48 MensHealth.com | December 2016
2 / TRAIL RUNNING
Fitness + Muscle
Peay does a form of Nordic ski-
ing called skate skiing, the kind
you see in the Olympics. It makes
use of shorter skis that allow the
skier to push off to the side like ice
skaters do. Poles are used for bal-
ance and propulsion. “Unlike on a
bike, where only certain body parts
are getting a workout, Nordic ski-
ers need to use their whole body
to propel forward,” Peay says. That
can deliver a burn of 735 calories
an hour. You’ll spend less time
looking like a baby giraffe if you
practice these drills.
BALANCE YOUR POWER With your
skis on, stand flat and shift your
weight from side to side, your body
going over each ski. Do this for two
minutes. Then hop from side to
side for two minutes. Do those
drills often. “The concept of shift-
ing your weight from ski to ski is
critical in skating,” says U.S. Ski
Team cross-country coach Chris
Grover. The drills teach you how
to balance on your skis, fully shift
your weight over each ski, and dis-
tribute your weight evenly. That
can help prevent problems like
catching your inner edge and not
having enough glide.
BUILD YOUR STAMINA Once you’re
ready, ski: Shift your weight
directly over your right ski, dig its
edge into the snow, and push off,
your left ski gliding flat atop the
snow. Push off with your poles
too. As you begin to move forward,
transfer your weight and repeat
the motion with your left ski, your
right ski on top of the snow. Keep
going, pushing with one leg and
gliding with the other. Dig your
poles in after every other leg
thrust. Aim to glide for a total of
about two minutes on each leg.
Fischer CRS Skate
They’re great for general fitness
skiing and not too bad on your
wallet. $250, rei.com
GEAR UP!
Sure it’s cold, but winter can be the best time
to hone your form and extend your endurance.
When Nathan Ansbaugh, 32, left Oregon
for the long, stressful hours of an emergency-
medicine residency in Minneapolis, he ded-
icated himself to hitting the trails no matter
what the weather. That might have seemed
crazy considering Minnesota’s long, frigid
winters. But Ansbaugh began
exploring the snow-packed
trails around the Twin Cit-
ies and developed a workout
routine that complemented
his new life as a resident, his
desire for athletic intensity,
and the reality of really bad
weather. The result? Intro-
spective time that pays off
when summer arrives.
“In winter I don’t focus on
times and distances or pace
or intervals,” he says. “I run
three or four times a week
and think more about form.
Best of all, I can take time
to explore,” says Ansbaugh.
“Your footprints are always there in the snow
to lead you back to the car.”
To run snow-packed trails, you need more
balance and improved fundamentals.
FINE-TUNE YOUR FORM Winter trail running
requires a careful foot strike to avoid falls.
Concentrate on landing on the balls of your feet
to safeguard yourself on slippery winter trails.
“I slip if I’m heel striking,” says Ansbaugh. A
shorter stride offers stability and distributes
the impact more evenly. When it comes toyour workouts, change them up. “If you run
three days a week, vary your length and speed
each day,” says Alex Viada, c.s.c.s., co-owner
of Complete Human Performance, a training
facility in Durham, North Carolina. He suggests
doing a day of intervals (10 fast quarter-mile
efforts, for example), a day of tempo work (run
for 30 minutes at a pace that’s too fast for you
to carry on a conversation),
and a day of slower, longer-
distance running.
UPGRADE YOUR FOOTWEAR If
you plan to challenge your-
self on steep, icy runs, invest
in winter trail running shoes
with built-in traction spikes
or specialized soles (see left).
But for most packed snow
and even untracked snow,
warm-season trail runners
work just fine. In fact, you
may want to stay away from
shoes with waterproof or
breathable membranes,
because any water that gets
inside can’t escape. That
makes your feet soggy and causes blisters.
DOUBLE YOUR WARMUP To avoid injury on cold
winter days, a proper warmup is critical. Ans-
baugh takes a lap or two in a jacket and then
sheds it after he’s primed. He braves the cold
with a system of layers: tights, pants (fleece-
lined for the truly frigid days), and a wicking
long-sleeved top. For milder temperatures, he
brings a weather-resistant soft shell. He also
wears thick, wind-resistant gloves and keeps
a balaclava on hand so his nose won’t freeze.Where to Go
Golden Gate
Canyon, Colorado
About 30 miles from
Denver, it’s a stunning
35-mile network
of p ac ke d t r a i l s f o r
all levels.Saucony Razor Ice+
With their grippy soles—
perfect for snowy ascents—
these shoes are the snowcat
machines of the running-
shoe world. $180, rei.comGEAR UP!Stephen Matera/Tandem Stock (previous), Adie Bush/Cultura/Aurora Photos (trail running)