Team CMT in Madison

On May 29th four members of Team CMT particpated in the Madison Marathon and Half Marathon.

Kevin Klein the newest member of Team CMT ran the half in 1 hour and 57 minutes and 59 seconds.  He closely followed teammate Cheryl Monnat pictured on the right, who finished at 1:57:14.  Cheryl won her age group just three weeks earlier at the Door County half.  The field and course were much tougher.   Winning time for the 50-54 age group was 1:30.

Team CMT member Kathy Stultz (not pictured) also ran her first race for the team. She finished in 2 hours and 27 seconds.

Team Manager Chris Wodke took on the full marathon course.   She finished the highest in her age group of anyone on the team, even though she had a rough day finishing in 4:51.  It was a very hilly course on a humid day. It rained for part of the day.  Congradulations to all the Team CMT members that particpated and finished the race. We are not the fastest group, but we are dedicated. I also qualified time wise for the moblity impaired division of the Boston Marathon. Now I just have to sweat out the application process like everyone else.

A number of Team CMT members will be running half marathons in the next month. Gary Krukar will be running the Fort Atkinson Half marathon on June 18th.  Team CMT members Cheryl Monnat, Chris Wodke, Gary Krukar, Kathy Stultz and Kevin Klein will be running the Rock and Sole Summerfest Half Marathon on  July 10th. The run will go be run in both directions on the Hoan Bridge. There is also a 10K event if you would like to join us.  I will just be coming off recovery from the marathon, so will see how the legs feel on race day.  You can check out Team CMT at http://www.run4cmt.com/



Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.

Buy Summerfest Tickets and raise money for CMT

Summerfest has a chairty program. Buy advanced tickets and a portion of each sale goes to a local charity. CMT is on the list so please choose us and you will supprt research and programs for those of us with CMT.
Just go to the web site at www.summerfest.com/fundraising

Offer is valid until June 10th

They don't get any tougher

"That was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I've ever done"  Lance Armstrong, after finishing the New York Marathon.

Lance Armstrong won  7 straight Tour de France races that included numerous stage races in the mountains, yet the marathon was the toughest race he ever faced.

After running the Madison Marathon yesterday I couldn't agree more.  I had to fighter harder for this finisher medal than I did for any of the other four marathons I've completed.

I've been fighting some kind of virsus all month with sore throat, headache and ear pain. I woke up with nausea and couldn't eat more than half a protein bar for breakfast.

I did not sleep much the night before which is pretty common if the conversations at the starting line were the average experience.

I knew standing at the starting line it was going to be a long day and there was a good possablity I wouldn't finish.  I also knew this was my one shot this year and maybe ever to qualify to run the Boston Marathon.

Sometimes you feel kind of tired at the start of a race, but your training takes over and you get into a rythmn. That didn't happen.  This race was tough from the start and every mile was a struggle.

The course was one hill after another.  I finished the first 6 miles in about an hour.  I felt like I was finished at 13 miles and promised myself I would walk if I made it to 20 miles.  I hit the 20 mile mark at 3:30 so if I could have held on I would have finished in 4:30.  As I hit the 20 mile mark it started to rain. I ran the last 6 miles in the rain.

I just wasn't physically or mentally tough enough to keep going. I walked the next mile and then did a combination of running and walking to complete the race in 4:51:28.  I was lucky to finish on a day when physically it just wasn't happening.  I was totally wrecked at the end. The whole race was run on guts,determination and a lot of prayer.

Still the finish put me at 15 out of 24 women in my age group. Wonder where I would have placed with that 4:30 finish.  I finished well under the 6 hours needed to qualify as a mobility impaired runner for Boston. I know I will do better next time.

Whether I am accepted to run the Boston Marathon in 2012 is now in the hands of the Boston Athletic Association. Like any other runner I will apply when registration opens and hope for the best.

I can't help but reflect the marathon I did previous to this just 10 years ago I walked the last six miles and still finished at 4:20. That is how much I have lost in strength and speed. Every year I lose more as the CMT progresses. This really might be my last shot to run Boston.

After a brief rest I will be back to training in July for my next marathon; Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C. on October 29th.  No pressure to qualify with this one.  Running purely for the visability for CMT.  The course is lined with 100,000 spectators and two Team CMT members will be running.  Can't wait.


Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.

How many steps in a marathon?

"Why couldn' Pheiddipedes had died at 20 miles?"  Frank Shorter

Even Olympic athletes struggle with the marathon distance. I read in fitness magazine a few months ago only 1% of Americans have completed a marathon.  This will be number five for me and I ran them all having CMT.

Pheeiddepedes ran from the planis of Marathon to deliver the message of victory by the Greeks over the Persians.  He ran the 26 miles and dropped dead.  Not a good start for the history of the race.

The marathon distance was increased by .2 miles during the London Olympics so the Royal children could see the finish of the race from their palace balcony.

The 26.2 mile distance is 1,660,032 inches. With each stride I move 30 inches, so it will take me 55,334 steps to go the distance.    If  Pheiddipedes had stopped at 20 miles he would have saved me lots of steps.

  I will take it one step at a time tomorrow. There will me many times I will want to stop and those last 6 miles are always the hardest. The body is fighting fatique and that voice inside the head asking you "what on earth are you doing to me?" I have to concentrate on every step so my foot does not catch and cause me to trip.

I've had lots of encouragement as I prepared for this race.  Thanks to everyone that has joined Team CMT.  You all inspire me, especially our four team triathletes with CMT.  Thanks to everyone with CMT, Team CMT runs for all of you who live every day with pain and the challenges CMT brings. Thanks to Kevin, Wes and Cheryl, Team CMT members who will run the Half Marathon tomorrow.

Thanks to my friend Cheryl who is always waiting at the finish line after running her own race.  Thanks to friend Jon Helminiak who reads all my stuff and provides ongoing feedback and encouragement. Thanks to my mom who I have dedicated this race to. Thanks to my brother Norbert, friends Ann and Kevin and niece Courtney who will be out on the course tomorrow to cheer me on.

Tomorrow I will line up at the starting line ready to take those 5745 steps. Can't wait till I get to the last one as I cross the finish line.


Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.

This one is for you mom!

Every time I run a marathon and I have done four, I dedicate the run to someone. It helps me to get thorough the race when things get tough.

  My first race I ran for my nephew Brandon. He'd sent me a paper Flat Stanley doll as part of a middle school project.  I pinned Flat Stanley to my running number. Flat Stanley made the entire distance in just under 4 hours. When Flat Stanley returned to his owner he took my finisher medal from Lake Front Marathon with him.  Over the next three races I 've dedicated my races to various nieces and nephews.

The Madison Marathon will be no different. This race will be special since I have 4 Team CMT members running and it is my first marathon since my diagnosis. It is the race I will use to qualify for Boston.

 I am dedicating this race to my mom who passed away on March 26th of this year. For the last year my mom was in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. It was a real challenge to sneak in marathon training around visits.     She had dementia her last year, so she knew nothing about CMT and my work to raise awareness. I hope she would be pleased and proud and I intend to run a good race on Sunday in her honor.

There isn't a day when I don' think about her.  She was an old fashioned cookie baking, PTA attending, dinner on the table every night mom. When I was in high school she got up every morning and made me breakfast before my 6 am bus. When I wanted to go to a private high school, my stay at home mom got a job to pay the tutition.  When I was in the grade school musical, my mom who hated sewing made me a beautiful costume.

She never learned to ride a bike, but she encouraged me to be active.  Her parents did not allow her to attend college, but made sure I got the chance for an education.  She loved to cook and we spent hours cooking, baking and sharing recipes. For her food equaled love. You could not be in her house more than a few minutes without being offered something to eat.  We both shared a love of gardening and she would proudly showed me her garden whenever I visited.  She had a deep belief in God that gave her strength.  She instilled that faith and strength in me as well. My mom was fiesty right to the end and faced death bravely. I will take that same courage with me as I run. Hope you will be proud on Sunday mom! Madison is for you!


Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.

Race Against Time

"Let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Last month I fell when doing a cool down run after a 10K race. I've never fallen before, during or after a race.  I had just seen an ex two years after a particularly nasty breakup.  So maybe I was a bit distracted.  You see I have to concentrate on every step when I run.  If I don't a fall or stumble is likely.

In the last couple of years an occasional stumble when my right foot caught was not unusual. Sometimes I would even fall. Falls are nothing new either. I spent most of my life with skinned knees. I always joke that even though I fall  a lot God gave me rubber bones.

In the last year my left foot has started to catch as well as the right. The catch is part of the foot drop I have due to my CMT.   The stumbles are even worse when I am tired.  This week I stumbled half a dozen times in the hours following my run. I had left on my running shoes and the thick soles may be more than my tired legs could handle.

The race marked out for me is the 2012 Boston Marathon. To get there I must finish the Madison Marathon in 6 hours.  Getting to the starting line is an enormous accomplishment in itself.  To get there I had to train for 16 weeks.  For me it meant 4 runs of 20 miles or more.  A May marathon means starting training in late January.  Most of my miles were spent on the treadmill. I got tired of slippery sidewalks and climbing up and down snow banks. I had to work out after a day of work, even when bone tired.. I juggled workouts with visits to the hospital to visit my mom.  I only missed two days the entire time, one for sickness and one the day my mom died. It takes real perserverance to just get through the training.

An injury can happen at any time. Getting to the starting line healthy is a feat, especially for someone with CMT. I  have little flexibility in my legs and diminishing padding on my feet.  Although I have wonderful ability to point my toes, my feet don't bend so well needed in the direction to run. Falls are possible at any time and sometimes when least expected.  A fall can spell the end of training.   Early in my training,  I had returned from the grocery store. It was snowy so I piled my groceries in the hall leading to my kitchen.   Going into the kitchen my toe got caught on one of the bag handles. My toe held in place while the rest of my lunged forward.  I can still remember the pain. But I was able to keep training and I am ready for Madison. Any rock, crack in the sidewalk or uneven surface can mean an ankle roll or fall. I know a slip or trip at any time could have resulted in missed training, an injury and possibly a missed race.

 I read in Fitness Magazine last year that only 1% of Americans have ever finished a marathon. Madison will be my 5th and if I do Boston it may be my last.  My CMT is progressing to the point where I may have no choice. I hope I can hold off time long enough.   Running Boston is my hope for the visability it can bring for CMT. If perseverance has anything to do with it I will be there. Perserverance and God's providence.


Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.

Mother Daughter Team Walk for Team CMT

Team CMT has it's first mother and daughter team.  Glydnis and Ruth Mack recently participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. They walk together for fitness and plan on walking in two events a month.  Glydnis has taken the time to learn about CMT and has spoken to several people at events that have asked about her singlet.  She even tried to get a UWM reporter to do a story, but he just wanted to talk to Ruth.

Ruth is retired from Briggs and Stratton. She now works at the Senior Center located at the Elks Club in Brown Deer. Ruth is mom to a son and daughter and has two grandchildren. She is an avid jewelry maker and member of New Testament Church of Milwaukee. If you met Ruth you would love her. Just an awesome lady.

Glydnis works for We Energies as a Customer Service Manager. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. She holds a Master's degree in safety and began her career as a safety consultant. She is owner of Butterfly Soap works, producing handmade soap, lotions and gift baskets. Glydnis is also an avid jewelry maker. She is also an active member of New Testament Church of Milwaukee.

Team CMT is lucky and blessed to have these two awesome women on our team. Welcome aboard.  Thanks for helping us to raise awareness of CMT.



Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

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.