[blindkid] running, treadmills, etc

Jan Wright jan.wrightfamily5 at gmail.com
Mon Jun 14 20:33:31 UTC 2010


Even a treadmill is not like running outside.
I, as an adult, realize that I always need to keep one hand on the treadmill bar.
I notice that my sighted peers can walk/run hands free and read a book (turning pages as needed.) I can't and fell off trying.
(smile)
The feel, the bounce, the texture underfoot is just different. For me, it is a bit less secure. I have gotten use to it, but still, it is not the same as the ground outside. 

As far as running, I know that USABA (United States Association for Blind Athletes)  does it by tethering  a guide to the blind person (usually around the arm of the guide and the arm of the blind person). . The blind person feels a slight tug or push on the arm when they are veering the wrong way.
 They will eventually perseptively feel the slack of the tether and adjust.
Most blind people that I know don't walk or run straight. Yes, I know about "imagine that you are on a tight rope." I have even walked on a balance beam, yet, I still don't walk straight without trailing landmarks.
If you are going to do the "hand on the rope with a ball of tape on the end to indicate the stopping point,"  you need to remember that every child has his own reflex time. You will have to adjust that time. Sometimes, it is good to put two pieces of material or stopping  identifiers and let the child practice. Also, if it is just a straight line where the child will have to run back and forth, they are not really relaxed because they are always looking for the stop and having to pivot quickly. I do recommend a circular kind of track verses a straight line (there and back), but those tracks have their own problems.

You know, usually sighted people can't stop on a dime. If blind people run full throttle, they can't either.
So, if you put a thin piece of material as the warning and a thicker piece when they are suppose to stop (remembering  to leave some lag space for the slowing down process, it can work).
I've tried those indoor tracks. I don't know how people can run on them. A swift walk is all that I can muster.
And, personally, although I will use a treadmill, I find them ... ... kind of artificial. My preference certainly is to get outside and run. But, maybe that is me and only minimally is a result of  my blindness.
  
Jan


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