Achilles tendon

[Sarah Brasher]

The tendon is still tight.  Not noticeably but I can still feel it a little.  While running it goes away.  If I do a long run, after it starts to hurt again but will be gone by the next day.  What do I do to make it better?

[Sasha Pachev]

Run slower and on softer surfaces if possible. Do not run long, but do not skip runs either. Full rest sometimes is good, but it often backfires. The plus of full rest is that it gives you more time to heal. The minuses are that a) your body forgets how to run and b) your nervous system is too eager to go after some rest.  Thus when you run again you run with bad form and too hard, and end up re-injuring the affected area.

Another issue to consider is that your body at full rest will experience a slowdown in the healing process because a part of the healing stimulus is removed. Running, while breaking down the body, counteract the breakdown with a healing stimulus. That is why we are able to get faster by training. Cars cannot do that - they do not get faster if you drive them more, their parts only get more and more worn out from us. Our bodies, on the other hand, have the internal healing power that is unleashed by appropriate stimulus. So if you are taking a break from running, you should cross-train vigorously for the healing to be most effective.

My rule is that if you can run some and return to the same level of pain or better in 24 hours you should run.

[Eric Day]

Are you stretching the tendon before & after run? The best one for me was on a step, place the ball of the foot on the step in such way that the heel is floating. Then go down, stretch the tendon, and then all the way up. Focus on the down pat. Do several series.
My tendons also get tight & hurt after a long run, but they have healed by running !