Doolittle Half Marathon- Check-up

"There may be people that have more talent then you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you." -Derek Jeter

I am just a little over 3 weeks out from racing the NY marathon.  I like to do at least one half marathon during training.  It is a good way to do a check on how the training is going.

I made a last minute decision to do the Dolittle Half Marathon in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The training this time has been a mental and physical struggle.  It has been difficult to find time and motivation to do all of the runs.  So I really needed do a check and see where I was physically.

I signed up for this race, because it is almost all on a bike trail, called the Glacial Drumlin trail.
Drumlins are small hills that are common in the area.   The trail was advertised as flat and fast.

The weather was perfect for the race. It was in the high 50's when the race started.  I decided to do speed work during the race to pass the time. I did 3 minute repeats throughout the race.

I chatted with a woman from Houston that flew in just for this little race.   That was a surprise, since it is a small race. There were 212 runners split between a full marathon, half and a 5 K.

The race was not flat.  Even though this was a bike trail, it was all rolling hills.  So I guess I got  a good hill workout.  The half turned around and I said good bye to my Houston friend.

The colors were just starting to turn and the course was really beautiful. I heard Sandhill cranes calling.  Because it was such a small race, I was often running alone.

The course seemed long and it seemed like the finish line would never come. My legs were really starting to hurt.  I have had this experience before in half marathons. I wonder how I will ever run a full marathon when I struggle to finish a half.

It's a good thing NY will be my 10th marathon. I've been through this before. I finished in 1 hr 34 minutes. I was disappointed in the time since I was doing speed work. There were only  three women in my age group, so I took 3rd. The first time I have gotten a medal in a half marathon. I was well behind the first place time of 1 hour 50 minutes.

My last half 4 years ago on a flat course was 2 hr 28.    I had a really bad half before my first marathon and I ran a great marathon, actually my best at 4 hours.

Having a bad race actually motivates me to keep training. I have a bit of work to do before NY, but I will be ready.

***************************

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 2015i, Cozumel in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5^th in the 60 to 64 age group.

 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 and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy Eating”.

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 218 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, France, Ireland, 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/

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.

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Wisconsin Senior Olympics- Swimming and Cycling

" No matter how many mistakes and how slow your progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying." -Tony Robbins

Cycling
I look forward to the Wisconsin Senior Olympic cycling race all year.  The two days of racing take place on a closed course in Menominee Park.  Day one races include a 10 K time trial and a 20 K road race. Day two is a 5 K time trial and a 40 K road race.

Because I started a new job in August I do not have much vacation time. I decide I would just be doing the time trial races.  You cannot use a triathlon or time trial bike in the road race.  Because my car does not have a bike rack, I can only carry one bike.  I bought a triathlon bike last year to do races like this.  So it would just be the time trial races.

The first day there was a huge thunderstorm in the morning. I did not want to take time off of work, drive to the park and have the race cancelled. I saw a Facebook feed later in the day from the race. The weather cleared just in time for the time trial.

The weather was much better for day 2.   Time trials are a great way to break into racing. We are lined by by gender and age. Women and older first.  A rider goes off every 20 seconds or so.  You are basically racing against the clock. A 5 K race goes by pretty fast.

You can have a hold to give you a faster start. I have never done that so I decided not to use a holder.  I had trouble clipping into my pedals and that delayed me at the start.

The roads were still wet from rain over night and from the day before. I decided to not go too crazy. I know the course well because I practiced riding the course several times this summer.

I ended up just 7 seconds out of 2nd place. Because that finisher was from Illinois we were both awarded silver medals. The rules are that an out of state competitor cannot displace a Wisconsin resident from awards.  The best part about this race is visiting with all the other athletes.
Many of them are local runners and triathletes as well. It was fun to see everyone and I qualified for the National Championship in New Mexico next June

Swimming
This event was held on September 15th at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center. This is an awesome facility. It has been the site of Olympic trials.   I did five events:

• 500 Meter Freestyle Novice
• 50 meter breast stroke, Novice
• 50 meter back stroke, Novice
• 100 meter free style, Novice
• 50 meter side stroke, novice

There are two categories, a masters for those that compete and belong to National Masters swim and Novice.   This year is a qualifying for those in the Master category. Because I was swimming novice I would not qualify.  Most of those competing swam in college or high school. They start off the blocks and do flip turns. I do neither and that puts me at a disadvantage.    Neither is required, but I won't swim in the master category until I can do both.  Even in the novice category many of the swimmers start off the blocks.

I took silver in every category except the back stroke.  I got beat by a huge margin in the breast stroke but the other races were close.

The back stroke is the one race where everyone starts in the water.  I pretty much smoked the field. I actually slowed down I was so far ahead.

My one moral victory was in the 500 meter race. I finished in 10 min 29 seconds which was a great time for me. That would be about 15 30 for 750 meters which would be a couple of minutes faster than my last pool race.   

I am not a great swimmer, but I had lots of fun. I had a couple of friend that competed so it was fun to see them race and visit.

A race like this keeps me motivated to keep training. I really need to get some lessons on swim starts and flip turns. Something to work on for next year.

It was a good games for me. I qualified in track and field, road race, triathlon and cycling. Not sure if I will go to Nationals. It is way too early to decide.


******************************

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 2015i, Cozumel in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5^th in the 60 to 64 age group.

 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 and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy Eating”.

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 218 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, France, Ireland, 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/

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, CMT disease, CMT and exercise, exercise and CMT, CMT, athlete and CMT.Team CMT, CMT athlete, athlete and CMT, bike4CMT, walk4CMT,  CMTA, HNF, Tri4CMT, Walk4CMT, MDA

Juneau Park Beer Run 5K

"There is not mountain too great, when you have reason to climb." - unknown

I am way behind on my blogging. Life has been so busy. I started a new job at the beginning of August and I am deep into training for the New York marathon. That has not left much time for writing.  My brother also moved over seas and he asked me to clean his house and get it ready for sale.

He left me piles of things to try and sell for him. So it seems every spare minute has been filled.

I did the last race in the Beer Garden 5K on August 23rd. This race was in Juneau Park.  Solomon Juneau was one of the founders of Milwaukee. A replica of his cabin sits in this downtown Milwaukee Park.

This course goes south along a bike path, down a steep hill and continues north on the bike bath until the turn around. Then it is back up the rather steep hill and back to the finish.

I always have a strategy for each race.  I have some competition in my age group so I knew I would have to move as fast as I could if I wanted to take first in my age group.  I decided to race this event as a tempo run.

I warmed up and then as soon as the gun went off, I  ran at tempo pace, which is about 80 percent speed.

I like courses with hills, because when most people are walking up the hill, I run. I gain an advantage on the competition. I tell myself that I am strong and I like hills.   It was a perfect night for a run.

I felt strong the entire time finishing first in my age group with a time of 29:49.

***********************

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 2015i, Cozumel in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5^th in the 60 to 64 age group.

 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 and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy Eating”.

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 218 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, France, Ireland, 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/

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, CMT disease, CMT and exercise, exercise and CMT, CMT, athlete and CMT.Team CMT, CMT athlete, athlete and CMT, bike4CMT, walk4CMT,  CMTA, HNF, Tri4CMT, Walk4CMT, MDA