Well it was another long run day…..and it was our last 20miler until the marathon!!! Taper time!
We started off at 6am, way later then normal. This was not a good idea. By the time we hit mile 10 we were smokin hot, and not in a good way. At the beginning of the run Megan and I both got side cramps, right away. We tried to figure out why? We thought maybe it had to do with the elevation or something. It was a lot of down hill which killed my right hip, but my knees felt good. We headed up the dreaded mile 14 and I powered up, I was shocked. Our goal for today’s run was to run 22 miles, 14 miles at 8min mile pace. I averaged at 8:30min so I think I did it! It was basically a marathon today minus 5miles.
All serious runners know that ice has special properties and is a critical part of one’s recovery regimen (e.g. “Sore muscle? Ice it.â€) However, I only recently discovered the magic of an ice bath!
I ran by Staters and picked up three bags of ice, and headed home. When I got home I filled up the tub, then added all the ice. I first stuck my toe in, and was freaking out. Then I just bit the bullet and sat in all the way. AWWWW! Yes it was that bad! I thought I was going to die of hypothermia, I was sure that the water was too cold and I had put too much ice in, but I grabbed my hot tea and started sipping( I read that if you drink some hot tea while you get in, then it won’t be so bad). I took my legs out for ten seconds and then put them back in for ten more seconds, I did this for about a minuet and then I just let them stay in. I tried to take my mind off of it by reading, but it was hard. After the first five minuets, my body got used to it and I was chillin, literally. So I did this crazy thing for 20 minutes, and then I got out and took a warm shower. Oh did that feel nice.
I have read so much about these ice baths, and when I was in cross-country in highshool our coach made us dump ice and water in a trash can and stick our legs in. I can’t believe I did that all the time, and then forgot about how wonderful it felt afterward.
Saint Andrew’s cross-country coach John O’Connell, a 2:48 masters marathoner, will hit the ice baths before the ibuprofen. “Pain relievers can disguise injury,” he warns. “Ice baths treat both injury and soreness.”
It’s only been a couple of hours since the bath and I am feeling pretty good, I ll check back in tomorrow to see how I really feel….
I think ice baths are the next best thing to a the invention of peanut butter, which I thank Carver for every day!
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