JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14207: Kinesiology tape for achilles heel pain. Does it work? #1

Several weeks ago, I began having some pain at the top of my heel on my right foot; The notorious Achilles tendon.  I thought that perhaps it was due to some new running shoes that I had purchased not long before the pain showed up but wasn't sure.  I purchased some Asics, which was what I had been running in previously, but it was a different model so that could have caused some problems.  Or it could be that I was still in the break in period.   I kept running, rotating between my current 3 pairs of running shoes and the pain has persisted.  It's not too severe and hurts only a little when I begin a run and then goes away for the rest of the run.  It hurts the most after I have been at rest for some time, for example, after a night's sleep.  Again, it's not too severe, but is annoying and sort of persistent.  When I push on the area where the Achilles tendon meets the top of the heel, it hurts a lot.  It's only on my right foot which also makes it a bit confusing.

Meanwhile, my sister visited last week and brought a few little gifts along for my family and I.  She handed me something that I hadn't heard of before: Kinesiology tape.  She explained to me that some athletes use it to aid in pain relief in muscles, etc.  I took some time to look it up and it seems that the "experts" are a bit divided as to whether it give any actual benefit or not.  I was a bit skeptical, but being the scientific type that I am and having the tape there in front of me and the pain there in my right heel, I thought I'd check it out and pass along my findings.

There are actually a bunch of videos that show how to apply it for specific types of pain in the body and one of them happens to be Achilles heel and tendon pain.  This one from Runner's World was very simple and well done so I used it as a guideline to tape my right leg.

Because the process of evaluating the kinesio tape takes place over a period of time, I'll be posting roughly twice a week for 2-4 weeks or so as to whether the stuff lives up to the claims for me and I'll give a recap at the end.

I taped my right leg exactly as shown in the video on Wednesday night, just before bedtime.  Fairly soon after taping the leg, I felt less discomfort in the area I had been experiencing pain in.  Some of the critics of the tape, feel that there is a placebo effect so that could be at play some here but I think probably not as I was somewhat skeptical to begin with.  I think a better explanation, is that the tape does give a certain level of support, just like a wrap would, so it alleviates some muscle pain because of this.  I followed the taping with a couple of days of rest from running and my heel felt progressively better over those two days.  I think that this was probably due to the rest, more than the tape, but the pain did seem to dissipate more quickly while wearing the tape.  I ran this morning (Saturday) and had no pain while running.  It is now about 5 hours post run and I am laying on the couch and my heel does indeed hurt.  The pain is moderate and a bit more intense, if I stretch the Achilles by tilting the tip of my toe towards my head.  I would say that this pain is typical for what I have been experiencing after a prolonged rest period after a run before I started using the tape.     I'll be doing my long run tomorrow morning which is 9 miles for this week so I'll plan on posting again in a few days.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14202 Marathon Dissapointments #1

A little less than two years ago, I ran in the KC marathon.  There were many positives from the experience but there were also a number of negatives, the biggest being the total time it took me to finish.  I know that the main thing is to finish, especially on the first marathon; However, I felt that I really had the potential to do so much better.  I finished with a total time of 4:56:58 (a pace of 11:20/mile)  I'm glad to have finished strong at the end but still, I couldn't help but hash and rehash everything that I feel contributed to a disappointing performance.  I decided to use this blog to review things that I did (or didn't do) to prepare myself for the next marathon I take part in.

The first mistake I made that contributed to all of the other mistakes may surprise you:  

  I followed the rules.

That's right, I followed the rules.  This turned out to be a HUGE mistake in one specific area.  The race info states, "For insurance and safety purposes, we do not allow headphones, earbuds, Ipods, radios, and other hearing devices or animals on the course."   I took this statement seriously and so for the first time throughout my entire marathon training period that year, I did not run using my Runkeeper app.  (Nor did I bring my basset hound along, but I knew better than to do that anyway.  He wouldn't make it a mile.)

When I showed up at the race and saw the multitude of folks with headphones, I began to realize that there was no way race officials could police that many people in regards to wearing headphones, etc. and apparently everyone else running the race knew this.  At this point, I was disappointed not to have my phone with the app so as to help me pace myself, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal.  I was sorely mistaken.  If I had been running by myself, I probably could have done a pretty good job pacing myself for the time I wanted to finish with; However, surrounded by marathoners AND half marathoners made it extremely difficult to determine exactly what pace I was at.  I had to time reference and no mile reference for most of the first half of the marathon which led to other factors that negatively influenced my performance.  (More to come on those factors in upcoming blog posts.)

So, there you have it.  The #1 biggest mistake that I made was following the rules.  Rest assured, if I do end up running the KC marathon this year (as I am currently training to), I will not make the same mistake again.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14191

I'm on my 4th week of an 18 week marathon training plan and in a little bit of a running slump.  I'm not sure what's causing it.  Could be allergies (mine are pretty bad right now) or it could be the July heat (which hasn't really been as bad as it could be).  Or, it could just be what it is:  A running slump.  One of the things that I've discovered is that no matter how long someone has been a runner, there are still down days and down times.  Aka: "Runner's Slump."   Even if you do everything "right."  Even if you get plenty of quality sleep, stay hydrated, run at a reasonable pace, choose the coolest time of the day, etc., there will still be days when your legs feel like huge weights.  When these times come, and they will, the only thing you can do is power through and know that although you're in the midst of a down run, there will also be up runs.  Runs in which you feel like a super hero.  Those runs make it all worth it.