« Week of January 1st | Main | Weekend Happenings and Mishappenings »
January 3, 2007
Seeking Advice From Snowshoe Runners
I am very much a snowshoe running newbie, so I have a few questions for those who know about this sort of thing:
1) In snowshoe running, if I run faster, I glide over the snow more, and sink in less. Thus, the primary effort is cardiovascular, rather than muscular. However, the cardiovascular effort required to maintain the glide is rather high. In the example of last weekend's 3-hour snowshoe run, my heart rate stayed higher throughout the workout than what it would be for a 3-hour long run, so that I could maintain some semblance of gliding through the powder. Alternatively, if I run slower, I sink in more. The resulting effort is more muscular than cardiovascular. That is, my heart rate stays lower, but my leg muscles fatigue faster than what they would in the same amount of running. I'm having trouble finding a happy medium between the two. Does it exist? Do I just need more snowshoeing fitness? I'm (happily) limited to snowshoe running almost exclusively on powder, rather than a groomed surface, which I suspect contributes to this condundrum.
2). I'm experiencing tail drag syndrome. I can feel the snowshoe tails hitting the ground before my feet (and I see it when I look back at my tracks). They hit and drag until the rest of the snowshoe comes down. I have to significantly modify my gait to prevent any tail dragging (as in, super-high knees, like I'm doing a plyometric drill or something), which doesn't seem practical. I run in snowshoes with a spring-loading system and I recall one of the benefits of this loading is that it is supposed to prevent (reduce?) tail dragging. Is this just going to happen on some level no matter what, and I need to get used to it? It seems that the spring loading is working when I mess around with it; however, is there a chance it's not working right? (Maybe I should just call the store I bought my snowshoes from with this question, but I thought I'd ask some other runners also.)
Thanks, all!
Posted by Meghan at January 3, 2007 7:16 PM
Comments
Hi Meghan, it sounds like you might be using redfeather snow shoes since they have the tail. I am a big fan of Dion Snowshoes. http://www.dionsnowshoes.com/info.html
They are much smaller and lighter but still regulation size and are easier to use because of their design. They offer a variety of crampons that you can interchange depending on snow conditions which is very helpful. I find the type of snowshoe you use makes a BIG difference in snowshoe effort and comfort. Your first question is interesting. I am always running slow in my snowshoes but I'll ask Mark, my husband, to read your question and see what he thinks. He is a great and fast snowshoe runner who is currently training for Nationals.
Posted by: Mary at January 4, 2007 10:38 AM
Hey Meghan, Mark and I are reading your entry now and these are Mark's comments: As for the tail hitting the ground, the tail is always going to hit the ground first unless you are climbing uphill because of the natural heal to toe foot strike that is found in any running/walking gait. The spring loaded system should prevent your tail from scrapping the ground as your foot is moving from the tail position to the forward position. A smaller shoe will create less drag. Mark is repeating some of what I said above, Dion shoes are light and skinny so when they do drag you hardly notice it and they don't widen your gait. With regards to your first question, if you are running in powdery snow you will sink no matter what and your legs will quickly get fatigued because your quads and hamstrings are overworked and your heart rate will go up. If you want a break from the deep snow running that requires all that heavy work, snow machine trails are great to run on and don't require as much work. Usually when you snowshoe run you do a lot of both, gliding and sinking depending on the conditions and trails. Mark is really IMPRESSED that you can do 3 hours of snowshoe running! Keep training hard!
Posted by: Mary at January 4, 2007 7:31 PM
Mary and Mark,
Thanks so much for the advice! I have the Atlas Run model of snowshoes. They just have a little tail (I guess I was referring to the back of the snowshoe in general dragging.). They are 22 inches long. I'm glad to learn from some snowshoeing experts that I just have to suck it up and get used to these 2 conditions if I am to be a snowshoe runner. Hah! Thanks again! I do feel like my quads are getting bigger (I notice my jeans are tighter in that area.) this winter. That's good for snowshoeing, and I hope not bad for endurance running.
Mark, good luck with snowshoeing nationals! (I would like to race the regional qualifier for this area, but it's the weekend before I start racing in Costa Rica, so the timing isn't superb.)
Posted by: Meghan at January 5, 2007 12:57 PM