Category Archives: anxiety

50 Years of Running: Graduation Blues

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

With nothing left but nationals in the 1979 track season, I walked across the stage to pick up my degree with my parents present during graduation. I’d earned a precious “D” in that horrifically dry and accounting-based marketing class that … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Olympic Aspirations

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The summer before my junior year in college, my parents decided to move from a tiny split-level house in a suburban St. Charles neighborhood to a farmhouse six miles out of town. They were both raised on farms in Upstate … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: First, a flight. Then I woke up dead.

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Following a successful conference meet, our team earned a trip to Nationals out in Boston, Massachusetts. We’d swept the top five spots at the IIAC race and our coach Kent Finanger followed through on getting us an entry to the … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: the anger factor

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

As fifteen-year-old kid during the summer of 1972, I was frustrated by the fact that I’d sustained a chipped bone in my elbow that erased the summer baseball season. Neither could I go out and run with the cast on. … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Fear and Loathing in Cross country

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

I was too young to have read anything by Hunter S. Thompson when I was a freshman in high school. But it would have been good for me to absorb some of the fearless antics of the Gonzo journalist that … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, blood on the highway, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, death, fear, mental health, running | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding time for workouts

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

As a young father in my late 20s and early 30s, I made the decision to back off heavy training to concentrate more on making a living and being a good father. That doesn’t mean I quit running altogether. It … Continue reading →

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My longtime friend the red-tailed hawk

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Heading into my senior year at Luther College, my fitness was good and I’d used the summer to clean up my act. I cut off the long, thick hair that shrouded my face. Dumped the thick glasses and got a … Continue reading →

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Olympic-sized pressures

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

A week ago the Linkedin group The Female Lead that I follow posted an image of three ‘women of color’ athletes who won’t be competing at the Olympics due to “rules” they supposedly broke in the past few months. The … Continue reading →

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Why I didn’t work out yesterday

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Yesterday while driving around I recognized that there was no more avoiding reality. The air conditioning in my car needed a fix, as the freon apparently needed to be ‘recharged.’ After a morning of driving around in the heat of … Continue reading →

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