Running in melted snow

If it's possibly slick I wear an old pair of shoes that I've screwed 6-8 small screws into the bottom of. You'll have plenty of traction... I run on icy roads in them.

As we have had three Level 3 (Illegal to be on the roads) snow emergencies here lately, and the white stuff won't go away, I've just been wearing my normal shoes when I run...on the treadmill.

Feet get wet. Shoes go on the heating grate to dry out.

Don't run on icy roads without traction of some sort. I learned the hard way with feet-flying-in-the-air/land-on-your-back fall in the early morning and a bad concussion. Be careful if it has melted the day before and the temperature has dropped below freezing.

I bought a pair of running shoes that do not have mesh uppers so the water can't get in as easily. I also bought them a size too big so that I can put an extra pair of socks in them when it's cold.

There are levels of snow emergencies?


Anyway, I wear Yak Trax when I have to run in slick icy conditions. They seem to slow me down a bit, but improve traction a ton. The downside is that they're slippery as all get out on dry concrete or asphalt...

I tired some of the Yaks Trax, but found them way, way too slippery on regular surfaces like you did. A better solution for me when I needed the traction was the ones with the little spikes built in to them by a brand called DueNorth http://www.surefoot.net/

I think I bought them at Wal-mart for about $10 couple of years ago. Grippy on the snow and ice, but fine to walk in on pavement, too. The spikes are even replaceable.

As for snow emergencies, here they are, in Ohio, at least:

Snow Emergency Classifications

LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.

LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists should use extreme caution.

LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.

I have been using sealskinz to keep my feet dry and I can use my normal running shoes. I usually wear a pair of merino wool socks under the sealskinz to keep the feet warm also.

I'm very cautious about it and probably wouldn't if I couldn't see clearly whether it was icy or not. I've twice fallen on ice and gotten serious back/hamstring injuries that have caused long-term problems, so I just don't want to take the chance anymore. In Oregon, black ice is really common on the roads and sidewalks in early AM since the ever-present winter rain freezes as temps drop. If I want to run outside, I'll either wait till it warms up to be certain the ice has melted, or if it's too cold for that, drive or walk very cautiously to somewhere where I can run on grass or trails, so I don't have to worry about it. I know--I could go to a gym and run on a treadmill, but the fields and trails are free!

I tried the Yax Trax a couple years ago and didn't like them. After that, I ran in trail running shoes with wool socks, but my feet still got wet. This year, a couple shoe manufacturers have winter-specific running shoes on the market. They are waterproof and high traction, but still lightweight and flexible. My go-to running shoe is New Balance, but both models that I tried from them didn't fit. Instead I went with Merrell. Yesterday's run was really slushy and snowy. A few drops of slush made it over the ankle, but for the most part, my feet stayed warm and dry.

I live in Canada and run on a mixture of snow, ice and asphalt every day
We don't have snow emergency levels although we have something similar in the spring when things start to warm up.

I have 4 traction systems

Yak Trax,
average traction in snow, break too easily when you hit asphalt. Uncomfortable on asphalt. I only wear them on trail running with a good amount of packed snow.

Due North

Good on ice, reasonable on asphalt, not as great in deep snow
Spikes are repleacable which is great.

home made screw shoes

Good on ice, ok on ashpalt, no good in snow

icetrekkers
These are my latest and favorites to date. Actually not bad on asphalt, and amazing in snow and ice



Edited by marcag 2014-02-06 7:37 AM

Melted snow: wool socks, regular shoes or trail shoes if I have a pair. I never wear Yaktrax in those situations because it gets mucked up.   We've had precious little melted snow this year, but this is my experience from many winters in a row.

Hard snow/ice:  wool socks, maybe the Yaktrax.  I'm lazy lately and just run.  Glare ice would require grips, but then I usually stay inside.

But, most importantly, wool socks.   I found, after landing up to my ankle in a slush puddle for the first time, that the cold shock goes away almost immediately with pure wool.

Happy running!

Edited by BikerGrrrl 2014-02-06 11:44 AM

Took care of this a number of years ago by moving to Florida. Worked like a charm.

I wear goretex trail running shoes with gaiters when running in wet snowy conditions. I generally try to avoid pavement when there is ice as I certainly don't need any more injuries! I am fortunate enough to have a brand new 200 meter track in a new fieldhouse at the university where I work. I've been taking advantage of that and doing some interval work. Been logging a fair amount of miles on the treadmill too. Trail runs on the weekend the weather is decent enough. Running through deep snow is quite challenging!

for the screws, I cannot tell in the picture, are you using the screw heads as traction?

Here is the how-to

http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

thank you