Planning the Run

Planning the Iron Butt run, is one of the critical items to ensure you make the finish line. You have to consider all kinds of things. How many miles can I get on a tank of gas? When do I need to eat? Where do I stop to eat? What do I do if I have a low BG episode? How often should I check my BG? What are the riding capabilities of the folks I am traveling with? What are their bike capabilities? How far will we go in a day? How long is our day? What if the weather turn bad? Do we have all the gear we need? How many miles will we go in total? What do we do if it all goes bad? What do we need if it all goes bad?

The guys and I are planning another IB run. We want to do 1500 miles in 36 hours. This would be one more step up the IB ladder.

We start by selecting a route and then detail the route, so we can answer the questions above.

The route we have chosen for this year is:



It is going to be a challenge. It is going to be hard. It is going to be fun.

What do you get when it is finished?
A patch. A certificate. The satisfaction of knowing that you can push yourself and accomplish something that very few folks have done. Knowing you can do hard things and diabetes does not have to get in the way and slow you down.

New Tire

It is early in the season for riding, but it is time to get the bike ready to ride. Still cold in the mornings if you are going to ride you have to put on extra clothing to stay warm. Looking at the thermometer it is 39 degrees outside as I dress for the Saturday morning ride to the tire store. I have 15K miles on my rear tire and if I plan to do any long distant riding I need a new tire. I start the bike and let it warm up for a couple of minutes and then head down the highway the 40 miles to the motorcycle tire store.

As I sit in the store waiting for the tire to be mounted I talked was talking to the Owner about Weather over a warm cup f coffee. A grizzled Old biker come in and said "Hi" to the Owner.

We shift our conversation to bike parts and painted fairings, when a RUB (rich urban biker) walks in the door and asks about a part.

As the Owner is looking for a part the RUB looks at the Old biker and states "I know you from somewhere".

The Old biker looks at the RUB and squints his eyes. No recognition of the RUB comes from the Old biker and the Old biker asks "What prisons have you been in?" While making the statement the Old biker takes a step closer to the RUB.

The RUB hears the question and squints at the Old biker and takes a step closer and states "No, I know you from somewhere. We were talking the other day."

The Old biker states "I don't think you know me and squints a little more and step even closer to the RUB, and put his shoulders back.

Just as I am about to move away from the counter to give these guys some room to have throw down, the RUB said "Yes, you were talking to Doug the other day when we met." The RUB smiles but he is still squinting hard at the Old biker and steps even closer.

Now the RUB and Old biker's noses are about 2 inches apart. If there is a throw down, I am putting my money on the Old biker. He is shorter, but has a wiry build and looks like he has been in a few more fights then the RUB.

The Old biker said "I don't know anyone named Doug."
The RUB states "The other day. you were talking with Doug. You know, ugly Doug."

A slight hesitation from the Old biker, when he said "Doug, are you talking about Ugly, bald headed Doug?"

The RUB said "Yea, that's the guy, at the swap meet a few weeks back". The RUB smiles.

The Old biker smiled for the first time and said "I know Ugly Doug. How are you doing?"

A collective sigh comes from the Owner and myself as the possibility of a throw down disappears and everyone was good to go about there business.

The mechanic stepped into the room and said my bike and tire were ready to go. He told me to be careful for the first 50 miles as the tire will be slick until the new shine wears off.

I grab my keys and head out the door, bundled up to stay warm for the ride home.