Cheeks are red, toes are numb, and practically the only sound to be heard comes from the gentle thud of snow falling from pine boughs. There are few cars in the trailhead parking lots: perhaps a few cross-country skiers and dog walkers.
No matter which trail or carriage road you choose to run on, you know it’s going to be hard for you. It’s going to be cold, especially at first, until your core temperature rises and your circulation gets flowing.
As the hum of cars and trucks dissipate and the chattering of people’s problems and the noise of life recede, you are left listening to the sound of your own breath and the creaking bones of trees heavy with snow, broken only by the occasional screech of a falcon or hawk in flight. You become conscious of the crunch of that hard top layer of snow, of the way snow pools on top of boulders.
The silence is enveloping, intoxicating, invigorating. This is running in winter; this is running into the woods when most are running towards shelter.
We asked three of the region’s most rugged runners about their favorite winter loops. What apparel do they recommend? What gear or equipment can minimize the roadrunner’s fear of falling, or at least of falling often? What winter running tips might they pass on to the layperson?
Here’s what they said
Tom Eickelberg, a triathlete, is committed to running outdoors this entire winter as he trains to defend his title in the S.O.S. (Survival of the Shawangunks). What he recommends most is a headlamp. A good headlamp can get you outside and off the ‘dreadmill,’ he says. “Biolite is my favorite [brand], but stop by Rock and Snow and they’ll help you out,” he says.
He calls wool socks crucial. For chapped skin and lips he swears by Bag Balm. “It’s a lifesaver,” he says. “It’s made from Lanolin, so I feel like Ron Burgundy when I use it.”
Jason Friedman, an ER doctor and accomplished ultrarunner, hosts the popular ultrarunning podcast, The Pain Cave. For off-road running, he advocates for microspikes or nanospikes, or screw-shoes or studded shoes. They’re a huge benefit, he says, if you don’t want to take a spill on the ice. Microspikes and nanospikes are easy to slip on and off, and allow runners to head off into the trails even when there’s snow and ice.
Like Eickelberg, Friedman thinks Merino wool socks are critical apparel for winter running. “I use Smartwool or FITS and my Patagonia Houdini — insanely lightweight, windproof, and packable.”
Phil Vondra, well-known local ultrarunner who recently completed the infamous Vol-State ultramarathon, a grueling 314-mile race across Tennessee, said that his go-to for slippery runs are Icebug shoes that have built -in spikes. “They are great for ice but a bit heavy for longer runs,” he says. “I also layer up. Overdressing is a good way to get out the door!”
Going fully outdoors
Why are they continuing to train outdoors? Vondra says that he “likes to see the winter landscapes.” With most of the vegetation gone, he explained, he gets to see details of the landscape that are obscured in other seasons. He also “loves the frost.”
Eickelberg, who in previous winters remained on an indoor trainer, is
“going fully outdoors” this year. “I’m only going to hit the bike trainer or treadmill if it’s too snowy or icy on the trails,” he avers. “I figure the cold will increase my overall discomfort tolerance.”
What this triathlete says he enjoys most about winter running is “the quiet, especially when there’s some snow on the ground. Summer is never as quiet as winter. and I think there’s something to learn from that silence.”
Friedman is going to attempt a second tour of the Leadville 100-mile run at high altitudes in Colorado, as well as the Lake Sonoma 100K this April (Cpvid permitting). Winter is not his favorite season to run, he confesses. but nonetheless he’s put there six days a week. “I don’t like the cold, or the shorter days or the narrower roads, but I do like the woods with most of the leaves off the trees — it makes it easier to pick out some of the birds of prey and other wildlife.”
Eichelnerg picked Godzilla Hill just off the Undercliff/Overcliff intersection at the West Trapps on the Mohonk Preserve as the most spectacular winter run in the area. “It has a great spot at the top with a big southern view,” he says. This hill is also one of the last grueling, punishing climbs in the S.O.S., which includes 19 miles of carriage road running along with a three-lake swim and a 30-mile bike ride.
“Obviously, part of me hates Godzilla,” he confesses, “but I’ve been trying to get myself to the top once a week to see the sunset.” He finds Guyot’s Hill, also in the Preserve, “really cool in the winter.” From there, you can see some of the old downhill ski trails by the old Mohonk Preserve Visitor’s Center off Mountain Rest Road from back in the day.
Do what you can
Vondra thinks few trails can top the Millbrook Ridge Trail if the snows not too deep. “If I can get to Skytop, it’s hard to beat those views!”
Vondra has his eyes set on running a hilly 74-mile race called The Georgia Death Race in March. Eickelberg is training for the local SOS and the smaller but challenging Cape Cod SOS this coming summer. Both Friedman and Vondra also have their sights set on the Yeti 100-mile race in Virginia this September.
For now, they’re on the trails and the carriage roads. If those become too icy or snowy, they have Lenape Lane as a staple or some of the more bucolic roads to run. All three do a lot of winter cross-training like snowshoeing, ski mountaineering, trekking in the Catskills and Nordic skiing.
Parting advice: “Stay warm, have traction, check if it’s windy, run with others if you can. Do what you can, depending on the conditions. It’s all about having fun,” says Vondra.
If you’re not a person who likes crowds, it’s hard to beat the sound of silence on the beautiful, blustery, winter runs.
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