Almost famous

I’m famous! I’m famous! I’m famous! OHMYGAWD!!! I’m famous!

That’s ME!!!

When I was contacted by Canadian Running Magazine a few months back asking if I’d be interested in participating in an article on running with diabetes, I was 100 per cent all over it.

For 2 seconds.

Long enough to breathe a second of excitement before realizing oh crud, the tables have turned. I live my life behind a pen and notepad. I live my life asking questions. I live my life nosying around other people’s lives. I’m the journalist. Not the subject. Oh crud. I swear to you, I spent a good half a day, prior to the evening interview, freaking out. Massively freaking out! What if I was a horrible interview. What if I rambled a mile a minute making absolutely no sense. What if the only words coming out of my mouth were uhm, uhm, uhm. All possible scenarios.

Yep, I totally made a bubble chart to TRY and keep me on track 😀

The hour and a half interview (my ear was super red after!) went fairly well I think. There were a lot of uhms, nervous giggles, and nonsensical ramblings, but interspersed were also nuggets of smart bits, good stories of crazy running experiences, obstacles, achievements, joys, annoyances, and the never-ending challenge of figuring out how to carry things most others don’t have to – all because of Dear Diabetes.

And when I mentioned, “off the cuff” that Big Ring was a professional photographer, she requested photos!!! FAMOUS!!!

That’s ME! And hey, that’s my T-1 pal and fellow blogging chick Canadian D-Gal too!

On New Year’s Eve, the magazine arrived – and there I was. ME! Front and centre. ME! Testing my blood sugars. ME! My calloused fingers. ME! Running. ME! Right there in the lede. ME! My words. My diabetes. FAMOUS!!!

My calloused fingers. My trashy running meter.

My first reaction to the article was … undecided. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in the field, or because I was the subject, a role I’m not used to being at all, but I was somewhat critical. Hmm… would I have written it like that? Hmm… wouldn’t it have been better if she had done this instead of that? Hmm… was that the best quote to use?

But after a few reads, (yes, I’ve read it a few times!) I started to soften. Diabetes is a HUGE, complex disease. She had a lot of information to sort through and filter down into 2,000 words. That’s no easy feat. And yet, the article was both informing and personal. And hey, the lede totally had me giggling 😀

A quick glance at [Princess of Pavement’s] running blog makes it pretty clear how she feels about diabetes.
The entry, “Why I run”, features a photo of a closed fist with middle finger extended. Written vertically in capital letters on the middle finger is the word “DIABETES.” …

FAMOUS!!!