Category Archives: cross country

50 Years of Running: Unlimited

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As the fall racing season wore down in 1983, I managed to race twice in November, a 32:08 10K on the 6th and a 32:26 10K in the Vertel’s Turkey Trot on November 20. The splits in that race indicated … Continue reading →

Posted in cross country, fear, mental health, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, training, training for a marathon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Time to fly

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Heading into the month of September 1983, I looked at the schedule and planned a three-week period of quality training to prepare for races. First I drove up to Luther College to have a go during the Intrasquad race. “Gonna … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

50 Years of Running: Summer reckoning

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Reckoning: the action or process of calculating or estimating something. August in the City of Chicago is often literally and figuratively exhausting. That was particularly true because our apartment on the second floor faced Clark Street and Lincoln Park. With … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, Christopher Cudworth, college, cross country, Depression, God, it never gets easier you just go faster, race pace, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Moving experiences

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

I felt kind of cheesy being back in the Chicago area after having been given a big sendoff party to hail my departure to Philadelphia just nine months before. Once back in town, I headed downtown to find the apartment … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, cross country, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Jacked around

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Having moved everything I owned east to Philly the previous August, now I was faced with hauling everything back to Chicago the following May. Through a few quick conversations with a close friend living on the north side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, addiction, Christopher Cudworth, cross country, death, fear, gay marriage, life and death, love, mental illness, race pace, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: A finish line not crossed

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As the seasons changed from fall to winter, training in the dark night got hazardous. On December 12 I noted, “Cool, quite comfortable night. In bed at 10:00. Run went real well tonight with the exception of a fall, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, cross country, love, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Pirates in spirit

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

On a cold January night in 1982, one of my running buddies showed up to have a few beers, talk about training, and shoot the bull about life in general. But that evening, I had a surprise to share with … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, alcohol, anxiety, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The winter of my discontent

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

When the temperature hit -26 degrees on January 10 of 1982, I’d already been inside for two or three days, and was getting cabin fever. Even girlfriend company didn’t help. I was stir crazy and needed to get out for … Continue reading →

Posted in competition, cross country, fear, God, mental health, mental illness, nature, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Life tectonics

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the winter of 1981, I’d completed much of the fictional book Admissions that I’d written on the train while commuting to Chicago. One of the main characters in the book was a professor that invented a concept called Life … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, college, competition, cross country, love, mental health, nature, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Dark nights and glimpses of light

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As October days grew shorter the days at work started and ended in darkness. Fortunately, Van Kampen Merritt uprooted from its Chicago office and moved out to a newly constructed building at the corner of Naper Boulevard and I-88. It … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, God, life and death, love, marathon, mental health, mental illness, nature, running shoes, sex, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment