I'm trying to figure out what is going on with my left leg. During a relay this June, I stepped off the shoulder of the road to avoid an oncoming car & felt a twinge in the back of my left leg, either high up on the achilles or near the bottom of my soleus. I finished the race & my lower legs were pretty tight & sore, but they seemed fine 3-4 days later.
I thought that was that, but it has flared up a few times since-- a few times after a speedwork & once after a plyo workout. My concern is that it is achilles tendonitis, but there's no visible inflammation or redness. It feels better when I lightly stretch the area, but gets irritated when I shorten it by getting up on my toes, or when I subject it to lateral motion.
Any thoughts on what this injury is and how I should treat it? I'm training for a half-marathon in October, but could mix in a lot more cross-training if that will help this go away for good.