Before you go too far with the “He did what?” thoughts, let
me back up. First, I should mention that
I purchased some new shoes a few weeks ago.
The Mizuno Wave Nirvanas that I had been running in were right at the
500 mile mark. The rule of thumb (as I’ve
known it anyway) is that running shoes should be replaced after 300-500
miles. Although I’m a big guy and probably
put more strain on shoes, I’m also very frugal so I always push it to the 500
mile mark. Now normally, I would go to a
running store for shoes, but as I was purchasing the same make and model of
shoe I shopped around online. Because of
my wife’s frequent shopping on DSW, I used some of her acquired discount
coupons and got a screaming on a new pair of Nirvanas. They’re a different color scheme than
what I’ve been using, but they’re still sharp enough. Like any runner, I was as happy as ever to
get some new kicks. Of course, I opened
up the box as soon as they were delivered, slipped in my required green Superfeet
insoles, and started wearing them around the house to break them in.
Now what to do with the old shoes? Well of course I’ll take them somewhere to be
recycled eventually, but they still had some life in them. I decided to do a bit of an experimental
project. The pair of YakTrax I use for
running in slippery winter conditions were starting to wear out from use. (The metal coils for traction were starting
to break from getting worn down on the pavement.) I then remembered this
video on Runner’s World and then also did some digging and found this instructional webpage. You can take a look at those two links, but
the gist of the idea is just to take a bunch of hex headed sheet metal screws
and screw them into the bottom of your shoes for winter running traction.
That second link suggests the use of a cordless drill, but I
thought that might be a bit extreme for my first go at this. Instead I used just a plain screwdriver as
Runner’s World suggests. I then quickly
gave that up as it was a PAIN IN THE A$$.
Even with the screw’s sharp point and aggressive thread, there is no way
a person could put enough pressure on the screwdriver to drive it into the shoe
without the flathead bit slipping out of the flathead slot of the screw. Looking for alternatives, I went into my “mechanics
toolkit,” found a hex head screwdriver bit, and went “Duh!” For the #8 screws I had, a 1/4” bit drove the
screws in easily. (After the fact, I watched
the Runner’s world video again. They cheat
and pre-drill holes for the screws.)
As far as the screw pattern on the bottom of the shoe, I
just sort of winged it. I wanted a
decent amount in back so I wouldn’t slip running down a slippery downhill. Of course, I also wanted a decent amount on
the forefoot so I could actually propel myself forward in slippery
conditions. I wound up installing 13
screws in the first shoe, coming out with this:
I then just basically copied this pattern on the second shoe
and bazinga! A pair of screw shoes!
I’ve run in these for two runs now and they’re great, better
than running with YakTrax. The YakTrax
are good if you’re running in patchy snow and ice. You can take them on and off if you would
like. However, I never do that. I hate to stop during a run unless I have
to. Yes, with the screw shoes the screws
are now always on my shoes and the screws can wear down on the bare
pavement. So what? I replace a 5 cent screw. It beats having to replace a $40 plus pair of
YakTrax. Oh and lastly, the screws are
much less added weight on your feet than the YakTrax. Today’s run I wore the screw shoes because
there was 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground.
It was bad enough slogging through that in just the screw shoes. The YakTrax would’ve really tired my
legs.
If you have an older pair of running shoes that you can add
some screws to for winter running traction, I would definitely recommend you
giving this a try. There are however
some things to keep in mind –
- Only use the hex head or combination hex head sheet metal
screws. It might be obvious but the
rounded head screws ain’t gonna help much for traction. The points and edges of the hex shape cut
into the snow and ice for the traction.
- As I mentioned, I used 1/2” long screws. This was perfect for the rear of the shoe,
but in the forefoot I had to be really careful about screw placement. There just isn’t as much rubber and foam in
the front as in the rear. If you can
find them, try 3/8” or even 1/4” screws – especially for the front of the shoe
(and especially if you wear minimalist shoes).
The shortest sheet metal screws I could find at any local hardware store
were the 1/2”. Besides only installing
screws on the thicker spots of the outsole, I felt pretty safe that the screws
wouldn’t poke through to my feet since my Superfeet insoles are pretty
thick. (Plus, if they did I just
received a tetanus shot booster this past summer.) I will say though that before today’s run (my
second screw shoe run) I looked at the underside of my insole. The most forward screw by the toes was coming
through a bit, enough to mark up the insole.
I decided that it was probably a pretty good idea to move the screw
further to the outside edge of the outsole where there was more rubber and
foam. I needed additional forefoot
traction as well from the first screw shoe run, so I added a second screw on
the opposite edge of the forefoot.
- Don’t even try to install the screws with a flathead screwdriver. Learn from my mistakes. Go with the hex head bit straight away.
- Also, if you use shoes that you have been using for winter
running, clean the outsoles off first. I
totally didn’t think about this and they were so full of dirt and salt… well my
hands were really gross afterwards.
- Lastly, don’t be stupid with this project and don’t
somehow hurt yourself. I’m saying right
now to use your own discretion and don’t blame me if something happens. I’m not an expert on anything and I’m
certainly not making you do this project.
(Ok, that’s enough legal lawyer speak.
It had to be said, but just saying that stuff made my skin crawl.)
Speaking for myself though, I’m glad I did this
project. Installing the screws reminded
me of high school track. All of us scurrying
around on the bus, borrowing needle nose pliers or spike tools, trying to change
the spikes in our shoes in time for the meet.
Most important though, these screw shoes actually work pretty darn
well. Like I said, today’s 3 mile run
with 2 inches of fresh snow was great. No
slipping at all. Will I be doing 6 miles
in that same snow tomorrow though? I
might just settle for 4.
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