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Here’s a short addendum to my last blog about winter running.

Better Traction: One of the best ways I’ve ever found to adapt my running shoes for better winter running performance has been to screw a number of 1/4″ sheet metal screws to the bottoms of my running shoes. I usually put 5-6 screws in the forefoot area and another 4 in the heel section. I’d do this to an old pair of shoes and use them only when I was either running on icy streets, or running trails that were covered with snow and/or ice. This rather unconventional approach to improving traction has always worked well for me.

Cold Feet: Another trick you can use if you get cold feet like I do is to wear neoprene socks to keep your toes warm. There are lots of these types of sock available if you “Google” neoprene socks. They work well for those of you refuse to go onto a treadmill when it’s nasty out, and for those who suffer from terminal popsicle toes, like I do.

Protect Your Face and Lungs: This tip doesn’t have anything to do with shoes, but it will save your face if you’re out running in temperatures below 20ºF. Go to your local hardware store and buy a package of particle masks (used for working in dusty environments) and get the kind that are molded to fit your face. They cover most of your face and pre-heat the air coming into your lungs, which could ward off illness.

Running in Unstable Conditions: The last tip for today is how to run in fresh or loose snow. That’s easy, just use the ChiRunning technique of falling forward and picking up your feet instead of pushing off with your legs. This running form works in any type of unstable ground conditions from mud to slush to powder snow.

The only conditions I don’t recommend you run in are refrozen slush. In this case you really are better off on a treadmill… or in some cases, curling up in front of a fire with a good book.

Happy trails,
Danny

Since we’re pretty much smack in the middle of winter I’ve decided to write a blog dealing with the subject what kind of shoes to wear when running under the adverse conditions some of us die-hard outdoor runners come up against during this time of year. For those of you who live in the warmer climates… I guess you’re just going to have to vacation in the North somewhere this winter to try these out.

After spending most of my life in Boulder, Colorado I came up against probably every possible combination of winter running I can imagine. So, here’s the first installment in what I hope to someday publish as the ChiRunning cold weather running guide. For other running articles I suggest you visit the Library of articles on our website which cover many other aspects of ChiRunning and ChiWalking.

Winter running shoes. Where are they, and why haven’t the shoe companies done more to support running in snowy, cold, and wet conditions? The best thing I’ve found are Gore-tex trail shoes. These work much better than most running shoes, for a few reasons. First of all they’re wind-proof, which is a huge advantage over those mesh-toed, well-vented running shoes we wear most of the year. Secondly, they’re pretty much water-proof, unless you go into a frozen puddle that’s deeper than you think. These first two points make them warmer than your basic running shoes. I have two pairs that I use. One pair (my favorite) is made by Asics and my other pair are New Balance.

Both of these shoes work well, but they both have the same downside characteristics. Because they’re designed to be “trail” shoes, they’re stiffer and heavier than most regular running shoes. Since I wear thick wool socks for winter running, I usually buy these shoes a half size larger to make room for the bulky socks and this makes them even heavier still. I haven’t been able to do anything about the weight of the shoes, but I have altered the soles of the shoes to make them more flexible in the forefoot (which is crucial to avoiding plantar fasciitis). I take a sharp knife and cut flex grooves across the forefoot section of the sole of the shoe. Even with molded-in flex grooves, I find most trail shoes to be too thick in the forefoot to allow for enough flex. I cut the grooves deep enough to make a noticeable change in the flexibility. Everyone likes different amounts of flex, so if you do this to your shoes, start with cutting shallow grooves and work your way deeper if you need to.

For those of you who, for whatever reason, decide that Gore-tex shoes aren’t your cup of tea, I’ll write a subsequent blog dealing with how to adapt regular running shoes to winter running.

Bundle up and I’ll see you out there!
Danny