KT Tape

I've suffered from shin splints all my running life, since I started running at 28. They came and went, sometimes nothing for months and then pain for months, and always in the first half mile of a run.

Since some other health issues I stopped running 2+ years ago but did manage to find periods where I could walk 5-6 miles a few times a week, until that is, early July when my Siatic nerve pain stopped everything except short walks.

The pain eventually faded but it  left the front of my right leg numb from above the knee to the ankle, meaning the knee and shin, but I was able to resume some sense of walking.

In September I started distance walking again, first 3-4 miles twice a week to now ~5+ miles 3-4 times a week. But all of it was walking through shin splints in the left leg in the first mile or so, after which the pain disappears.

Then I saw an ad for Spider Tech sports tape. I sent away for the free sample which I have but in the meantime I found KT Tape (Kinesiology Tape), photo above, which works great on shin splints. I can do 2-3 days of walks with the tape and only feel a slight twinge for a minute or so in the first mile or so of the walk and then nothing afterward.

This is great stuff. I don't know how it works on other muscles but it's great for shin splints. The downside is that it isn't cheap and not common in stores. It's $10 for 14 strips (1 box), so that's about a $1.50 for each pair twice a week. Considering the alternative, it's money well spent.

The other up side of this is that I've lost over 10 pounds so far (all fat) and an inch in my waist where my old jeans now fit. Last winter I bought larger jeans from the weight gain from the health issues and this week they're too big for me.

I have a whole fall and winter to walk and lose more weight, aka fat on me, and another inch or so in the waist. Lots of older clothes will fit again. That's cool, especially for a mid-60's person like me.

As for the toes, well there's a story there too. Really?

Since I started walking last winter I got and always have 2-3 black toes on both feet. In addition, I love walking barefoot in and around the home, and the little toes are my foot bumpers, always hitting furniture and things, which then turns separates the nail and turns it black.

So I found it was easy to trim them and use black nail polish so the toes obvious to me when I walk barefoot. They also obviously hide the really ugly black toes. And to all those "real" men types who argue against something like this, you should try it, you might find it fun.

What are you afraid of? Your manhood over nail polish? Really? Try it, you can't lose anything and you'll get a smile from everyone. It's cool too.