On our first weekly team call last Wednesday I polled the team for some advice on running in the snow, something that I had never done before. I figured who better to ask than a group of runners from Boston?!? Â Well, I got some good tips and I’m happy to say that I officially joined the club on Saturday.
We got about 4″ in Central PA on Friday night and I slipped on my new cleated, rubber soles the next morning and hit the road. Other than the noise of an occasional snowblower, I found that running in the snow was quite peaceful and beautiful. Since I wasn’t tempted to wear headphones for fear of getting hit by a snowplow, I did some good thinking over the course of my 9 miler. I’ll probably head to the treadmill for my shorter runs if it snows, but I’m happy to say that I’m ready to tackle my longer runs in the snow when I need to. Thanks for all of your advice!
Good luck with your training Chris! There are sure to be lots of adventures and experiments along the way and of course spring to look forward to.
A word of caution to those new to running in the snow from someone who does it a lot in the winter. It can stress your body in different ways. I find it sometimes a bit like running in sand. Frequently after a decent run on snowy roads, my knees and ankles hurt in weird ways. My advice is to start with shorter runs in the snow as you figure out what shoes to wear, what pace is right, what surfaces work, etc. Also watch out for unseen ice, rocks, pieces of trash, potholes, etc under the snow.