Each race is a learning opportunity. Every event is a chance to learn or teach lessons. On June 29th, I traveled to St. Louis to race in the Aquathlon event of the St. Louis triathlon. It would be a 750-meter swim and a 5 K run.
This would be the first of two aquathlon events I put on my race schedule. The goal is to qualify for Team USA and the World Championships next year. I could have done it the easy way by racing at the national championship in Omaha. I decided instead to go on a hiking trip to several national parks in California. It was a good decision for me.
I was really relaxed going into this race. In my early racing days, I never slept the night before a race. This time I slept well and even had a couple of dreams.
I got to the race venue before transition even opened. It was 4 am and still dark. When transition opened at 4:30, I could not find my spot in transition. There were racks everywhere, but none with the range that included my race number. I went to the race official and we searched together. Still no luck.
The next step was finding the race director. It turns out they forgot to mark the area for the athletes in the aquathlon race. All they did was put down a square marked with tape. Pretty basic, and I got first pick for my spot. I set up and went to relax at the swim start. I usually don't hang out in transition on race day. There is too much nervous energy and nerves for me.
As I sat at the swim start, I looked over the course. I remember for many years I would look at the course and think the buoys marking the course looked so far away. This time, even the buoys for the longer race did not look far away at all. I felt so calm and relaxed. There were only five athletes in my category. The awards were not based on age group; I would be scored against all the female athletes regardless of age. I figured I would finish last since, as a CMT-affected athlete, I am not fast.
As I looked at the race course, I decided to relax, have fun, and use the race as a training experience.
I chatted with a couple of first-time racers. They would both be a bit nervous and told me the buoys looked so far away. I so remember those days and tried to give them a bit of advice and encouragement.
While I would be scored as an age group athlete, my wave would be with other physically challenged athletes doing the full triathlon. For this race, it meant swimming with Team Triumph boats. These boats are large Zodiac boats pulled and pushed by able-bodied swimmers. While I fully support them being in the race, it is not a good race experience for me. This was my third time swimming with these boats.
In this race, as I swam, the boats were just inches from my face. I had to dodge and weave among the boats for a good part of the race beginning.
The lake water was 86.7°F, the warmest race swim I have ever done. Wetsuits were not allowed. In the past, that also would have been a fear-inducing experience. For many years, the wetsuit was my safety blanket. The first time I did a race swim without a wetsuit was the World Championship in Cozumel. That was 1000 meters and went just fine. I did a 1600-meter race in Miami without a wetsuit. I learned I was a strong enough swimmer that I was just fine.
The swim went really well. I felt so relaxed in the water. I did push it a bit and even did some bilateral breathing. That is something I have never been able to do in a race. It took me 25 minutes, which was b bit disappointing. I am just getting really slow.
The run into the transition was painful due to small stones on the entry into the transition area parking lot.
The run was pretty routine except for my foot getting caught and almost causing me to fall. When it catches, I sort of stumble, and so far, I have been able to regain my balance.
The race day temperature was 76 F, much cooler than the 91F, and the rain held off until after I was finished. The volunteers were great at the water stop. The stop was at the halfway point, so I went through it going out and coming back in on the out-and-back course. I was offered towels soaked in ice water both times. My run time was a little over 41 minutes. That is two minutes slower than last year. I have some work to do for sure.
Still, my overall time of 1 hr 10 was good enough for 2nd place out of five women. It was a great overall experience. I am looking forward to my next race and building on this experience.
*******************
Chris Wodke
Founder 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 Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint
Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion, Paratriathlon Open
Division Champion.
She has won national championships as a physically challenged athlete in
Aqualon, Duathlon, Aqua bike, and Winter Triathlon. She was the national
champion in her age group in 2023 for gravel duathlon.
In 2014, she represented the U.S. as a Paratriathlete at the Pan-American
Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.
She was the
2023 Gravel Duathlon National Champion in the 65-69 age group.
She has won
state championships as an age-group athlete in cycling and triathlon. She has
represented America as an age-group athlete at world championships in Chicago,
Denmark, Cozumel, and Norway. She earned a bronze medal at the Winter Duathlon
World Championship in 2023 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 and find a cure for
CMT. We currently have 257 athletes in 43 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 website: 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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