Ice Bath

  Taking an ice bath after a long run is the last thing I want to do. I would much rather come home to hot shower and scrambled eggs. Now that I am running much longer distances my after run rituals have achanged a great deal.

  When I first heard that an ice bath was the fastest way to recovery from a run I laughed at the idea. One week after an 8 mile run I suffered a great deal. I could barley walk within a few hours of running and I was so sore that instead of my usual 2 days off from a long Sunday run I was forced to take 3 off. I finally decided to bite the bullet and just try the ice bath.

  The next Sunday I ran 9 miles and on my way home stopped and bought 14lbs of ice. It took a lot of courage to climb into the tub but I finally did it. Yes, I actually screamed  getting in and the 7 minutes I spent in the tub felt like an eternity. 


 I could see the results right away. I could walk with out a limp and my legs felt good with no soreness. The next day I didnt wake up to a limp as usual  and I was suprised at the diffrence from the previous week. I only took 2 days off from running but felt like I really only needed one.

Basically the idea of an ice bath is this ....

 Cryotherapy ("cold therapy") constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body.

If you are thinking about trying out an ice bath for the first time this is what I suggest. Fill the tub with water that will go to your waist. Use  1 to 2 bags of cubed ice and once you get in cover your top half with a warm towel or jacket. Try using water socks for your feet. I bought some at the end of summer to keep on hand for barefoot running but found better use for them in the bath.   I usually take a warm drink in with me as well such as diet hot chocolate but tea or coffee will work to.

 Try to keep in mind that you are doing your body a favor and helping it to recover faster. Allowing the body to properly recover will keep you running longer and faster than you ever thought possible.