My marathon training is going to start ramping up next week if I keep to my schedule. I’ve tried some of the exercises and runs already a few months ago and was not ready enough (and neither were my muscles for sure).

My biggest worry when increasing my exercise–other than my breathing and stamina–is overworking the muscles. I don’t have the time to put myself on the bench for days to recover, not if I want to cross that finish line in 225 days. I have a lot to accomplish between now and then.

One thing I’d seen a lot about is ice bath therapy, or ice water immersion of the body. I know this has been around for some time, but the idea of dumping myself in an icy pool does NOT sound pleasant. Cold showers are an alternative I’m more willing to accept, but it depends how it’s done as well.

It turns out the amount of time you spend in the cold water is a huge factor on par with the temperature.

I can see myself taking lukewarm, then cool, then cold showers and getting used to them. But even so, it doesn’t have to be cold all throughout, especially if you’re going to be in there longer than 5 minutes. My routine generally has me showering about 8-10 minutes (my coloring conditioner needs to stay in 3-5 minutes as it is to work properly alone). That would be an awful long time with cold water alone.

However, some sources online (like UCLA Health) indicate you don’t need to have it at 34F in order to get many of the benefits of ice baths. Just keeping it below 60F is cold enough to really help you recover from an intense workout that has raised your body temperature significantly and needs cooling down. Getting the blood cooler helps the whole body, like an internal air conditioning system flipping on.

It makes sense to me: my dad taught me a cool-down trick when the power is out and the cooling systems aren’t working, but you have ice. Put ice in a compress with a towel before bed, then put the compress under your thigh where your arteries meet. It’ll help cool your blood down a bit as it circulates, which will cool YOU down. It’s a hack I’ve had to use several times with hurricanes or because of flu or other illnesses where you need to cool your body down quickly.

Of course, there ARE folks who can’t do cold showers. Those who are already ill or have compromised immune systems (the heat needs to do it’s work to loosen phlegm or help clear sinuses), or difficulty regulating their temperature because of certain medical issues… well, that’s likely obvious. (The obligatory “see your doctor” is implied.) It also helps to make sure you’re not under the cold stream TOO long, as getting to the point where you are shaking and shivering is going to undo any relaxation or muscle issues you might be trying to prevent or alleviate.

Taking a regular shower and then switching to cold for 30 seconds is a recommended start, and then increasing it to what feels like it works for you.

But the idea of seeing what you can handle and using cool to cold showers as part of a post-workout unwind and clean-up routine? I think it’s worth a shot. I had some major charley horses and small foot pains going on while figuring things out earlier in the month, so if there’s another tool in the toolbox to help ensure I don’t get any more of those (or lessen their frequency at least), then I’m going to give them a shot for the next few weeks.

Perhaps I’ll get used to it enough that it’s not such a pain to change clothes afterwards as the house gets hotter in this summer heat (hee hee).