Runcoachny

The recommended temperature for an ice bath is 55-59 degrees. The average temperature of New York City tap water is 54 degrees. Yet runners insist on torturing themselves by adding lots of ice. There's no proof that ice baths are of any benefit and they may even hinder recovery.

Ice baths - don't torture yourself. The ideal temperature range for an ice bath is 55 - 58 degrees. The average temperature of New York tap water is 54 degrees. There's also a theory that ice baths inhibit recovery (Dr Timothy Noakes, Lore of Running).

The perils of starting too fast. 383 runners in the 2015 New York City Marathon finished with an average pace of between 8:58 and 9:02. That work out at about 27:53 per 5K. I did a quick calculation to work out how many of those runners ran their first 5K faster than 27:53.... 77% ran faster 54% ran more than 1 minute faster 31% ran more than 2 minutes faster 15% ran more than 3 minutes faster 5% ran more than 4 minutes faster 2% ran more than 5 minutes faster 2 runners ran more than 6 minutes faster The first mile includes the biggest hill and the windiest conditions on the course. Enough said!

It's #TipTuesday! Have a race coming up? Greg McMillan's Pre-Race Pep Talk will get you in the right mindset before your big event. You're going to want to bookmark this post to read for motivation before all your races.