Running in the snow! - - and ice - - and most of the year in Alaska. It is difficult to live in Alaska and train for marathons. I have run four marathons and quite a few
half marathons, 10k, and 5k runs while living in Alaska. From late October until April the ground is
covered by snow and ice. Sure you can
run indoors on a treadmill (my longest treadmill run is 17 miles) – that gets
old – fast. Since most marathons are in
the Spring, Summer, Fall time frame and it takes about six months to train for
a marathon – living in Alaska means you will probably be doing some running,
outdoors, in the winter. Running on snow
and ice has its challenges, primarily slips and falls.
Quite a few years ago I heard a few stories about people
putting short sheet metal screws in the soles of their shoes to provide
traction. I decided to give it a try –
and it works. There is a noticeable
difference running with and without these screws in your shoes for traction. Recently I have seen shoes manufactured with
short spikes made for running on ice and snow.
Here is a video that demonstrates how I install screws in my
running shoes for better traction.
I have run a few different marathons around the U.S. Here is a link to one of the more popular
marathons in Alaska – The Mayor’s Midnight
Sun Marathon held near the longest day of the year here in Alaska...
The Good
The So-So
The Not-Good
The Good
- More confident running
- Less slips
- Exercise
- Spend time outdoors
- Low expense
- Easy to install
The So-So
- Need tools to install yourself
The Not-Good
- Running in the Summer or on dry smooth surfaces
- If you absolutly love treadmill running - this is not for you (take your treadmill outside in the winter???)
