" A person who chases two rabbits, catches none." - Confucius
Interesting things seem to happen to me in races. The Olympian race held in Racine on August 13th was no exception.
This was really a race within a race. It was the first year for this and it was also the Wisconsin State Championship for the Wisconsin Senior Olympics or the Geezer Games as I like to call them. It is the qualifying event for the National Championship next year in Birmingham.
There were two events, a 5K and a 10 K. I thought there would be less competition in the 10 K so I signed up for that race.
The 10 K race would start first and follow the 5 K course for about 2 miles and then continue on.
About 40 of us lined up for the start of the10 K. It was sunny in the mid 80's and humid.
The race director went over the course directions and she lost me after about the 5th turn.
As the group took off, I said to the runner next to me...."They're going out too fast. I thought I would reel more than a few of them in during the last few miles.
I cruised along at an easy pace. I planned on doing the race as an easy run. I got to a turn and pointed to the right and a police officer motioned me to go left.
The course was beautiful, run mostly in parks along Lake Michigan. There was not another runner in site. That is unusual for me. I am a middle of the pack runner or a bit higher.
As I ran along I started passing walkers wearing t-shirts that said "Faith and Fitness". They must have been a church group out for a group event. I called greetings out to many of them. One told me I was in the lead. I told her there was a pack ahead of me.
A minute or so later, a police officer on a mountain bike cruised up beside me and spoke into his radio that he had the lead runner.
He would go on to tell me that most of the runners turned the wrong way on the course and did the 5K instead. So not only was I the lead female runner, I was the lead runner. I now had my own police escort. It was nice to have company and since he had a radio I had the blow by blow on the race.
When I got to the 4 mile water stop I think the volunteers were glad to see me since I was their first customer of the day. I was carrying a water bottle and told them I wanted to fill it. They offered to do it and Mr. Police officer offered to bring it to me if I wanted to keep running.
I could get used to that kind of service. It was nice to have his company all the way to the finish. The race director had the wrong turn runners, do the 5K course twice. When I was directed the wrong way in a triathlon this year, I was disqualified. I just can't seem to get the right end of these situations
I heard the combined total was only 5.8 K not the normal 6.2 K
I think my course was long since I finished in 1 hr 5 minutes. In any case I won my age group and finished 3rd among all the women. My time was not good enough to qualify me for the National Games. There is now a pretty tight time standard. I am the State Champ which is good enough.
I was a bit over-scheduled that weekend. I went to a Brewer's baseball game on Friday night. Did this race followed by a 20 mile bike ride. Saturday night I had a high school reunion and I had to do packet pickup and rack my bike for a Sunday triathlon.
I woke up Sunday morning and did not feel well. I had lost my voice and felt like I was getting a cold. So I decided to skip the triathlon. Just too much for one weekend.
*************************
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 198 members in 37 states. We also have members in Australia , England ,Scotland , Canada ,
Vietnam , Turkey , Finland ,
Scotland , France , Poland ,Iran and Sweden . 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
Keywords: Running, Running and
CMT, triathlon, triathlon and CMT, athlete and CMT, cycling and CMT,
paratriathlon, challenged athlete, Team CMT, Running for My Life-Winning for
CMT. Hereditary Neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth.
CMT and running, CMT and
triathlon, CMT and athlete, Charcot-Marie-Tooth and running,
Charcot-Marie-Tooth and triathlon, Team USA and Team CMT, Running for my
life-Winning for CMT, CMT athlete, athlete and CMT, triathlete and CMT, Boston
Marathon Bombing
No comments:
Post a Comment