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| Marquette Michigan March 2014 |
"It is not the will to win that matters, everyone has that, it's the will to prepare that matters." - Paul "Bear" Bryant, College Football's winningest coach with 323 victories and 6 national titles
3/9 Monday 51 F 55 min run
3/10 Tuesday 43 F 45 min swim, 45 min wts.
3/12 Wednesday 27F 1 hr 35 min bike, 15 min run
3/13 Thursday 35 F 45 min swim
3/14 Friday 51 F 1 hr 25 min run
3/15 Saturday 34 F 1 hr bike, 45 min swim
3/16 Sunday 11 F 3 hour run, Marquette Michigan
I've written about some of my lofty goals. The first one I set was in 2012 when I set the goal to run the Boston Marathon. When I set that goal I had no idea how I would get in, much less run the race successfully. I did get in and after lots of hard training I finished 2nd in the Mobility Impaired division.
Lots of athletes set lofty goals, but very few have the drive, discipline and dedication it takes to be successful. You have to work out day in and day out, even when you don't feel like it. Every week day after day I do the training my coach has put on my training plan. It is what I need to do to be successful.
This week like any other had its challenges. I had a really bad fall during the cool down of my run on Friday night. I was tired after a week of poor sleep. The workout plan said to run for 1 hr 25 minutes so I was out the door. On the cool down my right foot caught and I started to fall forward. My momentum continued to carry me forward. I could not stop the fall. I leaned into it, broke it slightly with my hand and then did a roll.
I was shook up, a scraped up knee, bruised ego and a sore palm. I was not seriously injured. Falls like this are becoming more common as my CMT progresses. They don't feel good and remind me some day I may not be able to run at all. I've had lots of practice falling in my life and I've gotten good at it.
This was not the only run I needed to do on the weekend. I had a 3 hour run of about 16 miles to do. I thought about moving it to Saturday because I had a 6 hour drive on Sunday to Marquette Michigan.
I was due to be in Marquette on business early in the week. After my fall on Friday, I decided not to chance running two days in a row. A practice I 've followed for years to avoid injury.
So pushing the run to Sunday would mean I would have to do the run after the drive. Driving is always tiring for me and I was really tired when I arrived. The temperature was 11 F and I thought why did I not run in Milwaukee because the temperature had been 34 F the day before. I could have used the treadmill in the hotel workout room. If I did that all I would be looking at was the media screen attached to the machine and it had no sound.
So it would be an outside run. I was not hopeful since I never run outside when it is colder than about 20 F. I was worried about being out in cold temperatures for hours. Since my body does not always regulate temperature well, temperature extremes can be a problem. Sometimes at night I just cannot get warm.
My hotel was right on Lake Superior and right along side of a bike path that runs for miles along the harbor and shore. It is even plowed. I started off just after 2 pm. There was about an inch of fresh fallen snow on the trail. I had been worried about icy spots since it has been icy in Milwaukee. Ice patches were there, but few and far between.
It is hard to believe it was 11 F. It felt absolutely perfect. There was only a slight wind. The sun was shining and it felt so warm. Heat waves and steam was coming off of the street because the sun was so warm.
I passed more people out for hikes, taking their dogs for a walk. More quick hello's and smiles.
Winter can have a beauty all it's own. Even though it has been a long and brutal winter, it can still be so wonderful to be outside and revel in its wonder. It was just one of those days it was great to be a runner and be alive. Running silently I could fully take in it's wonder. Because I do not listen to music when I run there are no distractions. I fully live in the moment.
I ran for about 5 miles along the path before I turned around and got to see the same beauty all over again.
I had already completed an earlier loop in the other direction of about 4 miles.
I spent the rest of the time running some of the huge hills in town. The 3 hours were over before I knew it. My feet hurt and my legs ached, but my soul soared. It is days like this I remember why I am a runner. No other experience can replace it. Someday when I can't run, I will remember this day and remember a winter day in Marquette Michigan.
*******************
Chris
Wodke
Founder
& Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is
a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a two time participant of the
Boston Marathon. She was the 2012
National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division. In 2013 she qualified as a
member of the Team USA Duathlon Team. She will compete in 2014 at the Age Group
World Duathlon Sprint Championship in Pontevedre Spain .
She is
the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a
CMT affected athlete.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure
for CMT. We have 143 members in 28 states. We also have members in Australia , Canada ,
Vietnam , Turkey , Finland
and Iran .
If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com
or www.hnf-cure.org
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.
Additional Link
CMT and running, CMT and
triathlon, CMT and athlete, Charcot-Marie-Tooth and running,
Charcot-Marie-Tooth and triathlon, Team USA
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