Running in the snow - oh what fun!

The weather has finally turned to WINTER and it's snowing.

This means lots of new games for the boys in the house, warm cozy meals, and figuring out how to safely run in the show.  I didn't make it out for a run until around 4pm today (which was just before dusk here) but the good news was that meant some of the snow already started melting.  The bad news was that meant black ice blended even more into the dark sidewalks. Here are my tips for running in the snow:

1. Bundle!  I'm not a huge fan of cold weather running, but it's often a necessity.  My solution?  Layers of warm long sleeve shirts, a waterproof jacket, ear warmers, and gloves.
2. Stick to the snow.  Sounds kind of funny (and leads to wetter shoes) but sticking to the snow is a good way to avoid slick ice.
3. High knees.  I feel like this is resurrecting an old track workout from my highschool days, but high knees made slipping less likely.
4. Slow and steady.  I normally get bored and frustrated if I'm stuck at too slow a pace but in snow it's a must.
5. Take the road that's traveled.  I chose a loop around Green Lake today because people had been out there walking their dogs and even sledding all morning - this meant the danger zones were already marked with skids.

I don't have tricked out running shoes for the ice and snow (it doesn't snow that much here) but these (Kahtoola MICROspikes) look cool and worth an investment if the weather turns even more: