Sunapee #1, 2008

Kris Freeman

Mon, Jun  16, 2008 - By Zach Caldwell

Today Kris kicked-off his second training block of the season with his first Sunapee test of the year. He ran a 21:22, and caught and passed his brother about four minutes from the end to “win” the day. Justin appears to be off to a pretty fast start to the running season, and will provide a good benchmark for Kris in these types of efforts.

The Sunapee test provides a good opportunity to continue to test and refine insulin dosing strategies. Today Kris used the same dose as his “high dose” test in Utah on the treadmill. However, he started it 15 minutes prior to the effort, rather than 90 minutes prior. His blood sugar never went low, and in fact he finished the effort at a blood glucose reading of 240 - definitely out of the desired range on the high side. It’s apparent that there is still a great deal to learn, and that Kris still hasn’t reached a dosing scenario that responds to his insulin need during peak output. Under the circumstances (an overall positive test) this is good to see. There should be additional high-end capacity available to him with a somewhat further-refined dosing strategy.

So, how does today’s effort stack up? As a first test of the year, it’s the best Kris has had. Generally, this first test has come at the end of his first training block, which is where Kris is right now. Last year in his first test he was 21:50. However, that test was a month earlier than this year. In his second test last year, at about this time, Kris was a bit faster - 21:07. It’s worth remembering that the last time Kris ran hard was the last time he did this test - in October of last Fall. All things told, it’s an encouraging start to the season. It’s a benchmark upon which we want to see improvements. Here’s an historical record:

Last year was something of a rollercoaster. This year the goal is to be more conservative and to see more steady improvement (kind of like ‘06). If Kris is able to execute that plan and hit the goal, then this is a great way to start.