Take good care of yourself: Part 2 "Knee rehab"

Well, after making a few small changes in my life, I'm happy to say that there is hope for me running again!  I thought I would talk to you about what I am doing, and perhaps make a couple of sales pitches in the process.

For starters, I do about 45 minutes of stretches and strength training a day just on my IT band.  It takes up a lot of time so I don't do them as much as I should.  I also get bored easily standing around doing stretches which are slightly painful, so I have started a habit of playing bejeweled since a phone is easy to carry around.

In addition, I found this amazing tape online called KT Tape (http://www.kttape.com/).  It is the greatest thing ever; you can use it for just about any injury, and their website actually has instructions for each type of injury.  They even have two sets of instructions for ITBS, one in general and one for runners.  After quickly browsing, I knew that this stuff was the real deal.  It also lasts 2-3 days and is really durable.  Forgive my appearance, but this is what my leg will be looking like for the next few months at least...

At least it can sometimes match my outfit ;)

How does the tape get there?  It is thanks to my awesome boyfriend Vincent because he is willing to take time out of his day to do it for me.  Putting it on myself would be really awkward due to the angle, if not impossible.

The last thing I'm doing?  Running of course!  But - way slower than I'm used to.  I am actually training for the Brew Ha-Ha 5K this September (http://www.fremontoktoberfest.com/brewhaha5k.html).  This way I can run a 5K and grab a beer afterwards!  I am actually training with Vincent, and it is his very first 5K.  It is a lot of fun working out with him and I think it is a good combination.  Since I'm training with someone else, it keeps me in check to not run too aggressively (like I did last June), and he is getting better at running every day.  But he has no problem keeping up with me at all - I just like to give him pointers so he enjoys it more.

I know this is working because I'm not experiencing any pain while running and maybe a little bit of pain afterwards and only on random days.  It is getting better and better and I'm super excited.  One more product  pitch -

Ever done pace training before and always looking at your watch?  That can be annoying, but thanks to my sister I can now have someone tell me through my headphones to speed up and slow down.  Adidas has this cool little device called a miCoach:

This comes with a foot sensor and a heart rate sensor.  On the back is a clip to hook to your clothes.

This device allows you to plug in your Mp3, so you can listen to music and it will automatically lower the volume to tell you commands.  The miCoach keeps track of your pace with the foot sensor and simply tells you to speed up and slow down.  It also keeps track of your calories, distance, heart rate, and whatever else you want.  They provide really comprehensive plans with legit workout schedules - all sorts of distances, paces, etc. with each week containing a long run, speed run, and tempo run.  I have been using it and it is extremely easy to work with.  Rave reviews from me anyway!

So in summary - some work involved but really happy!