Have you ever heard of Cryotherapy, Advanced Ice Therapy? Neither had I! But when I was at the Ferrari Event, there was a silent auction and one of the auction items was a Starter Package from GLACÉ CRYOTHERAPY.  As a cyclist I am familiar with the concept of ice baths which constrict blood vessels, flush waste products and reduce swelling and tissue breakdown, it helps with recovery and I think my legs feel refreshed after. So I thought I would get it as a gift for Brian!

I was a little jealous that Brian was going to use the package as I secretly wanted it for myself. Well….it turned out that after my crash up at Northstar, Brian thought I should use it. I checked with my Doctor to see if he thought it was a good idea and he thought it was a great idea! He said it would help with the inflammation and might even help with the pain in my leg.

So I called to set up an appointment and Brittney, one of the owners, said no appointment necessary and to come on by. She explained that the process would take less than 15 minutes from the time I walk in until the time I leave, so I went on by after work. I had to fill out an information sheet asking about some health questions to make sure I was ok to go on in. She then walked me into the dressing room and told me to put on a pair of socks, boots (they are scuba diving boots), a pair of gloves and a robe. I got dressed and walked into the back where they have their cryosauna. I got in and she shut the door and asked for the robe!! She said you can go up to 3 minutes in the cryosauna, but you still get the benefits from less time so if at any time I was uncomfortable I could stop. I told her I’m a tough girl and that I was going to go the full 3 min!! 🙂

My fashionable outfit                              My papa trying it out for the first time!

It definitely gets cold but it’s not unbearable, just don’t let the -270 degrees fool you! I am usually a hot person, so the cold is really refreshing for me! It helped to talk to Brittney to help the time go by so I wasn’t just thinking about how cold it was. I made it the whole 3 minutes and Brittney said I did really good, and that most people don’t go for the full time for the first visit.

When the time was up I got the robe back and hopped out to get changed. The first time they checked my skin temperature, it was 34 degrees (my lowest skin temp to date was 20*!)!! I felt so good after, my skin was cold and my leg felt better! Brittney told me that the more consistently I could come the better it would be for my recovery.

So I went 3 times the first week and every time I went I could tell it was really helping my leg recover. I went to the doctor the next week for a follow up and he said the bruising looked way better and I told him it was feeling better too. He said he was excited to try it out for himself!

I have now gone 8 times and my bruising is almost completely gone and I have been feeling better every day. I’m pretty sure Brittney and her brother Skyler are getting tired of seeing me so much!! They are really great and Skyler is the “Science Guy” so he really explains what is going on.

Here is what happens during and after the session: During vasoconstriction, toxins continue to be flushed from muscle and skin surface tissue. Red blood cells are enriched with oxygen, nutrients and enzymes. Upon exiting the Cryosauna when the Cryotherapy session is over, the body vasodilates and the enriched blood is released back to the skin surface tissues, muscle tissues, and joint spaces that have been flushed of toxins. After the session you may experience what is known as the “Cryo Rush”, a warm tingling sensation throughout the body, elevated alertness and overall sense of well being, similar to a runners high.

You can find out more about Brittney and Skyler, brother and sister and owners of GLACÉ CRYOTHERAPY by clicking here.

For my local friends there is a GLACÉ  CRYOTHERAPY location in Carmel at The Barnyard. There is also a location in San Jose and San Francisco, for my Oregon friends, there is a location in Medford. For all of my other friends you will have to find your local Cryotherapy location. 🙂

Happy Freezing!

Scott at Called to Creation captured this great shot of Brian near the Bottom of Boondocks – one of the most technical stages of the day, saved for last after 2 very physically demanding, pedal intense stages. Not to be outdone, the lead-in to Boondocks was a lung searing fire-road pedal that sapped strength and dulled focus prior to a trail that demanded both attributes in arguabally larger doses than any other trail on the day. What a great way to finish up day one – A generous helping of fatigue with a cross-eyed desert of white knuckle fun!

The calm before the storm. Day one dawned with perfect weather conditions for round 5 of the California Enduro Series held at Northstar’s extremely popular bike park. My Cupertino Bike Shop IBIS HD is all fresh and excited to get this party started! The Fox Float X2 Shock proved to be the perfect addition for the DH oriented and more technical trails offered at Northstar.

The Pro’s up front listening to riders meeting with Round 1, Battle Born Enduro Winner, Doug Thayer front, center and ready to shred! A close look reveals the Rabobank clad sleeve of 3rd place pro woman on the weekend, Amy Morrison who used her Northstar expertise to come back from further down the result sheet on Saturday night.

Waiting is part of the game with Enduro racing – especially it seems, at the first stage. At least the company is always good with some of the finest friends and bikers you could ever hope to meet hanging out and ready to rip! Here, Northstar Team Giant/Fox rider, Jordan Hartman and Trail Head Racing Ashton Smith are discussing techniques to nail the “Speed Trap” presented by THR on Sunday!

While waiting can be painful in it’s own right, heaving your guts out is also part of the game – if the game is played properly I’m told. Bikes resting, riders resting and muscles on fire, lungs burning and standing is definitely considered a chore at this point! On the left, Liam Ruff took the win in the highly competitive Expert Boy’s U18 class and Noah “Bear Bait” Catropa backed up his Ashland win with a solid 3rd place in Expert Men 19-29 riding for Ashland Mountain Adventures!

Dropping into the final stage on Sunday, the “Top to Bottom” run from Tahoe Trail, down Sinous, Karpiel, Speed Control, Lower Sticks & Stones to the Daytona Berms…and it was a burner! Moral is still high with Zack Peterson and Liam amping up for the approximately 8 minute stage!

Best lube bro! Seriously. Guys were re-applying lube during the day and my Dumonde Tech Regular Pro X Formula was flawless all weekend. I’ve been successfully using stuff all year and it is nice to find products that work so well. Last year, I also carried a spare chain lube in the tool bag, but this year, I’ve lightened the load and had no troubles since making the switch.

The SLO (as in San Luis Obispo BRO!) contingent was in full force with Brian Koch, Taylor Congdon and friends always wearing a smile and ready to get rowdy! Taylor chased me on Sunday’s stage 5, Sticks & Stones and I pedaled for my life knowing his DH acumen – talk about good incentive to give it your all!

The Scotts Valley Cycle Sport / Valhalla Builders Team is the epitome of Enduro racing – they are always a group of full throttle, fun loving, good time having Bro’s who get what riding bikes is all about. Not only is this great group of guys fast on the trail, but they are true sportsman as well – saving my bacon at China Peak by producing an elusive tool that I was in dire need of for that event. Are you guys taking resume’s for next year? Seriously, this team is stepping up at every race and has the dank style award on lock! 118 Nicky D was slowed by a mechanical but Mitch “Ropo” Pisclotta held down a solid top 10 in the highly competitve Expert 18-29 class.

Bear Bait! Ever the fashionista showing that while anyone can tuck a jersey into their shorts, it takes a special swagger to tuck your shorts into your knee pads! This is how they roll in Ashland…

EJ! Need we say more? Team Santa Cruz / Fox’s Enduro Jesus is as Enduro as…well Jesus! And we all know the trails in heaven are steep, lumpy and offer perfect traction every single day!

I’m not sure there are many other sports where the top competitors are as stoked to compete as they are to simply just enjoy ripping and shredding trails with their buds. Here Santa Cruz Nomad / Fox DHX2 rider Tim Krentz and Cannondale Overmountain Team rider Marco Osborne are stoked to have battled over the course of 2 days, 5 tests and maybe 1 or 2 Northstar rocks in order to have secured the top 2 spots on the podium with Tim up top and Marco a respectable 2nd. This is just prior to them dropping into the final stage 6 on Sunday.

Go Time! That moment with the nerves are high, the focus higher and the only thing you are thinking is “get clipped in and don’t fall over in front of everyone…”

Last

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Home

With another solid weekend in the books, we can’t wait to see what the final round will bring at Mammoth’s Kamikaze Games! By far, our favorite event of the year in 2014, we have high expectations for a weekend full of fun this year, too!