Don Kardong Quotes

Powerful Don Kardong for Daily Growth

About Don Kardong

Don Kardong, born on April 14, 1947, in San Jose, California, is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist, best known for his poignant portrayals of the human condition in the context of the Pacific Northwest. Raised in a military family, Kardong spent his early years traveling extensively, a fact that undoubtedly influenced his later work by instilling within him an appreciation for diverse cultures and landscapes. Kardong attended the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in English and went on to complete his Master's and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Oregon. His academic career has been marked by positions at various universities, including Western Washington University, where he taught Creative Writing from 1983 until his retirement in 2014. Kardong's literary journey began with a collection of short stories titled "The Gull's Last Flight and Other Stories" published in 1976. This work was followed by the novels "The River Underneath," "The Scent of Rain and Lightning," and "Snowland." His most notable work, however, is arguably the novel "Point No Point," which delves into the lives of a small-town community grappling with change. The book was awarded the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award for Fiction in 1990. Kardong's writing is characterized by its deep empathy and keen understanding of human nature, often set against the backdrop of the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest. His works explore themes of love, loss, identity, and the complexities of human relationships, resonating deeply with readers who appreciate thoughtful, introspective literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."

This quote suggests that the effort and dedication one puts into running parallels the effort and dedication required in living a fulfilling life. It implies that positive outcomes come from consistent effort, perseverance, and personal investment. Just as a runner cannot expect to run a marathon without proper training, a person cannot expect to achieve great things in life without putting in the necessary work and resilience. In essence, it encourages readers to approach their lives with passion, persistence, and a willingness to grow and improve themselves.

"Every runner needs a goal to train for and a race to run, whether it's a 5K or the Olympics."

This quote suggests that every runner requires a specific aim (a goal) to motivate their training and a competitive event (a race) as a tangible manifestation of that ambition, regardless of its scale - whether it's a small 5K run or the grandeur of the Olympic Games. Essentially, the quote underscores the importance of setting personal goals and having milestones to measure progress in running, which fosters determination, discipline, and motivation in pursuit of self-improvement.

"Pain is temporary; pride is forever."

This quote emphasizes the transient nature of pain compared to the lasting impact of achieving something with pride. In other words, it encourages perseverance through difficult times (pain) for the sake of accomplishing a goal or task, knowing that the sense of achievement and self-respect (pride) will last long after the discomfort has passed. It's a reminder to keep pushing forward, as the pride we feel from overcoming obstacles is more enduring than any temporary pain or hardship.

"Running is not just about the body, it's about the spirit and heart as well."

This quote emphasizes that running transcends the physical aspect and involves the spirit and heart too. It suggests that endurance sports like running are not merely a test of one's physique but also their mental resilience, determination, passion, and perseverance. The act of running becomes a reflection of one's inner strength, courage, and willpower, demonstrating the interplay between body, mind, and spirit.

"The only easy day was yesterday."

The quote "The only easy day was yesterday" emphasizes that complacency should not be a part of our journey, as every day presents its own unique challenges. It's a reminder that progress and growth require effort, and that we should always strive to improve ourselves, as yesterday's accomplishments will never be enough for tomorrow. This quote encourages perseverance and the pursuit of continuous improvement in all aspects of life.

When an athlete has relegated the persistent rumors of cheating to the back room of the mind, he hasn't really forgotten them. And when he glances back to where rumors hunker in the darkness, he hopes with a savage heart that somehow, some day, those cheaters will be brought to justice.

- Don Kardong

Back, Some, Brought, Forgotten

Train at the same pace day after day, week after week, year after year, and that's the kind of running the body adapts to. But break out of that comfort zone with a little speedwork now and then, and the body will learn to deal with the new demands.

- Don Kardong

Week, Year, Deal, Comfort Zone

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

Death, Fact, Temporary, Headlights

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

Distance, Been, Half, Kenneth

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

American, Foods, Teenage, Decreasing

New nemeses keep racing fresh, but I also find challenge in going longer, with only the distance as foe. I run my first 50-mile race, journey across the Grand Canyon and back, circumnavigate Mount St. Helens.

- Don Kardong

Racing, Distance, Back, Mount

Clearly, there are things a runner does, intentionally or not, that disrupt team cohesion. And there are also things a runner doesn't do that can cause problems: not trying, showing up late, skipping team-building activities, and ignoring the coach's instructions.

- Don Kardong

Instructions, Cause, Also, Showing Up

Cold is not without its risks to runners, of course, especially ones who don't head south when winter visits their neighborhood. Even pooh-pooh-ers of frozen lungs and lovers of dark jogs over permafrost have been known to be careful about certain hazards.

- Don Kardong

Been, Careful, South, Lungs

Cheer for your teammates, regardless of whether they're fast or slow, veteran or neophyte, varsity or JV. Or rally the spirits of someone who's had a bad performance. Also, encourage stragglers during tough workouts; jog back to 'pick up' a runner who's behind during a long run.

- Don Kardong

Behind, Bad, Jog, Workouts

The body responds to a calorie deficit by slowing down the metabolism and burning muscle tissue. That leads to weakness, sluggishness, slow times. In girls, it can also result in cessation of menstrual periods, which in turn leads to loss of bone density and frequent stress fractures.

- Don Kardong

Frequent, Responds, Slowing, Cessation

Sure, the first light snowfall may be a chance to dance giddily, leaving squeaky footprints through the neighborhood, marking the runner's right to the domain. But later drubbings of snow merely complicate running. Snow turns to ice, to slush, to ice again. Tire ruts twist ankles. New snow hides the hazards.

- Don Kardong

Through, Ice, Turns, Ankles

The Kenyans beat up on the American runners in every road race every weekend of the year, but we're way ahead of them in the number and quality of our Elvis impersonators. We get our X-Men and gorillas.

- Don Kardong

Year, Race, Ahead, X-Men

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

Equally, Insurmountable, Make A Difference

In those long, lonely miles you put in during the off-season, and in those knife-in-the-gut track repetitions and hill repeats that buckle your knees - at that moment in almost every race when you ask yourself how much you're willing to hurt to catch one more runner - you can draw strength and inspiration from your running mates.

- Don Kardong

Strength, Repeats, Almost, Runner

Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.

- Don Kardong

Prior, Olympics, Runner

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

Doing, Marathon, Always, Ran

The toughest trail I ever ran was the Escarpment in the Catskills of New York State. This was an 18-mile race through Rip Van Winkle country, routed through boulder fields, across angular juttings of granite and along a path with an unrelenting barrage of roots, rocks and mud, all of it hidden under slick leaves and dangling nettles.

- Don Kardong

Country, Through, Boulder, Ran

Even for runners who never make the transition to more sophisticated workouts, easing into speedwork will lead to more enjoyable running.

- Don Kardong

Will, More, Sophisticated, Easing

Beginning runners come in all shapes, sizes and pre-existing conditions, so there's no magic formula for determining exactly how much basic running is needed before you start speedwork. Most experts, though, recommend three or four months of preparation.

- Don Kardong

Beginning, Magic, Before, Runners

Fartlek, or speed play, is variable-pace running that emphasizes creativity. During a 30-minute run, choose objects to run to - telephone poles, trees, buildings, other runners, whatever. Make choices that mark off different distances, so your pickups vary in length from 15 to 90 seconds, and modify your pace to match the distance.

- Don Kardong

Play, Distance, Other, Runners

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

Angry, Disease, Tick, Runners

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

Pine, Maybe, Knees, Shoe

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

Injuries, Sanity, Knees, Buddies

When I was in middle school, and teachers lectured about World War II, the conflict seemed impossibly distant and irrelevant. And it had only happened 15 years earlier.

- Don Kardong

Middle, Irrelevant, Seemed, Middle School

When I went to the starting line of the 1976 Olympic marathon in Montreal, it was with the unsettling conviction that some of my competitors were cheaters.

- Don Kardong

Marathon, Some, Olympic, Cheaters

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

Thoughts, Other, Tries, Members

Coaches know that a parent publicly scolding his kid after a race will not help the athlete perform better.

- Don Kardong

Parent, Will, Race, Coaches

An overzealous parent is just one example of the kind of Problem Mom or Dad who pops up at track meets, threatening to put a damper on the day.

- Don Kardong

Parent, Kind, Dad, Meets

Support the athlete, encourage the team, help the coach. That's what good track parents do.

- Don Kardong

Help, Athlete, Encourage, Coach

When I started running, a gadget was a wristwatch with a secondhand on it.

- Don Kardong

Running, Started, Secondhand, Gadget

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