At this time of year there are about 4 hours of daylight each day in the area of Sweden that I was in. It's possible to run outside of these hours as the town roads have street lights but it's obviously harder to go off the beaten track in the dark and you also miss out on some spectacular scenery if you do! Luckily it wasn't too cold this year and I was running in temperatures between 2C and -8C - nothing that running coat, winter tights and hat & gloves couldn't handle!
The Swedish roads I was running on were like this:
The Swedish roads I was running on were like this:
Beautiful, ice covered roads (not much snow this year), stretching through the Swedish forest or around the odd lake! It took a little while to get used to the Gel-Arctic shoes but after 15 minutes I was well into my stride and had a number of amazing runs over the Christmas period.
So the Asics Gel-Arctics look like this. Good looking shoes in black, yellow and grey with leather toe cover and Asics logo right on the front.
 |
| Asics Gel-Arctic 4 |
So what makes these Asics shoes so good for Winter Running then? Well, the key thing with the Asics Gel-Arctics is on the sole - metal spikes amongst the standard plastic / rubber traditional grip. The spikes aren't sharp like track spikes though, they are more like small metal posts that dig into / grip the ice. They can also be screwed in and out like football boot studs.
 |
| Asics Gel-Arctic 4 spikes |
Anyway, Asics Gel-Arctic shoes are well worth the investment if you can find them and you want to run around in cold places!
I own 2 pair of the Asics Arctic studded shoes and have been very pleased! Each shoe comes with 10 - 1/4" (7mm) Xmas Tree (or compression) type standard "track shoes type" screw in studs. They take a little getting used to when you are accustomed to Kayano or Cumulus (etc...) models, but it's a small price to pay and quickly overcome.
ReplyDeleteI replaced my steel studs with ceramic type studs (easy to find on ebay). They are lighter but will wear out quickly on asphalt or concrete. I had good results with them though- and they don't rust from the ice and salt.
I don't know of any other running shoe of this type by another manufacturer except Asics. I love mine and would recommend them to any runner- even if ice and snow are only an occasional factor in your area.
I also have 2 pairs of Gel Arctic and am more then pleased. My problem is finding replacements for them as they are now wearing out
ReplyDeleteI went running in them today in the Norwegian woods. I screwed out the spikes, and they make for a great trail running shoe.
ReplyDeleteMine are in the cupboard waiting for snow, I didn't think of using them as a trail shoe! Wish they would sell Asics Arctics in the UK, I'd buy another pair if they did!
ReplyDelete