Yesterday I took my weary legs to Floatworks for an hour-long session in a floatation tank. Apparently floating in an isolation tank on very salty water can actually speed up recovery for athletes – and as I’m now regarding myself as one of those creatures I thought I’d see if this was true.

Apparently “Rate of recovery after physical exercise is improved beyond recognition. What normally takes a long period of time – usually days for recovery from a marathon – the tank compresses into a number of hours. By relieving the stresses of gravity, floating takes the weight off strained bones, joints, and muscles and increases the efficiency of the blood circulating through the body.”

Perfect for muscles that have recently powered me to a PB then. 

I didn’t make it to the end of my hour – I had to get out after 40 minutes because I got disorientated and then found the whole experience quite odd. Personally I didn’t find it the magical stress relief that a lot of people clearly do. however, after just 40 minutes I did find a marked difference in how my legs felt. they were much less stiff and sore than they had been when I got in.

I would try the floatation tank again as recovery from a race – but I won’t be going there to chill out and get into a zen-like state any time soon. the only thing that makes me feel like that is running a really long way.