Saturday, February 15, 2014

Forget running shoes, this is what I want

On my wish list
Today's run (treadmill): 4.5 miles

Hey guess what, it's snowing again! I really don't mind all the snow this season, since I no longer need to commute every day on the Long Island Railroad. What I don't like are the limited options I have for running these days. The treadmill is a handy choice, but even with the TV or music on, I find running in place to be tough on the mind.

Last week I was in industry meetings and I had a chance to catch up with my friend (and occasional running partner) KWL. We were talking about how the weather has affected our training and we agreed that snowshoes would be a handy thing to have. I've considered buying them in previous years, but the cost seemed high for the use I'd get out of them.

Now that we're into the last months of winter, I've noticed prices are dropping. But the lowest cost I've seen for adult snowshoes is still over $100 a pair. If I was confident that we'd see similar levels of snow in 2015 I'd certainly consider the investment. KWL, who is a master craftsman, suggested that we build our own. Easy for him to say.

This looks like a lot of trouble
Without snowshoes to get me outside, I wound up on the treadmill again today. It was a fine workout and I went as long I could with the time I had. The light snow coming down right now shouldn't amount to much, compared to everything we've seen this week. My kids go out in the snow at every opportunity. Even without snowshoes, they always seem to have a great time. Maybe that's a workout I should consider.

4 comments:

  1. Does my suggestion of making Yaktrax from Slinkies make me a master craftswoman? How would you run in snow shoes? Aren't they too long?

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  2. I think you should immediately patent the Slinky idea.

    You bet you can run in snowshoes. They make special racing models and there are snowshoe 10Ks and Ultras. TrailRunner Magazine lists the races in every January issue. Most are in the Rockies, northern California, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, but they also hold them in PA, VA and New England. Maybe upstate NY as well. I'll check.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really? Running in snow shoes? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJWCP_XoBGQ
    Ok, so your foot is attached, but you have full range of motion. Your hip flexors might be a little sore though..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll bet you can burn off a lot more calories that way. I used to cross country ski and loved it, although it was difficult on some types of terrain and on steeper hills.

      Delete

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