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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Trail Falling

So, now that I knew how to fall safely, I decided to look up more specific information on "trail falling". Similar to "general falling", the experts caution against trying to break your fall... except when tripping forward down a hill because a broken arm is better than a broken neck. They also suggest that the reason why most runners fall on trails is that they either (1) get lazy and don't pick their feet up high enough and/or (2) zone out... tree roots are a lot less forgiving than a flat road! In order to "recover quicker" from a fall, this article (from Trail Runner Magazine, June 2009 in case the link doesn't work) suggests employing the tuck-and-roll method, at least on less technical trails. They also point out that you should try not to fall in the first place if you are trying to be really quick. In order to spend more time vertically than horizontally:
  • Tilt your pelvis forward to engage your abdominal muscles to make you more stable, especially on technical, rocky declines.
  • Imagine you're running on eggshells. Skim over the ground, lightly touching the ground with your feet, particularly in rocky sections.
  • Use compact form. Shorten your stride to keep your feet underneath your body which maintains your balance and conserves energy. You're most likely to trip when fatigue slows your normal stride to a stiff shuffle.
  • Keep your chin down and eyes scanning 10 yards ahead on uphill or flat terrain, 30 yards ahead on downhill sections. 
  • On steep descents, carry your arms wider than normal to help maintain balance.

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