"Evey failure, evey adversity, every heartache, comes with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." -Napoleon Hill.
I was scheduled to race in Lincoln on August 24th at the Triathlon Gravel National Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska.
I'm a veteran now of this type of race. I did the national championship races in the last two races, and I've done gravel races in Michigan the last two seasons.
I really enjoy the discipline. The races are small, and the bike courses are on dirt forest roads.
Even before the race, I had some concerns about this race. The website was also the page for four days of gravel bike races. It was really hard to find the information about the triathlon. The information on the race venue was confusing. The race director was not very good at answering emails.
I arrived in Lincoln a few days early and was able to see the Capitol, the University, and the sunken gardens. After picking up the packet pick-up on Saturday afternoon, I was ready to go.
I was also keeping tabs on the weather. After the cancellation of the age group race in Milwaukee, I have become very aware of race day weather. The weather prediction was for rain on race morning and throughout the day.
As I was leaving the hotel, I ran into a young man who had done the gravel bike race the day before. His bike was covered in mud. Now I was worried since it had rained on Friday night. The bike portion was 17 miles. The pre-race emails said they might make it longer. The distance is 5 miles longer than the usual sprint course. I was concerned about slogging through a muddy course. I was worried about bike handling on a muddy and hilly course.
Well, it was raining as I got in my car to drive to the race venue at a State park. I got to an intersection and tried to check the weather report. Based on my arrival time, I was going to have to stand around for a couple of hours in the rain before the race started.
I could not get a cell signal, and now I was worried about getting stuck at the park in the middle of Nebraska with no signal. I made a race-day decision. I turned around and drove back to where I got a signal and headed towards my family's house in Dallas. By skipping the race, I would be able to make it to their house by late afternoon. No need for an overnight stop in Oklahoma.
As I drove through Kansas, we had rain for 2 hours. The picture at the start of this story shows the storms back in the area of the race. Was it a good decision? I heard the race was a bit of a mess. There were no finisher medals, and no championship shirts. I heard the course was not too bad, but I was still healing from my bike accident. For me, it was not worth the risk.
I've learned in my life to follow my gut. I was just not feeling up to racing that day. I had a great time in Lincoln, arrived safely in Dallas, and will race another day!
**********************************
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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