Ugly Shoes are great Winter Running Shoes

Remember Ugly Shoes?  I sure can't.  They most certainly are ugly but surprise, surprise...they are great in the snow! Who would have guessed.

Last summer I bought these Ugly Running Shoes at Marshalls. Now before I get any hate mail or comments, Marshalls is a wonderful store with some great deals on lots of fashionable items. Marshalls however is NOT the place to buy a pair of serious running shoes...even if the prices are ridiculously low.

I confess to a moment of weakness when I saw this pair and purchased immediately after I tried them on in the store.  They didn't look so bad in the store.  Must have been the lighting!  Once home however and paired with my running gear the truth revealed itself: These were ugly running shoes. But I didn't throw them out. Instead I shoved them to the back of a shelf in our store room and forgot about them.

Then a few weeks ago after a particularly slippy run in the snow with my regular Puma's, I went hunting for the Ugly Shoes. Hmmm...I wonder how they'd work in the snow?

I tried them out after last weekend's dump and was very pleasantly surprised with the performance in the sidewalk slop that passes for snow in the City.  Lots of traction...Wow!  I felt more confident running. Plus because they are really ugly I don't mind running in them in the sloppy and salty conditions.  And they don't even retain salt stains!

So despite being very unkind referring to these Ugly Shoes, they are great for running in the snow.  Who knew...!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Let it snow, let it snow...

View from our Balcony

Jetola in Houston was freezing cold last week as the "MegaStorm" or whatever it was called swept through the US South from Texas through Virginia.

Larry in New York and Deb in Boston were dealing with the massive snow dump that shut down the US North East for a couple of days.  At one point I was speak to someone in Baltimore and he said it was snowing so hard he "could almost hear the snow falling!"  That some serious Snow!

North of Toronto in the 'Snow Belt' (Barrie up to the Muskoka Cottage Country and across Georgian Bay to Collingingwood and beyond) it's snowed so much that they'll still have snow on the ground in July!  A slight exaggeration but not by much.  When we lived in Wasaga Beach on the shores of Georgian Bay we had 10 foot high snow banks on both sides of our driveway and it was early June before it all melted.  Now that we've been apartment dwellers in Toronto for the past couple of years, I can honestly say I don't mind winter.

That was until this past winter.  Even though we haven't had quite the same snow fall in Toronto, it's screwed up my outdoor running.  From the home owners who don't clear the sidewalks in front of their homes, to the ridiculous amounts of salt and Calcium Chloride dumped on the roads in the city of Toronto, it's been messy running.  Plus with the ridiculously cold temperatures, I've been using absolutely all my winter running gear this year.

But thorough it all...the snow, the cold, the ice, we've all been running.  I've seen more runners on the roads around our home while out running before dawn. We grunt greetings as we pass.  It's a great feeling to know that we won't let winter defeat us. so a Salute to Jet, Larry, Deb and all my fellow running friends affected by the crazy winter:  Let it snow, let it snow...!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Running in the snow in Toronto

A few years ago when living in Wasaga Beach running on hard packed snow was normal in winter. It was actually safer than it sounds:  Wasaga Beach used sand on the roads and this provided some decent traction. And combined with a lack of salt, there was not much ice.  On many early morning runs after the frequent snowfalls making tracks through freshly fallen snow was truly special.

Fast forward a couple of years to this winter in Toronto!  Who ordered the snow!

One of the 'nice' things about winter in Toronto is the lack of snow.  At least that was how it was up until this year.  We've had frequent snowfalls and with below freezing temperatures it's been sticking around.  I've had to re-learn snow running techniques from Wasaga Beach!  Normally that wouldn't have been too bad but the real challenge has been the ice.  Snow control in Toronto is all about the salt.  Regular salt, sodium chrloride makes things sloppy and dirty when temperatures are near freezing.  As the temperature drops into the deep freeze levels...and we've had that too this winter...the salt stops working and the slush turns to ice.  And that's no fun!

With winter officially only 12 days old now it looks to be 'interesting' running ahead for the next few months. So far no slips or falls but the winter is early.  Stay tuned...

Oh and remember, 'Don't eat the yellow snow'! :)

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy