"Events will take their course, it is no good being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turn them to their best account. "- Euripides
I'm a bit behind in my race reports. I've been busy working and racing. I decided to do the 2nd race in the Wisconsin Triathlon Series. The race was in Verona Wisconsin which is near our state capitol Madison.
I have family in the Madison area, so a race seemed like a good excuse for a visit. I know the run course pretty well. The indoor triathlon I've done the last three years in February took place just up the street from Fireman's park.
The run course in fact used some of the same route.
I had a rough swim at the Lake Mills triathlon, just a few weeks earlier. The rough water caused some anxiety for me and I almost dropped out. I ended up 4th in my age group.
I had a few good open water swim practices so I was ready for another race.
As usual I was at the race site really early. I set up and headed for the swim start.
I chatted with a few races and got in to do my pre-race warm-up. I used to think that I could not afford the energy to warm up. I have since learned I race much better and more calmly when I spend some time warming up.
I would be wearing a wet suit. It does make me faster and more confident in the water. I got in and floated around on my back and just enjoyed the lake. I then swam for a few minutes and did a few accelerations. The lake was warm and incredibly clear.
It was not long before my wave was taking off for our 400 meter swim. I had a great swim, calm and fun. I was far from the last out of the water.
I signed up for this race because last year there was only one woman in my age group. I knew I had a good chance to get a medal. Plus the 11 mile bike leg set up well for me. The bike is where I seem to lag farthest behind other athletes.
The bike was a bit hilly but was done before I knew it. I averaged 16 miles per hour. As I came out of transition I was directed onto the run course by a volunteer. The course was a circle with a few left turns to the finish. I felt like I was having a good race.
I saw a woman from the 50 to 54 age group pass me. She had finished ahead of me at the indoor try. I thought I must be having a really good race.
Way too soon I was at the finish line. I looked at my watch and the finish clock and knew something was wrong. When I got the print out of my results it said I finished the run in 17 min 35 second for a split of 5 min 35 seconds.
I knew the run time was wrong and I had not run a full 5K. What I did not know was if I had run the same course as everyone else. It was possible the course had been shortened. I did not intend to cut the course and followed the direction of all race volunteers. I was always in a group of runners.
I did not pick up my medal since I wanted to wait to contact the race director. I noticed the next day my time was not listed in the race results. The timing company told me my time was flagged because it was so fast. I explained what happened and he told me a large number of athletes were directed the wrong way and I must have been one of them.
So now I contacted the race director. My typical run time would have put me in a solid 3rd place and possibly even 2nd. There were 7 or so finishers in my age group. I asked the race director to adjust my time since what happened was not my fault.
After some very civil emails we resolved I would get points for the series for a 3rd place finish and he would give me an free entry to another race. Because there are 6 races in the series points are kept based on your finish for series awards. So now I have a 3rd and 4th place finish. I plan on doing at least two more races.
The director runs a great a events and mistakes happen. It was just one of those things and there is no use getting mad about it. It was disappointing to lose out on placement, but he did his best to make it up to me. The good thing is I had a great race and a lot of fun. I will be back for another race on September 4th again in the Madison area.
****************************
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. She represented TeamUSA at the
Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in
2015 and will represent the US
at the World championship in Cozumel in 2016.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship. She represented Team
In 2014 she represented the U.S.
as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas , Texas
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.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure
for CMT. We have 196 members in 37 states. We also have members in Australia , England ,Scotland , Canada ,
Vietnam , Turkey , Finland ,
Scotland , France , Poland
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
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Marathon Bombing
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