It’s ALL about the pizza after a long run.
and beer! 
but if you MUST do an ice bath, a good way to do a standing one is in a (clean) trash can. be sure to keep the beer in reach though. 
Legs-up-the-wall works great for me.
I’ve even rented DVDs to watch while doing the legs up the wall.
Also gotten good at rehydrating and eating from a plate of food while lying in that position. It’s awkward. The food can’t be too messy.
What do the Ice baths do for you?
So many people recommend them, it must work for someone
jaretj
Best tip of the day!
Legs up against a wall (or a tree, or a fence, as long as they are UP) for a good 5 minutes plus helps drain the lactic acid from your muscles and is very effective. Couple that with a good recovery drink and plenty of evening stretching and you are good to go. This is the technique I use and it works like a charm for me at least. Hope this helps!
JL
IMO most bang for the buck: 2 ibuprofens and a nap
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What do the Ice baths do for you?
So many people recommend them, it must work for someone
jaretj
I don’t know what they do physiologically speaking, however, i jump into the water right after all my races and it works wonders. Like night and day. I suspect that it reduces the inflamation of the muscles and reduces teh blood to those muscles so they don’t get as sore? no idea but it works. Do it next year at the Triple T and you will notice the difference on Sunday.
I found this amusing. you can have an ice bath and cool your beer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/specials/european_athletics/2178643.stm
<After long runs, I just walk out my back door and go into the lake. This time of the year, the waters gets nice and cold. Not as nice as an Ice bath, but much easier. 10 minutes and I am out. > A lake right in your backyard…your so lucky. Living in the NYC area,the closest body of water for me is the East River,and I think standing in that for 10 minutes would do more harm then good.:-0
I do the legs-up-the-wall thing for a good 10+ mins or so.
Shower, I do cold on the legs, then hot (like normal) finish up w/ cold on the legs again.
Recovery food (carbs and protein, don’t matter how ya get it) w/in 30 mins of finishing the run.
Not necessarily in the above order, but I try to do all 3 of those things. Lotsa water all day long. Then, stretch that nite before bed, mebbe do the legs-up-the-wall thing again for another 6-10 mins, then a good nite’s sleep.
" I do the legs-up-the-wall thing for a good 10+ mins or so."
I’m not saying this doesn’t work, but I’ve never understood the idea behind keeping blood from the legs. I’ve always thought getting blood flow to the tired muscles (massage, etc) was a good thing.
It’s not to decrease blood flow to your legs, it’s to increase blood flow back from your legs. (I think that’s part of the logic behind the ice baths as well, contraction of your blood vessels). Which helps clear out all the post-workout ‘stuff’ in them. (I’m not even going to attempt to pretend I know anything about the hows and whys of this, other than what I’ve read)
Try it for yourself sometime. It really does make ya feel better. I always notice the difference on days when I don’t have time to do this after my long run vs. days when I do do it.
Workouts under an hour don’t really require a recovery drink. Whatever you use during your workouts will be fine and less expensive. The exceptions are when you really push hard or when you’re doing multiple workouts in the same day. Any workout over an hour is when a recovery drink (or food substitute) is most effective and recommended. Eating something, like your Clif bar, is just as effective as a drink. Both have approximately the same carb to protein ratio. The reason recovery drinks are more common then foods is because most people cannot stomach solid foods right after a workout. And this, the first half hour (or hour depending on the study) following your run, is when replenishment is most effective. Your second post-workout meal (hopefully real food) is recommended an hour to an hour and a half after the first one. Hope that helps.
Oh, I usually bring with me to eat immediately after my run: (the long run in particular)
Dried pineapple slices. Pineapple has bromelain, nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatory. Whether or not the pineapple has an actual anti-inflammatory effect, high glycemic fruit is great for recovery if eaten very soon. Dried dates are another good high-glycemic option.
Yogurt drink. This has the proper carb-protein ratio and the active cultures in yogurt are great for you. Favorite brands are Horizons Organic and Dannon, mixed berry flavors (for the antioxidants). The Yoplait ones taste awful.
I never got the need for an artificial “recovery drink” when you can just eat real food. ???
Is there a rule as to when you use a recovery drink? ie. greater than 2 hour run. I often train 2 hours a day but usually have water/gatorade and cliff bar afterwards. Then have lunch shortly after. What is the rule as to when you use them?
The “rule” is to get the recovery drink or meal within 30 minutes of the end of the exercise session. Also, eat soon afterward. So it sounds like you are doing that. I use a recovery drink immediately after every workout, even if it is only 30 minutes. I use Hammer’s Recoverite, and I highly recommend it. I started using it just this year when beginning to train for a HIM, and believe it helped me to recover for the next day’s workout.
COMPEX
Haim
The Compex looks very tempting from what I’ve read. How long have you been using one? And do you have the Fitness or Sport model?
When I was training for a marathon I had a recovery drink after my long runs and a bit of light stretching. Day after I followed with an easy 4-5 mile recovery run.
What sort of weights were you doing? I never do any leg weights as I figure between the running and biking my legs get plenty of exercise. My weight training is for arms, chest and back. If you’re doing weights for your legs it may be too much.
You may want to just focus on running only in your marathon buildup and then get back into your tri training after your Jan. race especially if this is your first marathon.
pack a picnic
go to beach
soak legs in ocean water for 15 min or so
nap on the beach, build a sandcastle, all that good stuff!
that’s my favorite. every summer weekend
This past season I was really disappointed in my performance on hills on the bike- totally die out. So I have been doing leg weights in hopes that will make me stronger on the hills. Although I’m starting to think maybe I should just get more specific in my bike training to get stronger there. Thank you for the info!
Stutzperson-
Thank you for both of your posts. Totally helpful and will follow it. Again thank you for your time.
Workouts under an hour don’t really require a recovery drink. Whatever you use during your workouts will be fine and less expensive. The exceptions are when you really push hard or when you’re doing multiple workouts in the same day. Any workout over an hour is when a recovery drink (or food substitute) is most effective and recommended. Eating something, like your Clif bar, is just as effective as a drink. Both have approximately the same carb to protein ratio. The reason recovery drinks are more common then foods is because most people cannot stomach solid foods right after a workout. And this, the first half hour (or hour depending on the study) following your run, is when replenishment is most effective. Your second post-workout meal (hopefully real food) is recommended an hour to an hour and a half after the first one. Hope that helps.
You are being way too practical.
Is there a rule as to when you use a recovery drink? ie. greater than 2 hour run. I often train 2 hours a day but usually have water/gatorade and cliff bar afterwards. Then have lunch shortly after. What is the rule as to when you use them?
I’d say you don’t need them… real food is better than the recovery drinks, if you get lunch soon afterwards, no need at all. Chocolate milk is a fine recovery drink - plenty of carbs, with a good protein/fat mix too.
I do it that way - long runs are followed swiftly by either second breakfast, or lunch.
Also, I’d drop the weight training while marathon training, unless you have a specific injury/weakness you’re trying to address. Most of the studies show no correlation between weight training and improved cycling, so it may not even be helping with cycling…