MATT PATRICK

Larchmont, NY
Age: 41
Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 36

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Knickerbocker 60K (NYC) 4:38:52, 7th place overall
NYC Marathon 2:48
Westchester Half Marathon (NY) 1:17:59, 3rd place overall
NYC Half Marathon 1:16:28
Boston Marathon 2:45
Philadelphia Marathon 3:06

MEET MATT PATRICK

When were you diagnosed with diabetes?

I was diagnosed with type 1 March 2008 when I was 36 years old so I'm still a bit new at this.

How did your family feel about diabetes when you were first diagnosed?

We were all pretty shocked. I was always active and pretty fit so I the idea of ever developing diabetes wasn’t really something I had ever considered. Nobody in my family really knew any real information about diabetes – but they were familiar with scary stories about it. We all had a lot to learn about diabetes.

How do you feel about diabetes now?

My feeling about diabetes now is that it's just another thing to deal with like facing a long hard run tomorrow morning or working through any time my kids get sick... I just deal with it so I can get on with the rest of my life. And for athletics, it's just another factor to think about, track and take into account when preparing for training.

Tell us a little about your life at home.

I am married and have two girls that are 8 and 5 years old. I just coached my older daughter's first year of competitive soccer and it was incredibly fun - great to see a group of kids who don't know each other become a cohesive team.

Why is exercise and competition a part of your life?

I have always been competitive in sports (rowing for high school, college and about 7 yrs. after college) and then running. I like to train as part of daily routine. It's the part of my day that I always have to myself before anyone or anything else starts pulling me in different directions. It allows me to focus better on the other things in my life because if I run 15 miles in he morning before anybody else is awake then I never have to worry if I'm going to be able to make time for myself later on. I've already done what I need to for me and then I can focus on my family or my job. For me, competing in race events is a means to focus my training. Without a goal race I don't train as well. Training is also more fun when I see improvements over a season, heading into a goal race.

What drew you to Team Type 1?

TT1 was important for me as a way to figure out how to train and race with Diabetes. With just the advice from my Endocrinologist I probably would have quit running. I was taking too much insulin and I was not getting direction about how to modify my insulin depending on my running. Reading about how the TT1 folks were training, racing and being competitive gave me hope that I could solve the puzzle of Diabetes and race as well as I had before my diagnosis.

Tell us about a personal achievement that was highly significant to you.

A significant personal achievement for me has been my ability to manage my Diabetes successfully with as little impact as possible to my family. There have been a few times when my health has been a team effort to solve certain situations, but in general, I manage things on my own without changing the way my wife and children live day to day. I feel that is important because I never want to have my family change what we would normally do just because of my diabetes.

How about an athletic achievement that you find especially significant?

A significant athletic achievement for me is the string of five marathons I've run with finishing times of 2:50 - 2:45 since my diagnosis in 2008. I was not certain I would be able to run a decent marathon after I was diagnosed and I think I've proved that it is possible to perform well athletically with the added challenge of being T1.

Wow – those are some speedy times!

If there is one piece of advice you could give to someone who was newly diagnosed with diabetes– what would it be?

My advice to a person newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is always the same... get out there. Go out with friends and exercise. Manage your blood sugar closely and take precautions in case your diabetes management does the unexpected. However, don’t let fear of the unexpected stop you - go out and sort out the details as you train, race and enjoy being social and active. Training is not always fun and races don't always go as planned, but if you are out with friends and keep at it, you can figure out a system that works. On days when things don’t go well, keep at it. With persistence, success is just around the corner.

Tell us about your favorite TT1 event to date.

My favorite TT1 event was The Relay in CA in May 2009. I was never in the company of people who know so much about living with type 1 diabetes - and I was amazed at how helpful it was to me. The support was great from a group of people who know exactly what I go through every day. They made the fun parts super fun and the challenging parts much easier to handle.

In what way have you found that your diabetes has helped you grow as an individual?

Having type 1 diabetes has given me first-person awareness and understanding of daily life with a daily challenge. We all have challenges, whether they are related to health, family, professional, financial …Regardless, I feel the effective way to deal with any challenge is to learn all we can about the best way to resolve or manage it, put a sensible plan together and stick with it. I try to be a positive example to other people who can use assistance meeting their goals. I also try to draw people’s attention to the bright side that exists in every situation-no matter how challenging.

Are there any areas of your diabetes management that you are currently evaluating or targeting to improve?

I think my diabetes management is pretty good right now, but I always wonder what my blood sugar is doing while on long runs. I have wondered if a CGM (continuous glucose monitoring system) would make a difference in smoothing things out.

Tell us about an athletic goal you have for the short term – say less than one year from now.

Two things: a) run 2:43 in Boston b) survive the 3000 mile TT1 Run Across America relay in October/November!

How about an athletic goal that you have for the long term?

To keep running and racing until I'm old.

Matt, thank you for taking the time to talk with us.

Thank you.