Run for Bacon 5K

" It is good to have an end to journey toward: but it is the journey that matters in the end." -Ernest Hemingway

This season  I really decided to energize my running. I had gotten into a kind kind of a rut and I thought my running times were slower than they should be.

One of the things I decided to do was to race much more.  When I do a 5K I treat it like a speed workout. I do two speed workouts and a long easy run each week.  I've found in the past that racing makes me a faster athlete.

Doing a race gives me some new scenery and people to run with which has really energized my running.

On July 27th I did the Bacon Run 5 K in Cudahy, Wisconsin.    The race was sponsored by local bacon maker, Patrick Cudahy.  The race started at his statute in Sheridan Park.

I like to get a parking space close to the start line, so I arrive early and do an hour bike warm-up.  There is a bike path that runs along the lake for miles and it was the perfect warm up site.

The race was on closed park roads and the same bike path where I did my warm up. The course was completely flat. My plan was to do surges of  4 minutes with a minute rest. I also planned not to linger in the water stops since the racer just faster than me at the last race beat me by two seconds.

It was about 82 F, just hot enough I needed to pour water on myself to keep cool. I could tell right from the start I was a little tired. I kept pushing until the last half mile. I had to cut the 4 minute surge to 2 minute and increase my rest time to 2 min. Before I knew it I was crossing the finish line.

As I crossed the finish line I was handed a package of bacon. I finished in 28:18,  just 10 seconds slower than the week before. I tied for 2nd place in my age group. If I had just kept pushing I would have had 2nd all to myself. My time would have been good enough last year for 1st in my age group.
Instead of medals, I got a coupon for a free pound of bacon.

This process of racing to get faster has been so much fun. I have taken 2 minutes off of my 5 K time and I am having a blast.

Next week I will be doing my last Beer Garden run of the series and my first trail run. It has been a great journey this season.

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Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the Boston Marathon.  In 2012 she finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.

She has appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division Champion.

In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015 and at the World championship in Cozumel in 2016.  

 In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  She has won state championships in cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2^nd in her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on Team USA for the World Champsionship.

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete.

http://www.henschelhausbooks.com/catalog/memoir-biography/215-running-for-my-life-winning-for-cmt-9781595982827.html

You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 215 members in 38 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Scotland, France, Poland, Iran, Norway, Sweden and Ireland. 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

Follow CMT affected Paratriathlete Timmy Dixon
http://cmtamputee.wordpress.com/

Follow CMT Author Chris Steinke
https://cmtandmesite.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease/

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