Ice Ice Baby

So my other "first" from this weekend was.... my first ice bath! After running 20 miles on Saturday, I figured I'd try it since I knew I'd be pretty sore. I Googled "home ice bath" for instructions, and they immediately terrified me:

1. Fill your bathtub with cold water, and slowly get in. Let your body adjust to the temperature. (Note: If anyone else is home, you may want to warn them that they may hear some screaming coming from the bathroom. Let them know that you're fine -- just cold!)
   If you really don't like the cold, it's fine to go in the tub wearing running tights or sweatpants and a sweatshirt or towel (wrapped around your upper body). You'll still get the same benefits.
   Some runners also like to sip hot chocolate, tea, or coffee as they're soaking.
2. Dump one 5-pound bag of ice (or a few trays of ice) into the tub. If you can tolerate that, dump another 5-pound bag of ice in the tub. (Again, the warning to family members or roommates is helpful for this part.)
3. Stay in the tub for 10 minutes. If you feel numbness, get out sooner.

Seriously - screaming?! Despite this ominous warning, I forged on. I told myself, "If I can run for three hours, I can sit for 15 minutes!" I had also read somewhere that you don't need the water to be insanely cold, so I decided to take it slow.

I ran cold water in the tub and slowly got in, and that was honestly the worst part. Once I got used to that, I dumped in a five-pound bag of ice, and let it sit. Once that melted, I had Caleb dump in a couple of trays of ice, and then sat for 15 minutes. I did wrap a towel around my shoulders and drank hot chocolate while I sat, so that helped. Caleb asked if he could take a picture of me, probably because I looked so pathetic/pitiful/ridiculous, but we decided against it due to my lack of pants and shirt. Maybe next time...

The rest of the day Saturday and then on Sunday, I felt good - a little stiff, but not too sore, and definitely less sore than I felt after running 16 miles the week before. I am ready to call my ice bath a success and continue with the practice. Now, if only we had an ice maker...