Runner's Guide to Footwear

Having done some experimenting through this horrible mess of icy bullcrap they're trying to pass off as "winter" here, I'm now pleased to bring you an authoritative guide to footwear options for running in all seasons.

Wherever you may choose to roam

Yeah, 'cause I'm definitely a trustworthy authority. Please don't go do anything silly based on this.

Racing flats:

These are your slicks. They're all about speedspeedspeed with minimal lugs and generally a thinner midsole to save weight. These are basically strictly for good road conditions only.

Your classic Mickey Thompsons

Road shoes:

What we have here is your summer tire. It's got a bit of lug for traction, but the most you're driving through is a campground road (or running on rail trail). You can get away with running in road shoes in the winter better than rolling on summer tires, but in sketchy conditions you're still asking for trouble.

Trail shoes:

Now we're into all-season tires. Heavier lugs mean you'll get around, though there may be some wheel spin here and there.

*NOTE* It's probably best not to try chopping doughnuts in a parking lot.

Now you have the additives, specifically for tough conditions.

Like icy trails

Yak Trax / slip-on-spikes / screw shoes:

These are your winter tires. You can cruise on snow and some icy spots without issue, but on solid ice, deep snow or a mixture - like the lovely layer of ice pellets covered by a crust of freezing rain that hit many parts of Ontario this week - you can still run into trouble.

These will take you almost anywhere

Now here's the thing - while I'm pretty happy with screw shoes and my slip-on spikes (the kind I have - shown in the top left photo above - are these), they're not a perfect solution. I chronicled my frustrations with my slip-on spikes coming off my shoes - or out of position - during The Beav 50k last November. While running up or down hills on solid ice, I have experienced some slipping...which is not a wonderful feeling. I also have to be careful when cornering or on side slope in the slip-on spikes, as their contact patch under my foot is quite narrow. If I end up with more of my weight toward the edge of my shoe, I no longer have spike biting into the ice.

Though with caution they can make road shoes a viable option in icy conditions.

Since I made my own screw shoes (here's an excellent tutorial), I was free to choose a pattern that allowed greater edge traction.

I'm only really limited by the positioning of the lugs, as I need the extra sole thickness to keep the threads from poking into my foot.

However, if there's a layer of snow on top of the ice, the low-profile heads of the sheet metal screws can fail to make sufficient contact. Furthermore, in very cold conditions on solid ice, the screw heads may simply not be able to bite into the ice enough to provide grip.

They also can't be quickly moved from shoe to shoe.
I don't like to run in the same kicks 2 days in a row.

Yaktrax are even worse than either of the above in all respects (except ease of moving between different pairs of shoes). Frankly, I don't use them, and don't recommend them after seeing the results of other people using them.

If you're really serious about traction for winter - especially if you'll be traipsing off into the woods - you need to get yourself some microspikes.

Don't be like all those people leaving the slide marks!

Microspikes:

These things are tire chains for runners. Ain't nothing gonna stop you! While the "real" ones are made by Kahtoola, I use a (much cheaper) knock-off pair I got here.

With 19 large steel points per shoe and a stretchy rubber-ish framework that surrounds your shoe, they solve the issue of the slip-on spikes coming off and of being able to bite into ice through a layer of snow.

Much more aggressive than screw shoes or the slip-on spikes

They can shift around a bit, but the rubbery frame keeps them quite secure

Tuesday's dump of snow, then ice pellets, then freezing rain forming a layer of ice on top would have been a nightmare with anything less. Breaking through the icy crust into the ankle-deep soft layer below would have stripped my slip-on spikes off me in moments, and the screw shoes simply wouldn't have been able to keep up. As it was, I was able to run confidently...if not entirely pleasantly, as I was being whipped in the face by strong winds and freezing bloody rain.

Not an especially fun experience.

Alternatively, you could just snowshoe run...which is basically the equivalent of giving up on the car entirely and just hauling out the sled.

If you can't beat 'em..

Or, I suppose you could just stay inside or something weird like that...but what fun would that be?

WHEEEEEEE

Stay safe out there, folks!