Ice Baths

I ran another easy 50 minutes this morning. I was dragging and still not recovered from Friday's workout. I had planned to come back in the afternoon and run another 4-5 miles but ditched the idea. I would have been pounding sand.

I did get my first sports massage this morning from Janet Tarr. Janet, who's husband Bill is my chriopractor recommended that I take ice baths several times a week. Shades of Dwight (he of the 100 mile weeks). I realize that I have to be more agressive if I want to stay in this game.

Sit in the tub and turn on the cold water. Let it run until it covers your legs. Dump in a bag of ice cubes. Remain seated in said tub for 10 minutes. At the end of this time period, if still alive, then get up and get out of the tub. Let your body warm up.

Janet's sister, Nancy Ditz was on the 1988 Olympic marathon team. We used to race against each other back in the day. I beat her far more often than she beat me but at the time she was faster. I just had her number in head to head races. She ran a 2:30 marathon (or so I remember) but it was in the shorter events that I had her number. I was in that transition period of becoming something other (slower) than the runner I had been during most of my 30's and she was on her way up. But after 1988 she retired from racing and I went on until 1995 at age 50 when I ran my last real competitive race. By then I had fallen to the low 18 minute level for 5K and 5:19 for the mile. It was a good time to step out.