In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kerry Walsh was seen wearing a mysterious, bright-colored tape on her shoulders while competing in the volleyball division.

What is that tape? It’s KT Tape! And its wonderful

This weekend I had a chat with my friend (whom is a personal trainer and in school working on her Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology <–in other words: She has credibility!) about my knee injury and how down I was about not being able to run more than 3 miles at a time. When I was finished complaining,  she mentioned that she had the same injury and that she used KT Tape on it and Poof! It was gone! No pain, no swelling..she could run again, just like that!

Ohmygah. Get me some KT tape and get it to me NOW! Right after “work” I went into Sports Authority and found it in the middle of an aisle. Oh the colors! Pinks, greens, blacks, browns, reds, blues…I chose pink, of course

Now, I’m a bit skeptical when it comes to “miracle cures” and what-not. But since my friend is a marathoner (3 times over, I think?), runs avidly and is in school for the stuff, then I chose to give it a try. Coming from anyone else, I probably wouldn’t have run off and bought it an hour after hearing about it

But what does it do, you ask. How does it work?

According to the website:

• KT Tape is a revolutionary sports medicine solution for treating and preventing common sports injuries such as ITBS, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, knee pain and more. Ultra-light, elastic, and strong, KT Tape is highly effective at providing pain relief, stability & support, & faster recovery for injured or sore muscles and joints-without sacrificing comfort or freedom of movement.

How does it work?

• KT Tape is applied along muscles, ligaments, and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, strong, external support that helps to prevent injury and speed recovery. KT Tape works differently for different injuries. KT Tape can lift and support the knee cap, holding it in place for Runner’s Knee. KT Tape can support sagging muscles along the arch of the foot, relieving the connective tissues for Plantar’s Fasciitis. And KT Tape can lift the stress off of shin splints to allow pain release and give the body a better opportunity to recover. Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons, thereby protecting tissues from further injury.

• By applying KT Tape over affected tissue, athletes experience an external support which helps to prevent further injury and allows the body’s damaged tissue to rest and heal naturally despite continued activity. KT Tape also reduces inflammation and increases circulation which prevents muscle cramping and lactic acid buildup.

• Kinesiology tape, treatments, and application techniques have been used by healthcare professionals such as orthopedics, chiropractors, physical therapists, and athletic trainers for over thirty years. KT Tape is the first brand of kinesiology tape ever to be offered to consumers through local sporting goods retailers, and to be widely adopted by healthcare professionals and teams. The development of KT Tape was a highly collaborative effort that included Healthcare Professionals, our Medical Advisory Board, elite and everyday athletes, and our product design engineers. Together they developed the most advanced sports tape ever offered.

Um, SOLD! 

I at least had to give it a try. These 3 mile runs aren’t cutting it for me anymore. I want to train. I want to race.  The website provides instructional videos on how to place the KT tape on your leg (or wherever your injury may be). I lay on the floor of our office and patched myself up

Fashionable? I think so! I could not wait to try it out!

There is a 4 mile route in Cramerton I used to do that is packed with hills, so I thought it would be best to try it out there.

You guys…I felt no pain the entire run. No comfort issues. It felt totally normal, like it used to! There was no knee pain at all!!!! I was so happy I wanted to cry. You know what this means: races, look out, because here I come!!! I’m slowly going to start increasing my speed and endurance, and maybe…just maybe shoot for a marathon in December A little crazy? Yes! A lot of fun? YES!

I was so excited about my run that I came home and did ninja moves in our front yard:

Hiiii-yahhhh! Take that knee pain Oh, and I also made up a song too *sung to the tune of “I’m a Believer” by Smashmouth*

“Oh KT Tape/I’m a believer/Not a doubt of pain/ In my kne-ee/I’m in love/I’m a believer/I couldn’t run without you if I tried/”

Hehe Okay! Enough about my love affair with KT Tape! Let’s talk about the rest of my weekend, shall we?

Apple Festival 2010

My mom, Jason and I went to the apple festival in Lincoln County this Saturday! It was our first time going and we were amazed at all of the vendors that were there! And the people! (They estimated 4-5,000!)

We started the festival off by sharing a caramel covered apple with nuts!

Actually, Jason hogged it all. I only got about 2 bites and it was gone! What a meanie!

Gosh I look so attractive when I’m eating things that are bigger than my face.

After the apple, it was time for some veggies!

Yay for local produce! We picked out a few items and then headed over to the crafts section of the festival. I was a little disappointed to see that most of the crafts were quilts and woodwork Not that those things are great, it’s just not what I was looking for. Oh well, maybe next time. We did, however, come home with a painting of the waterfront Park in Charleston It reminded us of our trip!

Around 2 o’clock we started to get a little hungry so we headed over to a diner that was in the vicinity of the festival. The Capital Grille offered a few vegetarian items, and I chose the unhealthiest one -I’m sure you are finding out that this day was definitely a foodie splurge day! It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s oh-so-sweet -

The veggie pita consisted of sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms under a bed of shredded lettuce and tomato. This pita was dripping butter and oil all over the place! It was really tasty, but when paired with the fried onion rings, caused a terrible stomach-ache later in the day It was very tasty at the time though!

There was only an hour left in the festival after we finished with lunch, so we all headed to the other streets that we hadn’t been down before. There were a lot more antiques on the last two streets, and that was pleasing I love looking at antique things! Too bad there was no money left in the budget after buying the painting!

My stomach was so full I felt like I needed to be wheeled around in a wheelchair…ugh. But then I saw a chocolate dipped frozen banana stand..and just had to have one. Hey, it’s fruit, right?!  My mom offered to get me one even though there was no room in my tummy for it anywhere!!

*Hard time keeping a straight face while taking this picture!*

I ate every bite. The buttons on my pants were threatening to pop off and take someone’s eye if I didn’t stop eating, so I obeyed and finally stopped eating for a while

The festival came to an end. Stuffed with food and satisfied with our finds, we found our way back to the car and headed home. Well, once I got home I realized I had a ton of energy. Perhaps it was the onion rings, the bites of caramel apple, or the entire chocolate-covered banana that I just ate..but I was wanting to burn some energy! I hopped on the bike and did 40 minutes of my own spin session :D

Switching the levels back and forth between hard and medium every 5 minutes. (Tomato face!)

It felt so good to sweat. My stomach ache went away for a little bit too. The bike ride + the 3 hours of walking we did really tired me out. When dinnertime came around, Jason and I realised that we weren’t that hungry. I was craving vegetables like a madwoman and he wanted something light, so we both decided on making Mediterranean Couscous with Grilled Vegetables.

And we used our produce from the festival!

This recipe is really easy to make. Jason and I usually grill the vegetables, but we didn’t feel like fiddling around with the grill, so I sautéed them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Here is what you need:

• 1 zucchini, 1 squash
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3/4 lb. grape tomatoes halved (or in this case, 1 medium tomato, chopped)
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• dash of cinnamon
• 3 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (we used goat cheese!)

Saute veggies in a pan. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in different pot. Add couscous and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon). Cover and remove from heat, let sit for about 5-8 minutes. Stir in veggies and remaining ingredients.

That’s it! This whole meal probably takes 20 minutes to cook, and then it’s done!

My serving, along with a side of ‘book’ By the way, the veggies that we got from the festival tasted amazing. Not at all like what you would get at a grocery store, the flavors and colors were wonderful! Oh, and I’m really liking “Ape House” as well! “Water for Elephants” is one of my favorite books, so I was pretty sure I would like this one too.

*Sigh* There is more to discuss, but I should go for now! Jason will be here any minute to commandeer the computer for homework!  Two things before I go:

• Is it too early to have my sights set on a marathon in December?
• I’d Rather Be Running is going to have some changes this week! Anything you want to see on the website?

Okay loves, I’m outtie. See ya later in the week!

Hope everyone’s Halloween was great Mine was low key! After I got off of work, I came home and jumped into my jammies (at 5pm) and stayed that way for the rest of the night. We made a late night trip to TCBY for some strawberry fro-yo (nom nom) and then proceeded to watch “100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time” on VH1 Classics <—Love that channel!

Though, to be quite honest, by the end of the night I was feeling burnt out on takeout food! During my stay at my boss’ house I ate out quite a bit, I was glad to start fresh this morning! Here are some of my eats while dog-sitting:

Black bean burger with cheese and sweet tater fries on the side.

I thought it was so funny that Jason ordered tater tots as a side Doesn’t that remind you of elementary school (and Napoleon Dynamite)???? Haha.

A veggie quesodilla  with stir-fried veggies and black beans with tortilla chips…eaten over the span of 30 seconds minutes.

“Mozzabella” salad- mixed greens, roasted red peppers and mushrooms, boiled egg, mozzerella, tomato and toasted pecans with balsalmic vinegar and roll on the side. This salad was yummooooo!

And please, don’t tell Dunkin Donuts that I am a TRAITOR!

AHHH! I’m so ashamed. Oh well! I shall make it up to them next week, hehe This morning I was soooo in the mood for some real food. Oats! But I sadly remembered that I ran out last week, so I stuck with the waffle, pb and jam combo. Sadly, we were out of fruit too! So, of course I went out to the store to get some! But not without enjoying a little guilty pleasure of mine first!

Coffee and celebrity gossip Every Sunday morning I read the “Week in Photos” on OMG and sip on a cup of joe. I got dressed and went to three stores, picked up fruit and other necessities, but forgot the oats! (Which is what I went there for in the first place!) Funny how that happens. If anyone has seen my brain, please send it back to me!

Jason and I also hit up the farmers market for some fresh produce this weekend!

Jas and I were able to get: 3 ears of corn, 2 sweet taters, 3 red taters, 1 red pepper, 1 pineapple, 3 tomatoes and 2 heads of broccoli for $10.32!!!!!!!!!! That’s awesome

As of right now, I am totally in wind-down mode. Today is supposed to strength-training day but I’m totally not feeling it! I’d much rather read my latest mag:

(Very informational magazine! Think it fits my career path just fine!)

Welp, it’s only 5:03 but this time change stuff is messing with my mind! My stomach seems to think it’s dinner time…better go start the chili! See you guys after school tomorrow!

PS. I am totally loving my new makeup!

 But now I’m having another makeup disaster: I accidentaly grabbed the WATERPROOF Lashblast Mascara and the area surrounding my eyes is soooo raw and sore from trying to get it off. I’ve been wearing it every other day, and I don’t want to spend money on a whole other mascara. What’s the best way to take off waterproof mascara at the end of the day??? My skin will kindly thank you for any suggestions!!

Edited to add: I keep forgetting to put my workouts on here! Sorry!! Here is how my workout schedule went this week:

Monday: 100 bicycle crunches, 4 mile run with Jason     Tuesday: Off        Wenesday: 20-minute strength training (45 pushups, 45 dips, 30 v-flys and 30 shoulder press)   Thursday: 45 minute run with Whit, 100 side-leg crunches   Friday: Technically “off” but there was a TON of walking in Charlotte   Saturday: 5 mile run with Jason  Sunday: strength training with Jas…supposed to be, but we’ll see if that happens!