Penguins are not great
runners, but since they live most of their lives in snowy
and icy conditions, they know a thing or two about traversing
slippery terrain. It won’t be fast and it won’t
be pretty, but if runners want to stay on their feet this
winter, they should take a page out of these Arctic experts’
book.
The Arctic shuffle
No matter how hard you try
to avoid it, you will inevitably come across at least
a few slippery sections on your run during the winter.
Regardless of what type of run you’re doing (an
easy run, tempo or interval session) you should not —
we repeat, should not — just run right through it,
unless you want to end up staring at the sky. Instead,
you should slow down and adjust your gait to walk like
a penguin, following these steps:
-Point your feet slightly outward, penguin-style,
to increase your centre of gravity.
-Lean forward slightly so that your centre of gravity
is over your feet (as a bonus, if you do fall, in this
position you’ll fall forward, which is safer than
falling backward).
-Slow down and take short steps to mimic the penguins’
shuffling movements.
-Extend your arms away from your body to maintain balance.
How to fall safely
Sometimes even the most cautious of runners
slip and fall on an unseen patch of ice. The main concern
when falling is the potential for head injuries or bone
breaks or fractures, so if you find yourself in this situation,
follow these steps to incur as little damage as possible.
-If you feel yourself starting to fall,
bend your knees and try to fold your body into itself.
This will decrease the height of your fall, which will
reduce the impact when you hit the ground.
-Tuck your chin against your chest to avoid hitting your
head.
-Don’t try to break your fall with your arms (this
will likely lead to a sprain, fracture or break). Instead,
cradle your arms around your head to protect it, cross
them over your chest or simply keep them away
from your body. This will prevent them from being crushed
underneath you.
-If you can, try to turn your body and fall on your side.
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