Wow, I really needed that.

Today's workout:
Bike-77 minutes on the trainer
Run-22 minutes

10-lb Slimdown yoga
Sit-ups

Wow, I feel like a new person. I didn't realize how badly I needed a day off until I took that day off. I was able to totally recharge my batteries and I finally feel back to normal. It's incredible what one day off can do. And it's incredible what the return of two good friends can do! Yup, that's right! Bonnie and Todd are back in town!!!!  And...they are planning on moving back here within a few weeks! Yeeeehawww!!!! They're here for the 3M Half Marathon race on Sunday, but love Austin so much that they're going to move back for good! Yippee!

I slept on and off until 9am today. Then I took the pups for a little walk around the neighborhood. Then I did yoga. Then I took an ice bath. Yup, I took an ice bath. My legs have been really really sore for the past few weeks, and I tried everything. Traditional icing, massage, the foam roller, yoga...they all helped, but no major difference. So I saw that a friend of mine, who's training for a marathon, recommended ice baths, saying that they have made all the difference in her training. I've heard of them before, but have never experienced muscle fatigue like I have over the past few weeks. I spent a while last night looking up info about ice baths. I seemed to find a technique that sounded pretty good. Here's how it worked.

I filled up the tub a little way with cold water from the tap. I had a bucket of ice beside the bath. I sat in the cold water-I kept a fleece on top. I just got in quickly. If I stopped to think about what I was actually doing I might have backed out. Once I was in I dumped the ice in. Oh, my, god. It was so painful-I had tears in my eyes...I found myself biting down on a towel to stop myself from screaming outloud! After the first four minutes, everything was pretty much numb and I was able to release my death grip on the towel. I was surprised how fast time went by...I sat in there for ten minutes. The advice I found on line recommended taking a magazine to read and a cup of tea to drink. I couldn't figure out how to do that...I was just focusing on the feeling of being submerged in an ice bath. Maybe I'll make it my goal to try to read an article or something next time. One question that I had, that I couldn't find answered anywhere on line was, "What about my privates?". Well, I'm not going to answer that here....it's kinda like a secret club....you have to experience it to get the answer.

After the ten minutes was up, I put on some cozy flannel pjs and some warm wooley socks, and jumped in bed. I could tell a difference within a few minutes of getting out of the ice. It felt like my legs were warming from the inside out-almost like I could actually feel the muscles healing themselves. The worst part was when my toes got their feeling back. That hurt for a little while. But other than the toe thing, the ice bath was amazing. It made such a difference-my legs felt so much better than they have with any of the other interventions. I'm still gonna roll, and stretch, and do yoga, but I think the ice baths will just give me a little extra push in the healing direction.

After the ice bath I watched part of a really bad movie, then finished reading my book and even managed to get a little shut eye while snuggling with Cheyenne. Carib was enjoying a brithday nap in the sunshine.

The ride tonight was on the trainer. It was a big gear workout. It was so fun to have Bonnie and Todd with us! Todd had run earlier today so he just hung out and talked to Wayne during the workout. Bonnie rode with us-decked out in her England jersey and her xmas riding socks!

After the ride we went for a 20-30 minute run. We added an extra loop around the Central Market trail, but it wasn't long enough. Only 20-22 minutes. We'll have to add an extra loop on top of the extra loop next time.

Tomorrow is the early morning swim again, so I'm off to bed.

G'night!
M :)