Winter is just around the corner. Therefore, if you enjoy jogging all year round, it is important that you prepare yourself for jogging in icy or snowy conditions in order to prevent slipping and causing yourself an injury.
Here are some great suggestions that you should not dismiss.
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If You Are Injured While Jogging on a Slippery Surface, You May Be Able to Pursue Compensation
Just like you need to take extra care of your home during the winter, you need to take care of yourself when jogging in icy and snowy conditions in winter in order to avoid slipping and injuring yourself.
But if you slip and fall and end up with an injury, if it happens on property that is owned by someone else and is due to their negligence, you can at least file a lawsuit to claim compensation.
For instance, if you jog through a retail store’s parking lot and there is no signage to indicate areas are slippery, the business owner could be held responsible.
You could then recover damages from a slip and fall accident with the assistance of an experienced personal injury lawyer.
However, regardless of where you are jogging in the wintertime, you can avoid getting injured due to slippery conditions in the first place by remembering to take note of the following tips for staying safe.
Always Look at the Weather Forecast Before You Leave Home
Before you leave home to jog in the winter months, you should always look at the weather forecast ahead of time. When you know that there are icy or snowy conditions outside, you can better plan your jogging. For instance, you can ensure you choose the right footwear and route.
You could also decide to postpone your jogging until conditions have improved. The more prepared you are, the more you can avoid being injured in a slip and fall accident.
Always Wear the Right Footwear for Slippery Conditions
As mentioned above, wearing the right footwear for icy and snowy conditions in the winter is crucial. It is essential that you wear shoes that provide traction for running on ice and snow.
Typically, shoes made of rubber or neoprene provide better traction than shoes with plastic or leather soles. It is best to opt for trail shoes with grippy soles that are specifically designed for running in winter conditions.
You could also consider investing in lightweight over-the-shoe ice grips.
Carefully Plan Your Route
When you know that conditions are icy or snowy outside, you should take a moment to contemplate the route you are going to take. If you always follow the same route when jogging, you might need to change it during icy or snowy conditions to avoid surfaces that are notoriously slippery.
If possible, it is best to avoid roads and sidewalks during icy and snowy weather, as trails and grass surfaces generally provide better grip when it is icy or snowy.
Alternatively, you could limit yourself to jogging around a smaller area than you normally would in order to avoid slippery conditions. For instance, you could jog in a loop around local roads that you know have been gritted.
Make sure that you know what surface conditions are like before you begin jogging so that you can avoid slippery surfaces. Concrete sidewalks and residential roads can particularly be dangerous in icy or snowy conditions during the winter months.
Adapt Your Jogging Form
In addition to wearing the right footwear and planning your route, you should look at your running form and adapt it to suit the icy or snowy conditions. By doing so, you can better avoid slips and falls.
For instance, you can better prevent slipping by taking smaller steps. That will help to reduce over-striding and improve your cadence.
You should also make sure you land with your foot directly below your hip to ensure your center of mass is aligned with your feet. By doing that, you better ensure the surface area is increased when your foot contacts the ground.
When you put more weight on your foot, you are less likely to slip and fall.
Hit the Treadmill Instead
Even when you follow the above advice, when you jog in slippery winter conditions, you increase the risk of skidding or slipping. Therefore, you may want to avoid jogging in wintery conditions altogether.
Instead, hit the treadmill. You can either go to your local gym or purchase your own treadmill. You could even install your own home gym.
By switching to a treadmill, you make certain that you avoid the dangers of icy and snowy conditions. You can also jog in much warmer conditions!
