" We run not because we think it does us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. It also does us good because it helps us to do other things better. It gives a man the chance to bring out the power that otherwise might remain locked within himself. The urge to struggle lies latent in everyone." Roger Banister, the first man to break 4:00 minute mile.
I was visiting my family in Texas over the holidays. We were watching the final game of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We were all cheering for the Steelers because their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, once played for our team, the Green Bay Packers.
The game was back and forth. It looked like the Steelers were going to lose because the team they were playing, the Baltimore Ravens, was headed down the field for a last-second field goal. I left the room and went upstairs because I could not bear to watch.
I was up in my bedroom when I heard my family screaming. I rushed to get downstairs, but got my foot caught under a rocking chair in my room. Here was the result
The picture does not really do it justice. A week later, it is even more black and blue. My foot hurt so much that the only shoes I could wear the next day were my running shoes. I joked to people that I had a football injury since I got it running to watch the end of the game.
This is not unusual for someone with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). One of the gifts of CMT is proprioception. That means you do not know where your body is in space and how your body is moving.
That means lots of falls, tripping, bumping into things, balance issues, and, in my case, getting my foot caught under something. It is just part of life with CMT. It means I am at risk of an injury every day.
The good news this time is that I have been able to run, swim, bike, and nordic ski. I seem to have bones made of rubber. So far, no major injury. I am still training, which makes me happy. I believe being active slows the progression of my CMT. Working out makes me happy and has a very positive effect on my mental health.
So while I am playing hurt, I am still in the game. Good thing since I have a race in Lake Placid in early February. I will be racing at the Empire Games in Nordic skiing and the Winter Triathlon National Championship
CMT is a long game for me. This time, I was lucky and did not even miss a "game". I continue to fight my CMT every day. So far, I am winning.
**********************
Chris Wodke
Founder Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is a triathlete, Nordic skier, and long-distance runner. She is a three-time participant in 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.
She has won national championships as a physically challenged athlete in
Aqualon, Duathlon, Aqua bike, and Winter Triathlon. She was the national
champion in her age group in 2023 for gravel duathlon.
In 2014, she represented the U.S. as a Paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.
She was the 2023 Gravel Duathlon National Champion in the 65-69 age group.
She has won state championships as an age-group athlete in cycling and triathlon. She has represented America as an age-group athlete at world championships in Chicago, Denmark, Cozumel, and Norway. She earned a bronze medal at the Winter Duathlon World Championship in 2023 in Norway.
In 2020, she was named a National Ski Patrol Subaru Ambassador and a USA Triathlon Foundation Ambassador.
She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.
She is the author
of the book “Running for My Life,” which details her experience as a
CMT-affected athlete, and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy
Eating.
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 find a cure for CMT. We currently have 257 athletes in 43 states. We also have members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland, France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico, Wales, Ireland, and Sweden! If you wish to join us, visit our website: 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.
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