Apr 152 min read

5 Ways Floating, Sauna, and Cold Plunge Support Your Endurance Training and Recovery

Hailey here!

Today on our blog I want to talk about how our modalities support endurance training and can speed up your recovery process.

If you are an athlete and haven’t yet tried floating, sauna, or cold plunging, you are missing out. I’m speaking from experience and wanted to share a little bit of the behind-the-scenes of what my own regimen has looked like recently.

I’ve spent the last six months or so training for an ultramarathon. In addition to running, I also practice yoga and strength train at the gym. I’ve logged hundreds of miles on northern California trails, working on my speed and endurance, slowly chipping away at building my strength.

Although my 50K race got canceled last minute, I’m grateful that it inspired me to train at such a high level and to achieve new milestones in my fitness, stamina, and mental resilience.

This has been my protocol:

Fire & Ice every day. I spend around 30-45 minutes in the infrared sauna, then cold plunge for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes.

Floating once a week. At least once a week, I do a 60-minute float session at one of the centers.

What I’ve noticed from incorporating these two practices into my recovery routine:

My legs, feet, knees, ankles, and hips don’t stay sore for as long as they used to. Fire & Ice takes the pain level/discomfort down a few notches immediately (which is such a relief!) and floating removes the pain all together. I can start my run the next day feeling fresh instead of like my lower body feels like heavy bricks.

Watch this Instagram reel about how floating has helped me reduce calf cramping in the middle of the night.

Any brain fog or mental fatigue after a long run goes away faster if I sauna, plunge, and float. After running ten miles or more, I tend to feel spacey and out of it afterwards. Obviously eating and resting help to replenish, but I notice a big difference if I also make time for Fire & Ice and floating. I can focus more, make quicker decisions, and get through my day more easily because my mind is sharper.

Here’s an Instagram reel about how I get my recovery out of the red zone faster by floating.

I’m in a better mood more consistently. When I first started long-distance running, I felt like my emotions could change more easily– probably because I wasn’t prioritizing recovery, I was just blazing through any discomfort or pain and catching that next endorphin rush! Now, with my Fire & Ice and floating protocols in place, my mood feels more stable, consistent, and even. I’ve found the balance between training hard and taking time off, and it’s thanks to the practices that we do at Cap Floats!

Watch my Instagram reel about how cold plunging (and my puppy) helped me when I was feeling extremely tired and didn’t want to run at all.