Social Distance Made Easy

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough." -Oprah Winfrey

It is spring in Milwaukee. That means we can get just about any weather during the week. We've had gray skies and 40 degree temperatures most of past couple of weeks. It was 33 F this morning when I started work.. But this afternoon it was sunny and due to be in the mid 50's. Time to break out the fat tire bike for an outdoor ride.

It was a perfect day for a bike ride. I'd been desparate to get outside and ride.  Riding on my indoor trainer has been causing knee problems so I had good motivation to get outside.

In the spring we have lots of pot holes, which is a product of the constant freezing and thawing we have in the winter. So in the Spring I ride a mountain bike or fat tire bike.  A pot hole can damage a bike rim or cause a flat tire. Not so with the fat tires. They ride right over any pot hole.

Plus my fat tire bike which I took out today, is just plain fun to ride. I resisted buying this bike.  I have a basement full of bikes.  I currently own a triathlon bike and a racing bike used just for races.  I have a road bike I use for club rides and traveling. I have an entry level road bike I beat up on the trainer and use for training rides around the neighborhood and I have a carbon frame mountain bike. That's six bikes. There is a joke among cylist's. How many bikes are enough? The answer; one more than you currently have.

I also inherited a bike from my brother when he moved overseas. That bike is going to get a new home soon with one of my co-workers.  I gave two bikes to my niece in the last few years and donated a road bike to a veteran for her first triathlon.  So things could be worse. I have to stop soon because I am running out of storage space.  I do ride all of them.

So I didn't need another bike in my basement. But with the Winter Triathlon seeming to find a permanent home in Minneapolis, it made sense to invest in my own fat tire bike instead of renting one. Plus there was a sale last year and I found one in my favorite color, green.

The fat tire bike is just plain fun to ride. I love riding any bike. I feel like a kid again. We used to ride our bikes all around the neighborhood. A bike meant freedom. Plus I feel like I am getting away with something.  That actually is true in some parts of the world. I was reading a review copy of the book "The Athlete Inside" by Sue Reynolds.  In it she describes a friend collecting bikes for and organizing a ride for women in Kenya. It is considered unladylike there to ride a bike.  Men are allowed to ride to travel, but women must walk.

I know when my mom was growing up, she never learned to ride a bike. Maybe her parents thought it was unladylike too.  What fun she missed. I think of her and what a privledge I have every time I ride.

During this COVID 19 outbreak, a bike really does mean freedom. It has been a challenge to run because there are so many walkers out. I keep having to cross the street to maintain the social distancing. 

Social distancing is made easy when on the bike.  I can ride down the road in my neighborhood and be a safe distance from all the walkers.  I am not sure if that will be the case on a bike path or trail. As the weather gets warmer I may test those limits.

In the mean time I am thankful for the warmer weather and the taste of freedom. Like the Spring it is just a taste of things to come.

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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.

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”.

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 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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