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January 13, 2008
Was it Worth it?
Ness asks a good question. Was that ice bath worth it? Because if not, it was an awfully stupid thing to do. It was cold, a bit miserable, took up a good chunk of time AND that ice cost $3.50 - at least half a burrito at Qdoba.
Well I'm here to answer with a RESOUNDING YES - I do believe that ice bath was worth the cold, the pain and the $3.50...and MORE!
My proof? Well, for one it was actually a time savings for me becase I usually ice my feet (top and bottom on both feet) and my hamstring. The ice bath just took care of all of that and more all at once. Good deal.
But much more importantly my legs felt really quite good on my long run this morning! Lately my quads have been unhappy campers but this morning? Not a peep from them. My feet felt good. My hamstring felt good. I was running faster than last weekend with a lower heart rate. I had a little sping in my step! (not a usual occurance of course)
Now, having said all that, I must remind you that I may just be prone to the placebo effect. Plus, I think I'm finally just starting to come around a little with my training (I felt inklings of this fact earlier in the week prior to the ice bath in question). Also, I finally finished my antibiotics and am likely feeling the effect of being fully recovered from the infection that caused me to have draino singe.
So maybe it wasn't JUST the ice bath. But I really believe the ice bath was part of it. And so I'll continue to do them. I've decided they are probably best reserved for after really tough workouts on the bike or on the track but since I'm doing neither of those right now, I'm save them for after my long ride/long bricks on Saturdays. Plus, that's when I have time to do them. So if you're looking for my opinion (I know, you likely aren't... :), prepare those ice baths and don't forget your hot chocolate too!
Posted by beth at January 13, 2008 1:24 PM
Comments
just saw the pics of you in the ice bath... SOOO CUTE... i have done my share of ice baths and they are sooo worth it...
Posted by: Kranky C Dale at January 14, 2008 10:24 AM
Yep, icing works everytime! Don't forget to add some epson salt to your bath water too! It brings the blood into full circulation, helps with damaged tissue in the muscles, AND you can have the water as hot as you want for epson salting! Walmart sells it dirt cheap and some athletic stores have it expensive but in fun smells and colors :)
Posted by: Bree at January 15, 2008 1:39 AM