Read a blurb about taking cold saoks after tough workouts in the recent Runners World. I was just curious if any of you have tried to this technique to eliminate or minimize injuries, swelling, tendinitus, etc?
The article mentions soaking in 50-55 degree water for a minimum of 12 minutes. I’m guessing that’s pretty much straight cold water out of the spicket???
i know some runners who just stand in the yard and spray their legs down with the garden hose after tough runs. . .i suppose it’s the same idea. in theory it makes perfect sense, in practice i’m not sure how it works out for them, though i’ve heard it’s OK. and certainly it can’t hurt.
-mike
I do after every long run. However, I also add ice to my little soak. I run the bath with straight cold water, get in and wait till everything numbs up a bit (usually about 3 minutes), then dump some ice in. I sit in it for about 15 minutes or so and truly do notice a huge difference, recovery-wise from the hard runs. Things really do shrink, though…ehem…
Shrinkage is simply unacceptable.
Don’t worry…things go back normal pretty quickly…plus after the ice bath, I can move a lot better than I could have otherwise 'cause I’m really not sore!
greatest thing ever. period. ran in college and although we weren’t lavished with much equipment-wise, the cold whirlpool was a blessing. used it everyday after practice. water was ~55 and we put a chair in the whirlpool so almost everything was submerged. took ~90sec for the toes to start cramping, but after that it wasn’t bad. it makes a HUGE difference. these days a cold bath with ice works pretty well.
After the Indy half marathon I took a cold soak and I must admit that it felt very good. Mind you I didn’t throw ice in the tub or anything, but tap-cold water was cold enough for me.
I wasn’t as sore the next day as I thought I would be.
I know college runners were taking ice baths 20 years ago after tough xc workouts and it made a big difference on the next days performance. rugby players in england take an up to the neck ice bath after workouts( crazy brits). I also heard bobby julich mention ice baths in an interview during the tour. you won’t get 50f water out of your spigot though. you need to add some ice or finish your runs at a mountain lake.
Sounds like it’s definitely worth a try … i’m coming off an ITB issue, and i’m hesitant to get back to longer runs, or hard rides. Maybe the cold soaks will help me get back to my routine?
My continuous return to ITB world prompted me to start up with the ice baths…so far so good!
I do ice baths after my long runs. We have a whirlpool, so I fill the tub out of the cold spigot, add all the ice in the freezer, get in, turn on the jets and soak for about 15 - 20 minutes. My wife thinks I am crazy, but believe me, I would not do it if I didn’t think it made a difference.
I love workout facilities with a cold plunge. Man, you jump in there after a long workout and, man, you feel so good and recover so fast. I’d like a permanent one in the house. Plus, I’m man enough for shrinkage!
It works.
If you ever get to run the Dipsea demolition derby of a race you’ll see that all the seasoned veterans walk down the beach and stand in the ocean for 10 minutes after the race to reduce the swelling in their legs.
Paula Radcliffe does it, Alan Culpepper does it, Deena Kastor does it. Its a great way to speed up muscle recovery after a race or tough workout.
My continuous return to ITB world prompted me to start up with the ice baths…so far so good!
Cold soaks only after long runs, or do you do them after biking as well?
How long has this kept you without ITB problems?
I am using an ice bath after long runs getting ready for an ultra, best recovery tool i ever found. Tub full of cold water and 2 14lb bags of ice. Very painful but works great. I do 10min in 20 min out with a repeat.
I do it after long runs, and the next morning I feel great!
Here at home, it’s not a very painful process, because the tap water isn’t that cold, so I add as much ice as I can. It still really helps. But last winter, I ran a marathon in Seattle and then stayed with my parents. Ahh, well water, nice and cold. I didn’t realize how cold it was going to be, so I dumped ice in as usual. That was a mistake. My teeth were chattering and I was shaking a lot.
So before you dump the ice in, determine how cold your tap water actually is!!
-Colin
All of my weekday workouts are first thing in the morning, then I usually cook up some breakfast right after as a recovery meal.
Does the cold soak need to be done immediately after the workout, or would it still have the same effect if I did breakfast, then the soak?
Never after bikes…only long runs. I’ve been ITB-free for 2.5 years now. Before that, it always came back no matter what I did. I also am religious about icing my knees and shins after every run. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s kept me injury free.
It really helps to numb up before you put the ice in…
It will still help, but the sooner the better, I’ve found.