Salty Thumb wrote:
(J. Del Col) wrote in
Running with a reel mower --or any lawn mower-- is akin to running
with scissors.
Do you know of any specific risk factors or are you just being
prudent? It may well be a stupid idea, but I can't see how it could be
more dangerous than 3.5 horses or running with a baby jogger.
The contents of a baby jogger are probably more dangerous than a lawn
mower, but for very different reasons, mostly psychological and
emotional damage caused when the baby is about 12-15 years older.
The big danger with running with a push mower is that they are prone to
jam or stall on onseen junk -- something the dog or the neighbor's kid
or even you dropped and didn't see until it was too late. If you're
running behind one, there's a decent chance you'll end up tripping
yourself up and landing on it.
I've tripped badly a couple of times jogging over the years, and I
wouldn't like to think what it would be like if I had landed on a
lawnmower instead of dirt.
Considering that they're heavy and awkward and have protruding metal
bars and such, you could really mess up your knee or shin or ankle or
wrist or face.
There's also the risk of slipping on a wet patch of grass or mud and
getting a toe or finger caught in the blades. I'd say that's less
likely, but it's another risk.
Mainly, what I've found is that if you're looking for a good workout,
just let the grass grow a little longer and soon you'll be burning more
calories and exercising the cardiovascular system better than a typical
run anyway. And that's a good thing, from my perspective.