Runner Gratitude - Calves

When it comes to the human body, the word "calf" means the posterior compartment of the lower leg. Technically what is known commonly as the "calf muscle" (notice that this is expressed in the singular) is actually two muscles:

• The gastrocnemius -- derived from words that literally mean "stomach of the leg" (because of the stomach-like bulging shape of this muscle)
• The soleus -- derived from the Latin word solea, which means "sandal" (because of the sandal-like shape of this muscle)

The calf muscle inserts in the bone of the heel (the calcaneus) via the Achilles tendon and has three heads for attachment:

• The two heads of the superficial portion (the gastrocnemius), which attach to the base of the femur (the bone directly above the knee)
• The one head of the deep portion (the soleus), which attaches to the posterior superior portion of the tibia (one of the two bones below the knee)

Basic functions of the calf muscle include:

• Plantar flexion, which is the activity seen when someone uses a foot to depress the acceleration pedal in an automobile
• Stabilizing the ankle in the transverse plane (any imaginary horizontal plane that divides the human body into upper and lower parts)
• Movement in the sagittal plane (any imaginary vertical plane that divides the human body into left and right parts)
• Stabilization during running and walking
• Power jumping

There are several ways to take care of your calf muscles so that they support your running. For example:

• You can stretch your calf muscles with at least ten different flexibility exercises, including putting yourself in the yoga position of downward-facing dog and then alternately pressing each heel down toward the ground or floor.
• You can use calf raises and other exercises to strengthen your calf muscles.
• You can wear compression tights or compression stockings to support the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles as well as the blood flow in your calf muscles.

Focusing your thoughts repeatedly and with strong emotions on something -- positive or negative -- activates the Law of Attraction to draw more of that into your life. For example, if you focus on actions and knowledge that you need for your calves to support your running, then you will tend to attract into your running life more such actions and knowledge. And a simple way to do this is to make a list of gratitude statements about your calves and then read that list daily or weekly, making sure to dwell on the positive emotions surrounding those statements.

Here are three examples of gratitude statements that you could write:

• I am truly grateful that my calves respond to calf-strengthening exercises, which make my running more efficient.
• I love to wear compression stockings to support my calves.
• I am thankful for the way that my calves respond to stretching exercises.

Exercise: Extend this list to as many gratitude statements as possible by using the above information plus your own knowledge about how your calves serve your running.

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