Walk: Mon. Feb. 2 @ Loblaws

We now prepare to move beyond this monochromatic world, and enter the month with the big red heart in the middle of it. You do feel that way about February? Of course you do.

Chilly folk, you now enter your month of long walks. Shore Things 10-Milers, this is where we start to commit to our inaugural race.

For Monday, however, both groups have the same 8K distance on the schedule. We'll go west to the end of Swanwick across Main, then angle down to Lyall before turning up Pickering and heading east to do our usual "condo" loop on the other side of Vic Park. See you at 7 pm.

Before I go, Libby and Arlene have brought to my attention a new race to consider on April 26th: the Mercedes-Benz 10K in Oakville. There's a power-walking category, a promise of some serious bling, and one randomly drawn participant will win a one-year lease of a Mercedes-Benz B-Class car. I'm very tempted -- by the bling more than the car. Any other takers?

Walk: Sat. Jan 31 @ Tim's

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to our Shore Things logo. Still to come are some variations and modifications for use in different applications (t-shirts, hat, our blog header, &c.).

You'll notice how the walker lands on a straight leg, and extends out behind. It is, as we say, "nice form!"

Now I'm going to ask you to help create a slogan for us. Email me your thoughts or add them to the comments. We'll put the best to a vote through a blog poll. Suggestions so far include: "Taking life in stride...", "The journey of a lifetime..." and "Step right up...." Please contribute yours.

This snowy Saturday, the distances are 11K (Chilly) and 8K (ST10). Click on the small image for a printable there-and-back map, combining both distances.

Before you come out, have a look at this article from RunningWorld.com, 10 Tips for Running in the Cold. It all applies just as well to walking. And the first tip is: Get motivated! It also mentions using BodyGlide for exposed skin -- which I intend to try this last walk of January 2009. See you at 8 am.

Walk: Wed. Jan. 28 @ Shoppers

Was this really taken only a week ago? It seems like a particularly full week to me, so last Monday feel far away.

Wednesday, we have 6K (ST10) and 8K (Chilly) on the active schedules. For those not working on a schedule, come out to maintain your winter base of training. That way, you'll feel powerful when the weather improves. See you 7ish.

For those who enjoy participating in inaugural races, Michelle has passed along info about a brand new race in Ottawa, the Winterman Full, Half and a sliding scale of shorter distances on Feb. 22nd. It's part of the Capital's Winterlude event.

Tip of the week, courtesy of the latest issue of Running Room Magazine -- try BodyGlide on your face and other exposed skin as a cold-weather protectant. It doesn't contain petroleum, so it isn't as sticky as Vaseline and doesn't clog pores. Who knew?

Don't forget to enjoy your last few hours of Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Unlimited online popping can be enjoyed through this link.

Walk: Mon. Jan. 26 @ Loblaws

Stumping to the end -- Braveheart, indeed
Originally uploaded by theshorethings

Quite a weekend, eh? An ice-cold -- or was that: a nice-cold? -- walk on Saturday (the film and dinner were fun, too), and two races on Sunday, with great showings for the Shore Things.

In Burlington, twelve of us completed the "chilly 8K", AKA the Robbie Burns event (Bob and Charlotte couldn't attend). We all finished well, with Arlene (guided by Libby) and Sheila taking age-category prizes. Like the Alfie Shrubb, it's a congenial community race, with novel distractions. This fella in blue-face dragging his stump for the whole distance, for instance. And you'll see some of the costumes on the Flickr page. We can also speak well for the quality of the porridge.

On the other side of the city, in Whitby, Marg & Rainer were holding up the Shore Things' growing reputation in the Philly's Haggis 5K -- each of them finishing first in their gender, as well as first place (Rainer) and third place (Marg) overall. Very well done. They even tried the haggis!

Monday's schedule posts 6K (ST-10) and 8K (Chilly). C'mon out. Think of it as a recovery walk. See you at 7 pm.

Walk: Sat. Jan. 24 @ Tim's (& Robbie Burns)

A little midwinter sparkle for a snowy night's walk. We won't mention that Barb looks cold. There's going to be more of that this week -- dig out the layers, the skin protectants (Vaseline works well on exposed skin) and the Yaktrax.

Saturday might be a small group, but I've heard at least a few people say they'll be there. It's 8K on the ST 10-Miler schedule (same route as last week); Chilly Half gang does a big 16K.

Final plans for the Robbie Burns 8K:

Saturday: movie (4 pm, Fox) and dinner (6:15 pm, Beacher).

Sunday: assemble at my place at 7:15 am, we want to leave by 7:30; there's parking in the school lot across the street. So far, I have ride requests from: Barb, Lynne, Leverne, Trish & Debbie. Barb B., Libby & Arlene are taking their own transportation. Lou-Ann is also driving and has room for four. That should accommodate us all, but let me know if you are unaccounted-for.

And a nice snippet of news that I keep forgetting to add: Norma has contacted CBC's Living in Toronto, a TV show on healthy living in the city, and they might be interested in doing a short segment on our group in June. Well done, Norma. We'll keep you updated on developments.

Have a great weekend, everyone, wherever you are. Stay safe.

Walk: Wed. Jan. 21 @ Shoppers

It was a surprise, it was a success, it was a happening thing. The Balmy Beach Club room was filled to capacity (far more than this photo suggests) and Jean and Bob and JeansMarines all received a resounding send-off. Here Jean is, accepting the last Award of Courage.

Added to the tears shed during today's historic events in Washington D.C., it has been a pretty emotional twelve hours.

Let's walk off some of that residual adrenaline on Wednesday evening. Chilly Half gang, it's 10K; ST 10-Milers, just 6K. There's a 10K route on the blog we can adapt for both distances. See you at 7 pm.

Rainer has asked me to pass along this link to the Philly's Haggis 5K in Whitby this Sunday, January 25th. If you've a hankering to be Scottish for a day, but were too late for the Robbie Burns, this might be for you. Let me know if you register -- and take pictures if you race. (This last bit should be a general rule for the Shore Things.)

Healing rays go out to Norma, who slipped and fell on her knee last Saturday and will need a few weeks of physio and rest. Our thoughts are also with Olwyn, whose mum is currently in hospital recovering from an infection. Take care, both of you. We hope you'll be back with us soon.

Walk: Mon. Jan. 19 @ Loblaws

Norma, incognito
Originally uploaded by theshorethings

Oh, my, but the weather was fresh on Saturday morning. Yet, what a turnout we had -- in such interesting fashions.

The weather for Monday should be milder, though the roads will be snowy. The two schedules we're following have 6K & 8K -- the Chilly Half crowd on the longer distance, heading up to your first long walk on Saturday.

If the three who are registered for the Chilly no longer think you'll be doing the race, please let me know, and I'll stop mentioning the schedule -- haven't seen you out training lately, and the scheduled klics are starting to mount.

Mamma Mia & dinner plans:

So far, it's Michelle, Trish, Sheila, Ruth, Jan and me (Bob is out of town) -- which makes six for movie and dinner next Saturday. If you're missing from this list, please let Jan know, asap. She will be making the dinner reservations at the Beacher Café. A reminder that the movie is at 4 pm at The Fox cinema on Queen. Unsure how long the film is, but we'll probably eat soon after: 6 pm or 6:30ish?

Before you ask me for Jan's email address, a reminder that you all have a copy of the Shore Things directory, with everyone's contact info, somewhere in your in-box from last summer. Please save or print a copy and keep it in a handy location.

Cheers, and see you Monday at 7 pm.

Walk: Sat. Jan. 17 @ Tim's

Here's the fun we missed with the Jingle Bell All-Santa-Suit 5K race in December. For the video, check out this link. I love these wacky races, and will be considering this one next year.

This week the appropriately named Chilliers are scheduled for 13K, while the ShoreThings 10-Miler-ers do 8K. See you at 8 am.

As a zigzag route seems to make things go faster, I've drafted a there-and-back (up to 14K) based on the route I suggested before Christmas. It takes us up and down local streets, with plenty of places for those doing shorter walks to double back to Tim's. Click on the small image for a larger version of this JPEG screen capture, and print it up for reference.

For all you Robbie Burns-ses out there, Dawn has offered to pick up race kits this weekend. If I've missed you in the email about this, let me know. We are also starting to organize car pools. Both Lou-Ann and Bob & I are driving from the east end, with space for up to 10. Let me know if you need transport.

Walk: Wed. Jan. 14 @ Shoppers

Tonight, we trekked through the mountains of the Himalayas, as interpreted by snow. There were peaks of 10-12 feet out there. We stayed in the foothills. It was a good workout for a short walk; sort of like walking on top of well-oiled ball bearings.

Wednesday, shows 6-8K on the schedules -- the longer distance is for the Chilly Halfers. However, it is Doc Soup night for some of us, so we'll have to make up the distance somehow. As we have so many away, it's helpful for the others if you sign in to say aye or nay. That way, no one finds themselves all alone. Have a great walk.

Tonight, you will have received a message from Michelle about volunteering for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer on September 11th. I have already put my name on the list, and urge you to contact Michelle by Friday if you'd like to be part of this group effort on behalf of the Shore Things and/or Stellar Runners.

Please bundle up for the rest of this week, as the windchill promises to be wicked. Take a look at this windchill info from Environment Canada (it's also posted on the blog) for guidelines on dressing for and surviving in the cold weather. Of course, none of us need to be told that last instruction in all cases, "Keep active."

Walk: Mon. Jan. 12 @ Loblaws

Where did that weekend go? At least a bit of it went into a great walk up to the Lookout. That route always seems to go quickly. I think it's because of the zigs and zags. We'll try to build more of those in our repertoire.

Both the Chilly Half and the Shore Things 10-Miler schedules say 6K tonight, so that's what it will be. Dress for sub-zeros with windchill.

FYI, I recently came upon this fitness walking website. Have a look when you have time. I'll also add it to our link list on the blog.

See you tonight at 7 pm.

Walk: Sat. Jan. 10 @ Tim's

Last night, it was Veni, Vidi, Yucki -- "We came, we saw, we went right home." Bob & I were the only ones crazy enough to show up, and we decided the slush wasn't compelling enough to keep us.

It will be a different story on Saturday, when cooler temps will at least make the walk less soggy. The Chilly Halfers are scheduled for 10K -- let's keep them company. Northbound route again?

News on the Mamma Mia front: showtime is 4 pm on Jan. 24th at the Fox. Tickets are a little dear at $15, but it's for a very good cause. (Pass the info to your friends.) Perhaps we can piggyback it with a pre-Robbie Burns pasta dinner after the show? Any suggestions for locale? We should reserve ahead if it's in the Beach.

See you on Saturday, friends!

Walk: Wed. Jan. 7 @ Shoppers

Here we are amidst the white stuff, one year ago this week. The snow should make another appearance overnight, along with a sprinkling of rain. Yaktrax might be in order for our 6-8K on Wednesday evening. Stay tuned.

Those registered for the Robbie Burns 8K already know that the race is now sold out, with more than 70 on the waiting list. They say it's their fastest sell-out ever, and that they can't take any more names. Congrats to the 13 Shore Things who signed up in time.

FYI, one of Bob's co-workers has organized a showing of Mamma Mia on January 24th (the night before Robbie) at the Fox Cinema in the Beach to help raise her $2,000 for the Walk for Breast Cancer. She's hoping to fill the theatre. I haven't seen the film yet, but I hear it's fun. Maybe we can get a group together to see the show; what do you think? We can pre-order -- I'm waiting to hear back about the ticket price and time.

Belated happy birthday wishes to Donna, one of our four January birthday girls. Olwyn and Jan are up next, with Norita celebrating her big day next week. Hope you were/are/will be all treated just as you ought.

Walk: Mon. Jan. 5 @ Loblaws

Pillars of the community
Originally uploaded by theshorethings

Couldn't resist this great shot on our way through Withrow Park on Saturday. The sun cooperated for us yet again.

Speaking of warmth, here's a tidbit from Ruth that I meant to pass along last time:

"According to an article in the 24 October 2008 issue of Science, 'experiences of physical warmth … increase feelings of interpersonal warmth … without the person’s awareness of this influence. In study 1, participants who briefly held a cup of hot (versus iced) coffee judged a target person as having a ‘warmer’ personality (generous, caring); in study 2, participants holding a hot (versus cold) therapeutic pad were more likely to chose a gift for a friend instead of for themselves.'

So I figure it’s the Tim’s coffee that makes us enjoy one another’s company and makes us such great people."

Thanks, Ruth. Let me say that another probable reason we enjoy one another's company is that we're just such darned great people!

Monday evening, let's meet for 6-8K to prove the hypothesis.

It's called the Hair of the Dog, folks, so I couldn't not have the Schnapps! Welcome to our first on-blog video -- the existence of which is a happy mistake, made viewable by my personal tech wiz, Robert.



Once again, we were blessed with fine weather, and the Shore Things stole the show! Our walkers took 1st and 2nd for men (Bob and Rainer) and 1st and 3rd for women (Ruth, by a wide margin, and Helen, with Margy close on her heels). Lots of prizes, lots of fun, good food, and did I mention the schnapps? More pictures on Flickr.

Please review your schedule(s) for your distances over the next week (hear that, Chilly Half gang?); they're posted on the blog. I'll also post one for the Waterloo Half on April 26th, which might be an alternative spring race for some. The Robbie Burns 8K is just over 3 weeks away, and it's a perfect fit for our Shore Things 10-Miler schedule. That doesn't mean we can't prepare with longer distances beforehand, though.

As Saturday looks like another fine day, let's do 10K on the north route to the DVP lookout. See you at 8 am for our first walk of 2009.