Yesterday it snowed. It snowed about 20cm and when I went out the snow was fresh and deep. "Yes! This is my chance to try out my new screw shoes" I thought. I put them on and took them out for a test. I ran 8 km through the fresh snow and this is what I found. They didn't help much. When running on that much fresh snow, the snow compacts under your foot and the screws never reach the packed snow and ice underneath. So if you are over the ice you still slip because the screws can't reach the ice to get a grip. Also, I found that I could really feel the screws that were placed around where the inside ball of my foot is in the shoe.
Today I ran 8km over rough frozen chunky ground and really FELT the screws in my shoes on several occasions! Ouch! I had some other words too that came involuntarily out of my mouth. Words that I'm too shy to put here. Psychologically, it was not good to run with the worry of being stuck! Whenever I stepped on a chunk of ice, the chunk would push that screw and the shoe would compress enough right there to give me a little prick. I will have to rethink the placement of the screws around the ball of my foot or take them out right there. I might also take all the screws out and put them in a pair of shoes with a thicker front.
Diet wise I am holding at around 73 kg I think. I still want to get down to 70 kg but I realize that will be difficult this time of year. I am happy that I am holding. We have been staying at my in-laws for two weeks now and I haven't been able to get on my scale at home but my mother in-law's scale said I was at 72.5 yesterday. My goal for December is to run 200 km for the month and 160 km by Christmas. I think I will need to do some longer runs to reach my goal. I am at 95.77 km for the month right now and I have 9 days left till Christmas. If I run at least 8 km a day I'll reach my goal but I can imagine that there will be a day or two when I can't run. If it was easier to take care of laundry then I could sneak in some runs here and there but.... no... actually I probably should use that time to get what needs to be done, done.
Oh well, if you want to try to make some screw shoes yourself, check out Matt Carpenter's skyrunner.com page on the subject and as he says "happy screwing and running:-)"
The Screw Shoe: the best way to run on packed snow and ice.
Thought for the day:
The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
2 件のコメント:
If you are complaining about running with the screw shoes, you could always try barefoot!
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Barefoot+snow+lovin/4041994/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
http://nurturedbylove.blogspot.com/2010/11/piggies-play-in-snow.html
Ah yes, but would calloused feet get as much grip on packed snow and ice as my screw shoes or my shoes with Yaktrax attached?
Up until this year, I never ran with any extra grip on my shoes. I just slipped and slid my way out and back.
Right after making my screw shoes I got some Yaktrax for Christmas which are sort of like tire chains for your shoes. They work pretty well.
BUT, I have been toying with the idea of running barefoot. I think I would have to start in the warmer months though so that I could build up the proper foot strength and foot pads that would allow me to run in the cold.
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