Workout Wednesday 8.8.18

Walk into any running store and there is a plethora of gear available for you to purchase. Some of it is legit. Some of it is just a gimmick to make you feel cool as a "runner."

I can be a skeptical person sometimes when it comes to non-traditional sports medicine and I prefer the least amount of gear with me when I run. (My first run with just my apple watch and my airpods was the most liberated I felt as a runner!!) The less prep I have to do to get out the door and the less I have to bring with me increases my happiness at the end of the run!

You may have read on a previous Workout Wednesday that I was dealing with a foot issue in my shoes. I think they just had too much stability (is that a thing???) and was causing my foot to swell. This forced me to buy a less stable running shoe, but consequentially, forced me to take care of my right knee. If I don't land on it right, it still twinges due to my extra baby weight. 

Enter KT tape. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical. How could stretchy tape actually help with sports pain? Then last marathon training cycle, my joints on the inside of my ankle would pop out of place and cause running to be very painful. So my chiropractor suggested I use KT tape to provide more support for my ankle. It got me through the last of my training and the marathon! 

Now that I wasn't getting the same support in my shoe, I decided to try KT tape again and use it to support my knee. I hate that it takes me longer to get ready by taping up my knee. I also hate that it takes three pieces of tape to get it supported correctly (read...I don't like spending extra money haha). But by golly, my last run with my new shoes and my knee taped up was one of the best I have had in a long time! Almost no pain in my knee or my foot!!

Are some of the things in stores gimmicks? Absolutely. Is KT Tape one of them? Not in my opinion. It allows me to do a sport pain free that is not only good for my body, but good for my brain as well.

Workouts this week:

• Monday: Run 3 miles
• Tuesday: Strength Training with Dustin
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Run 3 miles
• Friday: Strength Training with Dustin
• Saturday: Off
• Sunday: Hiking with family