Tag Archives: KT Tape

365 New Days, 365 New Chances

A few weeks ago, I redid the bathroom off our kitchen. By redo, I mean I gave it a fresh coat of paint, changed out the shower arm and shower head, added a new towel hook and hand towel bar, and patched some holes for the previous owner’s mistakes. Oh, and I also replaced the outlets and light switches, of which there were way too many for a bathroom that is barely 12 square feet.

Anyway, I bought a sign to hang in the new bathroom that says, “365 new days, 365 new chances.” I love the sign, because it reminds me that no matter how bad the previous day was, I can change the day to come. Obviously no two days are alike, and this could not have been more true this morning.

I woke up to a 21 month old heel kicking my hip bone. This is what I call a rude awakening. (Insert ba-dum-bum here). After yelling for the pain to stop, I scooped him up and put him on the floor where he proceeded to swipe everything single thing off my night stand. Fine, I’ll get up….

Upon standing and taking a step, I literally fell over in pain. The inside of my right ankle felt like it had a knife sticking out of it. The usual “walk it off” did not help, so I hobbled around until I finally went to get dressed and pulled out my trusty KT Tape. I’m telling you, it is glue for the body. The best stuff ever created! I hopped on Google, figured out what the pain probably was, then went to YouTube to see how to KT Tape the shit out of it. Pain gone. Crisis averted.

My point in telling this story is that life is sort of like a long run. There are minutes where you think you can’t make it any farther, and then there are times when you are coasting and think you can go on forever. Every day, every mile, is a new chance to get better, change, move forward. This is hard to remind yourself of some days, and I have had a few of those days lately. We all have them sometimes.

Now excuse me while I go get my son out of the bathroom sink, because apparently that is a place we like to climb to and hang out now… Keep Moving Forward!

What 42 miles will teach you

It’s like duct tape for your body.

Over the past week, I ran a staggering 42 miles—my longest week ever. That’s right, folks, I’m basically an Olympian now. Good for me! But as I trotted along the roads and trails, I couldn’t help but gather a collection of observations that range from mildly amusing to outright absurd. Naturally, I feel compelled to share them with you. So, here goes:

1. Asian Men and Hot Pink: A Love Story

Let me preface this by saying I am not an expert in fashion trends, but it seems that hot pink is having a moment among Asian men—or at least the ones who frequent my running route. On Sunday’s long run, I spotted not one but two men sporting hot pink. The pièce de résistance was one gentleman wearing wind pants with hot pink stripes down the side, paired with red high-top Nikes. Yes, red. Because why not double down on clashing colors? Oh, and he was smoking a cigarette while strolling casually in this ensemble, which somehow made the whole scene even more surreal. It’s like he woke up and thought, “Today’s vibe is rebellious disco meets casual athleticism.”

2. Miley Cyrus: Unexpected Muse

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: Miley Cyrus saved me at mile 19 of a 20-mile run. Her song “We Can’t Stop” came on my playlist, and for reasons I still can’t fully explain, it felt like the most profound anthem of human endurance ever written. For about three glorious minutes, Miley was my spirit guide, urging me forward with her oddly motivational lyrics. Then reality hit—I realized what I was thinking and burst out laughing mid-run. Cue dirty looks from—you guessed it—the man in hot pink wind pants. Life is a vicious cycle.

3. Santa Clara Needs Me (and My Ticket-Writing Skills)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from running through my neighborhood, it’s that parking violations are rampant here. On Sunday alone, during my 20-miler, I counted 43 cars parked illegally—most of them blocking fire hydrants like it’s some kind of trendy new pastime. If the City of Santa Clara wants to rake in some serious cash, they should deputize me as their parking enforcer. Imagine me sprinting from car to car with a ticket book in hand—justice served at marathon pace.

4. Safeway at 5:00 AM: A Runner’s Paradise

There’s a Safeway across the street from my apartment that opens at the ungodly hour of 5:00 AM—a fact I discovered when I realized I was short on gels before my long run. Let me tell you, grocery shopping at dawn is an experience like no other. The aisles were empty, the checkout line nonexistent, and the only challenge was dodging the occasional weird look from employees wondering why someone in running gear was buying nothing but energy gels and KT Tape at sunrise.

5. Talking Makes Miles Disappear

Between miles 12 and 14, I employed what I like to call my “life lines”—essentially phoning a friend to distract myself from the monotony of running endless miles. First up was my mom, who gamely chatted with me for about a mile despite my breathless replies. Then came Chas (a friend who tolerates my mid-run ramblings). It turns out that having someone to talk to makes those miles fly by—though I suspect they’d rather not hear me wheezing into their ear next time.

6. KT Tape: The Miracle Worker

If duct tape is the universal fix-it tool for objects, KT Tape is its equivalent for the human body. Knees? Fixed. Feet? Good as new. Random aches and pains? Slapped some tape on them and carried on like nothing happened. At this point, I’m convinced KT Tape could mend a broken heart if applied correctly.

And that’s all for now because—shockingly—I have to go work for a living instead of running another marathon around town or ticketing rogue parkers. This week’s mileage goal is only 20 miles (a mere jog compared to last week), but rest assured there will be more absurd observations to come by week’s end. Stay tuned!