Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
Emily, hope you feel better soon. Both my Achilles are a chronic trouble spot for me, and there are many things I do that help, but I've got to say, the single thing that made the biggest instant difference was switching to zero-drop shoes. I wasn't even really looking for zero-drop at the time, it's just that the only shoes actually shaped like feet are also zero-drop, and I'd had so many problems with pointy toed shoes that I switched to the foot shaped ones almost as soon as they became available, and it was a big surprise how quickly my Achilles responded. General rule, calf muscles can't function in balance if my feet are hitting the ground collapsed or crossed-up. But yeah, TMTS can be so tempting and so damaging ... heal up quick.
Thanks Oak! I absolutely love my Asics, and I've been running in traditional shoes for years without ever straining my Achilles. That said, I would not be averse to trying zero-drop shoes when the time comes for my next pair. I have heard that they take some getting used to, though, and can cause calf soreness at first so have to be eased into. Did you find this to be the case?

My Achilles is already feeling much better just a little over a week out, so I'm hoping it won't be one of those slow healers like I read about online.

Congrats on your HM. Sounds like you did very well given all the challenges you had leading up to it!