Sunday, July 26, 2009

Burrr...

Took an ice bath yesterday... It was cold. :) According to Runnersworld.com (and most veteran runners), ice baths help speed up recovery and reduce stiffness and soreness after a long run. So I decided to try it. I got 4 bags of ice and enough water to fill the tub to cover my knees. I immediately called Wes and was unable to form sentences. It was sooo cold... My entire legs felt like I was sitting in fire ants. After a few minutes, the stinging stopped and the feeling slowly left. I stayed in to 15 minutes. I didn't think I could last that long. I spent the next several hours in Wes' bathrobe, under a blanket.

Bottom line, it really helped. After my run yesterday, I was stiff and very sore. After the ice bath, I felt much better. Very little soreness. My current plan is to do this at least once a week.

Maybe we should invest in the Ice Plant....
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1 comment:

Sue Gardiner said...

Hi Evelyn,
Aunt Sue here. I saw your blog and read about your running; particularly the Memphis adventure.
Six years ago, when I was 63, I did a walking marathon in Anchorage. Took me 7 and a half hours to stroll 26.2 on the hottest day of the year. It was GREAT! I was part of a team raising money for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.
The 5 months of training was the real deal; the marathon was just the after thought. I trained alone during the week, then met my team on weekends for the long walks. I had shin splints at first, but figured out how to avoid that. Finally the week before the marathon, I worked my way up to a 20 mile walk, alone.

Re your ice bath: I did those frequently and they saved me! We were told to eat a big plate of hot pasta before getting in the bath, or to sip a hot drink while sitting there. That worked.
I also wore a sweatshirt, and took a hot shower as soon as 20 minutes were up.
When we finished the marathon that day in Alaska, some of the women, much younger than I, who had NOT done the ice baths, were limping around hanging onto the walls, while I just strolled by feeling very little pain and stiffness. I also soaked my legs in a trash can of ice water as soon as I got back to the hotel. We didn't have bath tubs.
So, keep it up. It will pay off. I would spread an 8 pound sack of ice on the bottom of the bath tub, lay a thick towel over it, sit myself down on the towel and turn on the cold water. By the time it covered the knees, I was semi-numb and it was not such a shock.
I also kept several bags of frozen peas or corn in the freezer to use as ice packs after each training walk. You can just refreeze and use them over & over.
Sorry for the long tirade. I'm excited for you and wish you all the best. You have probably found that marathons are addictive. I haven't done one since, primarily because we have to raise tons of money and I don't have that many rich friends! I'd love to do another. Nothing like the feeling of accomplishment. As our trainers always told us, the "real marathon" happens in the months of training beforehand.
Hang in there.

Mon Jul 27, 11:45:00 AM EDT

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