Loblaws Monday 30th June

No, this was not taken today but is a picture of my garden last Monday with hail beating up my plants!!

A few stalwarts (Olwyn, Bob, Niki) went out from Tim's this morning, and a few less hardy "may-melt-in-the-rain" types had an early coffee and then went to do HBC pick-up at the Bay.

Monday walk from Loblaws is 8k.   Please add your comments in the appropriate section of the Blog to let your fellow walkers 

know your intention of being (or not) there.

Wednesday night at Shoppers - some people will be meeting there on Thursday evening instead.   Please let me know if you wish to do that.   I'll do the blog for 

Wednesday anyway, so you'll have a chance to comment then too!!!

Helen has brilliantly posted all the routes and distances in the blog, so you can check it there.

Dawn

Walk: Sat. June 28 @ Tim's

Have a great 11K this Saturday. While you're having your coffee, I'll be flying overhead and will get Betsy to wave from the window seat.

Maria has asked me to pass on this fashion event tip. Here's what she has to say:

Can I please ask you to post the attached on the blog.
I can vouch that this is an amazing warehouse sale.  For
business and some casual, there is nothing like it that
I've ever been to.  My entire wardrobe is from there and
the prices are amazing.  This is a high end boutique
fashion from Europe, that has not yet hit the Canadian
market, but is in the US.  It is an amazing line, and
the prices are stupendous - and the service and staff
are very helpful.  No line ups.

Thursday's your last "last chance" to save. Click on the image to get a closer look at the details.

While I'm away, here's wishing you great weather, safe and happy walks, and good health to you and everyone you care about.

See you for the 16K on July 19th. I'm soooo looking forward to that.

Dawn, I now officially pass you the baton.

P.S. Brilliant Eva is figuring out a way to translate our Directory into Excel, so that it can be imported directly into Outlook -- if you wanted to avoid typing. She'll send it to me, with instructions for importing, when she has it. Or you can ask her for a copy directly.

P.P.S. Dawn asks me to put the bug in your ear about changing the walk days next week, due to Canada Day. She wonders if some people might prefer to walk Thursday rather than Wednesday. Takers? Please contact Dawn.

Okay, that's really it from me. Bye bye. Or should I say, Ta-ta for now!

Walk: Wed. June 25 @ Shoppers

I can't promise you a rose garden (or the hills of St. Kitts), but I can give you a rose. That's for Dawn's stellar inaugural effort on the blog -- which you'll see continue over the next few weeks.

Wednesday night, it's 8K. Let's cross our fingers for fine weather, as it will be my last walk -- other than toodling through castles or stepping up to the pub bar -- for three weeks.

See you at 7 pm.

Don't forget that it isn't too late to sign up for the Canada Day event. Dawn says there's a plan afoot to zip over to The Bay after Saturday's walk for race kit pick-ups. Please coordinate with her if you need your kit picked up.

To help you stay in touch, I'll be emailing everyone the Shore Things Directory (as a Word file and as a PDF) before I go away. If you don't receive it, it might be because your email server blocks it due to the attachment. Ask your chums, and they should be able to forward it to you.

Loblaw's Monday 23rd June

I know this said "Helen" sent this, but it's not!!    It's her stand in, and I'm just practising.    And the picture on the left is not Lake Ontario - it's Sst. Kitts - excellent spot for hill training!!!

For the Monday walkers, it's 8k tomorrow.   No sweat..........

WOW - Monday is also the last class for this series so they won't be at Loblaws.   Next WOW (leel 2) starts on Mnday 7th July.

CANDAD DAY - kits are available for pick-up at the Queen Street Bay on Saturday 28th 8 - 8; Sunday 29th 12 - 6; Monday 30th 10 - 9.

I hope I covered it all?

Walk: Sat. June 21 @ Tim's

It's an early start! We begin at 7 am this week -- our first walk of the summer. It's 10K for the Quebec trainees, but you can set your own distance. The 10K turnaround for the boardwalk route is the foot of Fallingbrook.

I've added links to our maps for the next few weeks to the blog in the right-hand column. Dawn (with Cheryl as back-up) will be handling the blog posting while I am away. She will be sure to remind you.

She also asks me to add: please make sure you sign in to say if you'll be there (or not).

Walk: Wed. June 18 @ Shoppers

Did you see the rainbow when you were walking last night? We had an amazing front-row view in our Wow class down by the beach.

Naturally, it was the one day I didn't bring my camera. Always bring the camera.

Because you never know what you'll find when you're out on a walk -- if not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, then perhaps the goodies you might buy with it.

See you at 7 pm at Shoppers for the best things that money can't buy: great company and an invigorating 6K.

Walk: Mon. June 16 @ Loblaw's (and an invite)

If you're following the Quebec schedule, it's 6K Monday night, starting at 7 pm. (The Wow bunch will be in their second-last class.) If you travel via the western route below the tracks, the 6K turnaround is Hollywood & Gerrard. Have fun.

This is also to invite you to the official launch party for Shore Thing extraordinaire Jeannette Hanna. Her co-authored book Ikonica has just arrived on the shelves, and will soon be a Canadian business classic.

Click on the image for a larger, more legible view of the launch details -- including a peep of that familiar Tim's icon in the right eye of the field glasses. That's binoculars to you.

A few more little things:

For our Shore Things Directory, don't forget to send me your contact info -- or to let me know you're opting out. Knowing how to get in touch is handy if we ever have to cancel or confirm a walk due to iffy weather, or organize rides for events, or send a card... or drop off a batch of cookies. Notice how I slipped that in? I'll distribute the list privately before I head off "over the pond."

Last, but certainly not least: Happy Birthday to Rebecca (whom I think is training with JeansMarines this year), belated wishes to Frances -- and have a great one next week, Rainer! Happy Father's Day to our few good men. And Get Well Soon to our sidelined Things. We Shore miss you.

Walk: Sat. June 14 @ Tim's

As it's a mere 6K this Saturday, we will stick to our 8 am start time to make the most of that extra hour abed. (Our 7 am starts begin next Saturday, June 21, when the distance will be 10K.)

We had quite the turnout on Wednesday night, as you can see. It was a lovely evening for a walk, and many of us Wow students took the opportunity to practice our form.

If you are interested in the basics of walking form yourself, there's a tip sheet on the blog ready for you to print up. Look under Training Support in the right column.

Explore that menu, too, to see how Environment Canada classifies Humidex readings or to view their Glossary to learn the difference between a rain "shower" and "drizzle." There's also the Quebec Half schedule, to tell you how far you need to walk, and when, without relying on me. And the Interests List tells you who has signed up which race (if you're wondering who's going).

There, you'll see six committed names for the HBC 10K, July 1st. Let me know if I should add your, too. I'm sorry to be missing this race!

See you Saturday!

Walk: Wed. June 11 @ Shoppers (and applause!)

Wednesday walkers, are you ready for a big 5K? Yes! Then see you at 7 pm at Shoppers.

And, to whet your appetite, here's a report from Michelle about her amazing experience in Ottawa. You might want to sit down for this:

Hi everyone:
WARNING – VERY LONG REPORT FOLLOWS

Back safe and sound in Toronto after participating in the third annual Weekend to End Breast Cancer 60 km walk in Ottawa. My daughter, Suzanne, has completed all three. This was my first.

I left here Friday morning hoping we wouldn’t get as much rain as they were forecasting. The good news is we didn’t get any rain. The bad news is we didn’t get any rain.

Saturday’s highs were 31.2 actual, 38 humidex. Sunday, 32.5 and 41. Brutal, but the sun was worse. You just get so sick of it. Literally for my poor daughter, unfortunately, who ended yesterday with nausea and chills. She’s a little better today.

Suzanne wasn’t the only one affected by the weather. One thousand women started out Saturday at 7:40 am; about 600 made it back to base camp that afternoon. On Sunday, approximately 750 started out; just under 350 completed. A few were picked up by ambulances. The rest were “swept up” by Guardian Angels, the name given to the volunteers who patrol the course in vans watching out for walkers in distress. I don’t know how many vans they had, but they passed by every 2 to 3 minutes. So probably several.

Now back to the beginning. Our tears—which were shed frequently—started with the Opening Ceremony at 7 am Saturday.

While we were waiting for it to start, I was overwhelmed by the large number of names the walkers around me were wearing. Such a startling display of how devastating this disease is! I carried ten names on behalf of my Shore Things supporters. The people they honoured are: Barb, Marg, Charlotte, Kate, Bunty, Diane, Sandy, Susan and Mina.

As we were listening to the speeches, I noticed that several women around me were wearing pink lanyards, not blue like ours. They are breast cancer survivors. Then I noticed that some of them were bald... so still undergoing treatment. Having gone through chemo myself 34 years ago, I was dumbstruck that they were setting out to walk 60 km in that condition.

Next, the ceremony moved on to a procession of five breast cancer survivors carrying the running shoes of women who did the walk last year but have since passed away. Each of the survivors read a message from the families of the women whose shoes they carried.

The young woman who was the highest fundraiser this year passed last Sunday. She had walked the first two years side by side with a woman she met in hospital during their first rounds of chemotherapy 8 years ago. Her friend, who was using a walker because she is in the midst of more treatment, led us out of the staging area.

Then it was one step at a time for 35K, and then another 25K on Sunday. There were pit stops every 3 to 4 km. Each is sponsored and staffed by groups. At one, a CIBC branch treated us like princesses – and gave us popsicles! At another, we were hosted by an entire street that lost a neighbour to breast cancer four years ago. They’ve been mounting their Hawaii themed pit stop every year in her honour. Each stop was special in its own way.

Then there are the unofficial hospitality stops. For example, on Saturday, a Guardian drug store put out tables stocked with goodies like energy bars, SPF lip balm and lotions... even calcium chews. On Sunday, a fire station hosted a Koolaid stand staffed by the cutest firefighters you can imagine (male and female, by the way).

Also on Sunday, we walked past the Prime Minister’s residence which was totally bedecked with big handwritten banners, pink balloons and streamers (Laureen Harper was doing the walk with us), then through the beautiful grounds surrounding Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence. This was the only stretch all weekend where the trees formed a canopy and gave us much-welcomed shade. The following pit stop was the RCMP Musical Ride stables. There we were welcomed by two gorgeous mounted Mounties (which is not redundant). Oh Canada!

The Last Walker stepped onto the 250-metre pink carpet that leads to the finish line at 2:40 pm on Sunday. She was the youngest of a team of eight women who are orthodox Muslims, all wearing hijab in various shades of pink. The reason they were last is that the teen had sprained her ankle. After it was wrapped by a medic, she insisted on finishing... which she did thanks to her teammates who took turns supporting her as she walked the last 10K. We were positioned at the very end of the carpet. We really lost it (our composure) watching her hobble in supported on either side by two older women.

By the way, everyone who is ambulatory finishes because the people who couldn’t complete the full 60K do walk down the pink carpet with the band, volunteers and their family cheering them on, just before the lead walker comes in on Sunday.

The Last Walker was followed by the bikers who volunteered all the security services for the event. They rode in single file along the pink carpet to wild applause. They were incredible, cheerfully staffing every single intersection we crossed. Most of them had boom boxes playing rock n roll. Some danced to the music. After the last walker crossed an intersection, the biker jumped on his or her motorcycle and rode to an intersection just ahead of the lead walker. They leap-frogged like this all day long. One of the bikers we met is from Vancouver. Her goal is to provide security at one 60K walk a year until she covers every one in Canada.

From the Guardian Angels, to the bikers, to the Spirit Ladies (which is self-explanatory), to every single person who helped us... all amazing. The organization and execution of this event are so impressive. It is so well staffed, and almost every one is a volunteer. And we were exceptionally well-provisioned. We were all happy campers, including apparently the 500 or so walkers who slept overnight in pup tents in that blasted heat. (Not me, thanks to the Goddess who invented beds.) A couple of them told me it was “really fun”. (?)

The other people who helped motivate us were the civilians who cheered us on at the Cheering Stations and along the route, as well as all the people in cars who honked joyously as they passed us.

One last observation: Mid-life women may have accounted for 70 to 80% of the completers (yea!!!), even though we were outnumbered by young women (under 40s) when everyone started off on Saturday. Mustn’t forget the men: about two dozen did the walk, but several dozen were volunteers.

I really encourage you to experience the power of this event first-hand. It’s not about the walking; it’s about the hoping. Or as one big walker team in Ottawa puts it: “Saving our ta-tas”. We raised $2.1 million for the Ottawa Regional Breast Cancer Centre.

The Toronto Weekend to End Breast Cancer will take place September 5-7, 2008. Crew (i.e. volunteers) registration is already closed except for “specialty crew” (don’t know what that means), but walker registration is still open. You have to raise $2,000 to qualify as a walker. If you are interested, go to www.endcancer.ca and click on Toronto.

Perhaps we could put together a Shore Things cheering section along the route? Or maybe we could dream big and sponsor a pit stop next year. There are enough of us to do it.

I don’t have many photos. It was so darned humid. I was worried about damaging my camera with sweat. And I didn’t want to pass up sprinklers. So I left the camera in the car. Luckily James took a few. I have attached one of Suzanne and I starting off, and a photo of my feet, taken Saturday afternoon. At our lunchtime pit stop Saturday, the medic who tended to them told me the base of the nails on each baby toe was already detached, so I will lose them. Happily the damage was contained to my baby toes, but you wouldn’t want to se a photo of them taken after the second day of walking. Trust me on this.

That’s all for now. Thank you again to all the dear Shore Things who donated to my Walk and others who sent their good wishes.

Hugs, Michelle.

P.S. We completed every single one of the 60 kilometres. Finished strong too, in the first 20-25% of the walkers. Very grateful.

Michelle and Suzanne, you are incredible!

Walk: Mon. June 9 @ Loblaws (and other biz)

At Milka's request, today's theme is "buddies" -- as who else but a buddy could drag you out so early on a sweltering morning like Saturday, and stick with you till the soggy end?

What a day to welcome so many new walkers, including Jan's friend Mary. See, she's smiling! Other new buds Milka (with Brette) and Leeping and Alexis are also featured here.

Part of our buddy system is the blog. It's great to tell us when you'll miss a walk, but please also tell us if you plan to show up -- so we'll be sure we'll have buds to walk with. This is even more important now, when summer schedules might keep people away.

It's 8K on Monday -- except for the folks doing Week 8 of Wow.

And, speaking of Wow, we have a quorum for the Wow Powerwalking Level 2 summer course. I'll send an email to Lee Scott today, with a cc: to everyone I've heard from. Let me know if I've missed you, or if you want to be added.

Some people are also interested in a Wow Level 1 course this fall. Drop me a line if you are, too. Level 1 gives you the basics of walking technique so you can go faster with less effort. I'd highly recommend it.

Looks like there'll be a good group for the HBC Run/Walk for Canada on July 1st. Hate to miss it, but I'll be in England. There's a link on the blog if you want to join the gang. Let me know if you've signed up, and I'll add your name to the interests list, so you can coordinate transportation, &c. And take lots of pictures!

One last request: As our group is growing, I'm creating a Shore Things Directory with contact info, which I will email you privately as a Word document in case you need to reach someone else. Obviously, I have your email addresses. However, could you please email me (do not post it on the blog) OR reply to this message with:

- your full name
- phone number(s), including mobile if relevant
- home address
- birthday

Or, let me know if you'd prefer not to share your information with others in the group.

Sorry for being long-winded. That's it for now. Stay cool, buddies!

Walk: Sat. June 7 @ Tim's

It's going to be hot, hot, hot! Lucky for us, we're doing only 8K on Saturday. That's a beachside walk to the end of the boardwalk and back.

Let's think of Michelle doing the 60K Walk for Breast Cancer Research in Ottawa this weekend. There's still time to sponsor her through this link. Here's her message (the emphatic bold is mine):

The 60K starts bright and early Saturday; will end mid-afternoon Sunday. We will walk 32 km the first day, 28 the second, apparently skirting the Rideau and Ottawa Rivers and the Rideau Canal at various times.

“They” are forecasting 32 degrees for the weekend! And 30% POP. Hope “they” are seriously mistaken, cause I already feel like a Schlubb, having grumbled about the cold morning for the Alfie Shrubb on Sunday. Also hope I won’t lose my toenails like Susan did on her very, very, very long trek last summer.

P.S. I sold this gorgeous 1956 Lady Schick electric razor on ebay yesterday. It put me over my $2,000 fundraising goal. Yippee!!!! BTW: The razor—which was my mother’s—still works. They don’t design appliances like this anymore. (Note: different “they” than the people who forecast the weather.)

Good Speed, Michelle! See you the rest of you guys Saturday! Wear your sunscreen, and break out the BodyGlide.

P.S. Here are details on a 7-week summer course with Wow Powerwalking: Mondays, July 7 to Aug. 18, 7-8:30 pm. Meet at Starbucks on Queen, west of Woodbine. Cost: $91 + $4.55 GST ($95.55, all in). Instructor: Jane Heath, who teaches us now. We need at least 8 people, and I've had 4 replies -- anyone else?

Housekeeping stuff

We have a lot of June birthdays -- the first are Trish (tomorrow) and Susan (the day after). Was too quick with the publish finger yesterday. Please wish them joy on their special days.

Alfie Shrubb results now online here. Amazing job, everyone! You might notice I'm M.I.A. I might be that "unknown walker" at 5621 (was Sharon's number; mine had been 5612). Moral: always double-check your chip against your ID to be sure you are credited for your time.

Wow Powerwalking Summer Course: Lee Scott confirms there will likely be a Level 2 course in the Beach leading up to the Quebec Half. It's possible we could get a 6-week version, running mid-July to mid-August. All the walkers now taking the course will vouch for its effectiveness. In Mississauga, Stacey trimmed 20 minutes off her half-marathon time! Please let me know if you are interested.

Beaches Jazz Tune-Up: Bob & I have signed up for the 10K event, July 27th. Quebec trainees would do 11K that weekend anyway. The $20 fee all goes to charity (and we get a t-shirt and BBQ). Want to join us?

Volunteers needed: I'll need someone to do the blog while I'm in England. It's easy peasy -- all you need is a computer, Internet access and a few minutes three times a week. I'll show you how. Please also send me your name if you are interested in helping with the awards committee for our November party or the cocktail committee (yes, we are designing our own!),

Walk: Wed. June 4 @ Shoppers

You've probably been thinking: Now what the heck am I going to do with all these medals!?!

Barb S. is altruistic with hers; each race, she thinks of someone who would like to have the medal, and she gives it away. I'm not so nice. After accumulating them on a hook for a year or two, here's what I did with mine.

It's hard to find shadow boxes anymore. They were all the rage for a while, then slipped out of style. These are $9.99 Ribba frames from IKEA, and come in black, white and occasionally in natural wood.

Snap them up while you can. Like your favourite running shoe, they might not be around next time you want them.

I used the matte that comes with the frame, and cut the medals' ribbons up to create the background, using tape and straight pins to hold everything together. You could probably improve on my design using spray adhesive and thin foam or quilt batting to improve pin traction.

Together, they make a handsome display. You deserve to crow a little about your accomplishments.

And, speaking of which, 6K is the scheduled distance for Wednesday night. Hope to see you at Shoppers!

Walk: Mon. June 2 @ Loblaws (and races)

Our Alfie Shrubb gang were stars today -- in fact, they outshone the sun. Here, three generations were among the 125 walkers to cross the finish line. Our group of 30 was well-represented in the top-15 finishers, including our 3rd-place overall guy, Bob. Have a look at the Flickr badge on the right of our web page to see our album in progress. More pix will be added (Olwyn?). All are downloadable for your digital pleasure.

Monday night, the scheduled distance is 6K. (Some of us will be in Week 7 of Wow.) Hope everyone has a great walk.

Race updates:

Some intrepid souls are already looking ahead to the coming months. Links to all these races are on the calendar in the right column of our web page.

Bob & I took advantage of the early bird rates to sign up for the Kitchener-Waterloo inaugural walkers-only 10K on Sept. 28th. A great way to support walkers, for those not doing the Scotia Half on that day (or who are not staying to cheer our participants).

Barb has made the big commitment to the Toronto Half Marathon in mid-October. I'm thinking of that one, too. Perhaps. Maybe.

Dawn and Charlotte have signed up for the HBC 10K. Looks like it's going to be very interesting this year. Here are details from the race mailing:

FROM ANCIENT CHINESE CULTURE COMES THE INSPIRATION FOR TODAY.

It may be 2008, but this year's Hbc Run for Canada participants will be wearing medals, shirts and cuffs inspired by Chinese symbolism thousands of years old.

The shapes and colours used in the various designs draw inspiration from the 5 Chinese elements -- fire, wood, water, earth, and metal. The number 8 is another Chinese symbol that influences the Hbc Run for Canada motif. The Chinese believe that the number 8 brings good fortune, so the Beijing Olympic Games will commence 8 minutes and 8 seconds after the 8th hour on the 8th day of the 8th month of the year 2008.

And here's a brilliant new aspect to this year's event, for the first time, the official Finisher medals have been made by the Royal Canadian Mint, a partner in the Hbc Run for Canada, and an Official Supporter of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The medals are produced the same way coins are minted: blanks are cut from strips of metal alloy, and a hole is punched for the distinctive race ribbons. The blanks are then manually struck using a press that exerts tons of pressure. The result is a brilliant coin-quality medal that will be worn by each participant in our 1KM, 3KM and 10KM events. The Royal Canadian Mint is also creating the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals that will be won by athletes at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Our Hbc Run for Canada Technical running shirts and cuffs are made in a special way, too. The shirts are created from Cocona polyester, which infuses the yarn with carbon derived from coconuts. This produces a porous surface that traps odours and harmful UV rays, and dissipates perspiration quickly.

The medals, and shirts are free for Hbc Run for Canada participants, and are sure to be treasured mementoes of our Hbc Run for Canada 2008.

Questions? Comments? Contact Hbc Run for Canada today! Email info@hbcrunforcanada.ca[8] or call toll-free 1-866-585-9178

* No purchase necessary. Contest closes July 1st, 2008. One prize is available to be won, consisting of a four day and three night trip for two to the first cycle of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Approximately retail value $12,000 CAD, based on a Toronto, Ontario departure example. Correct answers to mathematical skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on the number eligible entries received. For full contest rules, prize details, entry and eligibility requirements click here[9]. Hbc Associates click here[10] for full contest rules, prize details, entry and eligibility requirements.