Half Marathon Glory

Take a look at the results page of our website and you'll discover that every weekend since the end of August there have been WoW Power Walkers claiming finish medals at the end of some half or full marathon.

The half marathon is clearly the winner in terms of popularity. And why not. In so many ways, it's the perfect distance to race.

First, it's a challenge. Walking 21.1 kilometers, as fast as you can, is not something people can do on a whim. It takes several months of dedication, self discipline and, more often than not, a cadre of crazy friends to stick with a training plan.

Second, it's a great workout. When you walk 21.1 kilometres, as fast as you can, your heart pumps faster, your capillaries learn how to deliver more oxygen to your muscles, your muscles get stronger. You just become a stronger and faster human being.

Third, your risk for injury is much lower than training and walking a full marathon. It's elementary. Half the distance, half the chance for injury.

Finally, you always get a medal. Within minutes of finishing a half marathon, there is a piece of hardware swinging from your neck. Sometimes it's even the same size as that of the marathon!

As far as I can tell, there's only one downside to the half marathon and that is the potential for complacency in the days leading up to the race for veteran marathon walkers, and even veteran half marathon walkers. It's that tendency to downplay what is a considerable challenge because we've done it before or because it's half the distance of that marathon we completed a few months ago.

21.1 kilometers is, and always will be, a long way to walk as fast as you can. It doesn't matter how many half marathons or marathons you have walked, you must always treat your body with respect in the days before the race.

You need to eat an adequate amount of good food that includes an appropriate proportion of protein, carbohydrates, and fat; drink adequate fluids (the most important macronutrient), rest your body, and prepare your mind.

So, if you are reading this blog and you are walking Angus Glen this weekend, start now. Step back from the everyday rush to look after yourself this week. Make the most of the effort you have put into all those training walks in recent months by preparing both body and mind in this last stretch to the finish line.

It will be worth it.

Walking the half in Columbus, Ohio

Oh, glorious fall days for walking! I do hope you didn't miss getting out for a walk today.

I am returned home from Columbus, Ohio after an exhilarating half marathon walk through the finer neighborhoods of this American mid-west university town. The event has walking divisions in the half and full marathon.

Under a black sky filled with bright stars and half moon, 1300 walkers waited with excitement, and perhaps a little anxiety, for the 7am start of the Columbus Marathon. Runners started one hour later. We were sent off with as much fanfare as any running start. There was plenty of energizing music, a powerful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner while everyone stood facing the State Capitol Building, and pacing police cars to lead the way once the gun was fired.

Volunteers were out at the very first water station which was within the first mile and half of the start. Some of the bands were still setting up but despite that there were cheerleaders already on the route and music to be heard. Granted my version of the event is going to be different from others but I do hope what I write gives you a taste of the event. Because I was one of the lead walkers, for virtually the entire route between 2 miles and 11 miles I walked on my own. Up until 2 miles there were some other walkers with me. After 11 miles a handful of runners had caught up from their 8am start and were passing me. I wasn't alone because the water stations were plentiful and each of these had several dozen volunteers who were all vocal in their cheering. There was a police officer at almost every turn in the route. They were excellent at keeping cars out of the way, but sometimes a little slow on giving me directions! A couple of times I almost took a wrong turn. A few miles into the race I realized that there were blue and white arrows spray-painted on the road. As a half marathon participant, I was meant to follow the blue arrows. Even later in the race, I realized that no arrows at a corner meant just go straight! I had been slowing down on a few corners trying to figure out if I was supposed to turn. It took a while to figure out the system, and it might have been nice to read about this in the race directions. But there it is, for you to know should make the trip to Columbus! And, of course, if you were walking a little further back in a larger group, the route may have been more obvious.

The first few miles of the course took us out along Broad Street which is somewhat commercial. But at this point it was dark and all of my focus was on warming up appropriately. By the time the sun was lightening up the sky, I was walking the course that passed by upscale Columbus homes that had rooms and lawns to spare. Most important there was foliage. It's interesting how a little foliage has a disproportionately large calming effect. And, it's amazing what a little sun can do to illuminate the gold and red leaves of autumn foliage.

By 6 miles the course was taking me back to the area of the city where we had started. This part of the route was straightforward and not terribly scenic compared to what I had just passed through but, again, cheerleaders and water stations were plentiful. And, there was a terrific surprise waiting once I got to the next turn. At almost 10 miles into the race, there was a huge crowd lining the streets. Spectators from the start of the running division must have made the trek a few blocks south to this position on the race course. Because I was still alone on the course, it felt like thousands of people were out cheering me on! I'd love to know if other walkers had a similar experience, but my guess is that they would have because it would still be another 20 to 30 minutes until the first runners would come through.

Floating on the high of such overwhelming enthusiasm, I found myself walking past historic old German Town. The cheerleaders had thinned out but the quaint houses and shops were still a feast for the eyes. Walking by one particularly charming pastry shop I asked the Sunday morning coffee gang sitting at the tables if I should return for my post-race recovery caffeine. Their wholehearted endorsement had me stopping by on my way out of Columbus later that afternoon. If you go to Columbus Marathon, be sure to go the Pistacia Vera on South 3rd Street. In fact, don't worry about the marathon; just go to enjoy the best traditional Parisian macaroons outside of continental Europe and an espresso! (It's all about the snacks and caffeine, don't ya know?!)

Now I had a reason to walk faster toward that finish line! After passing by a lovely park at the south end of the German Village, the rest of the route went north on High Street past the regal State government buildings and other commericial highrises. At this time, lead runners were starting to pass me. I always enjoy seeing these athletes flash by.

Soon I was turning toward the finish at the Nationwide Arena. The architecture of this arena is remarkable and it is surrounded by wide sidewalks and grassy areas. Once again, crowd support was overwhelming in the final hundred feet of the race and the post-race snacks were plentiful. I particularly enjoyed the sample of Clif Builders Bar which I had never tried before. It has high protein content and high quality ingredients. I may have to find more of those!

As far as how the organizers managed a walking division: unfortunately, I can't offer too many insights. Obviously, it was great to have separate registration and start. I did not see any guidelines for walkers and I suspect there were lots of walking participants running portions of the race but it would be impossible to discern that once the pack of runners caught up. The bib numbers were identifiable but the bibs themselves were not a different colour. Still for a walker, this has to be one of the best races I've entered. I always appreciate separate registration and acknowledgement that the walking gait needs separate result postings and rankings from the running gait.

Also, this past weekend, we had a few people walk the full marathon in Detroit. I hope some of them will add a post here so that we can learn about their experience.

The good and the bad of walking divisions

The Tim Horton's coffee and bits were out in full force yesterday for the first Oakville Heritage Hustle 5k event. Quite fitting considering the head office for the TDL group is in Oakville. If we didn't get enough coffee and bits at the race venue, each participant was given $5 in gift certificates for later! Ah, a great Oakville tradition begins!

In other ways the race was a great success. Walkers were treated to their own division with separate start and results postings. Prizes were given out in the same quantity and proportion as the runners! That must be a first. The race organizers had clearly gone to considerable trouble to make walkers feel welcome and to ensure that there were no running (!) walkers by publishing guidelines in the race brochure. Perhaps, the only disappointment at the end of the day was that there was no reiteration of these walking guidelines at the start. Several younger age category participants did run for large parts of the race. This is a challenge that can be easily overcome, and we look forward to more Oakville Heritage Hustles in the future.

Looking for race results from several events held yesterday, I was encouraged to discover that the Toronto Marathon featured a half marathon walk (226 participants), the Prince Edward County Marathon also featured a walking division (30 participants), and Myra Rodrigues walked in the Prince Edward Island Marathon half walk event (64 participants). Things are definitely looking up for walkers.

On the Prince Edward Island marathon site, there is a clear statement that runners in the walking division will be disqualified. The race results seem to reflect the fact that walkers only participated. The Toronto Marathon event results defied credibility unless there were some elite race walkers entered in the event. This is not surprising as there were no walking guidelines on the race website, and the bibs were only differentiated from runners by number, not by colour. In addition, the walkers and runners started at the same time. With upward of 5,000 runners and walkers covering the half marathon distance, it would be very difficult to identify walkers who run.

On the whole, things on the race front are looking up for walkers. I’d like to see more definitive rules published on race websites, brochures and at race kit pick-up. I’d also like to see all of this reinforced with announcements at the beginning of races and separate colour bibs and back bibs like I had at the CRIM race would also be good!

As always, I welcome your opinion and would love to hear about any specific positive or negative experiences you have had in walking divisions.

5k Family Fun in scenic and historic Oakville

My family success at the Royal Victoria Marathon event last weekend has inspired me to remind all the WoW Power Walkers out there about Oakville's Heritage Hustle 5k Run and Power Walk this Sunday. (There is also a 1.5k Family Walk)

Brush up on your inspriational/coersion skills because this is a perfect event to get your close friends and family outside! The race route will start beside the historic Erchless Estate and continue through some of Oakville's oldest and most beautiful residential streets. If you are a WoW Power Walker in Toronto, it's a great opportunity to take a tour of delightful Oakville - a town well known for it's leafy lakeside setting and quaint shopping area.

The race organizers put extra effort to listen to our suggestions for hosting walkers in an event. There is a walker division with guidleines to ensure there is no running and there will be prizes for walkers and runners. All of the proceeds of the registration will go to the Oakville 150th R.E.A.C.H. Legacy Fund.

All of this is in celebration of Oakville's 150th birthday. For those of you wondering why the race does not have a typical morning start, the organizers wanted the race to begin at "150"...hence the 1:50pm start! The good news is you may have some teenagers who could be awake for this start time!

I've got a long training walk scheduled for Sunday morning in preparation for the Seattle Marathon, so I won't be setting any records on this 5k but I'll be out there. With my new-found confidence in encouraging family members to enter races, you may find me with some companions!

You can register on race day, but why not commit right now online?

http://150.oakville.ca/heritagehustle.htm

See you there!

Victoria Half Marathon Success

The stress hormone, cortisol, was running high on Friday evening when I arrived in Victoria. The weather forecast was for rain and wind. Much of the Victoria Half Marathon course leads participants along Dallas Road which parallels the coastline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If it rains and there is a strong wind, it takes great fortitude and excellent clothing to enjoy a walk. If it was to rain and be windy during the race, it's likely I would be person non-grata at the post-race Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday evening.

Truly, full justice of my family marathon weekend requires much more than a blog entry. The combination of anxiety, excitement, and hilarity are worthy of a journal posting on the website and I shall work on it over the next week.

For now, as events unfolded, my father required down-grading from the half marathon to the 8k road race. I took him to the chip pick-up venue at the race expo. He took his half marathon race package and walked up to the volunteers announcing that he was "chickening out" and changing to the shorter distance. The wonderful volunteer behind the table looked at him and said "You are not chickening out, you are being responsible".

My sister, Sue, sister-in-law, Taryn, and my husband Greg each had specific worries for race day. The top of Sue's right foot was hurting, Taryn had a groin pull, and Greg has a bum hip. To add to the coaching pressure, my oldest son decided to run the 8k and he hasn't trained for anything! From experience I know the odds are not good for going into a race feeling 100 percent. I've encouraged hundreds of people that whatever is bothering them prior to the race, it will be a very different concern coming out of nowhere during the race.

More pressure was added when one of my other sons kept pulling me aside to say "Pop Scott (my Dad) does not want to do this race, Mom" Nervously, I told my son that sometimes coaching involves pushing people beyond their hesitations. It was brave talk. Even though my brother, Doug, had registered for the 8k on Saturday and had agreed to act as "sherpa" for Dad.

I did not sleep well on Saturday night. The weather forecast for Sunday remained poor. High winds, 8 degrees, and rain.

Remarkably Sunday broke with warmer temperatures and no wind. And, remarkably, we all managed to make it to the start on time despite a car that wouldn't start.

So, here's the good news. We all finished and we are all proud to say we achieved a personal best! Sue and Taryn walked their first race ever. They had estimated the 21.1 kilometers would take 4 hours to complete. They crossed the finish line in 3:04! Greg completed his first half marathon in less than three hours with a chip time of 2:55! Dad, and his sherpa, were third last at the 1k marker but pushed themselves to pass the participant using a walker and the woman carrying two babies -one on her back and one on her front! Doug will happily regale anyone who wants to listen with stories of being sherpa on an 8k road race. My son placed 15th out of 32 in his age category and 152nd out of more than 1700 participants. I shaved 28 seconds off my best half marathon time.

Most of all, everyone finished with a smile and I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving dinner with my entire family able to stand on two healthy feet.

Walking holidays

The blog may be a little on the slow side for 10 days while I head west to spend time with family, force family to walk the Victoria Half Marathon (can you hear the expletives from there???***!!!), and then follow up with a little cross-training learning how to surf.

My next holiday will be me and a pile of books!

I will endeavour to report back on my coaching/walking experience in Victoria.

Walking really, really well

The roads and trails were well trod this weekend. WoW Power Walkers stomped the trails at the Run/Walk for the Toad and still more pounded the pavement of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the CIBC Run/Walk for the Cure.

While I wasn't racing this weekend I did speak about power walking at the race expo for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.I enjoy taking the opportunity to encourage walkers to put their best forward, so to speak!

Because the Steam Whistle Brewery is just beside the Metro Convention Centre where the Expo was held, I was reminded of seeing a Steam Whistle Smart vehicle driving the Don Valley parkway just this past week. On its hatchback was painted the slogan "Do one thing really, really well".

The slogan resonated with my experience as a power walking coach and I decided to steal the Steam Whistle concept to introduce my talk, "Power Walking: Anything is Possible".

You see, I've come to the conclusion that running with walking breaks doesn't promote skill for either gait. Now, don't get me wrong, it's always impressive to see people out participating. Covering 21 or 42 kilometres is never an accomplishment to belittle.

It's just that when a person works at good technique with a focus on posture and speed - either walking or running, the effects are much more visible on the body. Good technique usually results in good posture - and there is nothing that radiates health and strength like good posture. Good speed is often a result of good technique (and a few intervals!) leading to improved fitness levels as revealed in key indicators such as resting heart rate, resting metabolic rate, and blood pressure.

We're not all going to be perfect walkers since each of us is blessed with different body mechanics. Still, each of us can be enriched by the focus it takes to concentrate on walking really, really well. And each of us can take pride and enjoyment from applying that focus to power walk the entire distance of a race.

So, for those of you that walked really, really well this past weekend, grab a Steam Whistle, sit back and revel in a well-deserved rest this week!

As always, I welcome your thoughts. Please post a comment.