Race goals for summer 2007

This long weekend is the perfect time to think about your next walking goals. Today I received a newsletter from the organizers of the Oakville Half Marathon on September 3. Apparently the price increases today...so I strongly urge you to sign up now! It's is an excellent goal to work toward over the summer and many of you starting courses with us this week could definitely accomplish it. Also, if you take a look at our training schedule for this event, you'll notice that on August 18, the very weekend of the Midsummer Night's Run (15k Walk), 16k is the training distance for the Oakville Half! And, if you let me know today, I can get you registered in the Midsummer Night's 15 Walk for the early bird price of $49. Double savings for two great summer races in one day! It must be walking karma.

If you've got some other ideas for great walking races, comment here! We're always open to suggestion.

Walking toward happiness

Happiness is a hot topic. I guess it always has been. In these crazy times of flat screen HD televisions and spa retreats, it's an even hotter topic as we have so many leisure choices that discovering what makes us truly happy can be a dizzying challenge.

Yesterday morning, with no specific race on the immediate horizon for which I need to train, I woke with no reason to rush out the door to meet training partners or follow the training the schedule. Still, walking does make me happy. So, I put on all of my walking gear and drove with my husband to town to drop off our son at work. Then, we went to our favourite local coffee shop where I indulged in my caffeine boost of choice – a large bowl with espresso filled with lots of hot, steamy milk called a “Parisienne”. While I never once saw a Parisian drink this concoction during my visits to Paris over the last 14 months, I’m happy to indulge in the illusion.

As we sat there, the tables started filling with groups of people returning from their walks or runs. Not one of them looked sad. Now I imagine many of them have sad things happening to them, and some of them may be predisposed to be unhappy by nature, but at that moment all I could hear around me was laughter.

After an hour of enjoying my husband’s company and the relaxing environment around the town square, I headed home on two feet while my husband returned with the car. I wandered by the lake and the boats (see photo) and then walked as many side roads as possible on my way home. I have walked these streets a thousand times over and I continue to delight in new diversions. Yesterday, I walked by three cherry tress in full fruit. Ninety minutes later I arrived at my street. It wasn’t one of my record setting walks but I felt invigorated and, yes, happy.

Settling in to read the paper later that afternoon, I discovered that the Saturday paper had an entire section devoted to happiness. Several thousand words on happiness. According to the paper a google search found someone who touted happiness is a Dyson vacuum.

While I’m skeptical about the vacuum, another idea did stand out for me and it came from Enrique Penalosa, the mayor of Bogota in Columbia who radically changed the priorities of his city to encourage citizens to walk or cycle whenever possible. “There are few things we can agree on about happiness,” the paper quoted him as saying. “You need to fulfill your potential as a human being. You need to walk. You need to be with other people.”

Mmmm…that might explain all the happy faces at those finish lines. People fulfilling their potential as walking athletes in the good company of other people.

Iron for marathon walkers

For some strange reason not fully understood by researchers, foot strike athletes can be prone to anemia. This means that iron intake is important. This is a reminder to all of you who have been experiencing lots of foot strikes over the past race season to be sure to eat foods loaded with iron. We have been handing out an article to class particpants over the last week, reviewing iron needs in athletes and iron availability in foods. If you are interested in a copy, let me know, and I'll get it to you. If you have ever experienced anemia from your marathon walking, we'd be interested in hearing how you dealt with it.

Runners in the walking divisions

Life has been good on the walking front over the past few years. More and more race organizers are recognizing the efforts walkers are making to be the best competitors they can be. It is so thrilling to see a prestigious race like the CRIM 10-mile road race in Flint, Michigan create a new division for power walkers. This division is not as technical as race walking but still insists that one foot be kept on the ground at all times and there should be no excessive head bobbing (which is indicative of a running gait).

As a long-time fitness professional I see this trend toward more walking divisions as a positive move in the broader terms of society's fitness. Walking has always been accessible, popular, and sustainable. With these walking divisions we're challenging walkers of all abilities to get more fit.

Still, we are faced with some growing pains. We still have people entering the walking division who are running or running with walking breaks. I like to believe that these people just don't understand that a power walk division means all walking. I like to believe that over time, and with some clear communication, everyone in the power walk divisions will be walking.

Our numbers are still small enough that many race organizers do not want to deal with protests by walk division competitors that another competitor was running.

I have been working hard locally, and not so locally, to educate everyone including race organizers, participants, runners, and spectators on what power walking entails. We need to continue to encourage race organizers to have walk divisions, we need to be the best participants we can be to raise the level of the event, and we need to help race organizers wherever possible to make the walk divisions work for both race management and participant.

If you have any suggestions, let's start a conversation here.

P.S. Sorry I missed the blog last Thursday – too much walking, not enough writing about walking!

Reviewing your walking goals.

Did you get our most recent newsletter? If not, and you want to receive it, go to our website and send me an email. You’ll be put on the e-newsletter distribution list. If you were once receiving our newsletter, still want to receive it, but have not been receiving it, you may have been attacked by the dreaded junk mail police! Although, we like to believe our newsletter is far from junk mail, many servers are now automatically placing all newsletters into junk folders. Unless you check your junk folder on a regular basis you will miss all of our enlightening, enriching, and entertaining thoughts on walking.

One of the more enriching and enlightening items in our June newsletter was Janet Cawley’s article on her recent decision to return to a Marathon Training Level 1 program, after having participated in Level 2 for a couple of years. Janet’s tale is brave and thought-provoking. Many people would consider returning to a Level 1 class as a step backward, but Janet chose to consider it a move forward in her quest to achieve her real walking goals.

Our Level 2 classes are the place where we put emphasis on speed drills. While we often fine tune technique with specific drills or instructions, it remains the class for a challenging workout with lots of interval training, hill workouts and more. The Level 1 courses are a great place to be if you need to step back from this constant emphasis on speed to review our mindful approach to walking technique. For many, like it was for Janet, it can be a confidence builder for both mind and body to return to, or stay in, the Level 1 program.

For the best advice on the best place to achieve your walking goals, talk to your coach!

Water walkers

Summer solstice is almost here, school will be out soon, and I am blessed with some excellent friends who happen to have spectacular cottages and inviting backyard pools. If you find yourself beside the water, playing lounge lizard and you are overcome by the need to get some blood moving, you could take advantage of the deep-end to try some water walking. Many of us have been giving our feet a pounding this spring season and they would welcome the break. Just jump in the water and tread water by moving your legs in the walking motion. It will work those walking muscles without pounding the joints. Another idea would be to move your legs out and in mimicking the jumping jack motion – great cross-training. These ideas are the perfect antidote to some other activities that happen around the pool and the lake!

Alfie Shrubb and Westover Shore to Shore

Another outstanding weekend for WoW Power Walkers!

In Bowmanville, Ontario several veteran and virgin WoW Power Walkers walked the Alfie Shrubb Classic 8k event where Al Storie, the race organizer, has got to be one of the most enthusiastic personalities on the planet. Fortunately, for us power walkers he directs a lot of that enthusiasm toward walkers! All participants received a fun race kit containing a sharp technical shirt, a few sweet treats, and a most excellent pamphlet describing the late, great Alfie Shrubb. Alfie's feats as a runner are extraordinary, and it is interesting to note that he used walking as part of his training regimen.

We have officially designated the Alfie Shrubb Classic as a “4 happy face” event on our WoW rating system posted on Upcoming Events. The route through rural Ontario was a delight and we loved the community spirit and abundance of draw prizes. Most importantly, we love how walkers are embraced as part of the racing community. We have it on good authority that next year prizes will be awarded not just to the top 3 walkers but to the top 3 male and female walkers. We're thinking about a bus to the race next year to make the day an even bigger party. Put it on your calendar for 2008.

Unless, of course, your inner masochist prefers something more grueling like the Westover Shore to Shore Relay. This is a team event that traverses 177 kilometres through the night from Lake Erie to Lake Huron (hence shore to shore). Personally, I prefer to do my all-nighters on an emergency-as-needed basis only, but we did have some fearless WoW power Walkers who took part and have reported back enthusiastically. Here’s what I’ve heard from Linda:

What an adventure!! I can't believe at this stage in my life I'd be sleeping in a truck, using nature's washrooms and dressing at the side of the road, just to mention a few of the crazy happenings of the race. There were 5 competitive teams; we were the smallest team (6 people) and the only all-female team. We came second; the team that came first was made up of race walkers. We started at 5pm Friday and finished at 4:15pm Sat. I did 4 legs of the race with about 6 hours off between each leg. My total distance was just over 40kms. The longest leg of the race was 12km. There were a number of issues but all in all considering it was the first year, and the distance covered, I think they did a good job. I have not been this sore since I did my first race. I know I really pushed myself the last leg (12km, no sleep, 38degrees!), or maybe it was the different muscles needed to squat (I still managed to get my shoelaces wet). There it is in a nutshell. It really was a lot of fun.

We hope that we will hear more from some of the other team members on comments following this post.