I was not on FB yet when I ran Berlin 2012, so many of you didn’t get to see my website 2 years ago.
Since 43 years, I go by the name Veerle Vanhuyse. I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes since the age of 16 (took my first shot on my birthday!). Though many people think of me as someone who deals really well with the disease, I still feel as if it’s a full time job with many psychological and physical burdens.
In 2005 I started running. In the beginning it didn’t go very well, but I kept going and it was only a matter of time to hit the 5km.
And believe it or not, I finally got addicted to it!
In May 2012, for some unexplainable reason, I decided all of a sudden I wanted to try the full beast; Berlin marathon in September. And I did it. In the meantime I ran 4 half marathons, a full one and everything in between. Mid September I’ll be doing the Wachau half marathon and November 2nd might just be the most exciting event ever. I’ll be at the start of the NYC marathon; the so called ‘Mother of all marathons’.
The amazing technology of my Dexcom C(ontinuous) G(lucose) (M)onotoring system and taming my diabetes monster with the help of the mySugr Companion App, already made my life in general and my training in particular a whole lot easier.
Still, diabetes is a challenge, and training for a marathon while having to cope with diabetes is even more challenging. In summer 2012, I was diagnosed with arthritis too. But stubborn as I am, despite Drs recommendations to ‘maybe start thinking about biking or swimming’, I´ll keep RUNNING for as long as possible! Enough already! Keep reading, because you’ll see this is not even about me. With this huge race coming up I’d like to raise funds. I want as much financial support as possible for children in Kinshasa, who still don’t always have access to proper diabetes treatment. |