Sports fanatic II

The big unanswered question is: can you have too many sweaty men? I spoke of my sore and swollen ankles after a run with both Pete, my normal running mate, and Will the Tornado who joined once. I thought perhaps my physique wasn't made for running, and I told Will that. He wasn't having any of it! He practically kicked me to the sports injury specialist of the campus sports centre. I could make an appointment for the next Wednesday. They book only whole hours for first consults; that seemed a bit over the top for me. Ten minutes would surely do?

That Tuesday I made sure I ran again; I wanted to have some symptoms to show. And it worked! I showed up with a swollen right ankle. The physio subjected me to a proper interrogation, made me walk up and down and do all sorts of things, and then started to poke around in my ankle. All very thorough! That hour was not a joke...

Her diagnosis was as follows: one has a small muscle on the inside of the lower leg, which keeps the foot upright, called the tibialis posterior. Mine wasn't particularly strong, and it had been a bit battered by my running exploits. Hence the swelling. She said it was quite possible this muscle had always been a bit dodgy; hence the spraining my ankle a lot as a kid, and the eternal foot problems. And then walking around on orthopaedic soles, which take over its function, will only make the muscle weaker. Time to kick it into shape!

She gave me a bunch of exercises to do, and advised me not to run for about two weeks. But with these exercises I should get that muscle back in shape, and she figured I could run the half marathon without issues.

Me obsequiously doing one of the exercises

I conscientiously set out doing these exercises, which made me feel even more a sports fanatic than just the running and the pull-ups. And lo and behold; next time I ran my ankle stayed ankle-shaped! And the time after that! I might be old and grey, but perhaps, with my all renewed and improved tibialis posterior I might be in better shape than ever before... and thus able to face as many sweaty men as may show up!