Small Steps

 

                           "I don't run 100 miles, I run one mile 100 times." -unknown

I have been working on my Nordic ski technique for about 4 years.  Nothing in sports ever comes easily for me.  I've learned I have to work really hard to acquire a new skill.  I think it just takes my body awhile to build up muscle memory.

There are two techniques in Nordic skiing. Classic is done in a set track and you shuffle along. It looks like graceful walking. It can also be done by breaking a trail.  I started classic Nordic skiing my freshman year in college.  My senior year I did not have a car and had to take a bus to school. I would get off at the end of one of the routes in a local park.  It was a popular park for skiing and there was always a track there. I would ski from the bus drop off for a little over a mile. Then when I got to the end of the park, O would walk about a mile and a half to school. I had all my stuff in a pack on my pack.

The second Nordic technique is skating.  Skating is just like it sounds. Think about how you used to skate on roller blades or ice skates. The technique is similar. When I started doing Winter Triathlon five year ago, I quickly learned I could not compete with the other athletes unless I became a Nordic skate skier. Plus it looked like fun and a good workout.  I also wanted to do Nordic racing. I am looking for other outlets to running, since I my CMT means my running is getting slower and more difficult. My foot drop keeps getting worse.

So I have been on a journey the last 4 years to perfect my skating technique.  Besides taking lessons one of the things I've done to perfect my technique has been to race.  This season was to sign up for two series of races. One was a Wednesday ski league and the other was a self timed time trial series.

I missed the first Wednesday race due to being away for the holidays.

I did do the first time trial series race. I was a 5k race on a loop with man made snow at a local state park called Lapham peak.  Because we only had man made snow to that point, it was hard as a rock. It was like skiing on ice.  I had to do three loops including a big hill and report in my time.

Well I had to alternate between classic skiing and skating. My technique was so rusty. So I would jump in the track and shuffle when I needed a break. I think I fell two or three times.  

My time was not great, but I came back each week. I decided not to do the Wednesday night league because I was worried my technique was not good enough and I did not want to ski in a crowd yet.

Every week I came back and did the time trial. By the last week I was able to do a clean run with no falls and all skating.  I  took 4 minutes off of my first week time. It was good enough to finish first in my age group. Now there were only two of us, but my times were very comparable to almost all of the woman and most of the men.  The best part was I felt like I had finally mastered the technique.

I got a bit better every week. That is not glamorous or dramatic, but that is the way training works. Slow and steady wins when doing training. It takes consistent hard work and attention to detail to improve.  I am so happy with the progress I have made. It is never easy, but so worth it to master a new ski.

I am really excited about next season.  I plan on signing up for many more races and hope to do my first biathlon race and maybe back to Winter Triathlon.  All of this with the ultimate hope to go to a National Nordic championship as a physically challenged athlete. I still have a long road ahead of me. But I have learned it all starts with taking things one step at a time.

*************************

Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

 

Chris is a triathlete Nordic skier 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 245 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.

 

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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