My Injured Ankle

The Ankle


The ankle is a complex mechanism. What we normally think of as the ankle is actually made up of two joints: the subtalar joint; and the true ankle joint.

The true ankle joint is composed of three bones: the tibia which forms the inside, or medial, portion of the ankle; the fibula which forms the lateral, or outside, portion of the ankle; and the talus underneath. The true ankle joint is responsible for up and down motion of the foot.

Beneath the true ankle joint is the second part of the ankle, the subtalar joint, which consists of the talus on top and calcaneus on the bottom. The subtalar joint allows side to side motion of the foot.

The ends of the bones in these joints are covered by articular cartilage. The major ligaments of the ankle are: the anterior tibiofibular ligament, which connects the tibia to the fibula; the lateral collateral ligaments, which attach the fibula to the calcaneus and gives the ankle lateral stability; and, on the medial side of the ankle, the deltoid ligaments, which connect the tibia to the talus and calcaneus and provide medial stability.

These components of your the, along with the muscles and tendons of the lower leg, work together to handle the stress the ankle receives as you walk, run and jump.



My Ankle

The problem that I have is that, due to going over on my ankle so often when I played rugby, I have damaged my lateral collateral ligaments. This means that I have little to maintain my lateral stability. So when I half stepped in a pot hole on Monday 21st March the inside of my leg, the tibia bone, went crashing down onto the talus bone.  I believe that this may have damaged the articular cartilage and the deltoid ligaments. What I do know for certain is that it’s painful but not too bad, until I put weight on it and try to run, even on a tread mill.

I’ve been informed that it normally takes about eight weeks to repair. I’m seeing the physiotherapist twice a week and receiving ultrasound treatment on it. Although there seems to be little consensus oh how the treatment works it has been used to by therapists over the last 50 years to treat soft tissue injuries.

In the meantime I’m more concerned about the effect it has rather than the science behind it. It’s not all bad through as I have increased my cycling to compensate, at least partly, for my lack of running.

Tom Scott Races 11/04/2010

I was intending to go for a cycle with the 'cycling for softies group' from Cross- myloof at 10:30 but as I woke at 7 as usual, I decided instead to head out to Strathclyde Park to watch the Tom Scott Memorial Races.  I wasn't sure how to get there but headed towards Toryglen, then through Rutherglen, Cambuslang and Blantyre to my old college town of Hamilton.  I cycled past Bell College which is now part of the University of the West of Scotland; the modern leisure pool which has replaced the wee local swimming pool that I frequented and my old student residence which has been converted into private flats before crossing the footbridge into Strathclyde Park almost right at the start of the race.

After pre race chat with a few of the runners I cycled some of the route before deciding where to stop and take my photos from.  There are two races which are run concurrently the 10 mile one and the 6k 'wee diddy run'.    I have both good and bad memories of running in the 10 miler, one excellent race with a strong finish and last year's disaster when the sun was too much for me on the day and I struggled.  So it was with mixed feelings that I reflected on not being able to run in today's race in the blazing sunshine with no evident wind.

Wee Diddy Run
There was a bit of a mix up with a misunderstanding between the marshal and the lead runners in the 6k, which ended in some of them taking a short cut but the Race Referee, rightly in my opinion, decided to let the results stand.  This meant that Alison Docherty won the women's race defeating usual winner Claire Thompson and Jennifer Telford. That man Kevin Kane won the men's race. 

Tom Scott 10 Miler

In the big race, Edinburgh's Neil Renault had a great run in preperation for his London Marathon, taking two minutes off of his PB.  He looks like a good bet to get the 2:15 marathon time that he's aiming for in two weeks time.  Also a great run from Irvine's David Miller who finished fourth with the Shettleston runners setting a new course record and earning the men's team prize.  Kenny Richmond had another good run to win a vet's prize and help Bellahouston Road Runners to second place in the men's team event.  In-form, Fiona Mathieson
 won the women's race, beating Fiona Thompson and Jill Knowes with Claire McCracken and Pamela McCrossen picking up vets prize.

Further down the field there were great runs from my old sparring partner Norman Boyle; Richard Leyton; Frances Maxwell; Mhairi Duff; Linda Kennedy and a whole range of others.

Be Courteous
Although this photo shows runners on one side of the path and other park users on the other, unfortunately that was not always the case as many park users illustrated extreme ignorance and down right rudeness by either ignoring the runners or in some cases going out of their way to restrict their path.  I had to give up my photography tp assist a marshal who was clearly failing to cope with the arduous task of trying to channel the lead runners down the final strait and the other runners along the path, whilst being impeded by the many park users who seemed, at best, to be oblivous to the races being run.  Would it really be too much to expect other park users to show some respect to the runners or at least be courteous towards them?   

"David....... Dale, I Presume"
After the post race chat and prize given, I was homeward bound, taken a slight detour for a quick visit to the David Livingston Centre, not a lot of people are aware that the explorer was educated as a result of the phiosophy installed in him by the owner of the local mill, Stewarton's David Dale.

Football Support
It was plain sailing as I overtook, on the inside of the road, the nose to tail traffic as it made it's way slowly towards Hampden Park.  The brightly coloured Dundee United and Raith Rovers supporters, walking the last wee bit before the national stadium, shouted encouragement to me as I pedaled past them before arriving home slightly suntanned. 


Review
Distance: 30:08 miles - undulating
Moving Time: 2:36:55
Av 535 beats per mile
Calories used: 16:29

I need a better cycle to do these longer runs, the one I have is ok for the short commute to work, and I need a much better camera to improve my pics.

Photos here
Results here
Route here

Glasgow parkrun 10/04/2010

 I cycled along to and around Pollok Park on Saturday morning to get my weekly parkrun fix.  Geat day for running, great turnout and some great times too.  Shame I can't run at all at the moment.

Race Report In his third appearance, Robel NEGASH (SM25-29) of Bellahouston Harriers won for the second time in a row with 16:43. Andy MCGHEE (SM25-29) representing Kilmarnock Harriers took second by 23 seconds recording 17:06. Ethan SLOAN-DENNISON, (JM15-19) of Victoria Park City Of Glasgow AC placed third in a time of 17:08.

In her ninth appearance, Toni MCINTOSH (SW30-34) of Ayr Seaforth AAC won in a time of 18:59 for the seventh time. Toni beat Alison WINSHIP (VW35-39) representing Garscube Harriers by 71 seconds recording 20:10 in the process. Chloe COWAN, (JW14) of Giffnock North AAC placed third in a time of 20:12.

In the day's Age Graded competition, Donald PETRIE recorded a performance of 83.32%

In the points competition Al MACLACHLAN has a lead of 53 points over second placed John GILHOOLY. Sophie Mary PARCELL leads Susan CLARK by 164 in the ladies competition.  This week there were 71 first timers. 82 runners recorded PBs, bringing the total number since the Glasgow started to 3395. In this time, 3072 runners from 122 different clubs have completed the race 11444 times covering a distance of 57220 kilometers.   (pic of Rebecca PERRY running to a new PB of 25:05) Good post race banter back at the Burrell and home made cake, provided by Toni McIntosh. Photos here  Results here

Samson and Delilah

My review of Warwick Thornton’s impressive, award winning, debut feature film: Samson and Delilah.

Teenager Samson lives in a small Indigenous Australians community in the hot, dry and desolate desert. Like many teenagers he is bored with life, he lives in a featureless house, sleeps in his clothes and awakes every morning to the repetitive sound of his brother’s reggae band which uses the porch as a stage and seems to play the same tune all day. He survives the tedium by sniffing on his can of petrol before facing the day. He starts off by grabbing the electric guitar and playing some rock n roll but the band members chase him away. However he has nowhere to go to and nothing to do. Instead, he helps him self to an old wheel chair and sits outside the town’s only shop staring aimlessly…… until he sees a teenage girl, Delilah. With an apparent lack of conversational skills, he starts the courtship by writing "S4D" on the shop wall, before progressing to attracting her attention by throwing rocks at her.


Delilah spends her days caring for and painting with her elderly nana who encourages the courtship. When her mother fails to awaken one morning the town’s women take to beating Delilah for neglecting her, Samson turns to his solvent abuse before smashing up the band’s equipment and vandalising the town houses. They steal the town car and head towards the city, however with Samson more prone to sniffing the petrol, than to putting it in the tank; they run out of fuel and walk the rest. They share life under a bridge with an alcoholic, who becomes frustrated with their lack of speech and eventually insists that they speak at least one word before he shares his food with them.

Delilah sees her nana’s work on display in a shopping mall for Aus$22,000 and realises just how much that they had been exploited. She takes up painting again but no one is interested in buying works of art from a down and out. The film illustrates just how marginalised the indigenous population have become in their own country.

With Samson being oblivious to anything apart from the petrol bottle under his nose, a gang of youths kidnap Delilah and presumably rape her, she returns under the bridge beaten and scarred but realises that she has not been missed. Feeling at an all time low, she turns to sniffing petrol. Whilst walking aimlessly is run down by a car but again Sampson is oblivious and keeps on walking. When he realises she is missing, he retraces his steps and finds the signs of the car cash. Presuming that she has died he increases his solvent abuse. The talkative, singing, alcoholic is taken in by the church and Samson is left alone and hopeless.

This is where the film could and perhaps should end, reflecting the hopelessness of the situation that some people find themselves in. However Thornton must consider the grim reality to be too uncomfortable for the audience and instead of leaving it there decide to have a happy ending.

Delilah appears in front of him in an almost angelic vision before the film reveals that she hadn’t been killed in the accident, she was now clean and well dressed, her cuts and scars had gone and she was accompanied with Samson’s brother who took them back to the township. They were given a car and food and made their way further into the countryside where apparently Delilah had (inherited?) a house with running water. She cared for Samson as she had cared for her Nana, he became clean and she took up the traditional painting that her Nana had taught her… and presumably they both lived happily ever after, in their conversation free isolation.

The film has fine performances from both Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson as the two lead actors and is powerful in telling, probably for the first time on the big screen, the tragedy of an exploited and largely ignored rural Aboriginal community. However Thornton's happy ending does, in my opinion, detract from the harsh reality of their life.

Alloa Half -Kilmarnock Standard newspaper report

Athletics: Kilmarnock Harriers ain't half fast at Alloa

Apr 1 2010 by Lizzie Struthers, Kilmarnock Standard 

SOME 16 Kilmarnock Harriers joined a 1000-strong field taking part in the Alloa half marathon.
Many of the runners were using the race as preparation for forthcoming Fort William and London marathons, and were therefore looking to record good times.

Les McDerment, who is in training for the latter event, destroyed his previous best effort of 1hr 26 by four minutes.  His form suggests that his marathon personal best could also be under review come April 25.
Les’s wife Liz and Ian Goudie also achieved lifetime bests and everyone ran well.

A special mention to Jackie McCulloch who was competing in her second half marathon – a few years after her first.  Jackie finished well inside her target, and with some more hard training should lower this time further before too long.

Full Kilmarnock Harriers times and positions: Leslie McDerment 1:22:30, 52; Connell Drummond 1:24:47, 76; Alan Brydon 1:30:48, 154; Richard Skillen 1:33:41, 196; Harald Bartl 1:33:18, 198; Paula Wilson 1:33:44, 28 (3rd f40); Ian Goudie 1:36:08, 242; Elizabeth McDerment 01:40:04, 356; Brian Darroch 1:42:27, 335; Kate Todd 1:44:42, 460; Joan Graham 1:58:51, 762; Eve McClurg 2:00:41, 786; Ann Minto 2:00:41, 787; Anne Anderson 2:01:49, 807; Jade Minto 2:01:50, 808; Jackie McCulloch 2:04:22, 828.

I join in with thousands of bikers as they descend on Glasgow, delivering an Easter treat for sick children.

With no running, it was back on the bike this morning and I headed down to the BBC and across the Clyde.  I was planning to use Bell’s Bridge but found it to be closed; it looks like they may be putting a roof on it again.  Never mind the Millennium Bridge is only a few metres further downstream and I was soon north o’ the Clyde. I passed the heliport and joined the new section of road which leads towards Glasgow Harbour, came off of it for a wee while to join the cycle path, waste of time really as I the path rejoined the road further down.  Then the N7 goes along an old railway line which must be one of the worst official parts of a cycle route in the country.  Not only is it bland but for the graffiti but it’s also dangerous with broken glass and other hazards littering the route.  I could hear the sound of horns and hooters and looked to my left to observe a large number of motor bikes heading into town.  I decided to explore further and left the path at the first opportunity.  The stream of motor bikes continued for ages and as it was moving slowly, I decided to join them. 

I presumed that they were going to some kind of motor bike rally but as I chatted away with them, I learned that this was the annual Easter Egg Run to Yorkhill Children’s Hospital and could attract anything up to around 10,000 bikers to it.  That explained why some of the riders were wearing bunny ears and some entire bunny outfits!  It transpires that the event was started by the Motorcycle Action Group in 1999 with around 100 bikes and has grown in size since then and expanded to include trikes, scooters, mopeds and even one or two cars.... you can now add a lone cyclist to the list. 

I received loads of support from well wishers along the way as we made our way along Glasgow Harbour and through the streets up to Yorkhill Hospital where nursing staff and kids were waving excitedly as the bikers passed by beeping their horns and waving back.  Nearly all the bikers bring chocolate eggs for the kids and the event raises thousands of pounds for the hospital.  I had no eggs to donate, so I turned off just after the hospital entrance and joined in with the other well wishers in cheering the bikers.  I told them that they were doing a brilliant job and then made my way back towards the heliport.  There was a helicopter taking off as I passed and it nearly blew me off my bike such was the wind created by its rotors. 

I called in for a newspaper on the way home and the vender quipped “I hope that you are on a bike or you have a very strange dress code”, I assured him that I was with bike and not a Freddy Mercury impersonator and made my way home for brunch poached eggs on toast of course.

Total distance: 14.63 miles; total time: 01:24:07; calories used: 897  

Glasgow parkrun April 3, 2010

Unfortunately I couldn't run in today's 5k event, however I did cycle along and took my camera, so in the absence of Gil Williamson's excellent pics, here's a few of my not nearly as good ones. Click here for Glasgow parkrun pics

A total of 277 runners finished the run.

Bellahouston Harriers' recent recruit Robel Negash went one better than his maiden run last week by winning in a time of 16:53.

Giffnock North's Catriona Lockie (pictured) was one of the youngest and coasted to victory in the women's race, at the first time of asking, with a time of 19:32.


Of couse some runners were slightly older and more experienced. Full Results here:

Congratulations to my friend from the yoga class Tracy Grabiner, who earned her second PB in as many weeks.