Kinesiology Tape

Over the past several years, I've dealt with lots of IT Band issues. It started on my left knee and was followed by my right knee because apparently, the right knee was jealous.

In the mean time, I've learned several tips and tricks for keeping the achiness and IT Band irritation at bay. Along with foam rolling, and my regular PT routine and strengthening exercises, I've also discovered kinesiology tape.

Taping up my IT Band was super easy and after watching several YouTube videos on the application process, I had it down in no time. However, one thing that still plagues me to this day is the stickiness of the tape. I've tried it all - from washing the knee down with soap and water and drying it well to using rubbing alcohol, hairspray, and everything else in between. My final assumption is that the tape just can't hold up to the humidity of the deep south. Either that or the pH of my skin is crazy. It could be the second one...who knows.

After reviewing the process of taping up my IT Band, I finally decided to stick to one strip of tape vs two - I ditched the "X" piece of tape over the side of the knee and decided to just stick with one long strip from the side of my knee, up my leg. This actually helped the tape stick better and helps with the IT Band issues during my run - win win!

So where my taping process used to look like the photo below....

Source

...I got rid of the blue pieces of tape and now just use the long strip that's shown as a black piece of tape in the photo above.

So, throughout the past several years, I've tried several different brands and type of kinesiology tape and decided I would share my thoughts and opinions on each one with you today!

First up is Loxley Sports.

I was sent two packages of Loxley Tape to try out. This tape is not pre-cut, but I like how the back has measurable squares. It took five large squares to make the amount of tape I needed for my knee. If the tape is not going to be pre-cut, I much rather it have a measurable grid as this one does.

As far as stay power of this tape, I give it a C. It's ok, but I know not to wear it on super hot and humid summer days because it definitely won't do the trick.

---------------------------------------------------------

Up next is RockTape.

I ordered two boxes RockTape for a race and even tried a temporary trial of Amazon Prime so I would have the take in time for the race!  I'd heard awesome and amazing things about this tape and I couldn't wait to try it out. To be honest, I wasn't super impressed like I thought I would be. The tape sticks ok but again, I know I can't use it on super hot and humid days. I do rank this tape higher than the previous one mentioned - it stays put better and lasts a bit longer....I give RockTape a B-.

This tape also is not pre-cut, so you can make the strips as long or as short as you'd like. There isn't a way to measure the size of the strips you need to cut, so I had to eyeball this one. Sometimes my strips were too long and sometimes they were too short.

---------------------------------------------------------

 Last but not least is KT Tape.

There are two forms of KT Tape - Regular and Pro. I've tried both and out of all of the brands of tape I've tried, the KT Tape Pro is hands down my absolute favorite.

I also love how these strips are pre-cut which is super easy for use with the one strip that's needed for my IT Band. However, I know if you have multiple areas to tape or you need to cut slits in the tape, a pre-cut option might not be your best bet.

As far as stay power goes, I give the regular KT Tape a B+ and the KT Tape Pro an A-.

 These also come in a wide variety of colors and patterns!

After having so many issues in the beginning, I did a little research on the KT Tape spray and eventually discovered that hair spray did the trick 90% of the time, so I never went any further with the KT Tape spray. Has anyone had any luck with it?

Have you ever needed kinesiology tape? If so, what has been your favorite brand? Do you have trouble getting the tape to stick?

Long Run & Flower Beds

I’ve been looking forward to Saturday’s long run for weeks. Why this particular Saturday? Well, it was the day when my BRF (Heather) scheduled her returned after a long break from running due to a knee procedure a couple of months ago!

On Saturday morning, I woke up a little earlier than normal – I had six miles on my plate and Heather was going to go for three and see how she felt. My plan was to run the first three on my own, then meet her for the next three.

Although the forecast promised rain, Saturday turned into a beautiful day and it didn’t rain until Saturday night!

Around a mile and a half, I felt the KT Pro tape begin to lift up off my leg. I tried everyone’s tips/tricks but this stuff doesn’t like me or the Southwest Louisiana humidity, or both. (I had no problem with any version of KT Tape in the winter.)

So, my next step is to try Rock Tape – I’ve heard awesome things so we’ll see. Where does everyone get their Rock Tape from? I checked their online store but they don’t have much of a variety available for purchase.

We had a great run and completed 4 miles together! The miles flew by though because we spent the entire time talking! :) How I’ve missed that!

After our run, I stopped by Panera because I somehow managed to snag a cool special on my Panera card – free coffee every day in the month of April! Score!

My next stop was at  Lowe’s for a few plants/flowers to update the flower beds. I LOVE this time of year! Have I mentioned that before….because I do! :)

By the front door.

The front bed.

I’m loving these blooms this year! The Amaryllis to the back corner of the picture is one of my favorites! My mom gave all of these bulbs to me a few years ago when we first began our flower beds – it’s neat to see how much they’ve grown and blossomed (no pun intended). My grandfather and my mom were both blessed with amazing green thumbs. For a while there, I wasn’t sure if I was going to have the same gift but somehow it’s managing to find it’s way out. I love flowers and planting and new growth!

I spent the remainder of the weekend reading, relaxing, and watching baseball. It was a GREAT weekend!!

How was your weekend? Did you have a race/training run to complete? Do you have any flower beds?

Christmas Fitness Favorites Take 2

Last year, I shared several of the fitness/running specific gifts I received for Christmas. Well, Santa was good to me yet again….and I received several items that will assist with training for my upcoming half marathons (and might help some of you), so I decided to share with all of you! Here they are….

KT Tape


I’m relatively new to the KT Tape world, but I’m not new to IT Band injury. After wearing a neoprene knee sleeve for (what felt like) ever, I finally bit the bullet and tested out a roll of KT Tape this past fall. I can honestly say it makes a huge difference - I love the support the KT Tape gives to my knee. I also love that their website has a ton of at-home-self application videos to watch which makes it easier on the beginner. The fun colors are really nice, too! I’ve never tried the PRO tape (blue roll on the top), but I’m interested to do so!  Side note: I sure hope they bring back the Red polka dot Minnie KT Tape at the Princess Half Marathon Expo! I missed out on them at the Wine & Dine Expo because they sold out…whomp whomp. 

Mizuno Wave Inspire


Ever since the Mezamashii project, I’ve been hooked. I love Mizuno’s and the Wave Inspire’s are my go-to shoe! You know when you find “the shoe”, the one that just clicks and everything feels right – you just know it was meant to be? That’s these shoes for me. I love the colors, too!

Lock Laces & GU

Somehow, Santa knew ALL my favorite GU flavors (ok, maybe it wasn’t Santa, but my sister in law is just as nice)! I’m a fan of GU with caffeine, so these are perfect! Lock Laces are a new thing for me – I’ve had a friend who used them but I’ve never owned a pair myself. I’m definitely interested to try them out! If you aren’t familiar, Lock Laces are shoe laces that basically always stay tied! Sounds pretty cool to me! 

New Balance

Soooo, I kinda received these shoes at the Wine & Dine Expo, then they got wrapped and placed under the tree as soon as we arrived home…. :D I love these runDisney inspired New Balance shoes! They are only available at the runDisney race expos and I hear that New Balance is bringing this Cinderella style/pattern back for 2015! Also, stay tuned to New Balance’s website/social media for updates on the new additions to their current models!

Fitbit Aria


After receiving the Fitbit back in November as a gift, I knew right away that I also wanted the Aria (scale) to go along with it! This scale not only tells your weight and body fat percentage, it also recognizes up to 8 people in your household. My husband received a Fitbit One for Christmas, so he’s also synced to the Aria and it knows the difference between the two of us! Pretty neat, huh? I had a little bit of trouble setting it up, but once I got going, it was fine and all works well now! My poor dad – he thought I wrote down the Fitbit “Ana” and he couldn’t figure out what in the world I was talking about… lol Whoops!

Raw Threads



Santa hooked me up with Raw Threads this year! I absolutely LOVE these shirts and actually, I gave them as gifts to several (at least three different) friends for Christmas! (The shirts given as gifts are not pictured here.) Princess in Training, Snow, Minnie Bow, and Castle to Castle…I definitely can’t choose a favorite, I love them all! These shirts are made of a soft bamboo and organic cotton which fit incredibly well and are oh so comfortable! I’ve also worn these to run in and they are great! I love the Raw Threads “Disney”/race themed shirts and am so happy to add these to my collection! If you’re interested, check them out – their huge sale ends on 12/31/14!

As you can see, I now have several items to add to my running collection and I can’t wait to test them all out!

Did you receive any fitness related items for Christmas this year? Please share, I want to hear all about them!! :)

----------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to Mindy, winner of the FitMas Week 4 giveaway (the Flip Belt)! Please send your info to kren2700@gmail.com and I’ll get it to them asap! :)

12 Miles on the Road

Saturday morning brought clear and cool Fall temperatures – the perfect weather for a long run!

My friend Heather and I met up extra early on Saturday because we each had 12 miles to tackle. Prior to Saturday, it had been a long while since I’d run 12 miles or longer (probably the Princess Half) and I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s one month until the Wine & Dine Half, y’all! ONE MONTH! I can’t wait!

I was worried about my right IT Band for Saturday’s run because it bothered me on last week’s 8 mile run. I decided to attempt KT Tape and purchased a roll on Friday night. After watching a few videos on KT Tape’s website, I was taped and ready to go! (More on that later.)

As I mentioned before, we met up extra early to begin our run. Much of the first part of our run was in the dark. As we rounded the corner near the river, the sun began to peek out on the horizon.

We chose an out and back course – 6 miles out and 6 miles back. I prefer that route because I would rather not loop and loop the same area over and over again.

These birdies enjoyed the beautiful morning, too!

The miles seemed to fly by! I love running with a friend – good conversation is the best, especially on a long run! :)

We did it…and felt great, too!

I was all minnie’d out on Saturday! I wore the red shirt as a test run for my Wine & Dine Half costume! :)

How did the KT Tape work?

AMAZING. The tape didn’t bother me, it never rolled, I hardly noticed it, in fact! The best part? My IT Band never bothered me at all during the run. The combination of rolling, PT exercises, and KT Tape did it’s job. I plan to continue using this stuff as long as it’s needed. Best part? KT Tape comes in a lot of fun colors! :D

Hope you all have a fabulous Monday and a great start to your week!!

Do you wear KT Tape or something similar? Any tips for this newbie?