Aching Achilles?

[JosephTree]

I seem to have hit a speedbump in my running. I ran a nice easy 6.5 miles last Sat. evening in Valley Forge Park. It was my first real hilly run, as I've been running along river trails for almost the whole summer. I ran the 6.5 in my relatively new Bikilas, too, which maybe had a negative affect, though they hadn't bothered me before. When I wear them, I am extremely sensitive to my form and strike, and try to be true to my BF form.

I usually run every other day, but when Monday rolled along, my lower legs said NO! It was the first time since I started running in May that I felt the slightest systemic ache or any reason to hesitate to take my next run. Today, Tuesday, I felt better - at least good enough to dress and go out, but still felt not sound. I held it to just over 3 miles, very gentle pace. I did choose a trail with rougher terraine that seemed to give my bare feet a lot more interesting and varied textures, which seemed to feel right.

Any suggestions or comments?...Thanks!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

The first or second time I

The first or second time I ran in my new Bikilas caused me some stress in my Achilles too. I've only worn them three times for very short distances of less than 2 miles. They are too large, which is probably why I had problems with them, plus the rear of the shoes is more rigid than their previous models. I won't wear them again. Anyone want to buy them? I will pay for shipping and take 20% off! Let me know, please. I may get another, smaller pair in the future, just because I like them so much, and I can have them to walk around in; although I can't walk for long periods of time in them with Morton's Neuroma.

 

[Danjo]

It could be from the Bikilas,

It could be from the Bikilas, or the fact that your were running on more hills than your used to. Most likely is that its a combination of the two. Good job listening to your body and not running when it said "no". Thats really the number one step in injury prevention, besides correcting form.

 

[hmduey]

I've found that my form is

I've found that my form is different in the Bikilas than when I'm BF, no matter how close attention I pay to my form. : That said, I'm not willing to give up my distance yet, although as I add mileage I'm adding BF (still toughening up my soles). Hills make a huge difference in how I feel after a run though; my Achilles always hurt if I've done more than usual.



TJ, what size and colour are your Bikilas?

 

[JosephTree]

I was just perusing a new

I was just perusing a new section of the BRS site, the blogs, and came across a thread by Neil, the jarhead, and his saga. It was great to read through from the first overdoing it pain to the most recent 10 mile bf happy runs. Way to go, Neil!...and I will definitely ease up on myself and not get quite so cocky with my VFFs.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

I've been dealing with some

I've been dealing with some Achilles aches. I've mostly gotten past it in these ways:

*Following the advice in this article by Barefoot Ken Bob.

*Using a foam roller (rolling pin works too) every day on my calves, really focusing on the areas that are extra-tight.

*Standing on the bottom step of my stairs and doing some heel dips to dynamically stretch that area.

*Icing after runs if it's bothering me.

Good luck! My Achilles feels ten times better than it did at this time last week.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Hi Heather!  I like the men's

Hi Heather! I like the men's colors more. These are a men's gray/red size 42. That was supposed to equate to 42 in women's as well, since I just needed one size larger than a 41, and Justin from Birthday Shoes told me 42 would work for me, but they don't. So if you can verify what size equates from a men's 42 to a women's ?... Interested?

 

[hmduey]

TJ, yeah, I'm interested -

TJ, yeah, I'm interested - I like the men's colours better too although I opted for some white/green ones when I bought mine. The ones I have are women's 41...based on the VFF sizing on their site, that equates to a men's 40. :~ It's tempting though - socks might make a little difference but that's 5/8" difference in length so I doubt it.

Bummed - I've already worn the edges of my Bikilas down to the cloth, which surprises me because I just got them in mid-July and I have only averaged about 12-15 miles a week on them until the last two weeks. I wish my feet would hurry up and toughen up so I can just ditch them completely!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

See there, I should have

See there, I should have gotten a men's size 41, not a 42. I wouldn't recommend these for you; even with socks, they will probably be too big.

What part of your Bikilas have you worn down exactly? What edge? Inside edge, outside edge, forward toes, back heel, where? Sometimes you can learn a lot about your form just by looking at the wear patterns on the shoes you wear. Try to find a clue in them to see if you can perfect your form a little more.

 

[hmduey]

Yeah, I was thinking the same

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the size.

The shoes are worn down on the outside edges, both of them, on the outside edge of my foot pad (under my pinky toes but all the way over). They are also worn down below/under my "ring" toes because I am very prone to pushing off when I wear the shoes - that much I have figured out! The tread on most of the rest of the shoes is in great shape, almost untouched.

Is the wear on the outside edge from pushing off as well? The bottoms of my feet are the most tough/calloused here. When I BFR, I tend to feel the burn in the middle of my foot pads (still building callouses), but I am far more conscious of pushing off when BF (the undersides of my toes tell me!). The padding under my big toe is almost uncalloused and is far more sensitive than the rest of the pad (obviously it doesn't touch much when I walk, either).

I have extremely high arches though - and by that I mean that the outside of my foot does not touch the ground (the vertical line that connects the pad with the heel does not generally show in my footprints). I'm not surprised at the location of the wear on the Bikilas, just that I wore it down so quickly, with such little mileage. I'm pretty sure I haven't put 150 miles on them yet.

In reading this, it sounds like I look bowlegged, but I'm not!

Maybe this is for another thread - getting everyone to analyse my gait based on my shoe wear? ;-)

 

[jschwab]

I think it was the hills,

I think it was the hills, honestly, and not much to do with the Bikila's althought they probably didn't help. Hills are alot tougher than you might think to incorporate into training, and Valley Forge is pretty hilly. I am in Philly, so just wanted to say hi if I have not already.

 

[Longboard]

hmduey wrote:I have extremely

I have extremely high arches though - and by that I mean that the outside of my foot does not touch the ground (the vertical line that connects the pad with the heel does not generally show in my footprints).

Heather,

Just for clarification,

The height of the medial arch (the inside of the foot main arch) has nothing to do with whether or not the lateral arch stays elevated or not when walking.

You have a high strong medial arch AND a high lateral arch that does not suppinate when weight bearing.

I'm a good example of a different situation, as I have an extremly low medial arch, yet I still have a bit of a lateral arch that sometimes is apparent in my wet footprint.

In my avitar pic you can actually see the lateral arch unloaded on my right foot, but look how low the medial arch is on my left foot in this picture:

 

[Blind Boy]

Heather: the wear on the

Heather: the wear on the outside suggests that you're not landing "true", that you allow your foot to slide around a bit as it touches down. At least that is what I think. Generally outside of the foot has to do with touchdown and inside is the lift phase when it comes to wear and blistering.

JosephTree: I'd blame the hills myself. Running uphill if you allow your heel to touch with every step it'll put a whole lot of stress on your achilles tendon. The shoes might have had something to do with it but I think the inclusion of hills is a more likely reason. I've also found that trails are a good way to loosen up again. I've had some issues with the peroneus longus muscle in my left leg and nothing has helped until I tried some trail running the day before yesterday. Any tightness I had in that area seems to be gone now.

 

[hmduey]

Longboard, you've taught me

Longboard, you've taught me something new today. I'd say I do indeed have high medial and lateral arches then, yes.

Blind Boy, thanks for the input. I would not be surprised if this is the case. I don't get blisters there when I'm barefoot (even if I overdo it and get blisters or raw spots elsewhere), so maybe I am more aware of my form when BFR.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I am not an expert in this

I am not an expert in this area, Heather, so I have nothing to add...except that maybe (Long)Board teaches us all something new everyday. ;-)

 

[JosephTree]

Hi Jschwab! and yes, I am

Hi Jschwab! and yes, I am pretty sure that the hills are what stressed me. The Bikilas just masked what was actually too much for me. My guess was that the downhills were the worst part.

Today and yesterday I ran shorter distances on much more irregular terraine- woods trail today with roots, rocks and ruts. Different energy entirely, and it felt great. Thanks, everybody!

 

[LavaRunner]

 the the OPIF you are

the the OP

IF you are getting pain in the Achilles area and it is not resolving you may want to back off running a tad until that resolves. After injuring my achilles I have become quite educated on the topic and a acute pain in the achilles can turn into Chronic pain and slowly deteriorate the fibers inside the tendon creating Tendonosis. Over time the damage worsens and can end in a complete failure or rupture of the tendon under stress.

I'd get a handle on that pain now by gradual stretching, icing and rest. Ice massages with a block of ice frozen in a Dixie cup works great.