BostonBound59

As we get hammered here in southern New Hampshire with yet another winter storm my thoughts turn to the next three plus months of heavy mileage. We are now over 60 miles per week with a long run last Sunday of 17+ and another scheduled this Sunday of 18.

Here is one relatively simple (non-original) and in-expensive winter survival tip I have found surprisingly effective.

A few weeks ago I was scoping out the blog of another Strider http://have2run.blogspot.com/and he had picked up the unique idea of inserting metal screws into the bottom of his running shoes. The idea seemed strange at first (won't they poke through and aggravate the soles of my feet?) until I actually tried it. Here is a picture. I found that by inserting nine or ten #8 3/8" metal screws spread similarly to the photo above. I could feel nothing inside my shoes. It is a relatively simple process which I made considerably more difficult and actually cut my hand during the process, but it has been well worth it.

Before the screw shoes, many of my winter runs on icy and/or snow packed roads through Amherst and Mont Vernon were difficult at best despite the slip resistant outer soles on my Brooks Beasts. I would describe my ability to run on winter roads before this discovery more like Bambi on Ice than anything resembling a running stride. Its a great feeling now actually having some real traction not only going up hills but more importantly running down hills which can be treacherous on icy days. This is not a perfect solution. On fresh snow, they really don't help. They also feel strange when you run over pavement. They work best on packed snow or ice. Here is a "how to" link: http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm