Who’s training for what? It’s -30º Celsius, there is snow and ice on the roads, you are wearing three wick-away shirts, 2 fleece pullovers, a balaclava and neckwarmer, a fleece hat, two pairs of mitts, a wind-proof coat and you still have icicles hanging off your eyelashes. Are you insane?

No, just a WoW Power Walker training for the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington on March 6 or the Rome Marathon in Italy on March 13 for Team Diabetes! Still more are preparing for the Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton on March 20 and Big Sur 21-mile Power Walk in California in April. Yes, this is your favorite time of year. You survived the never ending parties and party platters of December and now you are ramping up for the wonderful spring half and full marathons. For those of you that aren’t winter walkers, we’re here to tell you that as insufferable as it seems our walks make a southern Ontario winter bearable. Evening walks, when the couch is looking especially enticing, have offered beautiful starry skies and luminous crescent moons. Morning walks, when cozying up with the newspaper and warm coffee hold great allure, have served up stunning sunrises and sparkling lake views.

Winter’s nadir is a mere 6 weeks long, so for those of you that must hibernate for the worst of it, we understand. There remains plenty of time beginning in March to get those legs in fine form for events such as the Mississauga Half Marathon on May 15 and the National Capital Marathon Weekend at the end of May. Courses will start up after March break and you can check out training schedules posted on the website.

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Bad weather? Never! Most of you know that at WoW we believe there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Here are some WoW suggestions that may help with the winter weather challenge.

0-10ºC: Legs: two layers such as long underwear or close-fitting tights and a looser light pant or wind-proof pant. Upper body: two wick-away shirts, light fleece sweater/sweatshirt, windproof and breathable jacket Head and neck: fleece hat and neckwamer (Neckwarmer may be optional depending on wind. Vaseline on skin: optional 10-20ºC: Legs: three layers such as long underwear, looser tight, and windproof and breathable pant Upper body: two wick away shirts, light fleece sweater/sweatshirt, fleece vest, windproof and breathable jacket Head and neck: More layering! Balclava possibly underneath a fleece hat and neckwarmer. Below -20ºC! Yikes. Have someone prepare the hot chocolate for your return before you go anywhere! Legs: three layers such as long underwear, loose pant, lightweight ski pant. Upper body: two wick-away shirts, light fleece sweater/sweatshirt, fleece vest, windproof breathable jacket, down vest over jacket Head and neck: more layers! Balaclava, tight-fitting wick-away hat, fleece neckwarmer and hat

Additional suggestions: I wear regular training shoes all winter. My feet do not get cold when I am moving … but I do not stand still for long because running shoes are not inherently warm. Several of our walkers pledge allegiance to SmartWool™ socks. And quite a few of us invested in Yaktrax™ this year – a very easy-to-use rubber contraption with stainless steel coils around the rubber that offer excellent traction on hard-packed snow and ice. You just slip them over your shoes and away you go. They can be a little irritating when you get to clear pavement, but generally worth the $40 when the going gets at all slippery.

Give your face a spa treatment while you walk! Yes, don’t forget to apply Vaseline to any exposed skin … it will help prevent frostbite and skin dehydration in the dry winter air. Also, in extreme cold it’s a good idea to walk with a buddy at all times and check each other for white patches of skin that indicate frostbite! Get somewhere warm immediately!