Category Archives: anxiety

Have you ever been underestimated?

Posted on July 22, 2020 by

When my son Evan was perhaps ten years old, he turned to me and said, “Dad, have you ever noticed that when people say “Good for you” they are often being condescending?” Yes, my son understood the meaning of condescension … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, cycling, marathon, marathon training, mental health, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We’re all on a lifelong mission of self-recovery

Posted on June 15, 2020 by

At one point during my early 20s, I worked part-time jobs while training nearly full-time as a distance runner. Though I knew I wasn’t world class by any means, the mood among serious runners in the early 80s was one … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, cycling, healthy aging, IRONMAN, marathon, racing peak, swimming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dealing with anxiety in an anxious age

Posted on May 21, 2020 by

This pandemic anxiety and the economic worries that come it it make the world feel as if it is locked in worried state and unable to get out. Perhaps there is something to be learned from this era, because the … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You never know what a little cheerleading can do

Posted on May 4, 2020 by

A cross country meet is not the place where one normally expects to see cheerleaders. That tradition is more closely associated with football and basketball games where crowds fill the bleachers. Yet there were cheerleaders assigned to our cross country … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, running, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asleep or awake, this is how I choose to live

Posted on April 23, 2020 by

Last night before going to sleep I flipped through a booklet of results from my days of running cross country at Luther College. I’d stored those books in the bedroom desk and was looking for something else when I opened … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Running recollections of a skinny young dad

Posted on March 31, 2020 by

My competitive career as a runner was coming to a close the time by the time I got married at the age of twenty-seven. We conceived our first child in December after a June wedding that year. By then, I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, healthy senior, marathon, marathon training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It's a bad time to be a nail-biter, but welcome to the club

Posted on March 24, 2020 by

I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve been biting my nails since I was a little kid. Even as an adult my fingernails are sometimes a ragged mess if I collapse into the nervous habit of chewing on them. … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, cycling, running, swimming, Tarsnakes, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Riding the cusp of Coronavirus reality

Posted on March 18, 2020 by

The black cardinal of reality During an eight-mile bike ride through Saguaro National Forest on a triathlon training trip, I watched a black bird with white “windows” in its wings launch from a branch and flap its way down a … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, cycling threats, healthy aging, healthy senior, swimming, Tarsnakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free at last and happy in the bright sunshine

Posted on March 4, 2020 by

For most of us, the early years of life were spent in classrooms looking out at the bright sunshine when spring came around. Those precious minutes of recess were never enough to satisfy anyone. Coming back inside with a fine … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, cycling, riding, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There is still some Wonder Left

Posted on March 3, 2020 by

One of the most difficult tasks in life is sustaining a sense of wonder about the world and daily experiences. So much of our existence is taken up by routine and obligations that finding a thrill can be tough as … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, Depression, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment