August 29, 2008
In addition to the typical joys of summer to tempt me from my training schedule, the past few weeks have found me glued to the couch watching taut bodies vying for Olympic gold. It’s been an outstanding and inspiring two weeks: outstanding to watch bodies in peak condition, and inspiring to witness both the incredible mental focus great athletic performance requires and to understand the patience it takes to train so many years for one event. The take home message for me was this: if it’s mental focus and patience that is required for individuals to improve performance then we are no different from Olympians. Each of us has the power of mental attention and patience. It doesn’t matter if your goal is to walk a half marathon in 3 hours and 13 minutes or if you have your sights set on Olympic gold in the 50k race walk.
As fall approaches and the September season of cool weather resolutions is upon us, take heart and inspiration from the Olympians. Find your mental focus; discover your patience and perseverance. Soon enough you’ll be making your way to your own podium. |
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| Big Sur 2009 :: Yes, I’m almost ready to set up a branch of Big Sur Marathoner’s Anonymous. I just can’t get enough of this race. I am signing up again! Registration opens September 1. If this is the year for you, don’t forget to go online as soon as possible after registration opens at www.bsim.org. The 21 miler sells out within a few weeks (time limit 6.5 hours). There is a 10.6 mile event and the marathon is beautiful too but you need to be confident you can complete 42 k in 6 hours. When you register, purchase a pasta dinner ticket for the early sitting, then let us know you have registered and we’ll follow up with you about other fun details for the weekend in California. And don’t forget, if you know someone who is not walking yet, this is THE goal to get them going. Start with Marathon Training Level 1 program in the fall, move to hills training in January and we promise they’ll be ready to tackle the stunning, breathtaking, exhilarating, mystical, and ceaseless hills of California’s Highway 1. Can you tell I love this race? Columbus 2008 :: You could stay at home the weekend of October 17-19 to organize family photos or you could ride the bus to Columbus with a group of enthusiastic WoW Power Walkers. Even if you don’t know anyone [going!!], you’ll have a bus load of instant friends! Of course, you could carpool but you might fall asleep at the wheel after having PB’d your way across the finish line (because you have signed up for fall WoW Power Walking classes). So, all aboard the WoW bus – you’ll be picked up mid-day Friday October 17 and returned home after the race on Sunday, October 19. Cost before September 2 is $200. Price increases after that. Sign up now. Look for it under “classes” on the website. P.S. The race registration fee increases ON September 1. Book a host hotel as soon as possible, too. P.P.S. You could go on the bus and not even do the race! We always love cheerleaders. P.P.P.S. We’ll allow runners on the bus, too. Although we might ask you if you’re “just running”! Chilly Half 2009 :: The walking division is being reduced to a mere 150 participants. It’s an extremely disappointing development. Last year there were more than 80 WoW Power Walkers alone. If you want to do the race, sign up as soon as possible. The event is very well organized, there are lots of prizes for walkers, and the pasta dinner is one of the best going. And it keeps you training through January and February. Still, this registration restriction has let down a lot of local walkers. Oakville Half Marathon – Countdown to Labour Day!! It’s late notice, but if you are interested in being a pace bunny for the event held in a few days, contact us asap. There is still time to register for either the half marathon or 10k. Ten kilometres sounds like a perfect option for you dock potato chips – the outdoor version of couch potatoes. Nutrition Tip :: Food labels making you crazy? The September issue of National Geographic features a small, but interesting, article on the new Overall Nutritional Quality (ONQ) Index which is intended to simplify nutrition information for consumers in U.S. grocery stores. The index uses a scale of 1 to 100 (from least nutritious to most nutritious) taking into account nutrients, vitamins, sugar, salt, and effect on blood pressure and other health indicators. Scoring 100 are mustard greens, blueberries, orange, and spinach. Too bad peaches aren’t up there, since I think blueberries and peaches are a combination created by the food gods. Stretch tip :: We’re taking some extra time at the end of our Level 2 classes this fall for stretching. Join a class to learn lots of great stretching tips. WoW Stuff Sale! We’re clearing out some WoW gear to make room for our new long sleeve ¼ zip pullover. For five days at the end of September, we will have an online only sale. You pay for it online and you get the deal. Go to the website between Monday September 22 and Friday September 26, and you’ll see some real deals on our designed and made in Canada WoW apparel. Only the best for WoW Power Walkers. |
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View from the Back by Janet Cawley ::Glittering fairies, a gorgeous sunset and the rise of a full moon: all a part of a fanciful and fun Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a cool night, perfect for a short-sleeved T and a power walk under a clear evening sky. Last year I decided the best race distances for me were 5km and 10km. Admittedly, I experienced some trepidation around a 15 km race. I did, however, get very excited waiting at the start line, surrounded by costumed participants and happy chatter. I had a niggle of worry whether I could finish the distance strong and happy. During last year's race, I faded markedly at the 9 km mark. With the help of a couple of friends and the realization that there was no way off the spit other than to keep walking, I finished. This year was different. With a few 10 km races under my belt, some consistent training and the energy derived from classes filled with eager new faces, I was determined to finish with personally-measured success.
Coming around the lighthouse---heading home---the huge orange full moon rose out of wispy blue clouds, glowing above a still winged sailboat. Although man-made, a white contrail bisecting the sky just added to the magic. I was pleased with my effort and progress and at 11 km, a bunny rabbit scampered across my path. Having the nickname "Janet the Rabbit", I thought perhaps it was a sign of good luck. Indeed, I continued strongly. As I raced toward the finish line, the cheering of fellow WoW'ers bolstered my confidence, propelling me through the last few metres. With fine coaching, supportive colleagues, training, and an inspiring venue, I overcame self-doubt and my distance comfort zone. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience. | Myra’s Marathon :: We’re counting down (and we’re sure Myra is too!) to the last of her half marathons across Canada’s provinces and territories. Join Myra’s team by registering for the race at www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com through Events Online NOT the Running Room. You will see an option to participate as part of the CNIB team and then you enter the promo code charitydisc to receive a discounted entrance. We will have bracelets for a nominal fee and back bibs for everyone participating in the race for Myra or cheerleading from the sidelines. Myra is raising funds for the CNIB library for the visually impaired. If you can’t make it out on race day, support her cause at www.cnib.ca . Classes :: Every race it is confirmed. Walkers who continue to take classes, continue to improve. It takes patience (see intro above!), but it happens. We take our role as coach seriously and we derive as much pleasure from your success as you do. Now, if you coach yourself through an intense walking training session once a week including different variations of speed workouts, stretching, and strength, you probably don’t need our classes. But it’s a tough slog on your own and we’ve noticed that few people do it effectively. Fall is even better than January to set new fitness routines and goals. All of our Level 1 and Level 2 classes are posted on the website. We’re continuing a few of our Walking Strength and Balance classes into the fall. In Oakville, we’ve added an extra Walking Strength and Balance class on Wednesday evenings before the Level 2 class. We’re here to help even if classes don’t work with your schedule. Other options for achieving your walking goals include remote coaching, the Simple Secrets for a Great Walking Workout is the perfect “Coach on your shoulder” tool, and we’re always happy to design a training schedule for you and post it on the website. Words
to walk and live by :: Our bodies are gardens, to which our wills are gardeners. |
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Mental attention to form and effort during training walks not only improves our speed and fitness, it improves and enriches the experience of using our bodies in that moment. And patience with our training allows us to get better over many moments. As we work away at our seasonal and daily goals, we improve. Just as many Olympic athletes work on five and 10 year plans knowing change takes time and occurs almost imperceptibly, we’ve seen it happen for WoW Power Walkers. Many of our walkers have been taking our classes for more than 6 years, and they are still improving and setting new goals. Last spring I set a PB in the Cleveland Marathon – more than 7 years since crossing the finish line of my first marathon. Just a few weeks ago Jill Pettit completed the Howl at the Moon Ultra Marathon in Danville, Illinois - 58.5 km - in 7 hours and 35 minutes. Two years ago she completed the Honolulu marathon in 6 hours and 19 minutes, since then she has whittled that time down to 5:15. Talk about WoW!
Parts of the trail were lined with tall grasses which provided lovely homes for chirping insects and (yikes!) ravenous mosquitoes. In spite of the biting distractions, I was looking forward to arriving at the end of the spit and circling the wonderful lighthouse at the tip. That part of the trail did not disappoint. To the east of the lighthouse, the lights of Toronto's darkening skyline were beginning to flicker and above was painted a magnificent orange, pink and yellow sunset. A volunteer joked that he had ordered that beautiful view just for us.
