Category Archives: anxiety

50 Years of Running: Lessons learned

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

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: On anger, forgiveness, and those voices in your head

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Three years into selling ads for what became the Kane County Chronicle after the company was sold to Shaw Newspapers out of Dixon, Illinois, our newspaper announced its plans to build a new corporate headquarters on Randall Road on the … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, blood on the highway, Christopher Cudworth, competition, foregiveness, God, mental health, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Gamesmanship and sandbagging

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As an advertising salesperson, I not only competed against the previous year’s sales numbers in my territory. The daily game included competing with other salespeople and also other print publications and radio stations in the Fox Valley. The towns we … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling threats | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Chasing career options

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the time I’d turned 27 years old, the decision to stop racing and training so hard was well-established in my mind. With a child to raise and a wife to please, I focused on work-life as the central priority. … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, Depression, God, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Racing along with ease and joy

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Yesterday on October 16, I competed in the Frank Lloyd Wright Races in Oak Park, Illinois. This was a return adventure to an event I won twice back in ’83 and ’84. That was 39 years ago. I ran 32:00 … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, cycling the midwest, healthy aging, healthy senior, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, track and field, training, TRAINING PEAKS, triathlon, we run and ride | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Eighth-grade realities

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Despite my love of laughter and being considered funny if I could make that happen, my anxious nature also meant grappling with a conflicted mind. I loved making friends but worried about what they thought of me. I worked hard … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, fear, healthy aging, healthy senior, life and death, love, mental health, nature, running, running shoes, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 years of running: Saying goodbyes and taking on a new life

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As the school year wore down in 1970, the time for our family to move to Illinois soon arrived. My father moved out to Illinois after taking a job with an electronics company in rural Geneva. He lived in an … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, death, Depression, healthy aging, life and death, love, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Formative youth experiences

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the time I reached sixth grade, I’d earned a reputation as one of the better athletes in the grade. I recall being invited to a basketball clinic at the high school where the coaches took a first look at … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, Depression, healthy aging, running, track and field | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running, Competition’s Son, Part 1

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Over many years of running with hundreds of teammates, I’ve learned many ‘origin tales’ about how people (both men and women) got into running. When I began this blog series on 50 Years of Running, the origin tale began with … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, Depression, race pace, running shoes, track and field, training | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Transition time

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Forty years after my 1984 engagement as an essentially ‘full-time runner,’ I got interested in triathlon and started competing in Sprint and Olympic distance events. I quickly learned that the most awkward part of triathlons are the transitions, those moments … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, life and death, love, mental health, running, running shoes, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment