It’s no secret that I love my visits to Cryotherapy, especially after my long training 
runs and races. What I have not had a chance to share with everyone is just how much it really makes a difference on my recovery!
Over the last 2 months I have finished several long training runs (16 miles or more), my first Marathon and then my first 50k. I am convinced that if it was not for Mandi and her awesome crew at Cryotherapy of Wisconsin, my recovery would not have been as smooth as it was!
How?
I’m glad you asked!
Let’s explore a few scenarios!
Mid April – Saturday morning 20 mile training run: within a few hours after finishing my run, and heading home to take a shower, Kerri and I went to visit Mandi for a little chill time. A brisk 2 and a half minutes later, I was ready to get on my day. The next day I felt great, ready to run again (No, I didn’t run, I was giving my body the time it needed to recover). Monday morning, I was able to pull out the usual 4 miles at sunrise with Crystal.
One week later – Saturday morning 18.5 miles on the Ice Age trail. Yes, this was trail and a little hillier than the 20 miles the weekend before but for me, trail is where it’s at! Less pavement pounding and I run at a slower, more relaxed pace. By the time I finished, I didn’t have time to stop at the Cryo office in Appleton as I had other obligations. By the time we got back to Green Bay, the office here was closed. Spent the evening stretching and foam rolling (my usual recovery from before I started using Cryo.) Sunday morning, I could hardly get out of bed! Cryo is not open on Sunday! I had to wait until Monday to get my chill on. First thing Monday morning, still moving pretty slow, I think I was the first appointment of the day! By Tuesday I was starting to feel better.
Fast forward a month to the Cellcom Marathon. I knew this was going to be a huge challenge for me. My 1st 26.2 miles. I chilled Saturday morning, just to give myself some added healing for my body before I gave it a good beating. On Sunday, I pounded through my miles, finished in just under 6 hours and headed straight to see Mandi (She was open on Marathon Sunday because all of us that were running didn’t want to wait until Monday – one reason I love Mandi – she does what she can to take care of her clients!). I got my chill on before I even went to get food after running all those miles. I had my priorities. Yes, Sunday night I was sore. No surprise, I had just pushed my body to 26.2 miles. BUT, by Monday morning, the only part of my body that hurt was my lower back. This really didn’t surprise me after all the miles on the pavement.
I headed back for another chilling Monday morning. The next day, I was good as new! Yes, I also did wait a few extra days before I ran again, but the body was ready to go!
Last weekend, I ran my first 50k out on the trails at UWGB. Less than an hour after I finished, I was chillin’. While I was there I also ran into my good friend Kris who was there to get his chill on after he got his first Spartan finish! I chilled again on Monday morning. By Tuesday, I was back on the streets. I did just stick to walking since I was dealing with a flared up knee after my ultra, but I was still able to get out there!
These are just a few of the examples of why Cryotherapy will continue to be part of my running and recovery! I have several other running friends who have also started using Cryo as part of their recovery after long runs and are seeing some of the same results! It’s always a good laugh when I walk into the door for my own chill session and one of my friends is already there, or walks in before I leave! We are creatures of habits and when we find something that works, we stick with it!
I’ve said it before and I say it again, yes – Cryotherapy is Cold. But it’s 2-3 minutes that can (and will) make a huge impact on getting you back in the came sooner! NO, you don’t have to be a long distance runner to reap the benefits of Cryo. If you are a runner of any distance, lifter, or just workout a lot, I highly recommend checking out Cryo! And no, you don’t have to be a marathoner or ultra marathoner to get the benefits of Cryo!
Give Mandi a call and tell her that I sent you! You never know, you might even see me there!