"Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to success." - Jim Valvano
The first time I did the Strider Half marathon was before I did my first marathon in 1996. That race did not go well. I had to be talked off the ledge by one of my running friends. He said to just chalk it up to experience because bad races happen.
On August 24th I ran the Strider Half Marathon again. It went even worse. I hit the wall and that is the first time that has happened in a race.
The night before I did a long bike ride and went to the race site to check out parking and the park layout. The race would begin and end in the Beer Garden in Esta brook park in Shorewood, Wisconsin.
I was supposed to ride 4 hours, but cut it to 2 1/2 so I would be race ready in the morning.
I got up early so I could be at the race site by 6 am to secure a spot in the parking lot. I did not want to have to park in the neighborhood and walk. I got there plenty early only to remember once I was parked that I had forgotten my breakfast.
That meant I would be running a half marathon on a completely empty stomach. I rummaged through my car to see if I had a spare energy bar but I did not. I had two gel packets for the race. The start time was 8 am.
All went well for about the first 8 miles. I was carrying an iPod and it kept cutting out while playing and playing the same few songs. It was so annoying and distracting.
I was passing the time by counting off intervals up and down a ladder. Starting at 1 minute and going up 1 minute each interval to 10 minutes and then back down. The race took place on a bike path and I was running on the well worn trail on the side of the patch. I decide to go back on the bike trail and my foot caught. I fell and fell hard. I paused for a minute to take a quick assessment. Several ladies stopped to help me and many runners asked if I was OK. I was.
At the 8 mile mark right after my fall I started to feel nausea. I think it was caused by the sport drink I was drinking from my camel bak. It probably was not good on an empty stomach. I was hot and tired and could feel I was running on empty. I had to walk at about mile 10 to go up hill and over a bridge. I had to walk again the last half mile. I've never had to walk in a half marathon before. I never got to take my second gel because it had fallen out of my camel bak. So really was running on empty. Boy was I hungry by the time I finished.
I finished but that is about all I can say. My left leg was covered in blood. I am sure I was quite a site. My finishing time was 2:31:32. That is 10 minutes slower than my half in April. Not the race I wanted just one month before my marathon. The slower time pushed me to 10th in my age group.
I got breakfast after the race and went home and took a nap because I was so tired. That never happens either.
The good news is less than a week later I was able to do a 20 mile run. I also forgot the sandwhich I had made to eat during the run. It took me 3 1/2 hours. I had a bar and some gels along so I was OK. It becomes painful for me to run after about 90 minutes. So if I remember right marathon day will be painful. My muscles in my hips and thighs hurt, no matter how much I train. I carry ibuprofen during the race.
I'll shake off this race, just like I did last time. Hoping for a little race day magic on marathon day.
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 TeamUSA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015i, Cozumel
in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5th in the 60 to 64
age group.
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
In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American
Triathlon Championship in Dallas ,
Texas 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”.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a
cure for CMTWe currently have 225 athletes in 41 states. We also have
members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland,
France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico 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/
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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