Monday 31 January 2011

Walks: Mon. Jan. 31 & Wed. Feb. 2

Duct Tape on the toes. When it does stay on, it helps.
Oh, good grief. Severe storm warning for Wednesday, with at least 15 cm of snow. Couldn't it wait till Thursday? Sheesh. This winter seems to know our schedule.

Well, the weeknight distances are theoretically 8K and 8K. Let's do our best to do our best. Bundle up, as Monday promises to be cold. Wednesday night is a Doc Soup night. You know what that means.

For those who love films and books (and who don't walk on Mondays), Barbara B. passes on this link about the TIFF Book Club. You read a book, then see a related film or adaptation on the night, with a guest speaker. And I will point out that until Feb. 10th, Winterlicious is on -- great fixed price deals at restaurants all over the city.

Which reminds me, was someone going to be looking into group tickets for Billy Elliot?

See, it's all about the walking here.

Thursday 27 January 2011

Walk: Sat. Jan. 29 @ Tim's

A splash of warmth in a snowy landscape
Cutting to the chase: Chilly Halfers go 16K this Saturday, but you can choose a shorter distance. We all know the 16K route eastbound, but if it's too snowy I've also mapped out this route that takes us northbound through Rosedale. The early party of the route will be familiar to most of you; the latter part will be familiar to many. Let's see what the weather brings.

Please do consider the courses offered by Wow. They don't start till the weather is a bit nicer, and they really do help. Unless you're some kind of prodigy, you don't learn to play the piano by having a teacher come once or twice. You build the muscle memory over many visits and practise. We need to have our minimums to have the courses at all. If they don't interest you now, but might do later, then let Arlene know.

A heads-up from Libby about a Vinyl Cafe event on Feb. 9th with possible appeal to Stuart McLean fans. Libby, Arlene and related gentlemen are attending. Part of the ticket price comes back to you as a charitable donation receipt. Click the image for a larger view.

Libby also says that t-shirts should arrive next week!

And on that note of giftery, here's wishing Elaine a happy birthday. Hope you're having a great day!

Monday 24 January 2011

Walks: Mon. Jan. 24 & Wed. Jan. 26

Shore Things meditate on sub-zero temps at the Robbie Burns 8K
It was a leetle beet chilly at the Robbie Burns 8K, although perhaps not as cold as the first year we did this race. We warmed up by the 5K marker... if you don't count our feet.

At the front of the pack, the Shore Things were hot! Rainer was first male, and third overall in the walking category, with a clock time of 56:13. While he left the podium without a plaque, the organizers say one will be sent to him soon. Arlene also placed first in her age category. Congratulations, both of you. And despite the cold weather – or perhaps because of it – the rest of us had some pretty impressive results. No medals, unfortunately, so we'll have to put our disposable chip on a ribbon for this one.

This week: 8K with intervals on Monday; 10K on Wednesday. You know we're gearing up for Saturday. We'll do the best we can, whatever the weather. Come out and do the distance that feels right to you. You'll be sure to have company, whatever it is.

This message is via Julaine, from Sara Sterling who organizes Angus Glen. She and her daughter are raising money to fund two primary schools for girls in Rwanda, through the Because I Am A Girl program of Plan Canada. Here are the details, in case you'd like to contribute. No obligation. I know that education for girls just one of many worthy causes, but in case this appeals to you:
As many of you know, Madeleine and I (and a dedicated group of volunteers) organized the Markham Women's 5K & Girls' 1K last year to raise more than $20,000 to build a girls school residence in Tanzania, through Plan Canada's Because I am a Girl campaign. After visiting the school and meeting the girls this Fall, we are more determined than ever to continue to support girls indeveloping nations gain access to the education they deserve.

This year, we are fundraising to help build two primary schools in Rwanda, again through the BIAAG campaign. Your support will not only help with physical construction, but will also help to provide all the furnishings, equipment, books and supplies needed to promote active learning. Clean water and sanitation points will be made accessible, Parent-Teacher Associations will be formed and teachers and community members will be trained on child rights and gender sensitivity.
To help support girls, who routinely face inequities that force them to leave primary school before successfully finishing, girls' clubs will be formed. This will give them a place to freely voice their opinions  and share their challenges and successes.
To support me, click on the link below: 
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1046604&langPref=en-CA
For more information about Plan Canada and the Because I am a Girl campaign, please visit http://plancanada.ca
Thank you for your support!

We'll see you tonight, 7ish. Looks like the weather might even be getting a touch warmer.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Walk: Sat. Jan. 22 @ Tim's & Robbie Burns

Will the weather be naughty? Will it be nice? Don't you love a surprise?
Saturday, if you're following the Chilly Half schedule, the distance is 13K, weather permitting. Some of us Chilly folk, however, are also doing the Robbie Burns 8K the next day (good luck to all the racers; wishing us sunshine and good roads). So, I leave the ultimate choice up to you and the weatherman: 5K, 13K or anything in between.

Here's a northbound route for your consideration. It's to the lookout, plus a little extra bit. You can turn back at any point:



The Shore Things long-sleeve t-shirt order will be placed on Thursday, so check Norma's email of this week to be sure you're on the list. Or, if you haven't ordered yet, please contact Norma immediately with your order/size -- I did forward a couple of requests to her off the comments. We can't reorder without quantities of 12 or more, so don't miss the boat, Shore Things! If in doubt, contact Norma anyway.

May thanks to Trish for organizing the car pool to Burlington, and thanks in advance to Dawn for the race kit pick-up. And thanks to Charlotte for getting more MEC lights. (Remember to bring in your cheques, made out to Charlotte.) And thanks to you all for being such a great group.

Saturday 15 January 2011

Walks: Mon. Jan. 17 & Wed. Jan. 19

So let's just say, we didn't have much competition for the path.
Seems like we're getting all the snow we missed last winter... plus this year's as well. But, boy, are we a game bunch of boys and girls. Welcome, Kathleen, who picked just the right day to join us.

Next week: 6K (plus fartlik) on Monday; 8K on Wednesday. Depending on the slogging, the snow might be fartliky enough. Don't want to wimp out too much as we're building up to longer walks, with 13K on the Chilly schedule for Saturday – although those doing the Robbie Burns might modify that distance. TBD.

On that note, Trish is organizing car pooling for Robbie participants. If you haven't heard from her yet, please do drop her a line.

The t-shirts were a hit at Tim's. If you didn't get to try yours, I'll bring the samples on Monday and Wednesday nights. However, Norma needs to hear from you to confirm your order by end of day Wednesday.

We've had some interest in the Wow Powerwalking training organized by Arlene. Now that you've nibbled, Arlene can get back to us with more details. Minimum numbers are sometimes required for the multi-week training sessions. If you haven't taken a course with Lee Scott before, note that I used to walk faster than Bob – till he trained with Lee. Now, there's no stopping him and he makes it look so darned easy. So, if you've been sitting on the fence think: more speed, less effort. Wouldn't that be nice?

And now a few winter-walking tips
We're into winter with a vengeance, so here are some words about gear:

Light up the night: Charlotte will be going to Mountain Equipment Co-op on Friday, and will try to purchase as many of these light-up marker bands as she can. They're $12.00 plus HST for a total of $13.56. Let Charlotte know asap, as it's first-come, first-served. Let's be safe out there.


Protect your skin from Old Man Winter: When it gets blowy and cold like on Saturday, protect your exposed skin by rubbing in a dab of Vaseline or BodyGlide. Let's be gorgeous out there!

Keep your feet dry: Trish passes on this tip from her Wow coach Helena: Duct tape over toes of your shoes keeps your feet drier, thus warmer, in weather like today's. It lasts a couple of walks (depending), and is worth a try. FYI, you can now get Duck brand duct tape in leopard-skin pattern. I'm just saying.

One final word: YakTrax!

Thursday 13 January 2011

Walk: Sat. Jan. 15 @ Tim's

See? We are a perfectly well-behaved group. 
Come out on Saturday and play another game of weather roulette. Judging by last Saturday, we know that very little daunts a Shore Thing! We start at 8 am, and we go 10K.

Here are a few things for you to think about:

Long-Sleeve T-Shirts:

Samples will be at Tim's on Saturday for you to try: a Women's M and L and a Men's M. However, the sizing is comparable to our short-sleeve tee (same manufacturer), so you can use that as your guide. Women's comes with a zip-neck, Men's comes with a mock-turtleneck (unless we can get 12 or more Men's orders). We'll have the Shore Things logo on front and back, as for our other tee.

The price, including tax, will be $36.50. Please pay by cheque, made out to Charlotte.

We need to get our order in quickly, to have our tees ready by the Chilly Half.

Walking Training with WOW:

If you're interested in improving your walking form – getting better results with less effort – Arlene has talked to the best trainer we know, Lee Scott of Wow Powerwalking. Here's Arlene's message:

Hi Shore Things,
Are you interested in additional training this winter and spring? Lee Scott of WOW Powerwalking can offer us the following as enhanbcements to our regular walking routines:
 > a 6 week course emphasizing half form and half speed
This is designed to improve performance for our hardcore walkers and racers. Lee suggests either mid-February to the end of March OR beginning of March to mid-April
 > a 2-hour workshop that emphasizes proper power walking form
This single session is geared to the more casual walker but can be expanded if participants are interested
 > a lecture on nutrition suitable for casual walking or racing 
Lee is not a nutritionist herself but has extensive knowledge on the subject
I'm assessing your interest before discussing specifics with Lee. Please let me know your thoughts.  
Arlene

The comments are a good place to post general interest in the tees or the training. Or, you can contact the coordinators directly: Norma about the tees or Arlene about the training.

Norita is this weekend's birthday girl. We think about you, Norita, so drop by anytime.

Monday 10 January 2011

Walks: Mon. Jan. 10 and Wed. Jan. 12

Are Shore Thing tough? You bet your snow-filled boots they are!
What an amazing turnout for such a snowy, snowy day on Saturday (and even on a sunnier Sunday)! You gotta love that insanity, I mean tenacity. Norma tells me a new term has been coined for this kind of exercise: Power slogging. Let's hope there isn't too much of it.

The Chilly Half schedule is in full swing now with 8K (with hills, if possible) and 6K this week. The Robbie Burns is only two weeks away. I've even heard murmurings about doing the appropriately named Goofy Race and a Half in January 2012. We need to prepare. Come out and see what the weather delivers. You can't beat those Resolution jackets for visibility. And our night lights are more important than ever.

A very happy birthday to one of our charter members Janet Z, who has been doing this crazy walking thing since around this time in 2003. What a gal!

Thursday 6 January 2011

Walk: Sat. Jan. 8 @ Tim's

Portrait of a Quonset Hut. You know which one!
Saturday's forecast seems to be snowy, but not too blowy. The schedule for the Chilly Half is now on the blog, and the distance is 11K. That's straight out to the lighthouse if we take the spit route, or to the top of Fallingbrook hill if we head east – or another route, should you care to plan one. (I say "we," but I'll be at a seminar on Saturday, and will be looking for company on Sunday instead.) Which will you do? Show up for an 8 am start and let your voice be heard.

If you're doing the Chilly, or any other race, please let Dawn H. know right away. It's easier to create training schedules, coordinate rides or race-kit pickups and organize post-race brunches for our team when we know who's playing. Dawn has volunteered to keep our race lists up-to-date, but she needs our help to do so.

And speaking of races, here's a link to the race in New Zealand that Bob & I have been chatting up for 2012. It's the Mizuno Lake Taupo Half Marathon around the first week in August. It's for runners and walkers, but describes itself as "the country's largest walking event" – and it's very walker-friendly, along a flat, scenic, lakeside there-and-back route, with what looks like a 4.5-hr time limit. Average winter temps in Taupo offer good walking weather at around 12˚C. Things to think about.

Olwyn is our birthday girl on Saturday – and we wish her a lovely day!

Sunday 2 January 2011

Walks: Mon. Jan. 3 & Wed. Jan. 5

Some inspiring scenes from Bermuda!
We're back to a regular schedule for our weeknight walks. How about 6-8K till we get our training schedules set up. Stay tuned.

Wednesday is a Doc Soup night (hey, I actually get to go!), so the regulars will be watching a documentary. Sign in if you're coming out for a walk.

It's time to declare which races you're doing (besides Robbie Burns). We have a few signed up for the Chilly Half -- are you amongst them?

Our very first birthday wish to Alisa. Hope it's a happy one. And Donna, if you're still out there, have a happy birthday, too.

Happy New Year, everyone! It's going to be another great year for the Shore Things.