Sunday, December 11, 2005

Snow running

Today I dragged myself outside in the snow to test out my Yaktrax. The sidewalk around my condo was cleared, and it wasn't too comfortable walking with the Yaktrax on the pavement. I started jogging and soon hit sidewalks where there was a 4-5 cm layer of snow. The Yaktrax gripped the snow and gave me confidence that I was not going to fall on my arse. However, running on the snow is difficult. I guess it's kind of like running on sand...you sink in, and it takes more effort to propel yourself forward. I ran for about 30 min, and it was a rather slow, difficult 30 min. Verdict: Yaktrax are good for snow running. However, I couldn't imagine doing a long run with them in the snow....the grids and the unevenness (is that a word?) of the snow makes it uncomfortable. Hopefully I won't be doing any 10km+ runs in the snow.

Edit: I got quite a few amused looks from people in cars and pedestrians wearing full winter get-up (I was wearing a fleece, long sleeve tech shirt, spandex pants, a toque and headband. Also had gloves, but hands got too hot so I took them off). I have to agree with Cliff; it is quite funny. They think I'm crazy...I KNOW I'm crazy :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

yep...that's my crazzy anners. ;)

Cliff said...

You will run much slower than normal. Don't worry about the time or distance. Focus on your stride and step.

I think running in the snow is like running on trails. The uneveness will make your feet stronger. And since snow is softer, it won't be as hard running on concret.