Only one 15 minute session on the rower is all the exercise I've had during the last three weeks. It was too soon, my ankle did not like the stress placed on it and let me know by swelling up again. Last week I walked about a mile after which a lump appeared on the left hand side. I had resigned myself to being out of running for quite a while.
I made an appointment with my sports physiotherapist and made my way to the appointment with trepidation, fully expecting confirmation of my self diagnosis. After a thorough examination the news was much better than I expected.
After around 10 days (cross training which I have not been doing), exercises and another visit I should be able to tape the ankle for support and resume running. Great news, I didn't expect that. I then presumed I'd have to withdraw from my first two events of the year, the D33 and Hardmoors 55. Not necessarily, as the D33 is flat with no hills it should be doable with the ankle taped. Unfortunately that's not the case for the Hardmoors 55, with rugged terrain and hills, that one is not going to happen.
Running the D33 will let me know exactly where I am, it also follows a bus route, so if things go belly up I can jump aboard the bus. So now I have a target to rehabilitate the ankle and get fit for the Highland Fling at the end of April. I withdrew from the Hardmoors 55 and entered the Hardmoors 60 which takes place 16th September, I'm going to have to wait a bit longer before my first "foreign" race outside Scotland.
