The perfect answer to any run, especially any long run or extended work out, is not heat my friends. Skip the hit tube...head for the freezer. I never believed it until I tried it, but my first belief was, "NO WAY!" After all, we think that after a long run, we must be tight, and unless we stretch, we will only get tighter over the next several days. Therefore, heat must be the answer. Loosen everything up, become limber, stretch some more. It sounds good in theory, but GUESS AGAIN.
We all know about lactic acid and its role in soreness after a tough workout. Well, heat, as good as it feels to sit in the hot tub, just perpetuates the effects of lactic acid. Think about it. Heat expands things...blood vessels open, cells expand. So, when you sit in the hot tub, you essentially push lactic acid further into your worn and tired muscles.
Now, take your thoughts north of the Arctic Cirlce and you have the right idea. After ant long or enduring work out, a 10 to 15 minute stint in the bath tub with a bag of ice will do you wonders. You simply constrict all of the cells in your legs, reduce the inflammation, and keep the lactic acid out. The end result...Less fatigue the next few days and a speedy recovery for that next run.
I get through it with a hot cup of Peet's and the Sunday paper. Soon, the 1st quarter of the football game will help the self-inflicted hypothermia. Call me nuts, but I'll be running strong come Tuesday!
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