Winter Running in KSO's

[LavaRunner]

I have yet to find a good

I have yet to find a good shoe on ice other than form. As Jason said, bad form will show up on slippery surfaces. My encounters with sliding have been on sloping turns on clay. Just miserable and I doubt form was involved as it was probably more do to a lack of attention, darkness and centrifugal force.

I would think that any shoe with tread would be ok in snow as it packs and usually offers ample traction.

I did run all winter in my KSOs and found that with ininji socks I was just fine. I likes hitting patches of black Ice when I saw them coming as I could see if I was pushing off... I usually was

 

[Blind Boy]

Other than the cold, my KSOs

Other than the cold, my KSOs worked fine for me when I started running again back in March. Temperatures at that point were in the mid-twenties to low thirties. Sure, ice is a bitch but like many of you have said, with good form it's manageable.

My plan for this winter is this though: http://www.icebug.se/Product.aspx?m=393 Studded orienteering shoes and about as minimal as a decent racing flat in terms of flexibility and sole thickness. The only downside is that they are very narrow.

 

[Nyal]

 Interesting, but nearly

Interesting, but nearly minimal enough. We had almost 2 meters of snow this winter, so I will need something.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

They don't look minimal at

They don't look minimal at all. Can you roll them into a tight ball like a pair of VFFs or socks? If not, then they are not minimal. They don't even look reduced. Not trying to be a poop. But if they are narrow, don't even put your feet in them...or you may end up with Morton's Neuroma like me, and you really don't want this condition.

Vibram is always coming out with some new animal. It's still early. If you liked the KSOs then maybe they will have something you can be happy with.

 

[Blind Boy]

TJ, don't worry. I plan on

TJ, don't worry. I plan on using my KSOs as much as I can and the uppers on the Icebugs are really flexible so even if the sole is narrow my feet will fit fine, I think. I only plan on using them on particularly nasty days though, since, as you say, they're not really that minimal. Also, they look a lot burlier than they are.

 

[saypay45]

I just bought a pair of

I just bought a pair of MT100s for trail running. I'm thinking that they will be sturdy enough to attach my YakTraks to this winter. Then I can have my minimalist shoe and my spikes. I am a little worried about the cold in them though. They don't seem like they have a lot of protection from the elements.

BB, those orienteering shoes are pretty cool. Are orienteering shoes usually low profile like a racing flat? I've never heard of such a thing.

 

[Blind Boy]

They're usually light

They're usually light trainer-ish from what I've seen in pictures and with very little heel lift. Those Icebugs are the only ones I've seen in person though so I really don't know.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

What about wool socks (to go

What about wool socks (to go inside your shoes)?

 

[Blind Boy]

Wool socks are a must for me,

Wool socks are a must for me, regardless of shoe choice. The thickest toe socks I can find and KSOs will probably be my warm weather solution this winter, warm being 10-20F around here. Normally though the temps hover around 0F so I need something that I can fit some real socks into, there aren't that many wool toe socks around...

 

[BFWendyBird]

Injinji has wool toe socks! 

Injinji has wool toe socks! I love mine!

 

[Blind Boy]

Wendy, I didn't know that.

Wendy, I didn't know that. I'll have to find a way to order a few pairs then. Sadly, they haven't got a Swedish distributor as far as I know.

 

[BFWendyBird]

Maybe REI or Zappos would be

Maybe REI or Zappos would be willing to ship internationally. Look specifically for the Injinji "Outdoor Series"

http://www.injinji.com/tetratsok/outdoor.htm

 

[RHH]

I ran all last winter in

I ran all last winter in Anchorage, AK in Teva Protons (now discontinued) - basically a neoprene aquashoe. With socks they were very good into the single digits. They did fine on ice. Most of my running was on packed snow trails. Cold packed snow is really a pretty good running surface. The colder it is, the less slippery.

RHH

 

[VFFn in AK]

 Yippee, another Anchorage

Yippee, another Anchorage member. This will be my first full winter minimalist running. I pleased to hear from the voice of experience.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

So which of you wants to

So which of you wants to become the BRS Alaska Chapter President....hmmmm? ;-)

 

[RHH]

Hey VFF in AK.  See you out

Hey VFF in AK. See you out there on the trails sometime. The winter running is fine in Anchorage w/ the right clothes. Not as good as the x-c skiing, which is mostly what I do in winter. I just try to have a weekly maintenance run to keep the feet adjusted.

There are a few BFers and VFFers around here but few and far between. One day I saw 2 people in VFFs on the Coastal Trail (2 separate sightings, not together) and then I have not seen any VFF runners since. I have only seen one other person in barefeet, but know there are a couple around. If you see a BF runner on the coastal trail, it is probably me. Flag me down and say Hi.



Randy



P.s., I nominate you to be Chapter President per TJ's request

 

[VFFn in AK]

 Hey Randy,I'll keep my eyes

Hey Randy,

I'll keep my eyes out for you. I haven't noticed any one else running in VFFs, but I do sometimes see a young man running barefoot in the morning on my way to the coastal trail. If you see a six foot tall woman in VFFs on the CT, it's likely me. I'm betting our paths will cross (or have). My name's Laura.

I'm such a bad skier and just lazy about waxing, so I tend to stick with running year round. I've been running in winter up here for many years and really enjoy it. But I'm new to minimalist running so this winter will be my first full one.

Since I am such a newbie, I am reluctant to embrace your nomination. How about you as Pres? We don't want to disappoint TJ.

 

[RHH]

Hi Laura: I think if we both

Hi Laura:

I think if we both vote to elect EV (the third AK member) as Chapter Presdent, then our two votes will beat his one. Deal?

Although my preference is to run on trails at Hillside or Kincaid, the coastal trail is where I do most of my running due to proximity and convenience. I am medium height, medium build, dark hair, with a beard. If I wear plaid flannel shirt and carharts I could be mistaken for half the male population of Alaska. So the absence of shoes is probably the best diagnostic field mark.

Randy

 

[VFFn in AK]

 I like your thinking, all

I like your thinking, all around. EV it is.

I'll plan to stare at all the men's feet on the CT. I too prefer to get out to Kincaid or other spots, but the CT gets most of my miles out of pure convenience too. How lucky are we that some place so stunning is our compromise run?

To bring this back on topic (egad), I just got a pair of black flows with the idro-grip soles to put into my winter running rotation along with my treks. (I guess I'm officially a VFF addict.) The idro-grip does seem very, well, grippy. We'll see how it does on ice, but hopefully not anytime soon.