Winter Running in KSO's

[Barefoot Gentile]

I should punch myself in the eye for even talking about winter since summer is here, but I have noticed there seems to be alot of questions about what to wear for the winter already. I will give you my experiance with KSO's.

This past winter 09' was the worse winter I have ever experienced so far. I run all year outside, I despise treadmills. Anyways I managed to get by with my KSO's for the whole winter, I actually trained all winter for a maraton, so I had to be out there in all types of conditions.

The coldest temp I ran in was 9 degrees for 5 miles in KSO's with no socks, I never wear socks in the winter as well. I don't like socks with VFF's Anyways that run went well, toes were a bit cold towards the end, but nothing uncomfortable.

I also ran in snow/slush for 7 miles, it was a scheduled run so I had to do it. But survived that run as well, toes were definitely cold, but not to the point of discomfort. I actually ran in dry snow many times which was a blast.

Temps between 25 - 32 dry degrees, my feet were actually warm and very comfortable.



So surviving the winter in KSO's can definitely happen. I did run barefoot in low temps as well, my cut off point is 35 degrees. Anything below 35 degrees I wore VFF's.

 

[BFwillie_g]

Thx for the info, Adam, I

Thx for the info, Adam, I also keep thinking about winter (and KSOs)... I bought some neoprene Aqua Shoes that seem adequate, but I'll find out for sure soon enough... brrrrr...

 

[VFFn in AK]

 Thanks for the report, Adam.

Thanks for the report, Adam. The recent REI sale got me thinking ahead to winter. I just started minimalist running while in Hawaii in February. In March when I returned to Alaska, I got a pair of treks to better deal with the snow and cold (and thinking ahead to trail running this summer.) I didn't have the chance to test them out below 20, but above that they were great and plenty warm.

Because it does get seriously cold I was thinking of getting either flows or a pair of flow treks if they ever release them in the US. (Then again my treks may be plenty warm, especially with socks.)

Did you have much occasion to run in icy conditions? I'm guessing they do a better job of clearing streets in Connecticut than they do here, but if you have any thoughts on how the KSO sole fared for you I'd be curious. I run outside year round as well and my usual answer for ice when I wore shoes was hex screws or stabilicers. I'm less confident in my footing in VFFs when it comes to ice. (snow - no problem.)

 

[LavaRunner]

I ran in mine all winter when

I ran in mine all winter when temps were below 35. Had no issues. there were a few times I tried ininji sox but I am not a fan. over 35 I ran BF most the time unless I was going after distance then I wore the KSOs. My feet and cold don't get along well, or maybe it is me and cold...

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

VFFn in AK:   I did run on

VFFn in AK: I did run on ice a few times and the KSO's are absolutely terrible on ice. They are very slippery with zero traction. I don't have Treks, but wondering how they would handle in icey conditions. I would like to get a pair of Treks actually just for snowy and icey conditions.





Scooter: I hear you, I absolutely hate the cold and winter, I am a summer person. My body doesn't handle the cold well also, especially feet. But strangely enough I do more running and log more miles in the winter than summer.

 

[LavaRunner]

Treks are no better than KSOs

Treks are no better than KSOs on Ice. Much better in Snow but nothing like a good trail shoe in the snow. I imagine the NB MT100s would rock the snowpack

Heck, BF is pretty bad on snow and ice. I dropped myself a few times trying. I avoid ice to avoid a broken leg, hip or o torn ligement someplace

 

[saypay45]

@ VFF in AK: I am up in

@ VFF in AK:

I am up in Minnesota, and we have pretty bad snowplowing in my neighborhood during the winter. They usually just skim all but the top inch or so of snow with a bobcat or tractor-mounted plow. The snow gets packed down and turns into uneven ice. I used to use YakTraks on the bottoms of my shoes when I wore shoes. I could literally sprint on glare ice with no problems using those things.

They definitely don't work with most minimalist shoes though because you'll feel the tracks on the bottom pretty bad with every step. So I don't use them with my VFFs. Last winter I ran in my KSOs when I could, but I also kept my trainers (which are Mizuno Waves, so pretty light anyway) for those days when you just can't run outside without spikes.

I haven't heard of any minimalist shoes so far that can give the necessary traction on ice. Until I do I think we of the "true arctic" just have to deal with the fact that there are some days that we just can't run outside the way we want to. I suppose there's always the treadmill then... sigh...

 

[dirtdemon77]

I used a pair of my son's XC

I used a pair of my son's XC spikes last winter to deal with the ice. They worked great, and are about as minimalist as you can get and still not fall on your ass.

 

[VFFn in AK]

 Good advice every one.   I

Good advice every one. I don't mind cold (and melt in the heat) but I hate ice, love snow.

Scooter, I agree that the treks sole is not a winner on ice either.

SayPay 45, I think the Mn and Ak snow plow drivers go to the same training. I've had yak traks too and wear gripers of some style when I walk to work on icy days.

I'll have to play with the idea of getting a pair of flats for winter. Of course now i'm intrigued by Dirtdemon's XC spike idea. I've never worn those before and the do seem rather perfect.

Either would be more fun than the treadmill. The only good thing about the treadmill, besides it being ice-free, is that if there's a game I want to watch anyway, I feel less guilty if I'm running while I do it.

 

[mokaman]

 ... I must be a cold weather

... I must be a cold weather wimp, I can only wear Kso's into the mid to low 30's and that has to be with no standing around at the start of the run. My Kso's are on the small side as I'm between sizes really 43 - 44, I tried on some 44's at the store the other day they are loose but would be right with socks...43's are too tight for socks.

I switch over to moc's or water shoes in the lo 30's usually...with wool socks they handle any lo temp's I run into for Georgia winters.

Treadmills are out for me...they are the devil's work.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

mokaman wrote: Treadmills

Treadmills are out for me...they are the devil's work.

lol! Couldn't of said it any better.

 

[saypay45]

I think the only problem with

I think the only problem with spikes is running over uneven ice surfaces where some is ice and some is pavement. It's hard enough to do that in YakTraks. I think it would be a recipe for injury in spikes. Although they would be awesome for completely iced over terrain. I guess I gotta break out the old high school spikes!

And I never run on a treadmill. We have places like the Metradome (i.e. the big inflatable toilet) where you can run or rollerblade indoors. I think the Dome is about 1/2 mile around the whole thing, so it's not nearly as repetitive as a normal indoor track. If you can find somewhere like that at least you won't feel like such a hampster on a wheel.

 

[snowshoe_hare]

I prefer my neoprene scube

I prefer my neoprene scube diver booties...

They are quite EXCELLENT...

I have posted a great deal about they on the RW forum...



click here for more...

 

[VFFn in AK]

 Mokamon, I too can't wear

Mokamon, I too can't wear VFFs if I'm standing still or even walking when it's cold.

Saypay, thanks for the tips about the spikes. With the various grippers I've used, some have fared better than others on mixed surfaces. We have a sports dome here too, but it is apparently about to seek bankruptcy protection. If it makes it to winter maybe I'll try a punch card. My other non-treadmill choice too is to avoid the roads and drive to one of the multi use trails. For most of the winter, they are snow, not ice.

Snowshoe_hare, thanks for the link to your other, excellent discussion. Scuba boots may well be a better option than VFF flows or flow treks. Plus it would give me a chance to wear my otherwise neglected smartwool socks.

I really love running outside in winter. Sure it's cold and dark, but there is a real serenity to it. I'm glad to learn of how people have approached the challenge. I'm also glad winter running is still some months away.

 

[BFWendyBird]

I'm paying close attention! 

I'm paying close attention! Next winter I will be in a much more extreme environment so I'll need warmer shoes, ugh, I hate running in cold!

 

[nature runner]

Move south! Coldest it got

Move south! Coldest it got here was 15 degrees. Thats was coldest in 2 decades, it's usually doesn't get colder than 30. Most Christmas's here are in the 70's. Jan through March are coldest, it only stays in the 40's brrrr!

 

[saypay45]

If I moved South I would have

If I moved South I would have nothing to complain about!

I actually prefer the cold, especially when running. 30 degrees is the perfect running temp!

But ask me to move again in January when we have a high of -10, and maybe I'll change my tune.

 

[Last Place Jason]

First, I HATE the cold.  I

First, I HATE the cold. I dislike Michigan and am hoping to move sometime in the future.



Aside from that, I use KSOs and EVOs in the winter. The EVOs get a little better traction, but its not good by any stretch of the imagination.



Having said that, slippery trails can be an excellent training tool. Slippery conditions necessitate keeping your feet under your center of gravity, lifting your feet, and avoiding pushing off. Running form errors are greatly amplified on ice.



Check out our good friend Dr. Romanov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_pNb01YoSA

Thanks to Sole_foot for that one (i think!)

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

I'm paying close attention

I'm paying close attention too, NOT looking forward to the day when I have to start wearing shoes on my runs. I may either just stick to my racing flats or give Larry's Jinga's a try with some socks. We'll see, going to stick it out as long as I can though and get runs in into the 30s for as long as I can and probably look into hitting up the indoor track at the community college.

 

[saypay45]

I haven't heard ringing

I haven't heard ringing endorsements for any minimalist shoe on ice and snow, or really any shoe on those surfaces for that matter.

KSOs actually aren't horrible on ice. It's really only a problem on those days when it's so icy that you wonder what you're doing outside running in the first place. On those days, I'm usually wearing goggles so my eyes don't freeze shut and I could care less about being minimalist. I'm just trying to get through the run without frostbite and hypothermia.