You sign up for a marathon with the best intentions. You download a training plan, buy new shoes, and start building your mileage week by week. Then somewhere around week six or eight, your knee starts aching. Or your shin feels tender. Or your hip just won’t loosen up no matter how much you stretch.This story plays out thousands of times every training season. Overuse injuries don’t happen because you’re doing something dramatically wrong. They…

If you’ve ever searched for advice on ice baths, you’ve probably noticed something strange. Half the internet swears they’re a miracle recovery tool. The other half insists they’re useless, or worse, that they ruin your training gains.So what’s actually true?The reality is more nuanced than either side admits. Ice baths can genuinely help with certain things, particularly if you’re racing or running hard multiple days in a row. But they’re not magic, and they won’t…