Would You Get In?

Okay, resist the temptation to zoom in and inspect the cleanliness of my tub. This is an "ice bath." It is 57 degrees. This is also a cooking thermometer, which, in this case, would alert me if the water got to 122 degrees (the number on the right). I'm pretty sure it won't get there.

Yesterday, I did a trial run of the Bay to Breakers course. I have three weeks until the race and I've got some goals for that day to set me up for my next training cycle. There is a pretty significant hill--about 11% grade for .5 miles, starting near 2.5 miles into the race. I needed to see this hill. The funny thing about San Francisco is that you drive these hills and you do everything you can so that you don't think about running or biking up these hills. I've seen the hill. I've been on it in my car. My clutch knows this hill. But I've never run up it while in the middle of a long run.

I parked near near the start of the race and started out a bit before 8am. The first two miles were flat and I ran easily. As you near Hayes Valley (a neighborhood I could totally inhabit), the hill is in front of you. Starting around Laguna Street, you have five blocks of vertical in front of you. I am excited to run the course with other people on race da, because then I won't feel so bad about the fact that I'm hardly moving on this hill.

Today, on my easy recovery run, my legs were tired from yesterday's running effort (and bopping around the city with Bec). So, I decided to go back to my college days and get in the ice bath. The ice bath was standard for athletes with injuries. I was lucky that I never had any injuries above the knee, so I didn't have to get too far into the tub (it was a whirpool, which was awesome), but one of my teammates, LAC, was the queen of getting in the ice bath. She's just bring her bathing suit, put a bucket upside down, and get right in there.

I filled the tub with cold water, put on my long ski socks, which I folded down over my feet, a bathing suit, running shorts, under armour cold gear, and a hat. Then I sat, for 10 minutes, reading a magazine with my elbows up, trying not to get more wet than I had to. It was actually kind of pleasant and I'm hoping my legs are happier tomorrow. Here's an article if you're curious about some ice bath details. It's not for everyone, but for those of us who are crossing our fingers every day that we stay injury free, it's worth it.