Week 7 Boston Training
Well Saturday was a perfect day for my long run. The first picture is how it looked when I got back from my run. It was 39F and I had a gorgeous run along the lake and even did over an hour of hill work by running up and down a couple of hills on the route.
Last year on ground hog day which fell during this week, we got 22 inches of snow and this is how the same area looked.
We got so much snow and it was so windy that my back door was drifted shut.
The snow was so deep, I had to put on snow shoes to get to my back door to get my shovel out of the garage. It took me six hours to dig out. After I was done digging out I went running.. It's really fun to run in the snow. The challenge comes after the storm when every street has snow banks three or more feet high. It got to the point I was worried about getting hurt climbing up and down the banks every block. Plus the sidewalks get really icy from the freezing and thawing and salt everyone uses. So most of last February I spent using the treadmill.
Saturday the long run planned was somewhere between 16- 18 miles. My goal was to run for 3 hours and 6 minutes making for 18 miles based on my last half marathon time. I tried wearing a GPS watch last year. It is supposed to measure distance based on satellite reads. It was wildly off so I gave up on it and resold it on Amazon. I don't seem to have very good luck with watches. It doesn't matter how expensive, they never seem to last long on my wrist. They simply stop working. My latest watch casualty was one I inherited from my mom. It lasted about 4 days on my wrist before it stopped working.
16 miles was on the training plan, but I am trying to extend each of my long runs by a couple of miles. Hoping that will make me a bit stronger so I can hold my pace throughout the marathon. That meant a run of 3 hours and 6 minutes to reach 18 miles based on my last half marathon time. Too bad my last half time was the slowest I have run all year.
For me the toughest part of the long run is getting out the door. Whether I think of the long run as the 18 miles I wanted to do or the 3 hr and 6 minutes I knew it would take, it just sounds really far. It can be tough to get motivated to get started. I had some letters to mail, so the first step was running to the post office and to just keep going. My plan was to find a hill or two and do repeats. I ended up down along the lake and had a great run.
The week did not start off well. I was in bed by 6 pm both Sunday and Monday. In fact Monday I was so tired I couldn't work out. I had a rest day in the plan this week, that I moved from Friday to Monday. I was able to get in all my other workouts including an 8 mile tempo run. It is no big deal to miss a work out or two over the training program. I find I can miss a workout or two and still have a good race. The key for me is to get in the three runs I need to do every week and move around the off day as needed.
Well this week my long run will be 17-19 miles. I also have a TV interview with the one of the sportscaster's from WTMJ. Trenni is also doing the Boston Marathon, so she is interested in my story.
It is hard for me to believe the changes since last year. A year ago I was training for the Madison Marathon, not knowing if I could even run a marathon again. A year ago I was having trouble getting media attention. Now I have a publicist and several interviews pending. A year ago Team CMT was just in the idea stage. I had no idea we would grow so fast or that I would find so many athletes with CMT or so many others interested in helping with our cause. What a difference a year has made. Now I am on my way to Boston and the most important race I may ever run for Team CMT. I can't wait for a year from now. I think amazing things are going to happen over the next year. I hope it is as good as this year has been.
It is also supposed to continue to be warm and dry this week. All good news for me as I continue getting ready for Boston!
Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager 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
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