13 Questions with Beyond Type Run Captain Dave Holmes

Editor’s Note: Dave was a member of Beyond Type Run‘s 2018 TCS New York City Marathon Team sponsored by Dexcom and Insulet, makers of the tubeless Omnipod Insulin Management System. Learn more about the 2019 Beyond Type Run team here.

Meet Dave Holmes—Writer, TV + Podcast host, Podder and Type One Run member.

What inspired you to join the team?

After I was diagnosed, I developed an unhealthy fear of lows that kept me from healthy habits like long-distance running. Hooking up with the gang from Type One Run, and then later Beyond Type 1, helped ease my fears and get me back on the road. I figured there’s no better way to celebrate that than to take on the world’s greatest marathon with a big team of type 1s (T1s).

What’s in your diabetes management toolkit?

I’m on the Dexcom G6, when I haven’t sweat off the sensor. I use the Omnipod insulin pump, which makes it really easy to adjust my basal level for a long run. And I have a group text with a bunch of T1s, so if I get nervous about something, they can immediately put my mind at ease.

I never go on a run without …

I JUST started trusting my Dexcom enough to go on a run without my whole kit and test strips rattling around in my pockets. But I have my ID, $20 for sports drinks if they become necessary and lots of emergency snacks/gels. Also, I cannot run without music, and I fundamentally don’t understand anyone who can.

What is your favorite low snack on a run?

I’m starting to get into DATES. They do the job of a gel just as well, but they bring my blood glucose (BG) level up and back down more steadily. Plus, they’re natural. It’s nice not to be eating a science experiment.

What is your pump it up running song?

This changes a lot, but Michael Jackson’s “”Off The Wall,”” anything by Frank Turner or The Hold Steady and “”Umbrella”” by Rihanna. The new Robyn album comes out a few days before the NYC Marathon, and I think it might help me win.

What has been your most helpful tool as you’ve trained?

Community. Running with people—whether or not their pancreas is busted like mine—makes a huge difference. We can keep each other on pace, we can talk sometimes and zone out to music other times and then we can go get a beer after.

What has been the biggest training hurdle?

Finding the time! This summer turned out to be unexpectedly busy, and I booked a couple of trips that I didn’t want to ruin with long runs. But I managed to fit them in. Mostly.

What is your most embarrassing running moment?

I would hate to see the security camera footage of me staggering into any of a number of convenience stores looking for an emergency Gatorade.

The injury I’m currently nursing is . . .

I feel like I have a few injuries in waiting. Tight muscles that sometimes feel like they’re just about to tear. But the upside is that the fear is making me stretch more.

If you could go on a run with any T1D hero who would it be?

I already will be running with 21 of them!

How do you treat yourself / recover after a long run?

CBD cream on the legs, a Michelob Ultra or two, a giant, guiltless brunch and a nap with my dog.

What are you most nervous about the day of the marathon?

Sweating all my devices off.

How are you going to celebrate at the end of the race?

I have family and friends coming in, and I’m going to make them take me out and feed me.

Donate to Dave’s Beyond Type Run Fundraising Page here!

To learn more about the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon Beyond Type Run team here.