Lapham Peak State Park Delafield, Wisconsin
"You can't get much done if you only work on the days when you feel good."-Jenny West
This winter I've also been subject to the weather. Many seasons winter is a bit of a down time from training since the racing season for triathlons does not ready start until June.
This year I have five races in April at the USAT Multi-sport National Championships in Irving, Texas. I have been trying to train for those races while also getting for the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championship races in Skeikampen, Norway on March 24 & 26th.
I have been trying to juggle swimming, biking, running, and the weight-lifting workouts needed for April with the Nordic skiing I needed to be ready for Norway.
The races in Norway are a ski/run duathlon and a run/bike/ski winter triathlon. Both of the bike legs are on snow.
To say the weather has not cooperated has been an understatement. We had very little snow until March. The snow we did get in March was wet, making for icy ski trails. The picture above is from Lapham Peak State park in Wisconsin. It is about a 45-minute drive. I am glad it was open but often conditions were not great.
I also got a really bad cold after I got back from Alaska in January and lost a week of training.
I did a time trail race there every Tuesday in January and February. Several of the races were canceled because it was either too icy or there was not enough snow. I got out skiing once or twice a week and I managed to get first place in my age group for the skate division. I am a little proud of that because I can ski using only the skating technique. That has been a project years in the making.
I did get out on my bike for an outdoor ride a couple of times a week. This is a big step for me because that meant going out when it was in the 30s. I never used to bike outdoors if it was under 30 F. I was only able to bike twice on actual snow. I do hills in the park across the street.
The only consistent bit of my training has been my running. To say I feel under-prepared is an understatement. My April race has suffered as well because some weeks I only get to the pool once.
I had to balance that with trying to figure out the logistics of booking flights, figuring out hotels, renting cars, deciding how I will navigate around, what to pack, and a million other details It has crossed my mind the last few days that maybe Norway was not a great idea. I have been pretty stressed trying to pull everything together. The biggest stress has been the worry of navigating around on my own. I am a bit direction impaired.
So today I did the last few trip duties. Ready or not Norway here I come!
There are 21 of us on Team USA. I met some on a Zoom call. I am looking forward to meeting some new friends.
I am treating this as a learning experience. I feel ready for the duathlon. There are only three women in my age group and we are the oldest in the race. I just have to finish making the podium.
Depending on how tough the course is and how I feel, I may just skip the triathlon due to my lack of training. I also have the April races to consider and do not want to risk injury.
I hope it goes well since I qualified for next year's races as well. I am going to use this as a learning experience and have fun. Now that I am ready, I am excited. I love to travel and Norway will be new for me.
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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 in 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 Para triathlon National
Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Para
triathlon 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 5th in the 60 to 64 age group.
In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a Para
triathlete 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 2nd in
her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on
Team USA for the World Championship. In 2023 she was the PC Open National
Champion for Winter Triathlon in Anchorage and will represent the U.S. in
Norway.
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” which 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
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