Tight Calves When Running

New Orleans Saints' Darren Sproles quickly makes an impact

GREEN BAY WIS. - Moments after the New Orleans Saints made the surprising move to trade running back/punt returner Reggie Bush to the Miami Dolphins in late July, the questions began in earnest. Who would be the Saints' playmaker out of the backfield? How would the team manage without Bush's pass catching? Where would they find another punt returner?

Little did the questioners know at the time, the Saints already had a plan. They signed diminutive free agent running back/return man Darren Sproles hours later.

Judging by Thursday night's 42-34 season opening loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the move the Saints made already is paying dividends.

In a game with few bright spots, Sproles, who signed a four-year, $14 million contract, excelled with his dynamic big-play abilities.

The most electrifying of his plays came in the second quarter when he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Saints to 21-17.

It wasn't his lone eye-popping play.

Sproles speed and vision were evident. He regularly got the ball in space and sprinted his way past Packer defenders, finishing the game with 250 total yards.

Sproles, who shared time at running back with Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, rushed two times for seven yards. He also caught seven passes for 75 yards, had two kickoff returns for 76 yards and two punt returns for 92 yards.

He also drew a pass interference call against the Packers' A.J. Hawk with no time remaining in the game, enabling the Saints one last try to pull within a tie on a free play. But Ingram was stop for no gain on the last play of the game.

"He's electric," Saints Coach Sean Payton said of Sproles. "He changed it for us. He gave us some momentum with the punt return. He is one of those guys who makes great decisions in space. Even in the two minute drill he catches the ball and goes out of bounds real quick. He is just very alert and aware and very explosive.

Additional tight calf and hamstring help: Pre-run stretches « The ...

It doesn’t take long, if you peruse this blog, to see a frequent theme of stretching and dealing with tight muscles.  There’s a reason for that, besides the obvious that it’s my business to help people stay active through regular stretching.  I fight muscle tightness just like everyone else, especially when it comes to my running!  I must tell you, I still sometimes feel cranky about this.  After all, I’m the Flexibility Coach , and a contortionist at that!  I shouldn’t have to deal with such mortal struggles as tight hammies, right?

Ha!  Nice try, stretch girl!  But the good news about my own personal flexibility hurdles, is that they keep me experimenting, to find and tweak those methods and stretches that prove the most effective, then pass them along to my members, clients, and readers of this blog.  So at least my struggles are not for naught.  At least, that’s what I tell myself on those days when I find myself confronting yet another reminder that I’m not just a Hungry Runner, I’m an Over 40 Runner — and my muscles did get the memo, bleh!

Anyway, my latest experiment has been to take up that ultimate alleged no-no of stretching BEFORE my run, and not just afterward.  Now mind you, I’ve been advocating for this strategy for years, albeit acknowledging that stretching before vigorous exercise can be tricky, as it serves a different purpose than the stretches that come after the vigorous exercise.  When you stretch afterward, you’re primary seeking to help your muscles recover and regain their full length (and possibly even improve upon it), whereas stretching before a workout is more about establishing the full range you already have, but without causing the muscles and their nerves to relax too much.  Relaxation of nerve stimulation is not what you want before a workout; on the contrary, you want the opposite, to get those nerves and muscles all fired up and ready to go, especially since maximum recruitment and readiness will reduce the chance of over-depending on an incomplete range of muscles, which could put them under undo duress.  But you also want your muscles to be ready to move through their full range, for the same reason:  If you’re going into the workout without waking up that range, you’ll be more apt to move in an altered, compensated fashion, putting excess stress on certain muscles and joints, and affecting the quality of your performance.

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