Banged up but back in action

Last year’s marathon training was curtailed by my hernia, this year’s was delayed by a couple of months as I managed to injure myself and then make it worse.

It was a simple run play between Foxy and me. John got the ball, didn’t quite get through the hole and amid the melee a big fat defensive tackle lands on my left ankle.

That was April and for those who didn’t already know I play American Football so I’m prone to being in situations where big fat defensive tackles are likely to land on me. The one upside is that when I play this most of me is covered in padding.

My ankle is one of the areas that’s not.

But this of course is only half the story. I finished off the game thinking it wasn’t much and then lined out again for a game against Carrickfergus two weeks later. Man that hurt a lot. I knew it was bad but I figured 'sure there’s only one more game after this before I get to rest it for a month.' A week later I lined out against the Dublin Rebels. Four plays into the game I limped off having not been hit once. The damage was already done.

I went to my GP and he told me that I tore the ligaments around my ankle the first time and that I re-tore them at least once by going too hard on it in the subsequent weeks.

The end result was that I limped, a lot, for a couple of months. I was dying to get a walking stick, anything to help make me more mobile. I plodded on though without one, making the most out of what little support my umbrella or a nearby railing could offer until eventually I was able to walk reasonably normally again.

Then on Wednesday I started afresh. My fitness may have taken a big hit over the past few months but I’m back and ready for action again so John and I went for a run.
We didn’t stay out too long but thankfully that had nothing to do with the ankle, I was just wrecked.

Emmet Ryan