Just chillin'

Long run day again today, although at half past seven this morning I could happily have stayed tucked up in bed til lunch time.
I forced myself to put my running gear on, and by the time my laces were tied I was feeling a little more optimistic - but not much. I kidded myself that I would just go out for an hour and see where that got me, knowing full well that I would end up doubling that, but every little psychological trick helps.
The air was quite damp when I set off, which made the first mile or two a bit uncomfortable as I struggled to keep my breathing even. I managed to get past that with my inhaler still in my pocket, and by about 4 miles in I was feeling much more comfortable.
In my quest to explore new routes, I circled Cofton park, headed through West Heath and under the railway bridge at Northfield, then reappeared on Middleton Hall Road and headed back along the A38 towards home.
My road was in sight at mile 8, and I was soooo tempted to dodge up there, but the thought of having to confess to you that I'd cut my run short made me veer left and complete a large loop before heading home. I completed just shy of ten miles, so can tick the training box for today.
Recently, I've been reading about ice baths, and how they help the body recover from long runs. I've got a busy weekend coming up and need to be on my feet all day on Saturday, so decided that I would give the ice-bath theory a go. I half filled the bath with cold water, put two fleeces on top of my running t-shirt, zipped a hot water bottle between the fleeces, and climbed in.
There was probably a delay of about twenty seconds before I began to scream.
All I can say is that it's a good job I was in the house on my own, and that the neighbours were at work, or someone would have suspected the worst and phoned the police.
A minute in, and the pain was intense - the only way I can describe it is like having both legs crushed in a vice. Much shouting followed, which morphed into a mantra-like 'I can do this. I can do this'.
By about four minutes, numbness had set in, and I didn't feel cold at all.
The idea is that you stay there for ten minutes. I lasted eight. By that point my thigh muscles were twitching uncontrollably, and my legs had turned a not-altogether-flattering shade of purple.
As I got out, it felt as though a million electric shocks were shooting up and down my legs (which wasn't entirely unpleasant!) and as I sat on the bed wrapped snugly in towels I can honestly say that I felt quite revived!
Will it stop the achy muscles tomorrow? I don't know.
What I can say is that I'm normally ready for a good sleep after a long run, but right now I feel remarkably sprightly.