You are tired of being Coronavirus cooped up, but you want to be socially responsible.  Your want to get outside and run or hop on the bike but how do the rules of social distancing apply to someone on the move?

A new study profiled in the UK Independent  finds that if you’re exercising outside you’ll want to stay even farther back than the recommended six feet.. Researchers from several universities found that standing six feet apart is “very effective” when standing still, either indoors or in calm weather, but it is inadequate when exercising in the direct path of other members of the public.

The data shows that the right distance for runners should be at least 13 feet clear when following one another, and fast cyclists should ride about 66 feet apart to avoid passing through “droplet clouds” from others exercising.

Study leaders warn of staying out of what is known as "the slipstream".  The slipstream is the zone that arises right behind a person when they are walking or cycling, and which pulls the air a bit along with this moving person and cyclists like to position themselves in the slipstream of others to reduce their air resistance. Auto racers call it drafting when they move into the lead car's slipstream but that is NOT where you want to be if there is a chance the leader has COVID-19 and may not know it!

Scientists say everyone who walks or runs has such a slipstream and no matter how that zone forms, droplets end up in the air stream. So researchers say it’s best to avoid that slipstream.”

 

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