Plan to succeed!
Summer training in southern Ontario has been delightful this year. We have not experienced any heat or smog-alert days. We hope this means everyone has been able to stick with training and is starting to look forward to some of the late summer and fall events. Mileage increases for participants walking the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon begin within the next couple of weeks.

Give some thought to additional walking goals for this year and next. Some goals require more advanced planning than others!

The Great Bermuda Walking Marathon: Last year a small group of us entered The Great Bermuda Walking Marathon. This event is recommended for people interested in a great mid-November respite from the grey days of late fall and an all-walking race with a low-key sensibility. The event features a half marathon and full marathon. The full marathon entrants walk the half marathon course twice. After attending the event, WoW power walkers recommend doing the half marathon. Because the course is open to traffic, the second loop for the full marathoners became unpleasant with vehicle exhaust fumes. Those of us who entered the half marathon finished early enough that we did not have contend with this and could simply enjoy the beauty of Bermuda, including fragrant flowers and ocean vistas, and the challenge of the hills. Airfare to Bermuda can be expensive for such a short flight (2.5 hours direct from Toronto). Let us know if you are thinking of going. If enough people are interested, we can arrange a group price on airfare and good accommodation. There is no website for this event and we are presently trying to get entry forms. Don’t forget to look at the pictures from our trip last year and read Lee’s Bermuda journal!

The Big Sur International Marathon (21-mile Power Walk event): This is the whipped cream of marathons! (…and, the only whipped cream we athletes would consider!) Entering this race may change your life! Well…at least dramatically improve it for several days! You need to plan for this event on several levels. You must register early at www.bsim.org. Registration opens September 1, 2004 for the race in April 2005. The Power Walk was the first event to sell out last year! Also, if we know a group is going, we can arrange group flight rates to either Monterrey or San Francisco and we can facilitate accommodation. Finally, good training for this event is critical: there are some challenging hills on this course and you want to enjoy every vista from the top of those hills rather than cursing the effort to get there. Training should begin in January in earnest and I recommend including walking the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington and the Around the Bay Road Race in March as great benchmark events. Training classes for Big Sur registrants will be posted on the website by the end of July.

Hall of Fame: Many of you may be surprised to see one of our coaches in the Hall of Fame, but Vera Guthrie should be an inspiration to many. A couple of years ago Vera went away on holiday, only to return and find herself signed up by a good (!?) friend for a power walking course.

Well, within a little over a year Vera had walked a half marathon and two full marathons. This past spring Vera achieved a personal best in the Mississauga full marathon. Just as importantly, Vera is inspiring new power walkers as a coach.

Last year Vera decided that she wanted to become certified as a Group Fitness leader so that she would have the qualifications that WoW demands of its coaches. This certification required that Vera be tested on kinesiology and anatomy, physiology and exercise design, training principles, leadership and motivation. If you’ve been out of school for a while, you know how daunting the prospect of an exam can be. Vera worked hard and passed the written and practical portions.

Of course, we knew that she would be a good coach when she got her husband walking – I’m still working on mine! We are pleased to have her intuitive people skills onboard at WoW Power Walking. She’s got great WoW style, too!

We are trying to stay up to date with local events that are featuring walk divisions, posting them on the Upcoming Events section of the website. If you hear of any races, let us know.

WoW Tip :: Exercising in the summer

As a power walker you know that exercising can significantly improve the quality of your life. At WoW we believe in improving quality of life at every opportunity! It saddens us that walking in severe summer smog and heat conditions can markedly diminish your quality of life and may even put you at risk for respiratory problems. Recently, we have been distributing a hand-out from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to class participants describing the effect of air pollution on exercise. The article contains a few suggestions worth considering including avoiding exercising during rush hour, delaying workouts during combinations of high temperature, humidity and air pollution, and monitoring ozone levels. The article goes into detail on common air pollutants and possible repercussions for athletes and asthmatics. If you are interested in a copy of this article, send us an email.

Bonus tip: Meanwhile, if you are lucky enough to avoid the heat waves at a cottage this summer and you want to keep those walking muscles working, consider jumping in the lake to tread water – basically water walking! If you want to stay out for longer, put a life jacket or life belt on and mimic the walking motion in the water. The water provides great muscle resistance to keep your legs thinking strong!

Walk in WoW STYLE! Want everyone to know that you are NOT a run-take-a-break-run kinda athlete? Why not get one of our sensational new Coolmax™ Ts with stylized wowpowerwalking.com graphics on the back (Vera of Hall of Fame is wearing one!)? Several of you have already taken advantage of our special offer on the new WoW Power Walking shirts and just because Lee is taking holidays we are extending this great opportunity to get one of these fabulous shirts at a mere $40 TAX INCL until July 20 (regular price $44.95 PLUS TAX). A variety of body shapes look great in our shirt and the zippered pocket will hold a small cell-phone! Sizing details are available on the website in the WoW store.

Long-distance number 1-877-WOW-WALK (1-877-969-9255)!

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