Cullen 8 K Run, Slip and Slide

"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going."- Jim Ryun

The Steve Cullen 8 K is a named after a local news reporter that dies in his early 40's from heart disease.  The race is a fund raiser for heart research and the 2nd in my local running clubs championship series.

The race was scheduled for Saturday morning February 10th.  Running a race on a weekend is pretty routine and usually does not require much thought. However when I woke up on Saturday it was 6 degrees.

I did not want to even get out of bed, but there were series points on the line. On a really cold day lots of runners will decide to stay how. I used that fact to motivate myself.   Last year I built up a lead because my competition did not show up for some very cold early races.

We also got 6 inches of fresh snow the night before. The course is near Hansen golf course on city streets. The course has rolling hills with one really big one right at the finish. I knew the course would be slippery.

I had to also get the layers right, enough to be warm but not too many so that I would sweat and then be cold.

I did a base layer top and bottom, wool socks, hat, thermal gloves, smart wool pullover and a fleece lined jacket.

Everyone at the race seemed to be dressed about the same.
With the cold and slipper conditions I decided to take it easy.  At race time it was sunny with little wind. It really was a beautiful day.

The race was pretty routine.  I saw a couple of women from my age group. That always motivates me to pick up my pace. The course was slippery and I shuffled and slide my feet to keep my footing.

I felt a little tired the whole time.  I have been hitting the weight training pretty hard, so it may be a bit before I bounce back. My times in cold weather are always slow. I finished in 54:45 in 8th place.

I took 2nd in my age group for the club championship. The first place women is much faster.  I think she was three minutes ahead of me.  Catching her will have to be my motivation. I have some work to do.

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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 Championship.

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 213 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Scotland, France, Poland, Iran, Norway 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

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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