by Bob Anderson

I know a lot of people are using athletic tape these days. I can hardly run a race where I don't see someone wearing tape. There are several companies that are selling tape made just for athletes. I have been taping for a long time. I have used scotch tape, duct tape and more recently the special Athletic Tape like KT Tape Kinesiology. The main point is that is does work.

I put on a piece of tape on my hamstring the last two days. When I feel a little pulling, I put it on. It gives me support and helps me get through a workout or even a race. I have used tape on my achilles Tendon and calfs too.

Photo: Note the duct tape on my hamstring photo by Addison Fitzgerald UjENA FIT Club

I felt a little tugging right before running the Ujena 10k race recently in Cabo. I did not have any Athletic tap around so I used duct tape. I taped half way around the hamstring and it worked. There are a lot of different ways to tape and a lot of ideas. For sure do not go all the way around the leg. That can cut the blood flow and cause other issues. So, if you have something bothering you give this a try. But be sure to do it before something really goes bad. There is a point when it is too late for this to be effective.

In addition to tape, there are also Hot patches that work.  In addition to the support, these patches also brings heat to the area.  That increaes blood flow and you want that.  Made for people with arthritis but they work for me.

By the way, I would have used the KT tape in Cabo if I had it but I only had Duct Tape available. Anyone else doing any taping?
Bob Anderson 12/6/11 11:04 pm

Since the KT tape won't stick I may try some duct tape. I have a roll in the garage.
Richard Stiller 12/13/11 4:21 pm

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by Bob Anderson

I started doing this workout several years ago and it worked. The best place to do it is on the track. I think the best distance is the mile but you can vary the distance if you want too. When I was ran 59:17 for 10 miles at age 53 (2001) I was doing this type of workout once a week.

The idea is to run each one mile faster than the one before. I am not sure what you should do if you don't improve your time because that never happened. But I would think it does not count. There is no time limit between each mile. Since you have to run faster, you don't start until you are ready to achieve that goal. But normally it is not more than 3-5 minutes. I also think this helps builds your mental strength too.

One of my best Pace-Up Miles ever was when I did five of them in these times: 5:53, 5:46, 5:38, 5:32, 5:23. I would be ready to race after doing these workouts. However, they are very hard to do on your own and you have to work up to it. I got away from doing my Pace-Up Repeat Miles workout but I want to start again. It has been hard for me to get back into mind set to do these.  However, I know my times would improve.  But there is also the chance of getting injuried too.

You don't have to do five. You can do as few as two.  I would not recommend doing more than six. I noticed that Kim Smith who placed 5th at the New York City Marathon ran six one mile on the track when getting ready. She ran them all right around five minutes. Give the Pace Up Miles workout a try but just start with two. Be sure the second one is faster than the first.

About a month ago I did two one mile on the track. The first was 6:38 and the second 6:19. A week later I ran my best half marathon of the year. I need to get back to these workouts...
Bob Anderson 12/6/11 11:48 pm

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