Winter Trail Running

The other day I received an email from my friend Streph regarding trail conditions in the Middlesex Fells. Streph does a lot of training on the rugged Skyline trail and completed a 19 mile training run in the Fells last weekend. He told the snow on the trails was compacted by hikers and skiers making running in trail shoes possible. In fact, he said running in the snow was easier than other times of the year because the snow had covered the rock, roots and voids in the trail.

With that in mind I went to Breakheart Reservation on Monday to see if similar trail conditions existed there. I have been itching to get in some trail running, sans snowshoes, all winter. When I got to Breakheart I was pleasantly surprise to see that some of my favorite trails were runable. I took a few short videos along the way. My digital camera isn't made to take high quality video but I think you will still get a feel for the terrain.

This first one was taken from the top of Eagle Rock, a 200+ foot hill, overlooking Pearce Lake:



This one is descending the snow covered Eagle Rock:



This third video was taken along a climb and descent on the Fox Trail near a large ledge:



This one is on the Saugus River Trail:



This is also on the Saugus River trail but taken along the river bank:



With a little luck, I should be able to make the weekly night snowshoe run in Lynn Woods tonight.

Snowshoe Running in Breakheart Reservation

I’ve tried to make the best of all the snow that accumulated over the weekend by trading in my Brooks Cascadia 3s for a pair of Tubbs Venture snowshoes. I took the snowshoes for short runs in Breakheart Reservation on Sunday and Monday. As a novice snowshoe runner I found these 3 miles runs very challenging. The Ventures aren’t made for running so I’m sure this made the workout all the more strenuous. I did learn one thing on my second run. A higher than normal knee lift makes the shoeing a little easier. With rain and warmer temperatures forecasted for the remainder of the week, it may be a while before I get to try this again.

Here are a few photos taken along the way.

Pine tops trail

Ridge trail start

Snow covered pine

Now need to worry about that happening now!

Canopy of snow

Snow Pyramid

Water Crossing

More water on trail

Happy Snowman

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah or whatever else you wish to celebrate.

Peace.....

Winter Running

The fall of the season’s first snow this past weekend made me realize how unprepared I am for winter running. I don’t mean it in terms of the clothing I will need to stay warm and dry or that I am lacking the motivation needed to train through a long, cold New England winter. I mean, where the heck I will run when there is snow and ice on the ground?

Trail running has kept my plantar fasciitis at bay for most of the year. I have had a few minor flare-ups but nothing that has stopped me from putting in the miles I wanted to do. I've done a few short road runs this summer and fall but each time I run the roads I have plantar pain for at least a week. I’ve tried different shoes, three in fact, but it doesn’t make a difference. I think my best option for now is to stay on the trails as long as possible.

Of course, I could wish for a snow-free winter but what is the chance that will happen?Another option is to get prepared for running on snow covered trails. To this end, I made a trip to Home Depot to purchase some sheet metal screws. I screwed (no comments please) an older pair of Brooks Cascadia 3s to use for running in snow and ice. I am thinking the screw heads will provide enough traction even on packed snow and ice. I’ve never tried this before but it will be an interesting experiment. If it doesn’t work out I'll switch to snowshoes. The more I stay off pavement this winter, the better chance I have of making a road-running comeback this spring.

Hmm, loose screw or screw loose?