Category Archives: 10K

50 Years of Running: How the Big Boys Do It

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following our second-place finish at Division III nationals, Coach Kent Finanger suggested we all travel to Madison to watch the Division 1 national meet in Wisconsin. Even with classes going on and the need to catch up, a bunch of … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: National Ambitions

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The first time our Luther cross country team traveled to the national cross country meet, we flew to Boston, Massachusetts and finished in 20th place with 441 points. North Central College, led by its perennial All-American Bruce Fischer in 4th … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Hilltop Encounters

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Perhaps a couple weeks into that first cross country season in 1971 at Kaneland High School, our team piled into a yellow school bus and traveled east for ten miles to a park known as Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve. That … Continue reading →

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Data tells a story, but not the whole story

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

I’ve never been a deep data diver. The data that I know well includes my average resting heart rate (47) blood pressure (118/78) and how fast (or slow) I typically cover training miles. After a six-mile run on Sunday, I … Continue reading →

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Sometimes it pays not to follow your original instincts

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Last Sunday I planned to run a seven mile loop along the river path. It was windy as heck from the northwest, so it made sense to tuck down in the valley and avoid the worst of the bluster. My … Continue reading →

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Giving it your all even if you’re not the prettiest in the pack

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Earlier this week I was scrolling through YouTube videos letting the algorithms toss old road and track races my way when a mid-80s video of the Gasparilla 15K popped up in the feed. The race featured a few familiar names … Continue reading →

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That’s a long time in a pair of Nike Pegasus

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

Something in me still holds a warm spot for Nike shoes. Continue reading →

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Hard effort feels the same at every age

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

Our Sunday morning run yesterday consisted of seven miles from North Aurora up to Batavia and back. Sue had a modest tempo run planned after the previous day’s 40m time trial and 10K brick run on Saturday. I rode 32 … Continue reading →

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Winning means different things to different people

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

On a chilly October day in October, 1983, I stood on the starting line of a race in downtown Oak Park, Illinois. It was fifty degrees outside. Rain had fallen the night before and the clouds still formed a low, … Continue reading →

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Just my wife and I and ten four hundreds

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

By the time we arrived at the Geneva Middle School track, the sun was barely a hand’s width above the horizon as I took measure of the light. We’d have forty minutes or so to complete a workout of 10 … Continue reading →

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