So you’ve got great running shoes that fit just-right with the type and weight of socks you like to wear, and along comes cold or wet or wind – or some nasty combination of the three.  Do you spend a hundred-exty bucks for a new pair of shoes sized-up to fit a couple pair of heavy socks?  Or maybe even more for ones with a Gore-tex interlayer that makes them (somewhat) waterproof?  Tough it out with wet cold toes?  Or just hang it up until the weather clears?

Another alternative, and one I think is the best of the bunch, is these Hyperlite Stormsocks, by Seirus.  They’re thin enough to fit in your regular shoes, over your regular socks, and as far as I’ve found they’re totally effective at keeping out water, snow and wind.  In fact, it’s kind of interesting to step in a frigid puddle with ‘em, ‘cause for a second you think your feet are getting soaked, then a moment later you realize they’re totally dry – it was just the rapid heat loss due to water being more dense than air, which goes away as soon as you’re no longer stepping in it and the normal bending motions of running squeeze most of the moisture out of the fabric and padding of your shoes.

And the best part?  Unlike a water-proof shoe, Stormsocks are tall enough to protect your ankles as well, and prevent gaper-gap with running tights (I put the socks on first, then pull tights on over them to keep it all sleek and make sure any water that rains or splashes onto my legs will run down outside the Stormsocks, not in.  Though they’re not insulated, that extra layer adds warmth too – I’ve run in very thin low-top socks plus these, in shoes that have really-open mesh uppers for summer ventilation, and been comfortable on icy roads in temps down in the twenties.  Only below about twenty five do I switch to a pair of calf-high wool-blend socks (Seirus makes those too, as do SmartWool and others) with the Stormsocks on top to cut the wind.  If it’s too harsh outside for that combo, it’s time to take up mushing.

They say in life, it’s the little things that count; so if you want to keep on runnin’ when the weather gets sloppy, I suggest you get your little piggies to market and pick up some Stormsocks, pronto.

Long trail runs demand plenty of hydration – but who wants to lug a ton of water up a mountain?

One answer that works for me is to carry two bottles, both filled before I start. One is a standard water bottle, the other is a Katadyn bottle with built-in filter. I drink from that one first, and whenever I pass a creek or pond, unscrew the cap and pull it off, bringing the filter with it. Dunk the bottle far enough to fill it to the line, screw in the filter and cap, and I’m re-supplied in seconds. According to its website, Katadyn is the only EPA approved filter-in-a-bottle, and it removes viruses, bacteria, cysts and chemicals. I’ve been doing this for several years, drinking from streams and lakes in mountains, desert and ranchland (un-cooked cows are not hygienic…) and never a trace of any untoward reaction.

That other bottle of tap water from home? I keep it in reserve, in case I empty the filter bottle before finding a new source. Doesn’t happen very often, but it’s reassuring to always have a full bottle available, even when you’re miles and hours away from the trailhead.

Another bonus – if you refill from a cold mountain stream, you get to drink refreshingly cold water. Try that with a bladder that’s been on your back for twelve miles in the sunshine!

My Katadyn (pictured)

is an older model; check out the website for the latest:

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/katadyn-mybottle-purifier-blue-splash-1/

One of the great things about running is the low entry cost – even a really good pair of shoes cost nothing compared to a decent road-bike. Maybe that’s why I waited years before trying out a GPS – that and the clunky look of early GPS watches – like something Darth Vader would strap to your wrist so he could monitor your actions and deactivate you if you misbehaved.

The Nike+ Sportwatch caught my eye for its (relatively) sleek styling, decent price (again, all things are relative), and claims of simple operation, which turn out to be true. One touch of a button sets it searching for satellites, and once it has connected with them, just one more touch starts it timing and tracking. One final touch at the end of a run and your route, time, distance, elevation and pace are all recorded, to be downloaded automatically when plugged into a USB port with internet access.

You can interact more if you wish – scrolling thru functions is easy enough even with sweaty or gloved fingers – but you may not have to, since you get to choose which function is displayed in extra-large easy-to–read numerals (I like to see my pace, a moment-by-moment coach which has turned out to be very instructive), plus a second in smaller numerals.

https://secure-nikeplus.nike.com/plus/products/sport_watch/

I haven’t tried any other GPS watches to compare, but then again, I haven’t felt any desire to. My Nike+ is a faithful tool and I never run without it!

Quibbles to be aware of: I find the pace displayed while I’m running is often faster than what shows up in the permanent record on the website. Perhaps there is some accuracy-correction going on in the home-ware, but it’s disappointing to see a 6:06 pace on your wrist (cruising down a very steep hill mind you….) and then find the recorded profile shows you were really barely breaking 7 minutes. Elevation can be similarly squirrely, with one beachfront-run registering 95 ft above sea level when I could hardly credit 40’, given I was in sight of the waves across a hundred yards of not very steep sand.

The website is a bit cryptic in its instructions, but I’ve found Nike’s technical assistance very helpful.

Be aware also, that if you let the rechargeable battery go to zero, the watch will re-set to some years-ago date when charged-up again. If you don’t re-set the time and date before your next run, it will get recorded in 2005 or something. All is not lost though, you can e-mail tech. service and they will put you back into the present day.

One thing that really works for this MPR, is Apple’s I-Pod Shuffle. Tiny and practically weightless, it livens up long runs with an absolute minimum of complication.

I wear mine clipped onto a terry-cloth wristband (which is there primarily to blot up whatever needs blotting up as the miles accumulate). That lets me raise it up in front of my face when I want to adjust the volume or skip a song, but keeps it out of the way the other 99.9% of the time.

The original ear buds never felt right in my ears, so I use a pair of inexpensive Panasonic’s I found at a discount store, that stay in place through anything, and have the additional benefit of being a cool blue color.

Run the headphone cord up your arm – under the innermost layer of clothing so it stays put during the after-warm-up strip-down – then out the collar, and you’ve got a no-fuss mini-sound system that turns any run into the staircase scene from Rocky.

http://www.apple.com/ipod-shuffle/