Category Archives: cross country

What else was I gonna do?

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Over the eleven years since my late wife died and I met and married my wife Suzanne, I’ve given much thought to that choice to date so soon after the loss of a spouse. My answer to that question comes … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, mental illness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

70.3 miles of key learning experiences

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

For those of you who do triathlons, I’m sharing what it was like to do my first-ever 70.3, a Half Ironman race in Madison, Wisconsin. Those of you who don’t know the sport well are invited to find out what … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cross country, healthy aging, healthy senior, IRONMAN, running, running shoes, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A definite feeling of unsurety

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Have you ever wondered exactly how good you really are at something? Pick anything. It could be gardening. Your job. Relationships. Marriage. Divorce. We all face these pursuits in our own way. Yet it’s really hard to judge whether you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, running, steeplechase, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Burridge over troubled waters

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

I’ve written before about my talented longtime friend Tom Burridge. He’s become one of the top age-group 60+ cyclists in the country and continues his exploration of cycling with gravel races where his endurance base serves him well in distances … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Christopher Cudworth, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, half marathon, healthy senior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: coming to grief through soccer

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

In the five years leading up to my late wife’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer, I experienced a period of grief related to my own physical and mental health. During one of the last years my daughter played soccer, her coach … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cross country, cycling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Going Big Time

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

After the 9/11 tragedy rocked just about everything in American life, people looked for normalcy just about any way they could find it. At the same time, the newspaper industry in which I worked was getting slammed right and left … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, aging, Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cross country, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Circling back

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Back when I lived in Paoli, Pennsylvania (182-83) during a short stint with the marketing department at Van Kampen Merritt in Philadelphia, I joined a great group of runners through the Runner’s Edge running store. Most of those guys, the … Continue reading →

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

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