Trail runners are all about dirt and they can talk about that endlessly. However, when it is winter, it is snow that creates quite a tricky situation for runners. If not being careful, snowy trails often turn dangerous with accidents and injuries that can be avoided if you know the basics.  

Snow Assessment

You will be surprised to know that like trail running, snow too, has lots of types and words related to it. Knowing the snow, you are going to run on is as important as knowing the grass on the football field. Similarly, skiers also know a lot about snow, they can be dusty, dry, slushy, packed, icy, or fresh. On one side you will find the snow to be powdery and on the other hand, it can be as hard as concrete. Embrace the mentality of the skier and know the snow on the trail.

Traction and Footwear

Traction and footwear go hand in hand. In other words, the footwear you will wear on the trail depends on the snow. Snow that is soft and fresh, a trail shoe is enough to suffice. Fresh snow is known to provide better traction. On the other hand, if the snow is more into slushy or icy kind, strapping a pair of ice cleats or ice grippers is a good choice. They are good for providing extra traction when the trail is too slippery or covered by snow.

Do Not Worry About Pace

Running on a snowy trail is a bit of a challenge, no doubt. It requires a lot of effort to run on such trails. The professional snow runners also put more effort than pace when they are running on such trails. If you are doing it for the first time or have done it before, the concept is simple, you forget about how consistent you are in your pace and enjoy the new terrains. If it helps, get your music gear on the trail and use the song to maintain your moderate pace while looking at your feet to avoid tripping and falling.

Work on Your Gait

The trails you are not familiar will affect your gait and it is bound to change without you even knowing about it. When you are running on snow, showing off your technical skills is not a good idea. Instead, you should keep a low profile. Picking up your feet the usual way when you are running on the snow, leaves more room for mistakes that leads to tripping and falling.  

To overcome such difficulty, maintain your feet as low to the ground as possible. This will keep injuries like, spinning, slipping, muscle straining, and splits at bay. Though, it is not as exciting as prancing around, but it is better than bailing out in the middle of the track due to some injury.

Do Not Forget About Clothing

Apart from just wearing the right shoe, and assessing the snow, you also need to layer up correctly to ensure warmth and keep frostbite at bay. Layer up is the right strategy when you are running in a frigid environment. A moisture-wicking base layer followed by a thin and breathable mid-layer and lastly, the wind and water-resistant outer layer is the right clothing idea when you are out in the sub-zero temperature.

Also, do not forget to tell your friends and family, where you are going for the run. It is important to know your whereabouts in time of emergencies.