A Super Hero: Mari Ruddy
When I initially started Ride to Remedy, I had a section entitled “the wall of inspiration” but I never followed through and put it together. The original idea behind it was that I’d write up a section about people with diabetes that inspired me. At that point there was really only one person, but in this last year, I’ve met many people that have diabetes and that number of people that inspire me is starting to grow. I want to start writing about the diabetics I meet and how they impact my life and how they’re an inspiration in my life.
There is someone that made an impact in my life last year during the Colorado Tour de Cure. And this year at the Denver Diabetes Expo I again met her and since then I’ve been talking to her and she is just…well, she’s amazing. To use one of her sayings, she’s a super hero in my life.
Who is this amazing woman? Well, it’s Mari Ruddy (I’ve mentioned her before). If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know that she’s one of the brains behind the RED Riders.
Me and Mari
I won’t ever forget when I first met her, it was the night before the 2007 Colorado Tour de Cure at the pre-packet pick up party. When I walked into the building the RED Rider table was right there, and when I was asked if I was a RED Rider and told them my name she said “yes, you most definately are a RED Rider”. She was so nice and so excited, it was incredibly encouraging. And that’s the way she is everytime I’ve talked to her.
Just to share a little background about Mari with you, she’s had diabetes for probably as long as I’ve been alive, since she was 16. She says “That’s over 25 years of blood testing, shots, insulin pumping, carb counting, and meal planning.” And even with all that, she’s still a glass half full kind of person.
I have problems daily being a glass half full kind of person. More often than not, I’m a glass half empty kind of person, because even on a good day with my diabetes, something will happen that will remind me that the diabetes is still there and just because it’s a good day doesn’t mean that I can go off and do x,y,z. One good day means nothing, it’s the combination of good days that makes the difference, and sometimes, even when you’re doing all you can, things don’t turn out the way you want them to and that can really just spoil things. And I know Mari has days like those, we all do, who doesn’t? But her general outlook is just so positive that it’s contagious. You can’t help but feel happy when you’re around her or talking to her or emailing her. Just knowing that there’s someone on the other end of the email or the phone that completely understands will bring a smile to your face even if it’s an off day.
The last time I talked to her on the phone was shortly after I completed my first metric century in the Phoenix Tour de Cure. I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open, I wanted nothing more than to slip into an ice bath and then go take a nap. But when I was talking to her, even through all my exhaustion, I was so excited to tell her that I had completed the 62.5 miles, that I had done it in 4 hours 30 minutes 27 seconds and then tell her all that I had done, waking up 2 hrs before the ride to drop my basal rate, all that I ate at each of the rest stops, things like that, and she listens and I can talk to her about my diabetes and cycling and she completely understands both and her input is valuable.
I talked to her the day before that ride because in a rash moment I decided that I was going to double my longest distance. I had no clue what to do diabetes wise, she responded to my message and told me what helps her and if it hadn’t been for that conversation, I wouldn’t have made it through the 62.5 miles. (I know that in riding I’m my own guinea pig, trial and erroring everything, but to hear an observation come from another diabetic and to know that it’s helped them makes it easier than trying to do things on my own, and when the person you’re talking to has participated in century rides and triathlons, something that you yourself wants to do, it makes a world of difference. I’ve got encouragement and support that I never had before.)
In that same conversation we talked in depth about the RED Riders. I’ve done 5 rides now, and the rides that had the RED Riders have been my best rides. The RED Riders is really the only thing that binds me to other riders simply because I’m coming in not knowing the area and not knowing any other people that are riding.
I don’t know what the Colorado Tour de Cure would’ve been like if it hadn’t had the RED Riders, but I do know this, the RED Riders really changed the way I look at rides, it excited me, people were talking to me, it was huge, I was bound to other people beyond just being a cyclist out there riding. And I owe that to Mari and her friends that came up with the RED Riders.
Mari is just awesome, she’s helped give me that support and encouragement that I never had before, she’s my hero.
She’s got me in the stages of something new that I’ve been wanting to do and started thinking about years ago and really just never went forward with it, it was brought to the forefront of my mind at the Denver Diabetes Expo and still I didn’t act on it, and out of the blue she’s got this crazy idea in mind, and you know what, the thing about it is, it’s not all that crazy, it’s completely awesome and I’m excited about it in a way I’ve not really ever been before.
If I had to say why I’m so excited I would boil it down to support and encouragement. That’s a super hero for you. Thanks Mari 
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March 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
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April 10th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
[...] it comes to me staying in the game as far as getting out there and cycling, Mari is probably my biggest inspiration. Mari has had diabetes for 26 years. She’s also had breast [...]