Achilles Tendonitis

[Savra]

Hey, thanks for the support and thoughts. I have had a crazy week and just got back to this. It does seem like I should get a fit soon. I had new cleats put on my shoes and they really felt wrong that first day. I definitely trained for the ride though. I joined a club and was getting in 50 to 100 miles a week before the ride. The PT guy said it may have been the change in what I was riding on - ie. I usually ride roads and this was on the Erie Canal - compressed dirt. He may be right since it wasn't till we hit the compressed dirt that it started hurting. I haven't ridden for a week now. Seems strange. I see the PT tomorrow again and I will ask him what he thinks of me riding. Personally, as long as I wasn't going up hills - riding was hurting less than walking.

[NbyNW]

+1 on getting your fit checked.

Also, check out this Sheldon Brown article on the achilles tendon and ankling.

[OakLeaf]

I might add that the way I got started ankling to begin with is from having crankarms that were too long. As a result my saddle was simultaneously too high (at the bottom of the pedal stroke, where I had to plantar flex to reach the pedal) and too low (at the top of the pedal stroke, where excessive knee flexion gave me kneecap tracking problems).

Now, I don't ride anything longer than 165 on a road bike if I can help it. And it took time and gradual retraining to learn not to ankle, so I could drop my seat height without giving myself knee trouble.

[Savra]

Oh yes, I was totally ankling. I figured that out pretty fast (just had no idea there was a word for it). But I could reach with no problem, it just seemed I kept doing it regardless unless I purposely thought about not doing it. In reading the article - it could be because my cleats are too far forward. They definitely feel wrong. BUT - I will have a bike fit. The PT did say I could ride for short rides now.

[skywalkerbeth]

In reading this, I wonder how much of my problem is the stirrups/jamming my toes deep into them which means my foot is perhaps more forward than it should be?