Sage running advise

Start of boy's cross country race

Earlier this week I visited with an outstanding distance runner, Allen Zetterlund.  We were both watching our children run at a high school cross country meet. Allen is now 57 years old, but "back in the day" he was the first winner of the Twin Cities marathon, with a time of 2:16:46.  He's still running strong.  When I asked about the key to his longevity as a runner, without hesitation he said it was core conditioning that is keeping him injury free. Core conditioning primarily strengthens the muscles of the abdomen and torso. He felt that runners of old could have even been faster had they more balanced conditioning.  We used to just lace up the shoes and hit the road for some long, hard runs.  Back in the 70's and 80's we lived by the old expression "no pain, no gain". Thankfully much more is known and practiced regarding effective training; including stretching and core conditioning.

Girls storming up the hill

An interesting side note.  Despite running being his primary passion, Allen noted that his son wasn't overly fond of cross country.  I confessed that the sport wasn't our daughter's favorite either.  I shared how she is most passionate about Ultimate frisbee, which I then discovered was his son's favorite sport too.  We're both happy that our kids found sports that suit them and they can enjoy over the course of their lifetime.