"Failure is not the opposite of success, it is the stepping stone to success."Michael Jordan
I had no races in December and January. For many years, I've taken a few months off from hard training and competition.
I also switch gears during those months trading swimming for nordic skiing. I've been working on my skate skiing to get read for the Winter Triathlon National Championship on March 1st.
I love the skiing, it is a nice change of pace and lots of fun. It gets me outside in winter and is great conditioning for running. My training has been pretty free form. I just have been doing lots of both nordic and alpine skiing. My running has taken a back seat. It has been a nice change from the long distance training I did all last year.
So on Feb 15th it was time to kick off my 2020 season. The Badgerland Striders the local running club were holding a 8 K race. Despite having a healthy break, I did not want to do the race.
When I woke up on race morning the windchill was 10 F due to up to 40 mph winds. I tried to talk myself out of going. I considered the sidewalks and bike paths were icy, but the run was all on city streets.
What got me out the door is that I have volunteered to work at packet pick up. I thought at the very least I should go work and pick up my tee shirt.
Once I was there I thought I might as well run the race as an easy workout. I was going to the ski hill right after the race to ski my duty shift for Ski Patrol. So I dress in what I would wear to skil wool base layer top and bottom, fleece lined tights and Smart Wool top. I added a fleece jacket on top and a fleece hoodie.
Ten degree windshil is as miserable as it sounds. I've done the race several times, so it really was a routine workout. My goal was to finish in an hour and I did that finishing 5th in my age group. I got points toward the club championship and one of the four races I need to be scored for the series.
This race is never a fast one for me. I am never in race shape in February and I don't race well in the cold. Plus I knew I had to hold back a bit since I had 9 hours of down hill skiing to do for my Patrol Shift.
I was so tired from the skiing and running that I skipped the Sunday biathlon race I had planned to do. I can't say the race was a great success, but I showed up. It is all part of the process of building up for serious races later in the season.
****************************************
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.
In 2020
she was named a National Ski Patrol Subaru Ambassador and a USA Triathlon
Foundation Ambassador.
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 233 athletes in 41 states. We also have
members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland,
France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico, Wales, Ireland 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.
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