I buy size 11½ EEEE shoes, so I can relate.

I've had something similar, on more than one occasion I think. I don't recall anything specific I did to combat it, aside from a lot of post-exercise stretching of my Achilles, which always felt really good, and ample rest. People told me I had plantar fasciitis, but I never got that confirmed by a doctor. It might also have been Achilles tendinitis -- I really don't know.

I contemplated getting a night splint (look up plantar fasciitis night splint on Amazon) but I figured that would annoy me too much to fall asleep easily. It keeps your Achilles stretched overnight so you don't roll out of bed in the morning and fall over from pain after your first few steps.

***FULL DISCLOSURE: It's entirely possible that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Proceed with caution.***

As for shoes, do you know whether you're a pronator or a supinator? If you don't know how to answer that question, look at the wear on the soles of your walking shoes. If they're more worn down on the inside edge, you're a pronator ... if they're more worn down on the outside edge, you're a supinator (supination is also called underpronation).

Because of my huge, wide feet, I rarely even bother to attempt to buy shoes at a brick-and-mortar store any more. I buy almost exclusively from Zappos.com, and occasionally from RunningWarehouse.com.

Running Warehouse has a good "shoe finder" that helps identify shoes for your needs -- but first you should try to figure out what your needs are. Identifying yourself as a pronator or supinator is a good first step.

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/shoefinder.html?ctype=MRUN

You should use the "EXPERIENCED" shoe finder, because that lets you search based on a few additional factors (such as whether you pronate or supinate). You can leave an item blank if you have no clue (for example, I don't usually select anything for "heel to toe drop").

In general, on the "pronation control" scale, supinators should select from the options on the left ("neutral") and pronators from the options on the right ("motion control"). Any shoe that touts its motion control or stability control is for pronators. If they talk about neutral cushioning, that's better for supinators.

I generally use that shoe finder to identify neutral-cushioning shoes (I supinate like a m*****f***er) and then compare Zappos and Running Warehouse to find a shoe and a price that seem good for me. I love Zappos -- I've bought so many shoes there that they recently made me a "VIP" customer -- and their free return policy is fantastic. (To me, they're the model of what every online retailer should be -- they do their job well and they have dynamite customer service.)

In my experience, Brooks shoes are really roomy, though they're not my favorite. Lately I've vacillated back and forth between Nike and New Balance, though I currently have a pair of Asics. You'll almost never find these brands (except New Balance and maybe Brooks) in EEEE sizes at a local store, but that's why I love the internet.

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On a slightly different subject, I used to have a lot of back pain, and I fixed that (mostly) with one simple purchase: Powerstep Slim-Tech 3/4 orthotic insoles. They make full-length ones, but I use the 3/4-length. They're rigid plastic insoles that start at the heel and extend forward until just behind the ball of your foot. I have no idea why they work, but they do. I put them in all of my shoes, underneath the shoe's own insole. With some shoes they create an annoying squeaking noise, but I've learned to tune it out, because they do wonders for my back. They're not cheap, but they last forever -- I bought three or four pairs several years ago and I've never had to replace any of them. The top padding gets a little chewed up, but because I slip them under the shoe's insoles that doesn't bother me.

I hope any of this is helpful! Good luck conquering your calf/Achilles pain.

I'm not familiar with Hansons, but the next time I'm in Royal Oak I'll drop by (I live in Ann Arbor).

I can't say I'm crazy about the running stores here. They see a guy my size walk in and they don't exactly fall all over themselves to help me. Their attitude sometimes changes after I make it clear that I actually do exercise and have a clue about what I want, but not always -- they're usually pretty snooty.

And yes, I'll name names: Running Fit and Tortoise & Hare. They've lost a lot of business that I've instead channeled to Zappos.

Come to think of it, my thin runner girlfriend doesn't get much better treatment, actually. And I thought it was just me.