Category Archives: 5K

A Sprint to Respectability

The Naperville Sprint Triathlon is the first real triathlon I participated in ten years ago with my wife Sue. We’d met in July of 2013, gone riding and running together right away, but then she had a bike accident (her … Continue reading

Posted in 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, bike accidents, bike crash, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, friendship, IRONMAN, love, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, riding, running, swimming, Tarsnakes, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Lessons learned

I can think of several big mistakes that I made during my competitive running career. The biggest blunder of all was running a 20-mile final training run the week before I was scheduled to compete in the Twin Cities Marathon. … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, half marathon, marathon, marathon training, mental health, race pace, running | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Exhaust fumes and lane changes

By November of 1984, I’d raced enough that by the 17th of November when I ran a 20:17 four-mile… that should have been enough to call it quits. But then my former coach and then-business associate Trent Richards got involved … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, cross country, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: You had me in stitches

You’ve heard the phrase “Curiosity kills the cat?” Well, here’s a new one. “Overeagerness flattens the frog.” Heading into the Prairie State Games in July of 1984, I was way overeager to hop to it. The week prior to the … Continue reading

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50 Years of Running: Race after race

On June 27, a day or two after the big win at the Geneva Community Classic, I dropped by to visit my former coach and business buddy Trent Richards. His partner Marietta was a lovely Jewish woman with hair that … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, running, sex, steeplechase, training | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: A record that stands forever

In 1982 I’d won the inaugural Geneva Community Classic 10K in 32:36. That was the first race ever held on the Fox River Bike Trail. At that time, the path was so new that the last chunk of asphalt was … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, training, We Run and Ride Every Day | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

50 Years of Running: Qualifying time

Coming off a less-than-stellar race like the one I had in Elgin, where a side stitch slowed me down, is tough on the short-term confidence. But while I was second-guessing the ten-mile race in Elgin, I heard that there was … Continue reading

Posted in 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, running, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Under a Mad Moon

Whether from the wet and 40-degree April weather or from the impacts of overtraining, I picked up a nasty cold at the end of April, 1984. “Sore throat. Sore thighs. Tired. Dry air in room. Window open tonight,” I wrote … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 400 workouts, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: “Faster than you”

On April 15 of 1984, I raced on home turf for the Running Unlimited store in Arlingtonn Heights. Though it had rained overnight, and dawn arrived with 43-degree temps, I was eager as hell to run a five-mile race after … Continue reading

Posted in 5K, adhd, Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, mental health, nature, race pace, racing peak | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

50 Years or Running: The architecture of victory

After winning the Run for the Money 10k in Arlington Heights, I turned my sights to another 10k, the Frank Lloyd Wright Run in Oak Park. That week I caught up to a guy while training in Lincoln Park. “Interesting … Continue reading

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, bike crash, bike wobble, Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, race pace, racing peak | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment