Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Every day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the twenty-first day of the month is "Safety."
*****************
I took the dog to the dog park yesterday even though it was cold. I did it because it WAS cold and I knew Hannah and I would be there with only other hardcore folks. Before we left, though, I put my Yak Trax on my boots. I have written about my Yak Trax before, but I think it bears repeating that if you spend time outside where it is icy or snowy, it's probably worth your money to invest in a pair of these suckers.
As many of you know, about a decade ago, I broke my leg in a spectacularly embarrassing fall on ice. (Just as a sidenote: having a blog that spans half your life is really helpful when you need to know exactly how long ago traumas in your past are.) Since then, I've been more careful than the average bear about slip and falls. I'm anxious about walking on snow and ice is what I'm saying.
So if you run during the winter or you walk a lot and you haven't gotten on the Yak Trax wagon yet, please consider it. You'll thank me later when you don't have to do a year of rehab and go through the special machine at the airport because your leg sets off metal detectors!
*****************
To see what Bestest Friend has to say about the theme of the day, visit her at Too Legit to Quit.
I've never heard of Yak Tray but I want some. I walk outside on hilly terrain and in the winter I often find myself shuffling more than walking. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteIf it's icy on those hills, I definitely recommend them!
DeleteI am writing a Favourite Things for this week, and one of those things is something very similar to this. They are actual spikes though (so once you put them on don't walk on the hardwood) and they are so good for ice. Rex is pretty good with the leash but once in a while (SQUIRREL) he pulls, and our sidewalks are very icy these days.
ReplyDeleteI don't wear the Yak Trax on hardwood, either. Also, I tried to wear them to work once because the parking lot was slippery and they're terrible with pedals in a car AND on linoleum floors. They go on immediately before going outdoors and are strictly an outdoor item.
DeleteWe’ve had a pair for a long time, so we obviously haven’t used them much. 😀 I guess we avoid walking on the ice, and they are not fun to wear on pavement or just snow. We did get a pair of a different kind of gripper that is easier to get on and off, but we seem to have misplaced them.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think they're great on pavement. I sort of wish I could have a lightweight pair for summer. I do agree that sometimes snow gets stuck inside of them and that's no fun, but I use mine mostly for ice.
DeleteOh, having a blog is SO helpful when I can't remember when something happened! Once in a while, though, either it was before I started blogging, or something I somehow didn't write about, and I'm stymied.
ReplyDeleteYes, my motto is if I didn't blog about it, it didn't happen!
DeleteYes, I've heard of people using these for running! Slipping on the ice is a real danger- as you found out the hard way.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know if they were around back when I broke my leg. I guess I don't want to know because if they were, then that injury was for nothing!
DeleteWe've owned pairs for a long time and USED to wear them regularly in winter, but then...stopped. I hated the feeling of them on my boots, but it is much better than falling, so I really should dig these out of the bin.
ReplyDeleteOne of my uncles had special boots that come with a little sole flap that turned down tiny spikes. It was SO cool. I think you could even buy replacements. So when he didn't need it, it would flip up into the bottom of the sole, but on icy days he could flip the little spikes down. Genius!
One of my husband's aunts had those boots with the retractable spikes, too. Unfortunately, by the time she told me about them, they weren't sold anymore and I can't find any like it. If you know the brand, I'd be super interested in this. Yak Trax are great, but they aren't great if you need to go inside and outside regularly because you absolutely cannot wear them inside!
DeleteWe've owned the same ones for years - I think Phil's mom got them for him one Christmas? But assumed they couldn't be used for running as I thought they'd mess up my stride/gait. But when 3 of you recommended them last week, including my friend Kyria who is a HUGE runner, I knew I needed to try them out. And then I noticed lots of runners wearing them when I was running around Lake Harriet on Saturday! No one seems to use salt around here so maybe/hopefully I will make my last for several years. But if I need to buy another pair, I gladly will as they make running so much more safe!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you falling while running as I was typing this. I'm glad you had some and were able to use them while you were running!
DeletePeople use a billion times more salt here in WI than I ever saw used in MN. It's insane and I can't get over the different cultures. Ha. So much salt!
That is so very odd. I wonder why that is?? It seems like everyone uses sand here. We live on a very steep hill so there is a barrel of sand across the street that the city drops off in November. So everyone around us uses that.
DeleteBut, I grew up in ND and I remember having the remnants of salt on our cars during the winter season so clearly salt was the solution there. We do have salt, but we use it pretty sparingly!
It IS weird. There are lots of lakes and rivers here, too, so my husband and I use salt/sand sparingly because we don't want it getting into our waterways. I don't know why there's such a big difference. Our town has big wooden boxes of salt at major intersections for people to use. SALT! We live in a town at the confluence of TWO RIVERS. In case you can't tell, I find the whole thing frustrating.
DeleteHa! We spent one snowy winter in Germany and my Southern California-raised husband was terrified of ice/snow on the ground. He said we needed to get him a pair of tracks if he ever was going to Germany in the winter again LOL (good for you for investing in those - icy roads are truly dangerous).
ReplyDeleteHey, Jon is RIGHT to be scared of the ice. It can really mess you up! You definitely get him a pair of these if he's ever around snow again.
Delete