By this time next week the North American Nordic Walking Expo will be a memory.
See you on Saturday!
You are currently browsing the archive for the Nordic Walking category.
Last week we got rained out on the first Nordic Walking Tuesday, this week it was a beautiful evening and there were 18 of us at Lake Calhoun with our poles. It was a reunion of sorts, walking friends I haven’t seen all winter. It’s like the first ski clinic in the fall when I see instructor friends I don’t see all summer. It was so good to reconnect with all of them. We had just a few new walkers so we really stepped out on the walk around a lake free of ice with wind surfers on the waves and kites in the sky.
It’s only the beginning of what promises to be the summer for Nordic Walking!
Let the season begin!
Suzanne Nottingham of Nordic Walk Now has confirmed an Instructor Training and Walk to Live Workshop for Friday, June 11 here in Minneapolis. Whether you are a fitness trainer interested in adding Nordic Walking to your offerings or a Nordic Walker enthusiast wanting to introduce friends and family to this great activity you will find these clinics fun and informative!
Whenever I attend a clinic on skiing, Nordic Walking or anything else I’m passionate about I come away energized and empowered from the experience. I always learn something new that helps me when teaching or simply working on my own technique. It’s fun to share time with other’s who share your interests!
The Instructor Training will be from 8am-noon followed by the Walk to Live Workshop from 1-3pm. Qualified Fitness Trainers receive .4 ACE CEC’s upon completion of the program. There is complete information on the website on location, details and registration.
If you do attend the training I hope you’ll consider coming out to the North American Nordic Walking Expo on June 12 and giving us a hand with the event! We are anticipating lots of interest and can use all the help we can get.
It’s always fun to do something a second time and have just as good a time as you did the first time. This year was the 2nd annual Birkie Pole walk at the Birkie Trek. Julie, my nordic walking buddy and I went to do a clinic on Friday night and to enjoy the trail on Saturday morning.
We had a small but enthusiastic group on Friday nite for the clinic. The rain had already moved in and the grass was wet as we set off, warming up on the first hills. One of the things I love about alpine skiing is the instructor clinics, even after 25 years of teaching I always get something out of a clinic and always enjoy getting to know other snow enthusiasts. The same was true on the trail. We had mostly experienced walkers and instructors so it was more of a sharing of what we all do best. It was great fun to expand my circle of nordic walking friends and I look forward to doing more with them in the many walks ahead.
Since Julie and I were alone this year we split the time on the trail. I got dropped off to hand out the LEKI demo poles at the start while she set up the Hoigaard’s tent a the finish. We met up at Gravel Pit road to trade places. I only got 5.5 miles on the trail but it was wonderful. If you’ve never hiked, biked or skied the Birkie trail you really need to put it on your list of things to do. It’s a beautiful path thru the woods with lots of up and down, meandering between Cable and Hayward. The Trek was a week later this year so the fall colors were in full array. I got to walk a bit with Rhea and Ed along with many other pole walkers. Gravel Pit Road came way too soon!
This is not a timed event for pole walkers. One of the unique things about it is the wide variety of poles and styles used on the trail. You see everything from cross country ski poles, (leading to more hill bounding and running than nordic walking), hiking poles, single staffs, old ski poles, along with “state of the art” nordic walking poles of all varieties. There isn’t any boundaries for what you do and everyone clearly enjoyed their “pole walking”. Again a great example of the melting pot and cooperation that is happening in the nordic walking world.
Since I was stuck at the finish I got a couple of shots as Rhea and Ed came thru. Enjoy! The rest of the pictures are on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/28127384@N08/sets/72157622465188032/
This time of year it’s all about Nordic Walking. In the past 2 weeks I’ve led walks at Mall of America, Medica, Plymouth Senior Center, Minnehaha Park and taught classes in 3 different communities. The numbers aren’t all big, sometimes as few as 5 walkers, but the enthusiasm and delight in discovering Nordic walking and trying the poles for the first time is always huge.
I have a degree in Therapeutic Recreation from University of Utah. I truly believe that what you do with your “leisure” hours helps to balance your life. We need our down time to “re-create” life energy, to destress, to reconnect with what’s really important to us. Our choices for recreation affect our overall health and wellbeing.
In the beginning of my career I worked in structured psychiatric settings creating and leading recreational programs and leisure counseling for people struggling with mental illness. During the years of day care I used what I knew to help children grow up with the experience and appreciation for active play time. Today I’m finding that I use my background to help people change their life through the promotion of active outdoor lifestyles.
Who knew that retail would bring me full round to using my degree again. As a result of the community exposure from HOW activities and demo’s corporations are seeking me out to do health and wellness events centered on Healthy Outdoor Lifestyle choices. I got a call yesterday from a woman creating a website for healthy active lifestyles for baby boomers. I’m working daily coaching nordic walking with people with mobility limitations including Parkinsons, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and knee and hip replacements. The possibilities are endless, the benefits real, the changes life altering.
My life is blessed by the people I meet.
If you don’t live where the lakes and rivers freeze solid for several months of the year you’ve missed alot. Not only have you never “walked on water” or “driven on water” or pulled fish out of a hole, but you’ve never experienced the “ice out” of spring.
Tuesday nite there were 30 of us that nordic walked around Lake Calhoun. Most of the lake was open, piles of ice clustered on the shores from the winds of the past few days. There was one large section still with a thin layer of ice on it. At this point of the spring the ice is very brittle and has a lacy pattern to it, kind of like those wonderful Christmas cookies that melt in your mouth. Although it still holds together it moves with the open water.
As we came close to the ice I had to stop and listen. The ice was making all kinds of crickle crackle sounds, like really loud rice crispies, as it moved on the surface. It’s a very unique cold climate spring sound and you almost always miss it. It was very special to be there and hear it as we walked around the end of the lake.
The wonder of spring continued on Friday nite when the peepers, little frogs, thawed out from their frozen winter state and started singing. The marshes and ponds are alive with their energy and they get louder as they get warmer.
Ahh, the sounds of spring in Minnesota!
I should know better than to plan the first Nordic Walk of the season on April Fool’s Day. Once again mother nature played a trick on us and gave us snow on Tuesday evening after heavy rain all day long. I awoke on Wednesday and looked out at snow flurries that were determined to keep going the whole morning. We had 2 walks scheduled at the MN Arboretum, one o’clock and six o’clock, and I was totally convinced that due to the cold, dreary, nasty day there would be no one to play with on the trail. My vision was one of sitting around all day hoping for someone to come walk with me.
But I was to be totally surprised! We had 25 walkers at 1:00 and 28 more at 6pm. Most of them were new walkers and some had driven 45 miles just for the walk. They were all excited to be there and the recurring theme was “heck, we’re from Minnesota, a little cold and snow won’t keep us from doing what we had planned.”
It was sooo much fun! After a short introduction to the poles we walked the 3 mile drive through the gardens and orchards. Not much happening there except for some snowdrops blooming in the frozen hosta gardens but the action was all on the path with the energy and joy of nordic walking for the first time. If this day was any indication, it’s going to be a great season!
Did You Know?
Heart Desease is this country’s #1 killer.A sobering thought for a Monday morning. Heart disease, not cancer, is our biggest threat. Even more sobering is that a lack of physical activity doubles your risk of heart disease. Once again, sitting around and doing nothing is not an option!
The American Heart Association has a plan to help get people moving in the workplace. Wednesday, April 8 is National Start! Walking Day. “On this day, employees are encouraged to wear sneakers to work and take at least 30 minutes out of their day to get up and walk. It’s a great way to raise awareness of the Start! movement and to give your coworkers a friendly push toward a healthier life.” They even provide a free packet of information to make it easy to do. It’s available at http://mystartonline.org/about_start_walking_day.jsp. I just signed Hoigaard’s up and already have my email with all the information. Check it out. If you can get one fellow employee up and moving, it’s worth it!
Of course HOW is way ahead of the curve, we’ll be on our second week of scheduled walks by the time this kicks off. Mittens and hats will be required to walk this week but cold has never kept us from our appointed walks. You will still see us out at the Arboretum on Wednesday although I don’t think we’ll see any early blooms in the gardens. Tuesday walks will begin on April 7th at Lake Calhoun. Be sure to check the calendar for other CE Classes.
I know that many of you walk all year round and that some of you have been walking indoors this winter, but it’s time to get back outside. April kicks off the season with our first walk out at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on April 1. It might be risky to plan an outdoor event for April Fool’s Day, never know what mother nature has in store for us, but I will be leading walks at both 1pm and 6pm that day, rain or shine. (I’m just not going to include snow, ok?)
As always, we’ll bring the demo poles along so you can try them. Come experience for yourself the joy and benefits of walking with poles. If you’re not a member of the Arboretum you can get in free for the day by using the password “nordic walking” with the gate keeper. Be sure to ask for your membership for Mother’s day so you can go out often to walk.
After the first we will be walking on Tuesdays in April, Mondays in May and Wednesdays in June. We decided that alternating the days each month would give everyone a chance to come with us. Locations for the walks are on my calendar here or you can also see them at www.hoigaards.com.
I have also scheduled lots of Community Ed classes throughout the western suburbs. If you would like to learn more about nordic walking and have some more intentional coaching on technique the schedule for these classes is also on the calendar.
I hope to see you out on the trail soon!
When LEKI was in town we did a quick filming on getting started with nordic walking poles. It’s been posted on You Tube so I guess I’m a star now! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyWOPHhSxWY
The target ad this week featured Nordic Walking poles for $20. Now we all know it’s a cheap substitute for a good Nordic Walking pole, but the amazing thing is that they have it at all. Just think, only 4 years ago, when we all started nordic walking no one knew anything about it. Even today many think we’re training for nordic skiing, or maybe we’re just confused. I think it’s exciting that nordic walking has come to the point where it is accessible to everyone!
Did You Know?
It’s my birthday today! And my birthday wish is for all of you to go outside and play in the snow today.
Gail and I have been snowshoeing instead of nordic walking this holiday week. There is something magical about taking off in the fresh snow before the sun comes up. We tracked along our road and into the fields and wetlands around us. I wonder what the office dwellers thought when they came to work and saw our big foot prints in their front yards.
We have a pact for our morning walks, we often begin our walks with a bit of venting about the hard stuff going on in our lives. Morning ranting and raving gets us walking faster and ups the heart rate. But the rule is that by the end of the walk we have to find the joy in the day. It may be something very simple, but it always brings us back to being centered and grateful for the new day and all it brings to our lives. It sets me up to seeing joy all day long.
On Tuesday morning we made joy, literally. In our snowshoes we stomped out 30 foot high “Joy, Peace, Joy” in the snow fields over at the Carlson Twin Towers. We laughed and giggled the whole time, snow flying from our snow shoes and visions of employees reading our message in the snow dancing in our heads. I don’t know if anyone even saw it, but it certainly brought joy to our day as we told our shared the story over and over again.
I hope joy has found all of you during this holiday season. My mom’s favorite Christmas Card greeting was “Joy to Your World!” May we all see joy every day, letting it find us when we least expect it.
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
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
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.