Birds chirping. Sun streaming. Daffodil shoots sprouting. Isn’t spring glorious? While many walkers are just crawling out from under the blankets, WoW Power Walkers have been walking strong through the winter in preparation for the early season events including the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5k, the Around the Bay Road Race and the MORE Marathon in New York City. Be sure to have a look at their inspiring results on our website.

In this newsletter we’d like to welcome the many new power walkers joining the WoW ranks. We’ve got exciting stuff happening. With programs expanding to Burlington and Newmarket we look forward to witnessing the spectacular growth of power walking in these communities just as we’ve seen in Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto over the past few years. In Oakville, Karin Lynn Cumming will be coaching a new program called WoW! Fitness Walking for anyBODY. This program is designed for people who have not been involved in a regular exercise routine for some time and for whom fitness and camaraderie, rather than entering marathons, is the primary goal. At WoW we pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence in coaching and we look forward to having more of you experience the fun and sense of accomplishment that comes from our commitment. And, there’s still time to sign up!

For those of you who live too far away to take one of our courses, you will soon be able to get the next best thing. Yes, the WoW Power Walking DVD will be available within the next 6 weeks. Actually, it’s a DVD and CD combination that reflects the same commitment to excellence of our coaching programs. This DVD/CD system is a unique product in the fitness market place. The DVD features 8 chapters offering an excellent visual guide for learning good walking technique. Then, two walking workouts on the CD reinforce the visual instruction on the DVD by guiding walkers through a 30-minute or 50-minute workout. Together the DVD and CD offer the viewer a fun and functional system of logical progressions that will help improve walking technique, walking speed, and fitness level. Expect and get the best from WoW Power Walking!

Welcome walkers? Over the years that WoW Power Walkers have been entering events, we’ve noticed a happy trend - race organizers are recognizing our dedication to fitness and excellence. They have seen how seriously we take our training. That’s because it shows on the race course. We look strong and we are walking fast. Many race organizers are responding by introducing walking divisions, early starts, and even prizes to the top walkers. We are thrilled and appreciative of the effort made by the organizers of the Chilly Half, Mississauga Marathon, Angus Glen Half Marathon, Ottawa Marathon, and Run for the Toad. Of course, some do it with more enthusiasm than others, but overall the trend is encouraging. Unfortunately, at the recent Around the Bay Road Race, despite the early start for walkers, most of our walkers did not feel welcome. Some would say they felt harassed, consistently being asked to move to the side and even being physically “guided” by vehicles. We hope that the race organizers of ABRR will reconsider their attitude toward walkers and we hope that all of you will continue to press them to understand that we are walking athletes who look forward to the challenge and inspiration of a race as much as running athletes. Don’t give up, show them your stuff.

Coffee and Muffin Walk: : It’s that time…spring forward with a great walk with some WoW friends. We welcome WoW walkers past, present, future, and friends of WoW walkers past, present, future. In the last newsletter we said we’d be starting at 7am but owing to general discontent that this is too early on the spring forward weekend, we will meet at 8am this Saturday, April 2 in the general vicinity of the parking lot at the Grenadier Park Café in High Park, Toronto. We will give out maps with walking routes covering 5k, 8k, 14k, and 26k. When you have finished, we’ll have coffee and muffins waiting for you. If you are driving in, the entrance on Bloor Street is usually the best bet. Drive south from the entrance, following the road as it curves to the left. You will see the Grenadier Park Café and its parking lot on your left. We will be set up somewhere within sight of that parking lot. If you think of it, and you want a muffin or a marathon cookie, RSVP Lee (muffin and cookie baker).

WoW Power Walking coaches are proud to wear New Balance shoes.

WoW Tip :: Safety on Two Feet

At WoW we believe in getting outside! You can get fit walking on a treadmill but somehow it’s just not fun in the way it is when walking outside. Even if it’s raining, the day always seems that much brighter when you’ve been out in it, not just watching from inside. Being outside does require some attention to safety.

We can’t help but notice that when we walkers get in groups, there is some general disregard for traffic rules. Please, take care out there on the roads. We know it’s easier on our bodies to walk on the asphalt roads as opposed to the sidewalk, so if you are walking on the road, face traffic. (Remember, everything you ever needed to know, you learned in kindergarten?)

Never walk more than 2 abreast when on the road.

If you are in class, and the coach asks you to loop, return to the back of the class on the sidewalk or cross the road so that you are again facing traffic.

Finally, there are drivers out there who do not understand what we are doing. We must be sympathetic to these souls behind the wheels who haven’t yet discovered the joys of power walking and who may be irritated by our presence. Let’s take care to show some etiquette on the road so they can see we appreciate any efforts they make to give us room. A simple wave and smile works like a charm. Try it!

If you are not interested in receiving WoW What's Up? email us.
All contents of this newsletter © WoW Company 2006. All rights reserved.