Chris Wodke and Trenni Kusnierek

"Its a dream until you write it down, then its a goal."- unknown

Week 8- Boston Training

Boston is 62 days away. That sounds so close.  Last year I wrote the date April 16th, 2012 on a piece of paper and put it on my bulletin board.  April 16th is the day of the Boston Marathon.  I don't remember the exact day I put up that goal, but I know it was soon after I was diagnosed with CMT. I put up that goal even before I ran my qualifying marathon in Madison.  I knew somehow I was going to be there.  It is hard to believe my goal is so close.  I've now replaced that goal on my board with my Boston acceptance letter.

I achieved another goal of sorts this week when I sat down for a TV interview with Trenni Kusnierek of WTMJ.  I chose Boston because as a high profile event, I knew it would garner interest to raise awareness of CMT. 

I have to admit I was a bit nervous before the interview. It was my first ever TV interview. You can see from the picture why Trenni is paid to be in front of a camera and why I'm not.  Trenni put me at ease right away. She is running Boston for the 2nd time and had some great advise to share with me.

It will be marathon number 7 for both of us. It was so much fun to talk about training and races with her.  Thanks to my publicist Gail Sideman for arranging the interview. I also gave Trenni a Team CMT singlet and she promised to wear it.  I hope to see her as I run Boston.  Because I am starting in the first wave we may finish at about the same time. 

 Trenni actually hurt her Achilles tendon and was not able to run for 3 weeks.  She is back to running so I wish her well and a good run at Boston. 

 It is really easy to over train when getting ready for a marathon. I am especially vulnerable to injury because of my CMT.  I walk a fine line always between training enough to prepare and over training and being injured.

At week 8 I am getting into the meat of the training program. I had a couple of nights this week when I woke up at midnight and couldn't fall back asleep so finishing all the training this week was a challenge.  I got in my speed work and 8 mile tempo run before it snowed and turned nasty cold. On Saturday morning it was 8F with wind chills of -5F so it was off to the treadmill.

I did 3 hours and 24 minutes with hill repeats the entire time to simulate the hilly course at Boston. I won't bore you with the exact details. The steepest segments felt really good. My heart was going and I was breathing a bit hard and it felt good.  I loved the challenge of the hill work and it made the time go by fast.  I did a ski patrol shift on Saturday night and Sunday I was only a little sore. That 3 hour plus treadmill session is about the same as an 18 mile run.

So training is still going well. I have a bit of a tender area around by right knee. I always have a bit of a problem with the muscle just left and below the right knee cap. It just needs stretching and some bio-freeze.  I have trained for enough marathons I know how to adjust my training and take of small problems as they pop up.  Twice monthly visits to my sports medicine Chiropractor Dr Drweiz also keep me healthy.

This week is going to seem easy since it is a rest week. The mile builds for two weeks and then is cut back on the third week to give my body a chance to recover.  This week I have a race 10K race with Team CMT members Kathy Stultz, Robert Kearney and Cheryl Monnat. I also have a speed workout and a long run of 12 miles. After  my treadmill session this week, 12 miles sounds easy.

Not sure when the interview will air. Once I know I will let everyone know and will upload it to the web site etc.  I do not plan to watch it. I think as so as the camera came on I lost all ability to speak rationally.  Pros like Trenni really earn their money. Thanks Trenni and Gail for helping me to bring awareness about CMT and the activities of Team CMT!

Chris Wodke

Manager & Founder Team CMT

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