How often should i take an ice bath?

Question

Im a high school runner on the cross country and track teams.... i run year round. im in 11th grade. last night after my meet (i ran the 2-mile) i took an ice bath.

my question is, how often should i take ice baths, should i take them before a meet, after a meet, after practice....how often

also. when i do take them, how long should i be in them? should i do like 3 intervals of 10 mins....or whichever.

Answer 1

I agree with the first answer

Answer 2

I wouldn't take one.  What are you trying to achieve?  Some marathoners take them after a marathon to relieve inflamation.  Personally, I think it is a waste of time but a marathon can be 3+ hours of pounding on the body so maybe it does some good.  It's definitely not necessary for a 2 mile.

Answer 3

Ice is good for injuries. It helps to prevent the affected area from inflammation and causing more damage. I don't think it should be used as a regular part of your training. I've been running for 19 years and never had an ice bath. I only know 2 other runners how have had a few. If you're experiencing injuries on a regular basis, something is wrong and you need to change your training.

  You may want to go to the Runner's World website and ask their running experts about this.