For most teenage runners, the right foods means a varied diet, decreasing the amount of fat found in the typical American diet and replacing those calories with carbohydrates. Avoid saturated fats, such as those found in fried foods, and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Don Kardong americanamountavoid share on social
Running at night used to frighten me. Part of it was simply safety, the question of whether level ground would truly appear under each tentative footstep, and whether the temporary but complete blindness suffered while running toward headlights was, in fact, concealing death. Don Kardong blindnesscompleteconceal share on social
I've never owned an actual trail-running shoe myself, but maybe I should. My favorite paths are fraught with peril, much of it skulking at shoelace level. A rock, a root, an errant pine cone. Wham, and you're down, choking in dust and picking pebbles from wounds in your forearms and knees. Don Kardong actualchokecone share on social
A good teammate is someone willing to get outside of personal thoughts and emotions, a friend who tries to understand, appreciate, and encourage other members of the team. Don Kardong emotionencouragefriend Change image and share on social
There's always somebody doing something more extreme than you are. It used to be that if you ran the marathon, that was the end of it. Don Kardong endextrememarathon Change image and share on social
When I started running, a gadget was a wristwatch with a secondhand on it. Don Kardong gadgetrunsecondhand Change image and share on social
If an athlete takes a shortcut - literally, for example, by running a street that shortens the marathon route by a quarter mile - he or she doesn't have an insurmountable advantage. But it's an unfair advantage, and in a field of equally matched athletes, it's more than enough to make a difference. Don Kardong advantageathletedifference share on social
Eventually, competition and adventure wane, and I enter my ibuprofen phase. Tweaky hamstrings and achy knees restrict mileage, but I continue running for health, sanity, and the ritual of a Sunday trail run with like-minded buddies. We discuss the nagging injuries that bedevil us, and remember the good old days when we were kings. Don Kardong achyadventurebuddy share on social
I know runners who have suffered a tick bite and ended up with Lyme disease. I'll take an angry moose any day. Don Kardong angrybiteday Change image and share on social
My introduction to dissociation had been at Kenneth Cooper's clinic in January of 1975. Cooper had assembled a gaggle of top American distance runners and a half dozen top researchers, the intent being to figure out what the difference was - physiologically, biomechanically, psychologically - between elite and subelite runners. Don Kardong americanassemblebiomechanically share on social