Marathon #10

"You can't talk about it, you have to be about it." - Matt LeFleur, Coach of Green Bay Packers

When I woke up at 3 am on Sunday I had to ask myself what I was thinking when I signed up for Lake Front Marathon.  It would be my 10th marathon, so I knew what to expect on race day.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I signed up for the Super Strider series for my running club. I had to pick eight long distance races off of a list. My last selection came down to a choice between a 10 mile indoor race on a track or the Lake Front Marathon. I could not bear the thought of running 10 miles in a circle, so LFM it would be.  In the back of my mind was possibly running a time that would at least qualify me to run Boston again.  I would need to finish the 26.2 miles in 6 hours or less.

When I've had coaches, they always asked what race was my A race. An A race is the most important race of the season.  That race for me is the Long Distance Duathlon in Miami in November. It is a National Championship race with spots on Team USA for the World Championship.

So my focus has been to train for the Miami race which is a 2 mile run, 56 mile bike and a 13 mile run.  I set up my training plan for my A race and threw in a long run for the marathon each week. It would have to be enough.

I hadn't run a marahon in 4 years, since my last Boston.  So I am a little out of practice with racing and preparing.   I had a bit of a glitch the week before the race. My running shoes gave out and I had to get a new pair. Then my the bladdar I was going to use with my hydration vest was massively leaaking. I never got a chance to wear the vest during a training run.  I finally got the leaking fixed when I took the bladder into a local outfitter.

So I was up at 3:30 to catch the 5:15 bus to the start line. The last bus was at 6 am.  I like to arrive early just to give myself a cushion.  I am glad I did since all the racers were crammed into a high school cafeteria. I got to stake out a nice spot to spread out my stuff and use the bathroom before it got crowded.

I had 90 minutes to kill. I forced myself to eat some breakfast. My body would need it. I chatted with runners around me and friends that stopped to say hi.  When I was walking back from the bathroom a women asked me about what the CMT meant on my singlet. It turns out her grandaughter was diagnosed with CMT. She promised she would join the team.

It was time to line up for the start. My plan was to aim for a 5:20 to 5:30 finish time.  I started out with a pace group, but they were running too slow. I felt strong and ran easily. I know going out too fast can have bad consequences for later in the race.

The race had more hills than I remembered. There was also a head wind for most of the day.  I've run this particlar race four times. I've never liked the first half of the course. It is all rural with corn fields. I find it really boring.  I counted off the miles until the half way point where I would be in the city.

My friends Robert and Cherly Kearney were on the course at 19.5 miles to cheer me on. I signaled I felt strong and shouted out that I had a ways to go.  I ran strongly until mile 24 when I just got tired of fighting the wind.  I walked for about a mile and then ran in toward the finish.  I finished in 5:28 quite a bit slower than my last Boston finish of 4:50. Although not bad considering I did not train too hard. The fact that I felt so strong give me hope and I am thinking about doing another marathon this spring.

Running a marathon really is a lifestyle.  I was not solely focused on this race, but was biking, swimming and runnig most days of the week. Training really becomes a lifestyle.  It is a lifestyle I've gladly adopted because it helps to raise awareness of CMT. That has become my goal, the running times are secondary.

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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 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 CMTWe currently have 228 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/

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