By the way . . . I’m giving ice baths the cold shoulder
I’M UP to running 16 miles in my pursuit of a marathon next month. While happy to hit the target, upping the miles hurt like hell. My toenails are long gone and I’ve overcome chafing rash.
I thought it was just a question of putting the miles in over the next six weeks. Not so! The post-run memo from my calves and thighs reads ‘we are ruined!’
I’ve been told to buy compression socks. And while I’ve had in-depth instruction on stretching, I’m too embarrassed to limber up on the side of the road. I’m a ‘get-thejob-done’ kind of girl and suffer the consequences later.
An ice bath has been the latest suggestion to come my way. When our boys beat the Scots in the Six Nations on Saturday they didn’t enjoy a relaxing soak after the game. Instead they would have been thrust into an ice bath.
The medical term for an ice bath is cryotherapy and it is hugely popular among elite athletes and weekend warriors like myself. The sharp blast of cold constricts blood vessels and diminishes metabolic activity, which is ultimately thought to reduce tissue damage.
This is important because when we run we cause microscopic muscle tears that result in delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. Yep, we all know it, that searing pain which occurs after exercise. It typically starts about 12 hours after your session, peaks between 24 and 48 hours and can linger for as long as four days.
DOMS is dire. It results in pain, decreased movement and strength, plus the feeling that you never, ever want to run again. So will an ice bath do the trick?
There are no immersion protocols — it seems you can either fill your own bath with ice or buy a custom-made device. Some athletes wear hats and sup tea while submerged; others sing; and almost all report feeling invigorated afterwards. Who wouldn’t? There’s nothing like a blast of sub zero temperatures to bring you to your senses.
Try as I might to convince myself this torture should form part of my training plan, I’m not convinced. It’s seems the practice is based far more on fashion than fact. The supporting evidence isn’t robust. For now any post-training ice is strictly reserved for a gin and tonic. I’d rather suffer DOMs than freeze. No pain no gain, right?