Boston Week 7- Polar Chick

" It is not the strongest of the species that survives or the most intelligent, It is the one most adaptable to change."- Charles Darwin

In past blogs I've talked about being consistent in workouts to be successful as an athlete. Well this week I had to be consistent and adaptable.

My coach Joy Von Werder sent me the tee shirt in the picture. She had them made up for the athletes she trains in Florida. Florida cold is not way near as bad as Wisconsin cold. She tells me its freezing when it's 40F. Here is Wisconsin we're breaking out the shorts and sun screen. 40F is a January thaw.

On Monday night when it was time to do my 8 mile tempo run it was 6F and icy. So it was time to hit the treadmill.  All my problems were not over because my workout clothes had been sitting in a cold car all day.
So I had to figure out what would be the least uncomfortable to put on first. I started with the socks, then the shorts... all like ice. I was hoping the jog bra would have warmed up a little. No such luck and the orthodics in my shoes were like blocks of ice.  The cold clothes warmed up quickly and I got my workout done on the treadmill.

A few days later it was still 6F when I hit the pool for a swim workout.  Think about trying to get into a pool when you are cold because it is 6F outside.  I get in the hot tub first to talk myself into getting into the cold water. Sometimes the hot tub is the only place I feel warm all day. When I get into the pool the water feels like ice and it takes me at least 4 laps before I start to warm up. Still that little change to get in the hot tub before and after get me through the laps.

I had to do my long run of 16 miles on Friday because I wanted to run a 10K race on Sunday. I did not want to do hard workouts on back to back days. It was still 6F so that meant another treadmill workout. I am slow so that meant 3 hours and 5 minutes on the tread mill. There was no TV in the workout room.  So yes it is just a boring as you might imagine.  I did some speed work and looked out the windows and soon I was done. The treadmill only goes for an hour so I had a little break between each set. Doing 3 sets sounds lots better than 3 hours.  Think about this as 3 short runs with some speed work was just the mental adaptation I needed to get through the workout.

I felt sick on Sunday and very tired from the long run, so that meant some more adaption. I skipped the race and just ran very easy near home. So this week was all about adapting both to the cold and the tough workouts this week.

I am getting into the really tough part of my training now. The long runs will soon be 20 miles. My body will adapt if I give it lots of rest and change my workouts as needed.

I'll get to Boston, with consistent workouts and just a little bit of adaptation.

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Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

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 116 members in 25 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.