Running on Thin Ice

What a news filled couple of weeks it has been.

-I have received my official entry into the 2011 NYC marathon
-I bought and tested a foam roller
-I started school again
-I ran 13 of the last 15 days (including several with my dog...)

I honestly could have written about any of these subjects, and perhaps will revisit them soon. But for now, I'd like to tell you about my first run with YAKTRAX Pro, a rubber contraption that you strap on to...whoa, lemme try some other words-- a coil system that attaches to the bottom of your sneakers and cuts into ice to give you better traction while running.

This is easily the most hardcore running gear I own at the moment-- sadly, from the pure logistics of how many days I will run with them, they are overpriced. At City Sports, they went for 30 dollars with a 1 year store credit warranty in the event that they break. Based on the online reviews I read-- I'm keeping that receipt in a safe place, because odds are high that I will need it.

Let's start with the basics-- Yaktrax do their job. You get traction on ice. Pretty cool. I wasn't really scared that I woudl fall at any moment while running with them, and they are extremely lightweight. If you did not hear the consistent crunching of metal on pavement/ice, you might forget that you're wearing them. But you have to be careful about putting them on-- they can change your pronation and make landing and pushing off feel very slightly different than the feel of running sneakers alone. I don't think they changed my style that much-- but there was a difference and as any runner will tell you, the smallest changes can have the largest impacts. Online reviews claim that the rubber straps break too easily. I'll keep you posted on how mine hold up to the cold season and if I feel any new pains as a result of wearing them.

But a quick word on running during the snowy and icy season-- there are major drawbacks. The hidden slush puddle that soaks your socks and shoes when you're 3 miles from home-- the kid who hits you with a snow ball in the back of your head as you run away (seriously, 2x in the last year), the need to keep your clothes consistently in the washer in and dryer so that you have them at the ready-- it's clearly better when it's warm. But if it's snowing on marathon Sunday, I'll be ready.