Its hard to quantify the benefits of ice bath or immersing oneself in cold water for a period of time. Some distance runners take them constantly while others nearly never do or prefer to hot tub instead. Regardless of personal preference however, ice bath has been shown reduce swelling and tissue breakdown following long runs or intense workouts. Running long or at a high effort level pushes up that metabolic rate causing breakdown and micro-tears which we associate with post run fatigue or soreness. The idea is that the cold water constricts your blood vessels and decreases the metabolic activity in the muscles that are roaring from your recently finished run. After sitting in there a brief period you get out and as you naturally let your muscles warm over the next twenty to thirty minutes blood rushes back through and pushes out much of the byproduct of that metabolic breakdown. This reduces inflammation, reduces soreness, can help prevent injury in the long term, and promotes recovery.
There is no exact way to ice bath and many runners prefer to ice for different amounts of time, at different temperatures, or even prefer to use contrast baths. It is common for ice baths to range from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and for one to immerse for 10 to 15 minutes. I've seen guys do ice baths in the low 40s and I personally don't see an increase in benefit from going below 50. You may also be reaching a point where the cold is doing more harm than good so colder is definitely not always better. The same goes for the time, more is not always better. Spending 30 minutes in 50 degree water likely is going to be taxing and could impair recovery rather than promote it. I've also seen people who prefer to do brief periods in the cold, a brief period in the hot tub, then back to the cold. This contrast is supposed to promote the flushing described earlier. I think a few minutes back and forth offers less benefit than straight time in the cold, but again this is a personal voyage for every runner.
My ice bath process is quite simple. I only utilize this after long runs or when I am particularly sore from racing or high intensity efforts. That means I usually take the plunge once or twice a week. I'm fine with anything in the 50s for temp and I get in, making sure to put my hips under and then sit tight for 10 to 12 minutes. As much as it can hurt the first minute I figure that after two hours of running what's another few minutes of discomfort? After the time passes, I dry off and then wait thirty minutes before I shower so I can warm up a slow rate to keep things cool for a little while longer. This does the trick for me and when I fail to take an ice bath after hard efforts I can sometimes stay sore or feel fatigued for a few days. At the very least it offers a bit of recovery that makes long term training a bit more sustainable and may prevent small injuries from derailing an entire training block. If I don't have access to ice to make my own ice bath I think that simple sitting in a tub with cold water does offer some benefit. It may not be as effective but its better than nothing.
Ice bath may help you train more consistently and that is a major part to improving your running. So, try it out and see what works for you. Be safe and don't go to the extremes. Remember that everything I've written is based on my opinions and personal experiences. This is a subject that remains very vague in terms of research and I have in no way conducted any formal investigations to back what I've claimed. It is all based on information from my own trials,what I've seen the athletes around me do, and small write-ups I've seen in running publications and on the web. Be smart, be safe. I hope it helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment