Sentence Correction

Hi All,

As suggested by Manhattan, can somebody please help me understand why noun modifer should always touch the noun that it modifies and adverbial modifier need not touch the word that they modify.

For e.g. Manhattan gives the following example:

The running back ran towards the end zone, faster and harder then he had ever run before.

Here the modifer "faster and harder then he had ever run before." modifies "ran" (which is not a noun) so it need not touch.

But we need something like

Right: Kendra, like all her friends, is happy to be on vacation.
Wrong: Kendra is happy, like all her friends, to be on vacation.

Since "like all her friends" is modifying Kendra.(which is a noun)

Thanks
Mohit