Category Archives: cross country

50 Years of Running: Transfer of Excellence

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

During my early thirties, I came up with a personal motivational concept called “transfer of excellence.” The idea centered around taking the best things you’ve learned from doing one thing and applying it to another. I wanted to carry over … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, death, healthy aging, healthy senior, life and death, nature, running | 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: 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: Becoming a Midwestern boy

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As our family drove west through Ohio and Indiana toward our new home in Illinois, the land flattened out and the trees disappeared into distant blue clumps dotting the horizon. I’d been to Chicago once as a small child, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, cross country, nature, race pace, running, we run and ride | 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 and the power of a right arm

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Nothing mattered more to me in elementary school than the playground. After sitting inside the classroom for a couple hours, we’d be released to go outside the do the things we loved. We played kickball on the macadam behind Willow … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, injury | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 3

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The advent of DNA genealogy and its revelations make it practical these days to understand family history even to the point of health risks and almost pinpoint accuracy about ethnic origins. While those scientific tools are helpful, they never tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, Depression, evangelical Christianity, mental health, mental illness, sex | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The Fuse

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

And the years that I spent lost in the mysteryFall away leaving only the sound of the drumLike a part of meIt speaks to the heart of meForget what life used to beYou are what you choose to beIt’s whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, mental illness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Exhaust fumes and lane changes

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

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: Noble causes and otherwise

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

We didn’t even spend $500 on our trip out west to Colorado in mid-August 1984. Over the years, I’ve met other people traveling around the country on similarly meager funds. They always seemed happier than people spending tons of money … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, addiction, Christopher Cudworth, college, cross country, love, mental health, nature, running, sex | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment