Ni!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

2:20:00 :: 20.2 miles

Long run. Pucker up, Mother Nature...it's that time of year again. Warmer today--no wind and +11F, which made for a decent run. One big negative, and something I have to adjust my mindset to, is the change in pace. Due to the massive loss of traction,I'm dropping 10-15 seconds per mile at the same effort/HR. Nothing really to be done about it, as I am already wearing some traction aids. All those are able to do is prevent the really nasty 'leg flying out behind' slippage and provide some security on hidden icy patches. A 1/8 inch spike just can't compete with dry asphalt.

Legs felt really good after the run and throughout the day. No recovery routine today, either.

Ohana 1
231 miles

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

4 comments:

Mike said...

I feel like a spoiled baby complaining about rain when I look at what you have to run through for the next 4 months. Nice job getting it done, no worries about the pace this far out.

Anonymous said...

What do you use for traction control?

I ran a 5k this morning on snowy roads wearing old T4 racing flats. Not a wise choice. I'm thinking of putting 3/8" machine screws in the treads and seeing how that goes. Around here there is often a mixture of clear roads, and snow and ice, so something like Yak Tracks don't work very well since they are really annoying on asphalt.

Any suggestions, from the land of ice and snow?

Eric said...

I've used the machine screws. They actually work very well. I also use the Get-A-Grip slip-on spikes by DueNorth/Surefoot. They're resold by a number of companies. Here's one.

I own Yaktrax, and three different types of the Get-A-Grip brand, and I like The Get-A-Grip Advanced the best. They stay in place really well, they minimize pretty well on concrete/asphalt, and, most importantly, they grip packed snow and icy spots the best of anything I've used.

I have noticed that the spikes lose sharpness quickly if there is a lot of dry road. In my experience, using them on 20% covered roads, I only get 30-40 miles out of a set of spikes.

The Yaktrax are pretty weak all-around. They're good for a certain depth and pack of snow, but otherwise worthless.

So, to sum up, Get-A-Grips are great. They work best for the most conditions, but they can get expensive if there's a lot of dry road in the mix. Machine screws are the best value for everyday running. They work very well and are easy and cheap to replace as needed.

And one final note: if you have the opportunity, GET ME OUT OF HERE!

Just kidding. Cheers!

Brooklyn said...

Awesome blog.. I saw your old blogs and this one man you can run really far. Good job keep it up. Anyways there is no harm in running, it helps you be fit.