The Glamorous Life of an Athlete

Week 5 of the 18 week training program for the Boston Marathon is in the books. I am a little behind on my blog because I have been really tired.  My body handles any stress by sleeping. Stress from work, a cold or tough workouts all are dealt with by sleeping. Both the workouts and work have been tough this last week. Plus the CMT brings fatigue. About 75% of those with CMT report problems with being tired.  Sometimes I am so tired I want to go home and go to sleep, but have to work out.  Sometimes it's tough to talk myself into working out.  Of all the things I face from the CMT, being tired all the time is the worst. Being tired takes a mental toll as well. The good thing is I usually feel a bit better  both mentally and physically after working out.

Sunday I had a 16 mile treadmill workout. It took 2 hr 54 minutes. I threw in 1hr and 20 minutes of hills as I begin to train for the Boston course.  The night before I had a ski patrol shift at Crystal Ridge. Some nights at the hill its cold or the runs are icy so lodge sitting and socializing rather than skiing might take place. The snow was good Saturday night so I got in lots of runs. The result was Sunday night I was exhausted and in bed at 6 pm. I fell asleep reading at about 6:30. I pretty much slept through until 4 am the next day.  I was tired all this week. Tonight all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed but I had a speed workout to do. So it was out the door for a 50 minute speed workout.   I'll be in bed by 8 pm.  That's living in fast lane alright.

The weather was up and down all week as well. Monday was 41F and by Wednesday it was 6F. So it was back to the treadmill again for both my tempo and long runs. The treadmill is hard on my feet. As the CMT progresses I am losing the padding in the bottom of my feet. I'm told that is a normal part of the progression.  As a result sometimes I can really feel the pounding.  I have been fighting a turf toe issue on my right toe since last summer. It is still tender and I used moleskin on my long run.

My other big effort this week has been fundraising. Saturday I spent all day emailing potential corporate sponsors. I think I sent close to 60 requests for funding. I am getting about a 10% response to fill out applications. Will see where it goes.

The training is going well other than the tiredness. This week is an easy week. The training plan builds for two weeks then cuts back on mileage for a week before ramping up again. It is a much needed physical and mental break.  I round out this week with a 10K race with Team CMT team members Cheryl Monnat, Robert Kearney and Kathy Stultz. We will be racing in Franklin as part of the RACC winter series and going to the Great Lakes Multi Sport Expo after the race.  Hoping to look at a tri suit and may be some bikes at the expo. It is also a great place to scout out runs and tri's for the up comming season. 

Chris Wodke
http://www.run4cmt.com/

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Running, triathlons, impaired athlete, paratriathlon, USAT, running and CMT