Category Archives: 5K

50 Years of Running: Time to fly

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Heading into the month of September 1983, I looked at the schedule and planned a three-week period of quality training to prepare for races. First I drove up to Luther College to have a go during the Intrasquad race. “Gonna … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

50 Years of Running: What is my real job?

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As the Traveler’s Cheques slowly disappeared, I kept up the hunt for a job in the summer of 1983. Meanwhile, small freelance jobs kept coming my way. I drew up some ads for Vertel’s Running store, but the process was … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, running, Tarsnakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Head games

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

In March of 1982, I picked up training mileage as the weather slowly improved. February saw a series of thirty-mile weeks, but March jumped to the mid-forties and then the mid-fifties. Then disaster hit. “Took ill at end of March,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, alcohol, evangelical Christianity, mental illness, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Wonder Left

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The running scene in the early 1980s was largely about adapting to the road racing world. During the late 1970s, runners such as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Craig Virgin led the American scene while African and European runners racing … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak, running, track and field, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, it never gets easier you just go faster, life and death, religious liberty, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, steeplechase, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 10K, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, marathon, marathon training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, running, steeplechase | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in 10K, 5K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, competition, cycling, cycling the midwest, triathlete, triathlon | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, competition, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment