May31
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So you guys know that I love/hate my ice baths right? Whenever I’ve posted about it, I get comments asking how I handle them. Well, here are the 5 things I’ve found that make them slightly more tolerable. 🙂
1. Dive right in. Don’t ease in, don’t dip a toe. Let the tub fill, dump in your ice and then get right in and sit down. NOW. 😉
2. Drink hot tea (or coffee or hot chocolate) while in the tub. It has never tasted so good. This helps keep my fingers from going numb too.
3. Bring a distraction. A book, your phone, turn on House of Cards on your iPad. Anything to take your mind off it.
4. Embrace the discomfort. Think about how it’s making you a better runner, reducing soreness, helping you to run stronger, sooner. Think about all the good things that come from ice baths. Shoot, tell yourself lies if you have to. “This makes me sexier. This makes me badass.” (Those aren’t actually lies though.)
5. Write a blog post. I wrote this on my phone while sitting in the tub. Seriously. 🙂
I take ice bath after my long runs (usually whatever distance I’m doing on the weekend, 10 miles or more lately). And I get in the ice bath after I’ve put my legs up for 5-7 minutes.
My last ice bath was 53 degrees. I keep thinking this is a pregnancy test in my photo stream. Nope, just a thermometer. ha!
Do you take ice baths? How do you cope?
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5 responses to “5 Ways to Make Ice Baths More Bearable”
Haha I love this! Ice baths are so useful but they can be soooooo rough!
have you noticed a tangible difference after doing them though?
I love your blog! I’m trying to become a better/faster runner and I look to your blog often for advice. I actually just had my first ice bath this last weekend after a long run and sore legs. It truly did help my legs recover and I felt better after. I wasn’t smart and kind of eased into the tub and it was painful, so I agree with you… jump right in! Thanks for all your tips!
No lying. . .ice baths are painful, but I swear by them. I also wear a big sweatshirt, jacket, or multiple layers on top to help keep my core warm. Sometimes I also bite a towel because it hurts so much at the beginning. Ha! But seriously, the first minute is the worst, and then everything goes numb. I’m fine after that.
I am really excited to try this! I’ve been wanting to try ice baths for a while but have been scared to try them. After reading this though, I will try one after my next run!