Category Archives: 400 workouts

50 Years of Running: Why running is life

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The Rails-To-Trails movement in Illinois started in the early 1980s. The most significant development in the Fox Valley where I lived was the conversion of the Great Western railroad tracks to a running and cycling path. Most of the training … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: The running rube factor

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

All through college, one of the keys to my self-esteem was running. A large chunk of personal identity was wrapped up on the sport and its year-round commitment to training and racing. Like many runners in those days, when I … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: On the Runway to Life

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

At the end of January Term, with a mere197 miles under my belt, it was time to get serious about training. But there was also the question of a serious relationship going on, and I didn’t mind that one bit. … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: The Achilles Heel

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

On October 2nd of 1978, our cross country team ran a hill workout in Palisades Park, a bluff reserve on the southeast side of downtown Decorah. That weekend, we were scheduled to race at the St. Olaf Invitational. My former … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Let’s steeple people.

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The spring track season in 1976 broke typically cool, windy, and wet. Not great weather for any type of runner. The sprinters sought to avoid muscle pulls while the distance runners suffered in shorts through cold winds, puddles on the … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Sweet summer sweat

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following high school graduation, the pressure to find a summer job and earn “money for college” entered the picture for the first time. I stumbled around the first few weeks looking for who-knows-what kind of job, then got offered a … Continue reading →

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50 years of running: winter track transitions

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following a freshman basketball season in which the team’s emphasis on court fitness tailed off toward the end, I took a weekend off before turning out for track that following Monday. Their was a ritual in receiving cotton sweats and … Continue reading →

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50 years of running: Finding joy in being tested

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The first few weeks of freshman cross country season in 1971 were rife with tests of many kinds. Building endurance takes time. Yet the days keep coming despite sore legs and a growing sense of overall fatigue. Our coaches Rich … Continue reading →

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Cinders and white lime

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The weather was chilly this morning while walking the dog. The wind from the west reminded me of all those laps run around the perimeter of the Kaneland High School parking lot before the cinder track dried out in spring. … Continue reading →

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The fabric of life and a sense of home

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

I’m substitute teaching at the high school a block from our former home in Geneva, Illinois. The streets look the same as they always did. The giant cottonwood tree on the corner of the block was a favorite waiting place … Continue reading →

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