Boston Week 15- Stranger in a Strange Land

" Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom."- Eal Shoaf


I started a new job about a month ago.  I 'd been in the same department for 10 years.  I moved to a different division of my company  It is like working for a brand new company.  Sometimes I feel like I'm in a foreign country. I don't know anyone, don't know my way around and I feel like I don't know the culture. I was in a meeting last week and everyone arrived 15 minutes late.  There were all old friends and laughed and talked, leaving me completely out of the conversation.  That has happened more than once in the last month.

At least when I travel to a foreign country I can get a few books to learn the culture and a learn a few phrases of the local language. In this case I have nothing to guide me. I do feel like a stranger in a strange land with no guide.  Hopefully it will become familiar in time

My journey as an athlete sometimes has had the same feeling.  I never expected to be running an event like Boston, once, much less twice. It seems a little strange to be traveling to Austin for the 2nd year to compete in National Championship for the Paratriathlon.  I was the open division champ last year. Champion and my name have never been said in the same sentence.  It feels a bit strange.  Sometimes it feels like Boston and Austin are happening to someone else. Sometimes is all seems a bit surreal. When I tell people I am running Boston, I feel like I'm talking about someone else.

I never expected when I started Team CMT it would grow so big or have so many CMT affected athletes. All of this has been unexpected, but not unwelcome.

So my journey as an athlete will continue. Training for Boston has gone smoothly. I had my last long run of 13 miles. Now I start the taper.  The taper feels strange as well. After weeks of long mileage and intense workouts, the mileage is cut back to nothing before the race. It feels strange to have so much extra time as the workouts decrease.  Before I know it, I will be standing on that start line in Boston. Now that is a feeling I am familiar with.


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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 120 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.