knowledge about lower leg muscles, specifically the anterior tibialis?

Hi there- extremely odd question here:

I have a HUGE muscle on front of my shin, slightly to the outside.  You can see it the most when I flex my foot up toward my shin as far as it goes.   I looked it up and I believe it is called the anterior tibialis.  I wish it wasn't so big because my calves are huge enough as it is but I don't think there is anything I can do to reduce the size.

What I am wondering is if anyone else has this, specifically women?  Also, does anyone have any ideas why it would be so pronounced?  I am not a runner and have only in the last month been exercising regularly.  In high school (graduated in 2000) I played field hockey but that was only for a few months of the whole year.  Basically, I'm not really an athlete.  I wonder if I walk funny or something and that has made this muscle so large. 

Any ideas?  Not really an urgent question, just curious.

Kate

it depends on how the bone is formed, since the muscle sits on top of the tibialis bone, if the bone is more pronounced then the muscle will be also. and if you are fit, you will see that muscle better.

I'm not that fit (yet!) and it has always been there even when I was doing 0 exercise..  It's not a problem just an odd thing I've always wondered about.
Thanks

I have always had pretty large/strong anterior tibialis muscles, and it's actually a great thing.  I don't really have any advice on how get rid of it...  But I can tell you that I have never had the slightest problem with shin splints the way many people do, and it's largely because of that muscle.  :)

Well that's good at least!  I've never had shin splints either, even when in high school I would do nothing from November til August then do double session practices of "suicide sprints" all day when the season started again.

:D