Snow Underfoot

Snow, ice, rocks, the smell of fresh pine, bright blue skies, soaring mountains, and the soft sound of Five Fingers running. Yep, that pretty much sums up my enjoyable Christmas Eve run in the San Gabriel Mountains between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. It was my first opportunity to run in the snow with my Vibram Five Fingers. The run was nothing short of spectacular. Well, except my toes ended up pretty much frozen after 3 miles and 1,300 feet of elevation gain.

In addition to not being used to running on snow and ice in my Five Fingers, the elevation presented a challenge. The trail started at around 5,800 feet and by the time I turned around I was at 7,100 feet. Some devilish switchbacks covered about 1000 feet in 1 mile. The combination of altitude, steep climbing, and stunning views of snow covered peaks left me breathless for a bit. I enjoyed running on the snow-covered pine forest floor at the top of the switchbacks, but my feet began to get quite cold.

The last mile was in the shade on packed snow. My toes were numb by the time I reached the car. But it was worth it. The scenery was excellent. It has been far too long since I’ve run in the mountains – my  back injury kept me from the Sierras this summer.

The run gave me an opportunity to learn what I was doing right, and what I should do differently next time:

Did Right

• Tested phone to make sure if anything terrible happened, I could call for help (it was a solo run).
• Quick cadence and a short stride helped keep me from slipping, as did landing under my center of gravity.
• Merino wool Injinji socks definitely made a difference.

Learnings for Next Time

• Filled hydropack from new tap and ran out on the run – I should measure what I put in every time. (Not a problem on such a short run, but need to get the right habits before I run 20 miles.
• A shorter run on the snow for my first time out would have been good, as my feet froze. And I will need to climatize before I’m able to run on snow for long distances.

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