McKinnick Trail - Sandpoint, Idaho...Break out the Sheet Metal Screws!

I ran up at Mckinnick Trail this morning. Lots of snow and lots of ice! My buddy Matt had a great idea for running up there this time of year.

As you can see from the above picture, I simply put some sheet metal screws around the outside edges of my shoe. I have 7 screws in each shoe. I went with my old Saucony Kinvaras which still had some decent tread left. The screws worked better than the Yak-Traks I was using previously.

Dosewallips and I at the turnaround.

Matt carefully working his way down another icy patch.

Day 3 - Time for Traction

Day number three today. Again, I am not making any commitments other than seeing if I can establish a habit this winter when it comes to my running. Usually, when I begin something like this I have a concrete goal in mind. This is actually a best practice when setting a goal, but related to running it hasn't always worked for me! Anyhow, it was Day 3.

I only ran 2.5 miles. I used a variation of the Yak Trax today because there is still a ton of ice on the trail. As far as distance is concerned, it is all I could fit in today, but figured exercise is exercise! My goal is to establish a good base so I can train for a fast half-marathon. I hope to run the Couer d'Alene Half-Marathon in May. My goal to run under 1:30. I think I can make it happen, as long as I stick with this during the winter.

I am amazed at some of the running streaks I have found online. I am actually pleased to get to 3 days in a row. I know, lame, but I have been running about 3 days a week with a longer run on the weekend. The challenge will be to string some days together. We shall see!

Check out the following sites:
Running Streak Registry
Jon Sutherland 44 year streak article

Enjoy!

Dose running past me going for some water!

Day 2 - Running in the Snow in North Idaho

Okay, day number 2. I ran 3.9 miles with Michelle and Dosewallips. Dose kept running away and exploring. A good run in the woods. Lots of ice and snow on the path. We had to run slow to keep from sliding off the path and into the trees. We did see another set of wolf tracks. It is doubtful I will do any night running over the next few weeks in the woods.

Michelle finishing a fairly long climb. The snow is melting!

Mile Repeats on the Trails

How many of you have ever followed a training plan that included intervals, tempo runs, or speed work of any kind? Most runners have and most end up doing track work. I don't have anything against track workouts, it's just that I don't have any interest in doing them anymore. I would rather continue to hit the trails. A wise man (or woman) once said, "Hills are just speedwork in disguise." Most of the trails around here have plenty of hills, so I should get plenty of "speedwork".

This morning I hit the Port Gamble Trail System again. I ran 5 miles or so looking for a nice single track loop to do some future mile repeats. I found a sweet loop of approximately 1.25 miles or so. The loop included beautiful rolling single track interspersed with a stretch of logging road. For those of you who live locally, start at Gate 3 and hit the single track between G-2100 and G-1800. If you are interested in repeat loops of any distance, you will have a blast. The photos on this post all come from the mile loop, the view is quite a bit better than what you will see at the track.


This evening I plan on exploring another section of single track up near G-1700 and G-1800. The single track isn't listed on the map, but I will try to describe it well enough for the locals to check it out! Click here for map of the area.

Looking for an article regarding a workout trilogy for a hectic schedule? Click here for a good article from Trail Runner Magazine.