How to Run in Slippery Conditions (Plus This Week’s Contest)

January 13th, 2010 • Related • Filed Under

Running through snow and ice presents a challenge for runners in Winter, but not an insurmountable one.

Running through snow can be similar to running through loose sand, making it difficult to get a solid foot plant and causing you to slip and slide if there is any sort of incline or decline.

Running on ice can be slick, and if you aren’t careful you can slip and fall and hurt yourself. It’s even worse if you slip on ice on a road, where you’ll always have a hard landing and traffic is never far away due to a lack of a shoulder from all of the snow piled at the edge of the road.

So how do you keep yourself upright without impacting your running gait, which can lead to it’s own injuries?

There are two basic concerns.

Running Form

The first thing you should concentrate on is your running form. Learning to run with good form is especially helpful when running in slick conditions because it will allow you to keep your balance and some semblance of control without too much effort.

First, keep your feet under your center of balance. If your feet are hitting the ground way in front of your body then you won’t be able to recover your balance if you slide at all and you’ll slip onto your butt.

If your feet are landing off to your side, then they’ll slip right out from under you and you’ll land on your hip or stomach when you slide.

If your feet land directly beneath your body, then all of the force is concentrated down towards the ground and not out to any angle, which will allow you to stay on your feet and keep moving.

Next, try to strike the ground with your feet in as neutral of a position as possible. If you are a heel striker, this is going to be especially difficult. When only a portion of your foot hits the ground, then everything is concentrated into a small surface area which means that if you hit a slick spot then you’ll slide. If you are using a larger surface area under your feet, then you are more likely to find some sort of purchase and will be able to maintain your balance.

Shoe Accessories

As I mentioned in last week’s tip on winter running apparel for your feet, “improving” your shoes to give you a better grip in icy conditions can also make a big difference.

Using a product such as Yak Trax in snowy conditions or Stabilicers in icy conditions can improve your footing, but they are expensive, bulky, can break or fall off while you are using them, and can negatively impact your running gait.

My preferred method of adding traction to my shoes is to create screw shoes, by drilling sheet metal screws into the soles of the shoes. They are cheap, effective, and don’t impact your running form, although I’m discovering with all of this trail running that I’m doing that they don’t last very long.

This Week’s Contest

That leads us to this week’s contest. I’ve recently discovered a new product called IceSpike, which are like sheet metal screws on steroids.

ICESPIKE™ is a simple, effective and lightweight solution to inadequate traction devices. ICESPIKE™ ends frustration with clumsy and cumbersome strap-on attachments. ICESPIKE™ ice spikes are easily installed on the sole of any shoe or boot. Each ice spike provides outstanding traction and is unsurpassed in hardness and durability. The ICESPIKE™ system includes thirty-two patented ice spikes and one precision ICESPIKE™ tool for installation. ICESPIKE™ is a semi-permanent non-slip grip shoe system that can’t fall off, break, get lost or left behind. Outfitted with ICESPIKE™, any footwear can be winterized into ice safety shoes or ice safety boots. Don’t be discouraged by winter ice and snow – with ICESPIKE™ you are always ready and able to navigate any conditions with confidence.

I haven’t tried them yet, but from what I have read, IceSpikes should last longer than screws and are more effective at cutting into the ice as you run, giving you an even better grip. A set of spikes should last around 500 miles, they clean themselves of loose snow automatically, and they are less likely to fall out than screws are.

IceSpikes come with a hand tool for putting them into your shoe and 32 spikes and retails for $24.99. You can get replacement bags of spikes for $14.99.

The folks at IceSpike were generous enough to sponsor this week’s contest, and are offering a set of IceSpikes to each of the 2 winners this week.

If you’d like to give IceSpikes a try, just leave a comment below. I will randomly choose 2 people next week as winners. Good luck!

There Are 24 Responses So Far. »

  1. Pingback by Status Update and a New Contest @ Run to Win on 2010 January 14:

    [...] otherwise I’ve kept my feet and have so far been injury free. I put some tips together about staying upright in snow or on ice while running over at the Challenge website if you want to take a [...]

  2. Comment by Alexandra on 2010 January 14:

    Hi! I would love these so much, I leave in Boston and have been on several snowy runs already that have left me slipping all over, these would go to GREAT use, thanks!

  3. Comment by Dana on 2010 January 14:

    Nice job on the 1 more mile challenge so far! I’m training for a marathon, and I’d love to try out the IceSpikes.

  4. Comment by kchealy on 2010 January 14:

    I have the Stablicers and I like them, but these look like they’d be a good choice too. I’d love to try them out!

  5. Comment by Pete Cole on 2010 January 14:

    Hi Blaine,

    I havent tried the icespikes yet, do they really work?

    pete

  6. Comment by John Fenton on 2010 January 14:

    I had great results last week from my first experiment with screw shoes, but I also discovered what you did: they don’t last that long. After just a few runs, the three screws on the inside of each shoe from under my big toe down to the ball of my foot were worn down substantially. The lips of the screws were entirely gone, and I was already wearing into the head. On the plus side, the other screws on both shoes showed little wear. It was just the ones involved in pushing off.

  7. Comment by Tabatha on 2010 January 14:

    We always knew you had a screw lose, Blaine, with all the challenges and running you do just like the rest of us, but now you’ve proved it and we love you for it! Keep it up!!

  8. Comment by Perry on 2010 January 14:

    I’ve similar experiences with ice running — I find I naturally am more careful about having my feet right beneath me on ice. I also find myself going more slowly. I’m not in Maine, and haven’t had to go to screws. Good luck on the running; it should start hurting pretty soon I’d expect :)

  9. Comment by Chuck on 2010 January 14:

    I have had good results with screw shoes as Blaine tells how to create. One fall this season – when I didn’t wear the screw shoes!
    If the IceSpikes are a super version of screw shoes, I’d like to try them.

  10. Comment by Jane on 2010 January 14:

    I’m really in awe of the challenge you’ve taken on this month. I’ve recovered from my fall marathon and am now training for Boston. The last couple of weeks have been in snow and ice. I would love to have a chance to try the Icespikes.

    Hope the rest of the month goes well for you.

  11. Comment by Perry on 2010 January 14:

    I run on snow and ice all the time here in Chicago. It’s lots of fun (especially when people don’t shovel).

    Thanks for the tips.

  12. Comment by Jpeckiconis on 2010 January 14:

    Here’s a little something to keep in mind if you’re buying a product to keep you from slipping while walking/running/etc. If it’s something that you will be strapping on to your shoe take a look at where the things will actually be on your feet. With YakTrax there are coils that run across the bottom of your feet, with Stabilicers (32 North made right here in Biddeford Maine)the screws are dispersed. Now take a moment to think about any problems you might have had or do have with your feet…will those items be contacting those spots? Hopefully not. Happy Running!!

  13. Comment by Eric Mauricette on 2010 January 14:

    i’ve been meaning to try out screw shoes, been thinking about doing it just never had the time.

  14. Comment by Don on 2010 January 14:

    I first heard about using screws in the bottom of your running shoes from Matt Carpenter – 2X winner of the Mt. Washington Road Race – at skyruuner.com – great site!

  15. Comment by Gloria on 2010 January 14:

    I’m not having good luck with screw shoes this year, but we have had more snow than normal. Would like to try the IceSpikes.

  16. Comment by Ali on 2010 January 15:

    These could be quite useful…:D

    Actually, when i think again, maybe you should give these to someone else.
    There is still no snow where i live. There are some expectations that it will start snowing the next week or so, but you should definitely give those spikes to someone who can surely use them…
    cheers

  17. Comment by Ceri Davies on 2010 January 15:

    Thanks for this post; our ice and snow has now finally mostly gone, but I’m planning to prepare better for the next round!

  18. Comment by Diane on 2010 January 15:

    Blaine, thanks for slippery conditions tips…my new “screws” felt pretty good, didn’t seem to alter my gait I don’t think, although I ran on mostly dry roads…true test will be in a couple of days when more snow is expected.
    Thanks

  19. Comment by Drew on 2010 January 15:

    Blaine, great job so far on the challenge and thanks for the info on the ice spikes. I, too, use sheet metal screws (and YakTrax) but am always interested in trying out new stuff.

  20. Comment by Greg on 2010 January 15:

    Good luck! I figure you have a week or so before the challenge really starts to test you.

  21. Comment by Mark on 2010 January 15:

    Just think on the 30th you’ll still have another 15 miler in the evening…good luck

  22. Comment by Michael Costello on 2010 January 15:

    I was running in the trails when I hit an ice patch that I didn’t see cause it was under about a half inch of snow. I flew up in the air and landed on my back, thank God I had a fuel belt on and the bottles broke my fall. I need these Icespikes!

  23. Comment by ahmad on 2010 January 16:

    Hi Blaine! firstly i would like to thank you for your precious and useful tips and information. Second, i am living in area where we get lots of snow and icy/slippery tracks during Winter. I would appreciate the opprtuninty to have a try of IceSpikes.

    best,

  24. Pingback by Are Ice Spikes Better Than Sheet Metal Screws? @ Run to Win on 2010 February 25:

    [...] of mine so I got to test some out (and they were nice enough to give a few sets away during my 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge) so myself and the other Trail Monsters have been testing them out for the past month and a [...]

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