Fast Running Blog

I have read a little bit on what type of bath you should take for muscles to recover better after a run.  I have read both good and bad about hot and cold baths.  I ask everyone the question, which is better or are they both beneficial?

No scientific study here, but I know that after a long run or race where I know I will be sore the next day, I will either take a very cold shower or hose down my legs with cold water.  It does wonders in terms of making them feel immediately better and noticeably less sore afterwards.  I know they do it with race horses, too.  The reason I have heard is it constricts your blood vessels at the time, and then increases blood flow once you stop.  I have found that I can even take a warm shower first, then ice bath, or vice versa.  Doesn't seem to matter.  But I know it helps me, especially after hot, long runs.

During WBR, I will find a canal after my first leg to soak my legs- makes the second leg go much better.

Back in college when I was dealing with IT issues it was heat with e-stim before practice ice whirlpool bath after practice, seemed to help. For long runs and hard workouts I now take an ice bath afterwards. I used to take ice from work and stand in a garbage can in the backyard but I've now found that you can get your bath water cold enough. I've read that 55F is ideal... I've noticed that after marathons I've done the "ice" treatment I've recovered much quicker.

Hot bath feels better, but the cold is what seems to aid recovery.

I take hot baths all the time after long runs. In college we use to sit in cold whirlpools and I hated it. It didn't relax me at all. I make my baths as hot as possible and then try and rub the legs out. Sometimes I'll even lay with my legs up the wall to let the lactic acid drain back down them.

After all my long runs (15+ miles) I go straight to the freezer and dump the bucket of ice cubes into the tub and fill the tub with cold water, but only high enough so that when I sit in it and stretch out it goes up to my waist. I sit in it for 12 minutes (it takes about 2 minutes to numb up). You don't really want to go any longer than that. This is effectively the same thing as simultaneously icing all spots. If I am correct, it draws the blood to the muscles expediating the healing process. On a side note, the only way to do this is all out. Don't try to stay warm. Don't dip your toe in to check the temperature. Just step in and sit. It'll be quite shock to the system, but after about 2 minutes your good to go. I follow this up with a steaming hot shower.

Ice baths are defintally going to aid in recovery right after a run esc. after a long or speed work.  But I am a huge believer in cold/heat therapy.  When you apply ice it restrict the capilaries and also reduces inflamation.  Applying heat after greatly increasing the blood flow to an area.  That is why it speeds up healing time to an injury. 
If I had to choose one or the other after a run then I would deintally do ice.  But nothing beats a hot tub and  I have been known to get into one after a marathon, I am going to be sore no matter what.

I can also vouch for the very noticeable next-day benefits of an ice bath shortly after a hard/long run. However as has been mentioned it can be really tough to talk yourself into plopping down in that cold water, especially during the cold weather months, so I usually can only bring myself to do them in the summer. Even then I tend to jump into a hot shower after the cold bath and stand in there forever.

I did ice baths in college along with my teammates.  I used to do them as cold as the high 30's but that gets pretty dang cold.  I think they definitely help.  This summer I started doing them again after long runs and I would take all the ice out of our freezer and that would get hubby upset, so I started filling up a cup of ice for him before dumping the rest into the tub. 

It is hard to psyche yourself into doing, it, but like anything with running, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Definitely a summer activity- even after long runs in the winter, my legs don't really need it.  The probably don't overheat near as much.

Another great alternative to the ice bath with similar benefits is the Dixie cup. My trainer in college always had a freezer full of frozen Dixie cups. This was great for "site" treatments. For people with shin splints or for my IT it would work wonders. Just tear off the paper and massage away the pain. This had the added benefit of massage and ice treatment. I would do it for 5min per leg alternating sides for 2-3 times per side (I had more free time in college)...

Just fill up that tub and git-r-done! Come over to the dark side.

I've never taken a bath for muscle recovery purposes. When my muscles were sore, the only thing that seemed to work was just waiting for them to heal. Since lately, they've been sore only once a year, though - after DesNews marathon.

Sasha, I'd have to say never having sore muscles means you are not trying hard enough. No pain, no gain.  ;)
In addition to the icing, I'll use Tiger balm, Myomed or Bengay massages, as well as my handy-dandy stick. As Clyde about the last one, he got close and personal with it at Del Sol.

Hey, make sure you keep this board family friendly here, Adam... :)

Adam - you are actually right. I am not trying hard enough in a way. It takes more nervous energy to run my body into the ground than I am able to generate. It is quite frustrating. You see the prize money run away from you, you do not want that to happen, you do all you can, and you still cannot go any faster. You are barely breathing, your muscles do not hurt. You finish, and you feel good, too good.

Neurological ability  is a very odd limit. You cannot push it more often than a couple of times a week, even then you need to do it very gently. It responds well to sleep and taking it easy. It does not respond well to any kind of hard brain work that requires concentration. Which, unfortunately, is how I get my bills paid.

Sasha, With that being said would a regular rest week "refuel" this drive. I've noticed you are consistantly on the top of the mileage board. I looked back and you haven't been under 100mpw since the first week of Dec (and under 80 the week before with St. Jude). Would a week every now and then under 100 or even a regular scheduled week under 80 mpw help reset your body to be able to have that "extra push" to get over the hump?... I know you have said "slow twitch runners tend to lose aerobic endurance quickly upon cessation of mileage" but I do think that complete muscle recovery and repair every now and then helps you push through the next wall. Just my two cents.

Adam:
The problem is that I am not hitting muscle fatigue limits. So no reason to rest the muscles. I need to rest and nourish the nerves, which can be difficult. What I found about the nerves - they rest when sleeping, relaxing, or running at slower than 7:00 pace. They work to the point of slow gradual death at speeds as slow as 6:30. They also work just as hard during a lot of non-running activities, which you often cannot control. So that throws a wrench in the equation.

I am a big believer in regular rest weeks, I do them about every 3-4 weeks.  I think they do just what you said, and allow me to train harder on the other weeks.  When you decrease your mileage you could replace that running time with sleep time and help the nervous system recover, Right?

I have to agree with Josse on this one. I've started doing rest weeks usually every 4 weeks the last couple months and I think they have helped me alot to stay fresh. I usually schedule a race at the end of the week to spice things up a bit.

So know that is has changed for hot bath or cold bath to recovery, I will add more.  I think as a runner you have to do regular matience on your body to preform at your best and get the most out of your training.  This may be differant for everyone but, in my opinion, some of the best are- regular massage or self massage with a rolling pin or stick,  scrapping is one of my new favorites,  an ice bath after runs or just icing a sore area,  chiropractics (when the body needs it),  fueling and sleeping properly,  taking recovery weeks.  I am sure there are more that can be added to the list but these are some.  I feel if you take care of yourself your chance of injury lessen, but doesn't excuse you from it.  Alway listen to your body signals, they will be there we just tend to ignore them (even myself).  But remeber it's the long hall that matters.