Can you smile and train at the same time?

The temperature was a bit on the warm side yesterday, but otherwise it was an ideal day for the Canada Running Series Beaches Jazz Tune Up Run and Walk. Starting at Kew Gardens the race organizers of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon made it easy for participants to keep up with their training by mapping out three routes of 5, 10, and 20k. Three different start times for the three different distances meant that everyone was back for a barbecue around the same time.

The venue showed off the good, the bad, and the work in progress of Toronto's waterfront. We followed the Martin-Goodman trail west along the lake toward the Queen's Quay area, passing Ashbridges Bay, the Leslie Street Spit, the Outer Harbour Boating clubs and more. The sun beat down. Every so often a fresh, cool lake breeze would work its refreshing magic.

Because the routes were straight out and back along the trail, I looked forward to lots of company during the walk. I went out slowly at the back of the group of runners and walkers going 20k. Somewhere about the 7k point, the runners were returning, running toward me on a regular basis. Most of the time I'd say "hi" or wave. Most of the time they didn't notice me.

Behind me two women power walking were encouraging every person that ran or walked by them.

Just an observation.

I'd hate to make a generalization. But it did get me wondering. Could it be the pounding of running shakes the smile right out of a face?

Certainly by the time, I returned to the finish and the barbecue, they were all smiles again.

Walking shoes

I own too many shoes.

Several posts earlier, I hinted that I tend toward messiness - specifically identifying the stack of books beside my bed. I forgot to mention my unseemly collection of shoes. I knew the situation was pathological last year when a quick survey revealed I had more shoes in our front cupboard than all the shoes of all four men that live with me.

Men, until a certain age, seem to be happy doing everything in one pair of training shoes. In that one pair they run or walk, skip or jump, go to school, climb trees, go to dinner and movies, ride skateboards and bikes. The only time I put on my training shoes is when I walk. I have four pair in the front closet.

I’m good at rationalizing those four pairs of training shoes. At the root of the issue is the fact that no one has designed the perfect walking shoe. I am fortunate to have at my availability any New Balance shoe I'd like to try. And I have been very happy with them. I especially love my New Balance Race Walking flats. Alas, those are now discontinued. And, of course, they were like disposable shoes. I could wear them only for a few long training walks (making sure not to go up or down curbs or walk on concrete) and races.

Still, I haven't noticed any shoe company taking a methodical interest in the needs of power walkers. I am looking for that perfect combination of lightweight shoe with some cushioning in the heel, but not too much. When there is too much and the heel is not suitably beveled, my heel eventually aches from the hard landing. When the heel cushioning is too "squishy", the effect on my walk is not good. Sometimes I'll find a shoe with just the right heel description but then the forefoot will be really stiff. I like to have a very flexible forefoot so the toe push-off stage of the stride isn't too much work on the metatarsal arch area of my foot.

So, the four shoes in my closet right now have different purposes. There are my beloved racing flats whose lives I am prolonging lovingly, there are a pair for teaching classes that have a little more heel cushioning and stability for all the side turning and backward walking that involves, I have a pair for walks that stay strictly on trails, and my fourth pair are for training walks that are mostly on asphalt but may involve some sidewalk walking and curb climbing.

I’m looking forward to the time when there are so many power walkers at marathons that the shoe selection at stores rivals that of “running” shoes. In the mean time, I’d love to hear your shoe stories.

Walking with hand weights

Occasionally I see people out walking while carrying hand weights. Yikes. Really bad idea. In fact, so bad, I have to stop myself from accosting these avid exercisers to insist they go home directly to put the weights down!

Hand weights are a great tool for targeting the muscles of the arm with a bicep curl or a tricep kick-back, but those weights should not hang out at the end of arms when walking.

If you are reading this blog and you carry hand weights when you are walking ask yourself what you hope to gain.

Are you looking for a more challenging cardiovascular workout? If so, you are not going to get it. A marginal increase in cardiovascular workout is far outweighed by the compromised walking form that may lead to injury in the back and shoulders. It’s really hard to maintain good posture when carrying these weights. Your walking form should always reinforce good posture.

Are you looking to get arms that are more toned? Again, that 3 pound weight held in the isometric contraction while you walk is not to going to be nearly as effective as a few bicep curls, tricep kickbacks or pushups done to fatigue.

Now the question still remains how do we get the message out? Do we react in horror when we see weight carrying walkers, do we politely ignore their misadventures, or do we slid up beside them and ask if we can borrow a weight to do a bicep curl?

Suggestions welcome!

Thinking green

Today's colour is green. Thursdays mark the arrival of our weekly farm share box. It is filled with greens both familiar and exotic - shell peas, collards, and lime basil. Lime basil is new for me so I'll be searching my cookbooks. At the same time, in my mailbox this morning, was my copy of the Nutrition Action Newsletter, a very welcome gift from a power walking friend who knows I love to read as much as I love to walk.

This issue features a comprehensive article on organic food. I've been preparing meals from organic food for more than 18 years. I do it for several reasons. The pesticide residues on some fruits and vegetables is alarming and I did not want to be feeding that to my young children. I found much organically grown food - especially milk, cheese, and locally grown fruits and vegetables to have superior taste. Finally, it made sense to me as a more sustainable form of agriculture that is good to the planet which I hope will be left in good condition for my children and their offspring.

The article mentions these arguments and discusses them in some detail. If you have ever wanted to read a concise review of the reasons for growing and eating organically grown food and if you were ever confused by such labels as organic, free range, and hormone-free, this is a good place to start. You can probably find more information on the website for the Centre for Science in the Public Interest - publishers of the newsletter - at www.cspinet.org/canada

Also, in this issue is a fascinating article on green foods such as spinach, kale, collards, and beet greens. I did mention today's colour is green! In my last post I talked about Vitamin D building strong bones and apparently researchers suspect that the Vitamin K found in the intense green leaves of kale, spinach, and collards also works to protect bones. Researchers believe there is still more the super greens do for us including improving our memory and reducing our risk for diabetes, colon cancer, and stroke.

So, please excuse me while I cut this short to find recipes for collards and lime basil. Actually, if you know of any, why not post them here?

Sun protection, vitamin D and walking

To slather or not to slather, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to choose SPF 15 or 50?

As a true redhead with requisite freckles, I have endured a love hate relationship with the sun for a long time. I love almost anything that requires being outside...years of sailing and windsurfing, followed by years of walking marathons. I hate getting burned.

So, I dutifully slather on the sunblock well before I hit the pavement for my walks. Recently, I've been reading that all that sunblock may be reducing the ability of my body to make vitamin D. Vitamin D is critical to the formation of strong bones by promoting calcium absorption. Wouldn't it be ironic that all the bone density building that happens when we’re out power walking is for naught because we’re not getting appropriate levels of vitamin D?

What's a dedicated power walker to do?

According to various reliable sources, exposing about 15 percent of your body to just 10 minutes in the sun on most days of the week in summer, 15–20 minutes in spring and autumn, or 30 minutes in winter, outside peak UV times will usually give us enough vitamin D. If a power walk is going to be longer than these times or if we are walking in peak sun times at high UV Index levels we should be putting on the sunblock. And it should be a high Sun Protection Factor (SPF).

For me, during early morning walks from 7 to 9:30am I feel safe without my sun protection. Any time after that, I’ll be laying it on. Research aside, my unscientific analysis has revealed that my freckles experience a population explosion any time after the early morning sun.

Let me know if you have any other good sun strategies or tips.

I am escaping the heat! There will be no blog postings until next week. Remember in the extreme heat it is not just water you need, it's also electrolytes. Take an energy drink or snack with you on long walks. Keep in mind that in th extreme heat, the air quality is often poor. Pace yourself.

Walking pace bunnies

For races that are now having walking divisions, it would nice to see some walking pace bunnies. The great news from the organizers of the Oakville Half Marathon in Oakville on September 3 is that they want to have walking pace bunnies. Very pioneering of them! I have been in races where there are pace bunnies for my finish time but not my pace. The pace of a true walker is going to be steady, in contrast to the pace of participants run-walking who may finish at the same time.

If you are interested in being a walking pace bunny for the Oakville Half Marathon, please get in touch with me scott@wowpowerwalking.com .

A messy walk

There are people who know I am not a neat person by nature. It's not that I don't try; it's just that tidying up always seems to be something I decide can be done later. Still, there are aspects of the chaotic nature of my personal space that baffle even me. Didn't I just clean out my purse last week? So, why is it that today I can't find my way to the bottom where I know there is a pen?

The other day, I bought a book called The Perfect Mess - The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. Even though I have justified my messiness with the explanation that it's good to be able to live with chaos - I mean, the world is a chaotic place - I do suffer from some guilt that somehow I could be more productive, if I could be just a bit neater. At the very least, the people around me might be happier. I thought this book my assuage some of my guilt.

The truth is I didn't really plan to read the book. The title was good enough for me. I bought it for my husband to read who is having a particular issue with the stack of books beside our bed. Well, chances are very high he won’t read it, since it will soon be buried under that stack. And, as it turns out, I have been hogging it. I even experimented applying the theory of messiness to walking which is I why I am writing about it in this blog.

While I was on my walk yesterday, after spending a good part of the afternoon reading about the benefits of disorder, I decided I might try a messy walk. What would a messy walk entail? Well, basically I applied disorder to the walk. Instead of following one of my more typical plans for a training walk where I might set about with some application of orderliness, such as hill repetition, or walking at a specified pace, I just walked fast and tried stuff as I went along. I may have a messy desk and a messy purse, but I tend to orderliness when it comes to my walking workouts. This might be interesting.

Here is what my messy walk looked like. When I came to my first hill I decided to walk up lunging. That was a good challenge and, as it turned out, a good way to stretch out while warming up. Within a few minutes along the path, I passed a children’s playground. Since no children were using it I decided to try a chin up. I’ve never been successful at chin ups but since I notice that limitation never stops children from trying, I just did what I could until my arms were ready to fall off. Then, I continued walking. I came to a place where the trail was hidden from view of houses, so I skipped. I skipped until I couldn’t skip any more. Then, I continued walking. Soon I found myself at another children’s playground. This time I climbed on a swing. I swung until I got bored. It took another few minutes after that to determine how to get my butt out of the swing. I’m sure when I was 12 I could just jump off. Thirty-five years later I lack confidence with this skill. Now I was on my final few blocks back to my house and I decided to race as fast as I could until I felt like stopping. I did that a few times. When I got in the door, I felt great.

I’ve decided the messy walk may have to become an integral part of my training. And I have a theory that the hidden benefit of disorder that results from a messy walk is that my body was surprised by the change in activity. As we know from research, the body greets change as challenge and that challenge with adaptation and improvement. Besides, it was fun. Try it and let me know what you think.