Cold Tub Soaks

I punished myself yesterday. Not on purpose, but I naively thought that I would be okay on an unplanned 18 mile run with only 20 oz of GU2O in high humidity and temperatures nearing 80º. At mile 6 or so, I was already soaked, and it just kept getting worse. Near the end of my run I was dizzy every time I stopped. Not wise.

While I paid the price for the rest of the day with a splitting headache and fatigue, I was surprised by how well my cold tub soak worked to ease my aching legs. If you haven't tried a soak in the tub after a long run, I highly recommend it. Simply fill your bathtub with cold water - don't turn on the hot water at all - and soak for at least 10 minutes. I wear a sweatshirt (yes, it will get wet) because it does get quite chilly, but after a couple of minutes, things settle down and become quite numb. Some people like to go so far as to put ice cubes in with them, but I'm far too tired at that point to bother with carting my ice from the kitchen to the bathroom. What I find is that my legs will feel tired but not achy for the rest of the day. By the next morning, they are about 85% of normal. Last year when I was training for the marathon, it would take me at least three days to get to that point.

More information about cold soaks