Nutrition Tip :: Because it seems to have been a recurring theme in class discussions over recent months, it seems appropriate to re-visit the issue of flagging energy at the end of a race. This is a reminder that if you have trained properly by following a recommended schedule, depleted energy that results in a dramatic decrease in your racing pace is a fuelling issue. Here are the basics: Eat well all the time for improved quality of life! Ensure you are eating high quality, low glycemic carbohydrate in the days leading up to a race so that there is adequate fuel stored in your liver and muscles. This includes whole grains such as oats and high protein pasta (semolina will do), and legumes, fruits and vegetables (bananas, oranges and mangos are high in potassium – a critical electrolyte). If you eat about 30 percent more carbohydrates than is required in a healthy diet you should have extra stores for good performance on race day. Keep in mind that if you push yourself to maximal race pace effort, you will use up all these stored carbohydrates in approximately 90 minutes. After that time, your body will revert to fat burning for fuel requirements. Fat metabolism is much slower than carbohydrate metabolism. That slower metabolism translates to slower walking! In order to maintain your pace, you need to consume small amounts (8-24g/ 1-3 Clif Shot Blocks/3-9 Sports Beans/1-3 dried apricots) of high glycemic index (GI) carbs every 15 to 20 minutes. High GI carbs assist with fat metabolism so that you can maintain your race pace. Please note GU energy gel contains 25g of carbs in one pack – that can be a whallop on your gut in one go, if you are not well hydrated. The exact amount you take every 15 to 20 minutes will depend on your personal metabolism. Please experiment on your long training walks.

Races :: It’s your last chance before the final price increase on the KW Walking Classic on September 1. This race looks like it will be a signature WoW Power Walker race. We are just so thrilled that the organizers are putting all their efforts into a walk-only event. It’s raising the bar on walking as a challenging workout in a big way. There will be judges on the course, so all competitors must be walking. Remember that landing with a bent knee can be indicative of a running gait. The bent knee action can give a mechanical advantage for speed. Just remember that it doesn’t improve your workout and it’s pretty hard on the knees. Stay committed to your front leg landing straight with your toe pulled up high.

Speaking of walking divisions, we are always grateful when a race organization commits to a walking division. We are especially pleased when there are prizes offered. We don’t expect cash prizes, but there is no question that separate divisions, age category rankings, and prizes bring out the competitive best in people. It forces them to strive to improve every year and to evaluate where their training could be improved if their results were disappointing. One of our favourite races in recent years, is the Midsummer Night’s Race held August 21 downtown Toronto. We know that the organizers of this race are two of the most enthusiastic and committed people on the Toronto racing scene and we also know they were frustrated by complaints that people in the top 10 were running the course. We feel that a separate start and identifiable walking bibs would eliminate most of this problem. If you appreciate walking divisions, and/or if you have enjoyed this race as much as we have, please email them to express your appreciation for their hard work on behalf of walkers and to encourage them to continue with these efforts.
Once a WOW Power Walker, always a WoW Power Walker! Please feel free to email us, if you ever need a training schedule for a specific race – even if you taken one of our courses for a while. We’re happy to know you are still walking!

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

Toning shoes! Bare feet! Shoes with toes! It’s three extremes but the message is similar – promises of improved fitness and performance. You’ve probably seen the ads for toning shoes. Maybe you have spotted a few people wearing them on a race course. Those toning shoes are not for people who power walk. They cause instability when you stand and make your body work extra hard to stay stable. It is the rocker effect instability that makes your muscles work harder than when you stand in normal shoes. These shoes are not going to give you a better cardiovascular workout in class and they are going to slow you down in any race. And barefoot running? I don’t think so unless you are biomechanically blessed or younger than 12 years old. What does make sense is that barefoot runners naturally shorten their stride to protect their joints from high impact – specifically hips and knees. Of course, we have been advocating shortened strides for power walkers since our inception. Maybe what’s good for power walkers is good for runners! Tell your running friends! A power walking class may be just what they need as cross training to re-think their stride and improve performance! As far as shoes with toes – again, I think this is for the biomechanically blessed and the person with the individual toe lengths of whatever computer program designed the toes in these shoes.

So what is the answer? For power walkers, we recommend that you wear as light a shoe as possible that meets the cushioning and stability needs of your feet and body. After that is determined, look for a shoe with a bevelled or low-profile heel to facilitate the heel landing and roll-through to toe. Finally, a flexible forefoot will facilitate the toe-push-off.

Classes :: All of our fall classes are posted on the website. The membership option has been a HUGE HIT. All classes offer a membership option which is a super saving deal even if you attend just one class a week for the entire 15-week fall session. It’s a dream come true, if you can make it to more than 1 class a week! To make things a little easier for us, you will notice that you sign up for the membership option with the class you are most likely to attend on a regular basis. To make things a little easier for you, check out the Training Schedules page of our website for a “week at a glance” look at all classes offered in Toronto, Oakville and Hamilton. If you are a WoW member, you can attend as many WYBO HP 2, WYBO HP 3, WYBO Fitness 1, and strength and balance classes as you like.

Spread the walking gospel! It’s changed your life, now let a friend know that we are having an information evening on Wednesday September 15 at 6pm at the Running Company in downtown Oakville. If we hear you have recommended a friend, we’ll offer you a fine WoW apparel item as a token of our appreciation (size availability permitting). We’ll do the same , if we hear you have a recommended friends to our program – even if they could not make the information evening.

Corporate workshops and lunch time programs :: You may not know it, but for many years now WoW Power Walking has offered corporate lunch programs as well as one-time walking workshops. As so many of you know, people really underestimate what a great workout can be had from walking. Also, as so many of you know, it is surprising how people need help turning their walk into a workout. We can create so many different corporate alternatives for walking programs, contact us if you think this might be a good fit in your office.

Words to walk and live by . . .
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter
– Rachel Carson 1907-1964, marine biologist, author, pioneer

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of walking - one step after another toward a goal, or not.
- Coach Lee