Walk: Sat. May 2 @ Tim's

Shorts weather is nearly upon us, as this recent photo documents. Time to think about things that seem such distant memories: hats, sunscreen, BodyGlide, and extra hydration.

The latter point, drinking plenty of water on the day before our long walks, will be increasingly important as we get into longer distances and big races during the hot weather.

As we train longer, we also need to refuel while we're walking, for any walks longer than an hour. Bring something that will not only give us food energy, but supply some of the lost salts aka electrolytes that we sweat out.

Some people prefer solids such as sports bars or cookies. Some like sports gels or candies. Some like drinks. Experiment with different things during training, so you'll know what works for you. There are new things on the market all the time.

This Saturday is a comparatively short 11K. And we'll be thinking of Lou-Ann, Ruth, Olwyn and Arlene doing the Sporting Life 10K the next day. Have a great race, gals!

Speaking of which, the organizers have just made 800 more spaces available in this sold-out race. If you want to join the 12,000 (plus 800) gliding down Yonge Street on Sunday -- but don't mind not getting a medal or t-shirt -- they're offering a lower fee of $40. But you have to register in person at the main Sporting Life store on Yonge near Lawrence. Please let me know if you do.

In memoriam: Mary Edwards

Mary Edwards passed away peacefully yesterday morning, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

I met Mary as her walking coach with Jeans Marines 2006. That year, along with her good friend Kathy, we trained for – and she completed – the Columbus Marathon. As you can see, she also did the Scotia Half (twice), later training with another walking buddy, Frances.

Many of you will remember Mary from the Chilly Half in 2008. Shortly after that event, her cancer was diagnosed. Throughout her treatment, Mary remained admirably upbeat, even making it to the farewell party for Jean in January. I know how much walking meant to her, and how much she missed it. Our thoughts go out to her sister and family.

Visitation:
Heritage Funeral Centre (Overlea Blvd), Sunday, 3 - 9 pm
Funeral Mass:
Holy Name Church, Monday at 11 am.

Walk: Wed. April 29 @ Shoppers

Phew! We're unused to walking in this warm (but welcome) weather. Some of us took advantage of this ice station conveniently placed behind the arena to cool our fevered wrists. Time to dig out the shorts and BodyGlide.

The sun symbol is, at the moment, showing for Wednesday -- though the temps will be more seasonal. See you at 7 for 8K. It's our last walk in April.

Walk: Mon. April 27 @ Loblaws

Mercedes-Benz 10K, Oakville
Originally uploaded by theshorethings

It was certainly a "Mercedes-Benz" or even Rolls Royce of races. While, none of us won the pricey prizes, there were lots of personal bests on the flat course. The loot bags were well-stocked. The route took us past some lustworthy residences. Good food at the end. And Norma and David had the winning bid for an $10,000 auction package. We'll fill you in on that later.

Other than the rain, which really wasn't bad (now that we've weathered the ultimate in rain), and the unfortunate extra-small sizing on an extra-good t-shirt, it was a good race. Hope that our 18K hikers had an equally pleasant day.

Please join us on Monday for a lovely 8K. See you at 7 pm.

Walk: Sat. April 25 @ Tim's

Is this vehicle the answer to the scooter-lovers' mantra, "four wheels is bad, two wheels is good"? If you see me passing in a sidecar, you'll know.

Saturday is supposed to be sunscreen and shorts weather -- our first hot walk of the year. Naturally, the Toronto Women's Half crew has 16K on the schedule.

If we follow the Boardwalk and East route, it takes us to Lakeside Avenue -- with places to turn around for a shorter walk.

Mercedes-Benz details: In our car, we are driving Barb S., Debbie (& guest?), Norma and David, Bob & I. We should leave our place around 6:15 on Sunday. Everyone else is making their own way to the race. We'll see you there.

Opera payment: As it worked out, we had to pay the last installment by credit card, so I put it on mine. Please give me a cheque (not cash) in my name as soon as possible. I'll re-send my earlier email to remind you of the amount.

Birthday wishes are in order: To my darling husband, and to Lynne. The sun will shine on both of you, for sure. Hope the positive after-effects last all year.

Walk: Wed. April 22 @ Shoppers

I'll keep this one short and sweet: Who will join me on Earth Day for a (with hope) post-rainy 10K from our usual haunt? Sign in with your earthy wishes. See you at 7 pm.

Walk: Mon. April 20 @ Loblaws

We were there, and it didn't rain -- unfortunately for Toronto's gardens. FYI, those who took the short route back from the lighthouse logged 12.4K (rather than 13K). Could be woise.

Monday we have 8K on the schedule, with intervals. Let's go back to the loop to do four fast circuits, with some recovery in between.

Carpooling &c. for Mercedes-Benz:

Bob & I will be driving, and have room for six more people. Do we have other drivers? Please reply to this email and let me know -- whether you have or whether you need wheels.

BTW, anyone doing both this race and the Toronto Women's Half in May will need to think about how to handle that 16K for next Saturday. The hard-ass option would be to do both the long walk and the 10K race, then optionally skip the Monday walk. This applies to only three of us.

For any art lovers:

Stellar Runner Pam Mingo has an upcoming show in Leslieville at Gallery 888, April 29 to May 10. Those of you who dropped by Pam's studio show in the winter know she does interesting work.

Walk: Sat. April 18 @ Tim's

Hey, remember this? Guess where we'll be for our 13K this Saturday! To the lighthouse. Only, as they say in the movies: this time will be different. See you at 8 am for a walk in the park.

For those looking for a shorter WITP, a reminder about the Physiotherapy Foundation Spring Into Action 5K in High Park. It's on Saturday, too.

And if that's not enough to keep you occupied and energized on Saturday, Ruth passes along this event: It’s one of a series of Lost River walks by the Toronto Green Community and the Toronto Field Naturalists:

Saturday April 18, 12:30 pm, Denton Creek, Gerrard Prairie and Rosetta McClain Gardens Meet in front of Victoria Park subway station. Discover a long-lost tributary of Taylor-Massey Creek, ramble through the “Gerrard Prairie” on the Birchcliff Quarry site, see remnant forests on the Lake Iroquois shore cliff, visit the Bluffs Gallery of the Scarborough Arts Council, and release your cares at Rosetta McClain Gardens. Leader: John Wilson. A joint walk with the Taylor-Massey Project.

And, if you have anything left over for Sunday, you might be interested in a Toronto Tree Tour in and around Riverdale's Bain Co-op.

Phew! It's like the whole world wants us to be outdoors. Hey, it's a great time of year for a birthday -- Nishe, have a happy one!

P.S. We have rescheduled the Wow Workshop for mid-June -- after our spring training and races are behind us, giving us time to practise for fall events. I'll keep you posted.

Walk: Wed. April 15 @ Shoppers

Wasn't that a weekend! Hope you all enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. The route on Saturday was also a good one, and worth repeating.

Wednesday is a Doc Soup night, which will keep most of our regular walkers away. If you're thinking of walking, please sign in so others will know you'll be there. Our distance is 8K.

Jan and I will be walking from our street at 7 am on Thursday morning this week -- you're welcome to join us; just let me know.

Walks: Mon. April 13 @ Loblaws (a.m. and p.m.)

Hope (hop?) you all enjoyed this rite of Spring,with its sunshine and blue skies. And of course the bunnies.

See you Monday at either 9 a.m. or 7 p.m., both at Loblaws. Our distance is easy, no matter when you walk: 6K.

While we're in a celebratory mood, want to draw your attention to a new local-ish race to consider this year or next. It's the Twenty Valley Niagara Wine Country Run on June 14th. There's a half and a 10K, and even a half marathon relay. I've heard there are also hills, but we won't fret about that. Because the local wineries also have wine tours. There is no walker category, but this is their first year -- let's hope for better in the years ahead.

Cheers, Shore Things!

Walks: Easter/Passover Weekend

Lovely sunset this evening for our 6K -- and some of us even became overheated. It was a great prelude to what we hope will be a great long weekend.

It's 10K on Saturday; 6K on Monday. There's enough interest for three or even four group walks. Please sign in so you'll know who's coming when:

Friday:
• About five people have replied as an "and/or" for a walk on Friday morning, 9 am at Tim's. You guys can set your own distance.

Saturday:
• We have a strong quorum, so our walk will happen as usual, at 8 am at Tim's.

Monday -- two choices:
• Many of the regular crew are opting to walk in the morning, 9 am at Loblaws.
OR
• Those who have to work, or who prefer to sleep in, might like to meet at Loblaws as usual at 7 pm.

Have a great weekend, everyone. May the sun shine on you and your families.

P.S. Don't forget to let me know if you're interested in the Wow workshop next weekend. I'll need to confirm with Lee Scott next week.

Walk: Wed. April 8 @ Shoppers

Gang, you should have come out. The bad weather didn't live up to its billing. It wasn't so bad. Three of us set out to walk 5K and nearly went the full 8. And it felt good.

Which simply goes to prove: often the hardest part about training is just getting out the door.

Wednesday, it's only 6K. Get your snow shoes back on. See you at 7 pm.

P.S. Let's start thinking about which days we want to walk over Easter weekend. Please declare your preferences now.

Walk: Mon. April 6 @ Loblaws

A brave bunch this morning faced the risk of rain and came up trumps. We enjoyed a dry but windy 8K (a recovery walk from last week) and welcomed a new trainee to our midst.

It will be 8K again on Monday. Hope to see you out at 7 pm.

Today was also race day for two of our members -- Ruth at the Harry's Spring Run-Off 8K and Rainer at the Beaches Spring Sprint 5K. Ruth finished in an impressive 1:01:49.8 (59:30.1 chip time) and Rainer was first male walker with a time of 35:19 (34:55 chip). Congratulations both of you.

Susan also ventured on her first hike of the year. Glad to see the rain tired itself out for you and was too pooped to make a reappearance.

Also, I hear we have another broken toe! Our wonderful race marshall and MIA speedster Eileen discovered a hard corner with her foot and joined the "Sore Things." Please get well soon, kiddo!

A reminder about events coming up: recall that I goofed up Easter on our Shore Things calendar -- it is next week, not the weekend after. We might be changing some of our walking dates to work around the long weekend. Watch this space.

The following weekend (April 18th) is our 2-hour Wow workshop on speed drills. I have room for a few more, so let me know if you're interested by replying to this email.

The weekend after that is the Mercedes-Benz 10K. Registration in the 10K is capped at 1,000. Sign up soon!

Walk: Sat. April 4 @ Tim's

Here's what Bob did (and, indirectly, so did I) on Wednesday evening instead of our walk (I'll make up for it Thursday): a two-man show at the Riverdale Perk, a great little place for coffee or brunch... and, it seems, unplugged performances.

Saturday's 11K on our Toronto Women's Half schedule. We can head east to Fallingbrook, or return to the scene of last Sunday's triumph (or crime, depending on your perspective) and head out to the lighthouse. Think about that, and we'll see you at 8 am.

Happy birthday to Sheila. Looks like you'll get the gift of sunshine!