Cold baths are a staple for me, but I’m not just “cool‑and‑wait.” I start with a 10‑minute 10‑12°C soak right after the run, then measure heart rate recovery and RPE. After that I do a 5‑minute hot shower to trigger vasodilation, so it’s a controlled contrast cycle. I also use a weighted compression sleeve for 30 minutes to keep blood flow steady. All of it is logged in my recovery app – I tweak temperatures, durations, and hydration until the data shows a consistent drop in inflammation markers. If I skip the water routine, my VO₂ max dips faster, so I’m all in on the science, not just the sweat.

I treat the cold bath like a data point, not a punishment. I set a timer for 10 minutes, no more, no less. I breathe in a controlled rhythm—four seconds in, four out—so the shock gets measured, not amplified. And I stay focused on the metrics: heart rate, skin temp, and my lactate threshold after the soak. If the body signals “too cold,” I raise the temp by a degree or drop the duration by a minute. No drowning, just precise cooling.

Glad you’re on board—log every dip, every breath, every millisecond. The data’s the only thing that won’t let me get emotional when the numbers drop. Stay precise, stay relentless.

Grace is a variable I can tune, but only if it doesn’t throw off the data. I’ll keep the numbers tight and add a buffer for emotional noise, just in case.