Nordic Walking

I did it!  Nordic Walked 13.1 miles on the Birkie Trail with my poles and 97 other pole walkers. Not being a nordic skier I’ve never done the Birkie or any other “marathon” events.  I was really excited and a little nervous to do a half marathon nordic walking.  It was an exciting event, well organized with over 400 participants in the 4 different offerings: relay marathon, 1/2 marathon of running, 1/2 marathon of nordic walking and a 5K fun run/walk.

 The weather was perfect!  Not a cloud in the sky and 55 degrees at the start.  The trees were just beginning to show some fall color.  The trail is actually almost a grassy road through the woods, 18 feet wide with rolling hills all the way.  It never goes flat, you’re always either going up or down so it’s quite the workout.  The staff and volunteers who take care of trail maintenance do a terrific job, the grass is mowed and large obstacles are removed on a regular basis.  It cleary is a labor of love for them.

 My goal was to try and maintain 15 minute miles throughout the Trek.  I finished in 3 hours and 18 minutes, just over my goal.  The events were staggered so everyone finished at the same time and it was fun to come across the finish line with runners and walkers of all ages. 

 I really enjoyed the challenge of doing the distance.  I wasn’t sure how it would feel to walk that long but I felt strong and once I warmed up and fell into rhythm the time flew by.  There were lots of conversations and new friends to be made on the trail, and there were surprises around every bend of the trail.

 It’s an annual event so you might think about joining us next year!

There were 30 nordic walkers on the trails by Hoigaard’s tonight.  Eleven who were walking with poles for the very first time, and lots of familiar faces.  I had spent the middle of the day at Methodist Hospital Farmer’s Healthy Market promoting healthy lifestyle choices for outdoor activities.  Seems that lots of people did just that tonight.

 It was our biggest group of the season and we were not really prepared for it.  It’s a lot of poles to adjust and we want to make everyone feel welcome and part of the group.  Once we got out walking it was a beautiful evening and everyone fell into rhythm by the end of the first mile so we were on a roll.  Lives connected, new friends made, a new activity explored. 

 I’m ready for bed!

It was a simple article in the paper, but it seems to have reached out to so many people.  I am humbled and very touched by the response to the “How I got this body” article from last week.  I have talked with so many individuals and couples, coming into Hoigaard’s to look at nordic walking poles.  And their stories all have one thing in common, reading about the early morning walking gave them hope, inspiration, confidence, and motivation to try something new that just might make a difference in their life.  Again, I am humbled by the response.  Thank you.

It’s always fun to be in the press.  Pictures taken at 6am are questionalbe at best but I do believe that Sarah Moran, writer for the Star Tribune “How I got this Body” article, did a good job profiling Nordic Walking and how it plays into my day.  You can’t see the picture but the text is available at

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/22072149.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName

 Seems that nordic walking is getting headlines more and more. It’s great fun to be part of it all. I have to thank Mike White from Hoigaard’s for putting us on the “cutting edge” 4 years ago.  Hoigaard’s introduced nordic walking to the Twin Cities way before it was ready for walking with poles.  And now today my calendar is full of classes and demos, from the Mall of America to the Birke Trail, it’s all about nordic walking.  Amazing what time and patience will introduce to your life.

The heat and mosquitos weren’t enough to keep 25 women from walking last nite.  It was good to see some familiar faces and there were also many new friends from recent demo’s and classes ready to do some more miles.  It was our night to get off the paved path and unto grass and dirt, my favorite way to walk when the tips of the poles really connect with the earth and move you along.  I do think it’s easier to feel the upper body engagement when off the beaten path.

Conversations on the trail covered work and family and summer plans. The one common thread was how good it was to be out with HOW, this group of women that simply welcomes you into the evening’s activity and encourages you to be true to yourself.  There was lots of energy about the Baker Weekend and the Birke Trek, yea!  And when the walk was over a small group came back to my house to enjoy a cold drink and sitting by the pool and gardens.  The wonder of HOW!

 By the way, our Monday eletter went out to 608 women. We continue to grow and touch more and more women every day.  thank you!

I believe in multi tasking, I’m really quite good at it.  But I do believe that even a good skill can be put to obnoxious use.  When I left this afternoon to drive west for a Nordic walking demo I passed a young woman in the middle of her afternoon walk.  She was moving at a pretty good clip but was wearing a head set, not sure if it was music or a phone, she was pretty animated so she was either singing or talking while she walked.

I can understand singing along to your favorite tunes while you walk, kinda like whistling while you work. But she also had a notebook and was reading notes or maybe comparing them if she was talking, while she was walking. Bummer. I’m pretty sure she didn’t notice that the French lilacs had just burst into bloom overnight or that the lilies at the corner house had opened or that you can smell peonies every where you go right now.

Some mornings make it worth your while to get up and get going. This morning on our 3 ½ mile Nordic walk we saw (bear with me while we use a well known theme)

8 great blue herons

7 Canadian Geese watching

6 brand new ducklings

5 snapping turtle eggs being layed

4 goslings playing

3 swallows spinning

2 orange koi jumping

And one egret with a green heron fishing

It was a glorious morning!  And it was a Friday, doesn’t get much better.  Happy Solstice

April 20

I spent the weekend with 40 women at Camp St Croix in Hudson, Wisconson.  It was our 2nd annual Women’s Weekend with an emphasis on taking good care of oneself in all aspects of our lives.  For most of us it’s a chance to dump our everyday responsibilities and go play for a couple of days.  It’s fun to watch the women as they slowly let go of kids, jobs, homes and life stresses and start to relax.  Friday night we sat by an outdoor fire til almost midnight just talking and enjoying each other’s company.  Strangers when we arrived and friends immediately.  It’s that special magic of women just accepting you for who you are and inviting you to openly share yourself and learn from each other. 

There was a multitude of choices during the weekend and of course Nordic Walking was at the top of the list.  We did 3 different walks, introducing lots of women to my favorite outdoor activity. The fun thing about camp is that we get to walk on grassy trails, a joy after all the miles on paved paths.  The camp is on the St Croix River with lots of trees and open fields.  The brisk air, yes it’s still cold here in Minnesota, combined with the rhythm of the walk, kept us at a good pace.  As always everyone really enjoyed the opportunity to try the poles.

The highlight of Saturday was when Julie and I took a break and went for our own walk down the hill towards the river.  There is an eagle’s nest on the trail.  When we stopped to look at it the eagle came flying out of the tree behind us, swooping down over our heads on it’s way to the nest.  Took our breath away!

I’m please to say that Brynda from Hudson is going to try and start a Nordic Walking group on the east side.

We’ve done lots of classes in Stillwater and so she has a base of walkers.  Good luck to her!

April 13

New York was a blast!  It was a thrill to nordic walk on CBS Early Show and then I got 2 hours of nordic walking in Central Park with my new best friend Lindy from LEKI.  It was a glorious Saturday afternoon, sunny and warm and Central Park was in full bloom.  New Yorkers were out in force enjoying the day; walkers with strollers and dogs, bikers, skaters, baseball games, volleyball, row boats and people just sitting in the sun.  Such a treat coming from the never ending winter we seem to be having in Minnesota.

And now it’s back to reality.  I flew in early this morning and worked the floor at Hoigaard’s all day.  Such a whirlwind adventure, was it real???  I am in constant awe at how Nordic Walking has changed my life.

It all seems so unreal.  I’m in New York City, guest of CBS and LEKI.  I left Minnesota in the middle of a spring snow storm, go figure, and now have been prepped, coached, dined and dressed for the spot tomorrow morning on the CBS Early Morning Show.  My LEKI hosts have taken good care of me and I have been assured that it will be fun, easy and over before I know it.  Now I’m suppose to sleep well so I’m ready for my big one minute of fame and fortune on national TV. Somehow I’m not sure that sleep is going to be easy.  I imagine wild dreams until the wake up call rings me into the big day. 

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from family and friends.   I know that I am only here because you all believe in me and who I am.   Thank you all!

Be sure to tune into CBS Early Show tomorrow morning. The Nordic Walking Queen will be there!

I can’t believe it!  Greg Wozer, president of LEKI USA, called me on Wednesday to ask if I would be willing to fly to New York next Friday and be the spokesperson for Nordic Walking on CBS Morning Show.  Wow!   Of course I said yes.

It’s been a long journey.  I’ve been a walker since 1985.  Getting up at 5:30 am to hit the trail for my morning workout. Why so early?  It was the only time that no one else wanted and I’m basically a morning person anyway.  My walking partner, Gail, lives next door so we set the motivation for each other to get up and going.  A day is just not right if it doesn’t start out with a walk.  Walking sets the pace for my day, the  rhythm of my life.  Adding Nordic Walking Poles in 2004 was a perfect fit!  I’ve personally seen the results in my own fitness levels and love to pass the good news on to everyone I meet. 

LEKI’s mantra is one walker at a time!  And I’m known to stop or turn around on the trail to answer questions and tell people about what I’m doing.

And now I get to New York and tell millions of people about it!  I’m excited and nervous and wondering what to wear. It’s going to be such a fun adventure.  What I know right now is that it will be an outside one minute of fame sometime during the Early Morning Show.  If I get more details I’ll pass them on.  Til then, New York get ready, the Nordic Walking Queen is coming.

One of my most successful programs last summer was Hoigaard’s Nordic Walking Tuesdays. Meeting at different spots within the Twin Cities, we provided Nordic Walking Demo poles and a quick introduction to the sport and then off we would go for a 2 ½ to 3 mile walk.  Last year we averaged 25 women on Tuesdays from April to October and maxed out at 42 one evening in June. Many of the women came every week, connecting with the group and bringing their friends come with them to try Nordic walking.   Through the course of the summer, including corporate demos, classes, special events and the Tuesday walks I introduced over 500 people to Nordic walking while tracking over 150 miles.

April 1 was our first Nordic Walk of the new season.  Everyone was excited to get back out on the trails after a long winter here in Minnesota.  I was worried that mother nature could play an April Fool’s joke on us weather wise but I never expected the 8 inches of snow we got on Monday, March 31.  My email and voice mail was filled with women depressed about not being able to walk.  But Tuesday dawned with full sun and lots of melting. Mixed with the superb job the Minneapolis Park Board did plowing sometime during the early morning hours and the path around Lake Calhoun was clear and dry when I checked it at noon. Nordic Walking Tuesdays could begin!

I drove the Hoigaard’s van to the lake and waited for the walkers to arrive, hoping they got my message that the path was good and the walk was on.  One by one they came skipping over the snow drifts with big smiles and hello’s. Hugs and introductions, poles adjusted, leaders identified.  By the time we strode off we had 18 nordic walkers swinging their poles and delighting in the early evening sun and brisk air.  It was so good to reconnect with my summer friends from HOW.  We had 4 newcomers so I got to walk the sunny side of the lake with them, working on rhythm and beginning technique.  We all finished together back at the beach, feeling good all over!

Is it the rhythm of the poles, the connection with other women, the new friendships, being outside, the good workout, the runner’s high at the end?  Everyone felt better at the end of the walk, everyone had let go of their day and now looked forward to the rest of the evening, everyone had rosy cheeks and a big smile and we can’t wait for next week.