Training, Planning and Running the DW Race

Last week when I was out on my bike I found a great launch point for the kayak, and with the weather looking good I decided to go for a paddle.

It was a solo effort and I focused on improving my paddling technique and in theory my overall speed. I had done a bit of research online about how to improve my stroke and wanted to put some of the pointers in practice. All told, I think I was paddling better.

The trip was 10 miles of river which I covered in just a few minutes over two hours. I probably could have been quicker but at the Montford Island I went down the wrong channel and ended up grounding on a shallow stretch that kept me busy for about 20 minutes before I was able to re-float. I did forget my iPod so I was going a bit stir crazy towards the end. This was a two hour stint and I was getting a bit bored, I’ll need a fully charged iPod for the DW race methinks.

Sunday was time for me to try out the Kinesio tape and see if this remedy really solves muscular skeletal injuries or is just a gimmicky dupe. The tape itself seems to be some kind of strong medical type, and the adhesive has swirls in it to encourage lymph movement and to courier away sweat. Whenever a product (especially applied externally) claims to encourage things like lymph transit, I get a bit dubious but my shin pain has been debilitating of late and I was prepared to give it a go.

For this injury I found a video on the Runners World website which shows how to self apply the tape. The tape wraps under the sole of my foot from the inside edge to the outside edge, and then up my shin to the point of the pain. A strip of inflexible duct tape is applied over the kinesio tape underneath to support the arch of my foot, and that’s it, done.

I have also been investigating running technique and it seems my tip toe running is ideal for sprinters, but puts immense pressure on the shin when running long distance. So I have now started to use my whole foot when I land, still touching down with my toes but letting my heel fall and take some of the impact as well.

The run on Sunday was going to be a half hour 3 mile jog to test both running technique and Kinesio tape. Three miles is usually enough trigger off the shin pain. I was feeling good about the run at the turn around point though, so I kept going. In the end I completed 6.7 miles in 64 minutes.

I did have a couple of twinges of pain in my shins while running, but nothing compared to the crippling pain I usually get and in the end it was joggers nipple that was the most painful injury I sustained.

I have kept the tape on. That seems to be the difference between kinesio tape compared with other therapeutic sport strapping, you keep the tape in place for several days. It feels a bit strange with support under my foot but I think it is doing some good.

There is an argument that this seemingly miraculous cure for my shin splints is placebo, or maybe it is because I have changed my running style and I am just attributing the improvement to the tape. One day I might test the tapes abilities more scientifically but I am going to keep using it in the build up to the Great North Run and almost certainly during the half marathon itself.