Wednesday 28 July 2010

Walk: Sat. July 31 @ Tim's

Would you believe, the person who finishes the 35K first this Saturday wins this sparkling blue Thunderbird convertible!? (In our dreams.) Simply a little motivation for our Reykjavik marathoners, who do the big one this Saturday, starting at 6 am. The mind leads the body, after all. Think of us.

For everyone else, starting at 7 am:

KW & Scotia Halfs: 11K
Chicago Full: 14K
Reykjavik Half: 16K

Please sign in to say you'll be there, or to propose alternative times. Or vehicular prizes.

A great trick to stay cool on the roads: half-fill your water bottle with water or your preferred sports drink, and freeze it overnight before your walk. Then top up your bottle just before you leave home. We tried it this morning, and the ice lasts for about 1.5 hours. Thanks to the Toronto Power Walkers blog for the tip.

Belated congratulations go out to David Spall, who ran-walked the Nissan 10-Miler a couple of weeks ago. A report from Norma:
What is amazing is that he didn’t train for it and hadn’t done anything longer than 10k in close to a month and the night before we had a birthday party to attend in Grimsby and it was a late night. Plus it was quite hot that morning.  He did the race anyway and completed it in 1 hour and 54 seconds. Not bad!
That's true grit, David. It gives new meaning to the idea of cross-training. Well done.

We want to welcome home Trish, who arrives back in Canada on Friday. Remember to schedule Lou-Ann's pot luck pool party on August 7th to celebrate her return.

And a reminder to please send me your latest contact information for our Shore Things phone/email directory. Everyone will receive a copy of the latest version, so you'll know how to get in touch with each other. If you reply by email to *this* email, then the reply comes only to me. I'll forward it on to Sharon who is handling the update.

Sunday 25 July 2010

Walks: Mon. July 26 & Wed. July 28

The Shore Things are troopers. They say Toronto has only had nine days of +30˚C weather this summer. It feels like much more. The Humidex ratings have pushed the "real feel" well into the 30s and beyond. That has been a big enough stress on our system – though probably on the Reykjavik course I'll regret my lack of hill training.

This week's distances:

KW & Scotia Half: 8K & 8K
Chicago Full: 6K & 10K
Reykjavik Full & Half: 8K & 10K

If the weather be willing on Monday, we will do some hills.

The Unstoppable Couple, Margy and Rainer, once again shone as representatives of the Shore Things, this time at the Whitby 5000 15th Anniversary Road Race, a 5K event. Here's his report:
Margie came in 3rd walker overall and second female, I was 1st... a really nice event but low turnout. It seems that there were two other events, the Friday night Heydenshore race and the Saturday am Durham 1/4 marathon. All events on same weekend sapped participants from this event which was the only one to have a walker category. Too bad....nice medal and a Tim Horton gift card.
Maybe in future, when we don't have such a large contingent training for long races, we might be able to rustle up interest for smaller events. Shorter races can be about speed, rather than endurance, so can still provide training goals, but without the big time commitment needed for the longer races.

Mind you, yesterday Bob showed me a link for the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon, and looked at me significantly. That race is in February, though, so he and I would have to wait till he retires. Phew!

Friday 23 July 2010

Walk: Sat. July 24 @ Tim's

It's a big thumbs-up to Eileen this weekend, as she and John tie the knot on Sunday. Will we see her on Saturday, one wonders? That would be true heroism!

Hope to see the rest of us for these distances:

KW/Scotia Halfs: 10K
Reykjavik Half: 11K
Reykjavik/Chicago Full: 19K

We'll stay at Tim's for this one, and will save the Beltline for another day.

There's talk of starting the 19K at 6:30 am. Official start for other distances remains 7 am, unless you set up something different via the blog. Let us know what you're doing by signing in.

Sharon is going to be updating our Shore Things Directory, so that we have our most current contact information. Can you please reply to this email with your details, and I'll forward on to her. Thanks!

It's also the Beaches Jazz Festival this weekend, and Susan asks:
Dan Hill is performing at 12:30 in Kew Gardens on Saturday - free of charge - thanks to the Jazz Festival. Of course, only some of us remember Dan - a musician from our past. Anyone interested in attending his performance?

Sunday 18 July 2010

Walks: Mon. July 19 & Wed. July 21

In this picture: Why I don't mind being on the Spit at 6:28 a.m. Oh, but the rest of it was a looooooong, hot 29K – or 32K for Ruth and Arlene, who kept looping back to join Mr. Hare and Ms Tortoise. We were all very glad to see the end of it.

This week, we're kind of all over the map. Here are our distances for the two days:

KW & Scotia Halfs: 6K & 6K
Reykjavik Half: 8K & 8K
Chicago Full: 11K & 6K
Reykjavik Full: 13K & 8K

For Monday those scheduled for >10K can choose to do your full distance, or break it into two chunks. You're on your own for the second portion. 

For Wednesday, the two September halfs and Chicago have hills on their 6K. The two Reykjavik races have fartlek (speed play) on their 8K. Let's sort these out when we meet, as much will depend on the weather.

On a little health note: be careful if you're a compulsive chewer of sugarless gum, as I am. The artificial sweeteners can contribute to runner's trots. Don't ask why I know this. But for reference, see "Ms Tortoise" above.

Thursday 15 July 2010

Walk: Sat. July 17 @ Tim's

From Garden Walk to boardwalk – and in case you misunderstood my last picture: no, that is not my garden. Though I wish it were!

Hot weather is here with a vengeance, so let's talk about start times first:

The Reykjavik Full walkers are starting at 6 am.

The "official" Saturday start is now 7 am.

However, an intrepid group of walkers, including Dawn, Charlotte and Eva, are beginning at 6:30 am.

Here are our distances:

KW and Scotia Halfs: 6K (you lucky ducks)
Reykjavik Half and Chicago Full: 16K (you have a choice of start times; sign in with your pick)
Reykjavik Full: 29K (we are accepting condolences)

Mark August 7th on your calendar: Lou-Ann is hosting a Welcome Back Trish Pool Party on Saturday, August 7th, starting at 2 pm. It's true pot luck; Lou-Ann will provide hamburgers. Please let Lou-Ann or Dawn know if you can make it.

For Reykjavik travellers: Great article on Iceland in today's Star. Check it out. Thanks, Sharon, for the heads-up.

Monday 12 July 2010

Walks: Mon. July 12 & Wed. July 14

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Next July, when we're not training for a marathon, I want to get a group together see Garden Walk Buffalo. It's a whole weekend of open gardens – 350 of them throughout the city – on the last weekend in July. And none of them charge admission. Not one.

We had an amazing time at the Garden Bloggers Buffa10 preview this weekend. Bob, Sharon and I (accompanied part of the way by Ruth and Arlene) did our 27K this morning in the heat. Both facts account for the lateness of today's post.

Distances for all races but the KW Half this week are 8K & 10K. KW racers are 8K and 5K. I suggest you do intervals or speed drills for part of the way on the shorter distance. (As we did our long distance tonight, I'm going to walk tomorrow morning instead.) Start times are 7 pm.

I'm sure you were as alarmed as I was to hear about Charlotte's scare on Saturday. It's a very scary thing, and can easily happen if we're not careful. So, first, let's talk about race nutrition:

- a few days before a long walk or race, be careful about eating too much roughage/fibre
- in hot weather, pay attention to fluid intake the day(s) before the walk; don't let yourself go into race/long walk day dehydrated
- but don't drink too much water, before or during the race/long walk; that can dilute the balance of electrolytes; while you're walking, a couple of sips every 15-20 minutes is ideal
- the day before the race/walk, eat only things you've eaten before
- a carb-based meal with pasta or rice is a good choice to fuel up for your distance
- eat breakfast before you walk! don't try anything new, and give your body time to digest before walking (even in hot weather, oatmeal makes a great breakfast)
- bring something to eat during your walk; easy-to-digest sugars and some salts are part of a good choice (I find Clif Shot Bloks are quite palatable, and easy to use on the route.)
- in hot weather, don't be afraid of salty foods; you'll sweat profusely, and salts need replacing

The rule "nothing new on race day" applies to a certain degree on our super-long training walks... especially when it relates to what is already in your digestive system, to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Hydrate properly, fuel and refuel properly, and you'll go a long way towards reaching your distance.


Next, some rules we've become lax about, but will reinstate:
- No one walks alone!
- Bring a phone if you have one, and always bring cab money.
- Road ID is an investment in your safety. It tells people who to call in an emergency, when we're not able to tell them ourselves. It can happen. I even have my OHIP number on mine, just in case.

Letting you know in advance that our Saturday start time will be 7 am while the heat continues. For those doing 29K on Saturday, 6 am will be our start.

Thursday 8 July 2010

Walk: Sat. July 10 @ Tim's

We all know that Ruth and Arlene cast a giant shadow. Here's photographic proof.

Despite our scorching weather, we have some long distances to complete Saturday:

KW Half: 8K
Reykjavik Half and Chicago Full: 13K
Reykjavik Full: 27K. I'll repeat that: 27K

Here's a 27K route eastbound along the Waterfront Trail. It involves a steepish wooded section at the end of Undercliff. This is a route we used to train for Jeans Marines. Of course, you can choose a different route. I really recommend you consider an extra-early start for the longest distance. Sign in to set your times.

Michelle and Leverne are our birthday queens this post. Hope they have wonderful days.

And here's the news on volunteering: No news! We put our names in, but didn't hear anything back. So thanks for your offer, but enjoy your Sunday.

Sunday 4 July 2010

Walks: Mon. July 5 & Wed. July 7

Wow, let's prepare ourselves for the possibility of a hot, humid week. If the humidex ratings turn out as predicted, we'll take it easy. If the weather surprises us with something more reasonable, we'll kick it up.

Here's how I suggest we treat the distances:

Monday:
KW Half: 6K
Reykjavik Half & Chicago Full: 8K
Reykjavik Full: 13K (which I'll break into 8K & 5K)

Wednesday:
Everyone: 6K

A heads up to the Reykjavik Full racers that the next long walks will be 27K and 29K. Be sure to stock up on race nutrition beforehand. This might also be a good time to consider the state of your shoes.

See you 7ish.

Friday 2 July 2010

Walk: Sat. July 3 @ Tim's

Happy Canada, everyone. The holiday is only part of the reason this post is so late. Come out on Saturday, and I'll tell you the whole story!

Distances:

KW Classic Half: 6K
Reykjavik Half: 10K
Chicago & Reykjavik Full: 16K

I like it when we have these crossovers.

Happy birthday to our weekend birthday girls, Arlene and Cheryl. Good planning to have a birthday that usually falls on a long weekend! (If only they still celebrated Michaelmas, I'd have one, too!)

Volunteers for next weekend, July 11 at the Acura 10-Miler: I'm still trying to get the details from the organizers. Stay tuned. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town next weekend, but Bob can keep you posted.

And, just in time for the humid weather, the vest re-order has arrived. I'll have them for you on Saturday. See the earlybirds at 7 am. If you'd rather arrive at 7:30, please sign in and let people know.