snowbath

[ilanarama]

Distance running makes the muscles in your legs heat and swell, and it's often recommended to soak them in an ice bath (which reduces swelling) after a long run or long, hard race. In the summer, I either stop at the Animas River (a little less than half a mile from my house) and soak my legs, or dump a bunch of ice into the bathtub and do it at home after any run 18 miles or longer. I've soaked in the San Miguel River after the Imogene Pass Run, and in the La Plata River after the Kennebec Pass Challenge. I think it helps, although it's not necessarily comfortable.

Of course, at the moment we've got a whole lot of snow on the ground (even though none has fallen in more than a week), so after a 19-miler on a cold but sunny Saturday, I made myself a cup of hot chocolate, put on a fleece jacket and a hat, grabbed a book, and asked Britt to shovel some snow onto my legs: "Just pretend we're at the beach and playing in the sand," I said. (He snorted, but obliged.)



It...actually felt pretty good! Not as bone-chilling as ice water, although I only lasted about 15 minutes despite being in the sun. 25° F, by the way, and propped up against the south-facing wall of my house. I'm wearing thin tights and a pair of nylon shorts in a (vain) attempt to keep my butt dry.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

That is certainly true. It already 25 degrees and it is only eight in the morning, but the idea of a cold shower is enough to give me the shivers on days like today.