"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 has been since August that I participated in any race. Honestly lots of events were cancelled. The Senior Olympics did run events but I decided to stay away.
I am not vaccinated and did not want to upset people by showing up at an event. Seniors are a high risk group and I did not want someone thinking I was going to get them sick. The swim events were inside which is more of a risk.
I thought this Senior Olympics event would be a good one to go to. I knew it would be small since there were three other runs in the area on the same day. I was really looking forward to getting out and racing again. I have to admit it felt a little strange to be driving to a race. What used to be a regular part of my life pretty much disappeared during COVID.
A 5 K race can be a good gauge of fitness. I was curious to see what my fitness was after not much racing. The conditions were not ideal. It 40F, windy and raining. I paid for the race, so I was going to do it. It was a small group that lined up in Lake Vista Park in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
The course was right along Lake Michigan, so the wind felt extra chilly. By race time the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Still I had my rain coat on and was ready for any weather.
It was a small group of maybe 200 runners and walkers. I gave blood the day before which was probably not a good idea. There was a local appeal due to the injuries at the parade in Waukesha. I was happy to give.
So while everyone took off, I did not have much energy. I tried to do 2:00 repeats to keep going. There was one really large hill on the course that went from the bluff down to the lake and back up.
My finishing time was 35:34 which is terrible for me. All of the times seemed slower than normal so maybe the course was long. I was a little upset with my performance. It is frustrating to be so slow. I finished 2nd in my age group, just 20 seconds out of first place. I had seen the woman pass me and just did not have the energy to match her.
I got to see my friend Yvonne, who is the director of the Senior Olympics. I was on the board for a bit so I apologized for missing events this year and told her why. She assured me I would be very welcome and no one would even ask about my vaccinated status. It was good to catch up with her and I look forward to getting involved again with this group.
When I got home I did my daily study in the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. It just so happened the lesson was on Jesus feeding the 5000. Father Mike talked about how the 5 loves and fish did not seem to be enough for the big job of feeding all of those people. My run felt like it was not enough. It felt like I am not doing enough and that I am not worthy of my mission. Yet God fed those people with that little bit that they had. God will see that we have enough to do the work he has charged us with. Father Mike often says "What is offered to God is never wasted." So I have to remember as long as I do my best it is honoring God and to be thankful that I am still out there running. That is something to be thankful for!
********************************
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
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
In 2014 she represented the
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”.
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 244 athletes in 42 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.
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