Achilles tendon

Not sure what I did or whats wrong but heres the story:
I haven't ran much this winter because I'm on the swim team but about 2 weeks ago I went running 2 days in a row and I noticed my achilles tendon was hurting a bit. I stop running because I'm on a swim taper for districts. I started running again this Tuesday and my achilles tendon was hurting a lot after the run (not too much during). It felt better (but it was still there) today so I did a easy 3. It feels good right now but I bet it will start hurting again tommorrow.
Is this achilles tendonitis? What should I do if it is? Have you had this before?

Sounds like casebook case of Achilles Tendonitis. RICE it, and stretch your calves religiously.

haha "rice it". but yeah it sounds like achilles tendonitis, a couple of the girls/guys on my team have had it and that's how they described it.

Achilles tendinitis it seems... I think you should become a minimalist runner.

Lindgren Runner wrote:I think you should become a minimalist runner.

could you explain what that is? i see a bunch of threads on it on dyestat, but none of them really explain the concept of minimalism. im guessing its just running as little as you can, but im not sure.

yeah i suffered similar achilles troubles last season, just lots of ice and don't worry about pushing it too hard just yet. you have to be smart with something as vulnerable as that...it won't be worth it to do an extra repeat or mile of a run if that ends up screwing over your season

alex-likes-running wrote:

Lindgren Runner wrote:I think you should become a minimalist runner.

could you explain what that is? i see a bunch of threads on it on dyestat, but none of them really explain the concept of minimalism. im guessing its just running as little as you can, but im not sure.

Its a style of running dating back to the 60's. Back then there were no stability or motion controlled running shoes. Running Shoes consisted of a nothing more than a midsole and cloth. These shoes were somewhat like chuck taylors but the tread of the shoes were designed for running.

Now back then there were no such injuries and shin splints, tendinitis or runner's knee. None what so ever!
Why? because these shoes were simple! Shoes nowadays have unnecessary cushioning and they weigh a ton!


Thats whats minimalism is.

You explain absolutely nothing to what minimalism is. Personally if it dated back to the 60's I wouldn't use it. I don't see too many races or times dated back to the 60's.

Or if you want to get real technical, I suppose you explained that it's a style of running. I'm pretty sure you can run with a dildo in your mouth and call it a style of running though.

Is this something I can run through if I keep my runs under 4 miles?

my dad has achilles tendonitis, and he runs like 50-60 mpw. he says it pisses him off like hell though, because it takes like a couple miles for his achilles to get loose and feel good. he also says, if he squeezes his achilles, it just about kills him. i think he's gonna take quite a bit of time off after he runs the boston marathon. i hope ur achilles gets better soon.

Cross train and ice. It's not detrimental to run, but don't do it everyday. Cross training will save a lot of time and energy. And definitely don't do any workouts.

Alright so I'm going to:
Stretch Calves, Ice, Run a lot less, No workouts, Become a minimalist runner (whatever that means)
Sounds good to me. It seems like all injuries have the same basic way to get healed lol

Only run until it starts hurting (or hurting more). If/when that happens, stop right away, walk home. If you're not careful you can rupture it, which will put you out for 2+ months. Also if it is getting worse day to day, take full rest (except maybe x-training that doesn't bother it. . . Swimming?)

I like what runner_dude has to say. Listen to your body and go until it starts hurting.

Minimalist running is basically running on the balls of your feet like if you run barefoot. It is more natural and allows your legs to absorb the shock of hitting the ground. Back when shoes were pretty much canvas and rubber sewn together, it was the only way to run. Modern shoes have heels filled with shock absorbing, synthetic foam to cushion the heel and basically undo millions of years of bipedal evolution by allowing you to run by striking your heel against the ground instead of the front of your foot. By placing your body out of natural alignment and not allowing your feet/legs to properly do their jobs, it is causing more injuries. Some minimalist shoes out there are the Nike Free, adiZero LT, and Vibram FiveFingers.

Tony Krupicka cuts and trims the shoes that he buys. You can see that in the beginning of this clip on YouTube. His reasons for cutting the heel down and making the shoe flatter are allowing a more natural way to run by allowing the ball of the foot to strike first like I was talking about, by running on the front of his feet he can react better to the more difficult, technical terrain in the mountains, and the benefit of less weight that he has to move over time when he runs for hours and hours.

The only problem with running until it starts to hurt is that the pain goes away when I run and doesn't come back until later. Kinda how shin splints are.

Well then you're safe for running, as long as it continues to improve.

Yosh wrote:I like what runner_dude has to say. Listen to your body and go until it starts hurting.

Minimalist running is basically running on the balls of your feet like if you run barefoot. It is more natural and allows your legs to absorb the shock of hitting the ground. Back when shoes were pretty much canvas and rubber sewn together, it was the only way to run. Modern shoes have heels filled with shock absorbing, synthetic foam to cushion the heel and basically undo millions of years of bipedal evolution by allowing you to run by striking your heel against the ground instead of the front of your foot. By placing your body out of natural alignment and not allowing your feet/legs to properly do their jobs, it is causing more injuries. Some minimalist shoes out there are the Nike Free, adiZero LT, and Vibram FiveFingers.

Tony Krupicka cuts and trims the shoes that he buys. You can see that in the beginning of this clip on YouTube. His reasons for cutting the heel down and making the shoe flatter are allowing a more natural way to run by allowing the ball of the foot to strike first like I was talking about, by running on the front of his feet he can react better to the more difficult, technical terrain in the mountains, and the benefit of less weight that he has to move over time when he runs for hours and hours.

I am a minimalist but I would make sure your achilles are in good shape before you even try this. It took me about a month to get used to. I had major PF in the beginning because I was running way too much on my heels for long distances. (7-10 per day). But if done right, you can run faster then the wind.

I ran 3-4 miles today and felt fine then I did a 400 and a 200 just for fun. It hurts after I get home but the pain doesn't seem to be getting any worse. I'm not going to be running for a week now anyways because of swimming states so that should even farther speed the recovery.

when you mean 400 and 200 do you mean swimming or running? I don't think it would hinder the healing process much if you were swimming this of course.

Instead of running, bike and do aqua-running. Its a tough workout but if done well, it will give huge results.

cuz you know those things are readily available to the public

CT Track wrote:cuz you know those things are readily available to the public

Well he could swim at the local YMCA, or if hes still in school, go to one of their pools.

He's been on the swim team. I have an inkling that he knows where a pool is. Aqua running though? Chill guy

When I said 400 and 200 I meant running. I swam that day and then ran 3-4 miles and then ran a 400 and a 200. Today I biked around a bit. Tomorrow is complete rest. Monday-Thursday just swimming. Friday-Saturday is states. Sunday I'll probably bike. Monday Track starts. I hope I get better by then.

CT Track wrote:cuz you know those things are readily available to the public

So then why the sarcasm?