Having been accustomed to numerous injuries and hours and hours of physiotherapy, I have decided that nothing is too far fetched if it can help me safely get round those 26.2 miles of the Virgin London Marathon.
For a little while I’ve been indulging…no, inflicting the much lauded therapy of cryotherapy on my leg muscles. Most commonly known as the ice bath, many an endurance athlete swears by the rejuvenating effects of sitting in a tub of ice. Well, who am I to argue with their experience and wisdom?!
After my long training sessions, when my legs are beginning to wonder whether I’ve taken leave of my senses, I rush home run a bath of stone cold water and chuck a big bag of ice cubes in for luck. I’ve learned not to think too much about getting in, just get in quickly!
I can promise you that the first 5 minutes sitting surrounded by ice cubes is the worst! It’s so cold I have difficulty catching my breath. Did you see Eddie Izzard’s encounter with ice baths in Marathon Man … well, he wasn’t joking about how he felt… it’s fffffffffffreeeeeezing!
Like Eddie, I’m there sat in my running gear for 15 very cold minutes watching my fingers go blue. The other day I showed my sons a graphic illustration of what the body does to protect vital organs when it’s very, very cold. My hands, fingertips and fingernails had gone an alarming shade of inky blue!
In all seriousness, the point of an ice bath is neatly explained by Nikki Kimball over at www.runnersworld.com 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. “Ice baths don’t only suppress inflammation, but help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles,” says David Terry, M.D., an ultrarunner who has finished both the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the Wasatch Front 100-Mile Endurance Run 10 consecutive times.
Do I feel any benefits from ice baths? Personally, I feel as though my muscles recover much quicker and there’s no soreness or stiffness usually associated with long training sessions… but it does take a while to get the feeling back in my lower limbs!!
Wow!! I’m not sure I could handle an ice bath, but sounds like it might help a lot.
Thanks for sharing
Have a Great Day
Chester