zones, and workout equipment. All of it is completely free to the public and is targeted to inform, empower and help people dealing with diabetes- type 1's, type 2's, pre-diabetes, family members and friends. Alongside all of this was me standing next to a racecar signing autographs, answering questions and taking photos. I was there from 10-3 and we had almost 1100 people come by and say hello! It was really a neat event and a lot of fun. At the end of the Expo, I got a chance to walk down by the river, see the Pittsburgh Pirates stadium as well as Heinz Field (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers). Then it was off to Indianapolis and the Colts game.

The following weekend, I was in Detroit for another ADA Expo and with it being my first trip to the Motor City, I was very excited. There is so much automotive history and industry in Detroit, I felt I was in hallowed territory. Once again, I was by the showcar and took lots of photos and signed lots of autographs. I got to meet some extraordinary people with incredible stories. And with the car history in the area, there were a lot of people very familiar with Indy racing, the difference to Nascar and the race at Belle Isle. There were a few less people than in Pittsburgh, but it was still a very busy day. I was fighting through a pretty strong cold and so when I got on the plane home, I went sound asleep!

After Detroit, I spent the whole following Sunday on the couch watching football and TV. I was kept company by my dog, Kona. Although I did have to kick her out in the 4th quarter when her snoring was louder than the announcers. The rest and relaxation did wonders for helping me to beat my cold and get back to full speed. Good thing too as that Thursday, I was back on the road flying out to New York City. There was another Diabetes Expo on Saturday and I had some meetings in the City on Friday.

Before my meetings though, I had the opportunity to meet a sporting icon. I got to have breakfast with Billie Jean King. Billie has battled with type 2 diabetes and does a lot of outreach work with my sponsor (and insulin producer) Novo Nordisk, the Be the Face of Change exhibit as well as her own World Team Tennis program. As she lives in NYC, it was a great chance for us to meet each other. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Billie Jean King is one of the most down to earth, positive, easy to interact with people I have ever met. Factor that into all that she has done in her career in tennis and then her life after it, makes her larger than life!

After breakfast it was back to a meeting (not really exciting enough to write about!), lunch and an hour in the gym. It had been a while since I had done a serious weight lifting workout and my muscles were sore for the next three days. I have been training, but doing a lot of cardio workouts. Running and cycling mainly. Saturday was spent at the Javits Center in NYC at the ADA Diabetes Expo. Once again, it was really big! The biggest yet in fact. We had nearly 1200 people through the booth and I even had a chance to go up on stage and speak for a few minutes. Such great events and a whole lot of fun. There are some truly amazing people out there with diabetes!

Now it is back to office work and training. I went cycling yesterday and am going mountain biking in Sycamore Canyon this afternoon. It is a beautiful day here in Ventura County and I plan on enjoying it as much as possible!