Ouch, sort of

I'm up to 4.5 k.

I'm down in speed - my leg hurts. Try looking up "running injury" on google and see how many hits you get. Narrowing it down to ankle, and on the inside bit, does limit it an awful lot. So it's either a tendon or a muscle, and guess what - same treatment for each. Make the muscle stronger so the tendon doesn't get strained and neither does the muscle. Kind of makes sense.

I do recognize the limitations of internet self diagnosis. I also know I tend to search out information that reinforces what I've already decided - that I don't need to see a doctor, that I can keep on running, and I don't need to spend money on shoes or inserts. So what's the point of research? Well, I found some silly exercises that might help, assuming the inflammation goes down enough that I can actually do them (they all say stop if it hurts - but if it didn't hurt, I wouldn't need them).

Tibialis posterior tendon. When it goes, so does your arch. My kids do not have my feet - I have an arch that is only slightly higher than Donald Duck's. My kids can pretty much sit flat on the floor and point their toes and touch the floor with them. I don't even look like I'm pointing my toes. Why did my idiot ballet teacher put me on point? Maybe she thought I would bend suddenly? Instead I bled my way through several pairs of shoes, then quit. The ideal foot for point work is short, wide, has high arches and is supported by strong peasant ankles. I have the strong ankles. My nickname was finger toes. My arches are hard to find (all 3 - believe it or not, a foot has 3 arches). My feet are narrow. I still remember her cries - don't break the bar! But it hurts less if I support all my weight on the bar with my arms, honest.

So the tendon is attached to a muscle that runs behind the shin bone, and if it gets really sore, your knee on the outside hurts too. If that happens, I will know 2 things.

1. My self diagnosis is right
2. My treatment plan is wrong

The third is already known - I am willing to do anything stupid if I can find even one reason to justify it.

Construction update - one house has windows and roof already. The other has the first storey up.
Garden update - lilacs in full bloom, smells amazing, crabapples almost done, tulips hanging in thanks to a cool spring, bearded iris blooming.