Category Archives: cycling

Dating as a widower

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

The term “widower” seems so loaded with tradition and history, it deserves a definition right here and now. I looked it up and this is what it says: If anything I was a garden widower before my late wife Linda … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, death, Depression, foregiveness, life and death, love, track and field, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beyond the pain

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Following the passage of my late wife in March of 2013, we conducted a Memorial Service. The people in attendance ranged from all walks of our life. Along with my son and daughter there were other family, longtime friends and … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, aging, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, life and death, love, mental health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Riding through the pain

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

During the year 2007 with all the transitions going on in life, I made the decision to expand my fitness retinue by purchasing a genuine road bike. I’d already been riding an ancient 1984-era Trek 400 for several years. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, cycling, cycling the midwest, doing pulls in cycling, it never gets easier you just go faster, mental health, werunandride | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Sprint to Respectability

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

The Naperville Sprint Triathlon is the first real triathlon I participated in ten years ago with my wife Sue. We’d met in July of 2013, gone riding and running together right away, but then she had a bike accident (her … Continue reading →

Posted in 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, bike accidents, bike crash, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, friendship, IRONMAN, love, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, riding, running, swimming, Tarsnakes, triathlons | 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

An unpleasant start to an ultimately pleasant triathlon

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Open-water swimming is one of life’s acquired joys. Unless one grows up swimming in ponds, lakes, or oceans it takes a bit of practice to get used to the idea of climbing into the water and swimming over whatever depths … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, cycling, Depression, fear, mental health, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, riding, running, swimming | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A new way of racing through life

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

As the cancer treatments from 2006 did their work on my wife, she eventually moved into a period of remission. But it wasn’t an easy path. After eight rounds of harsh chemo, they told her that she’d done the ‘Gold … Continue reading →

Posted in cycling, cycling the midwest, riding | 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: New situations, new locations

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Starting the new job at the Daily Herald newspaper felt a bit like coming home again. But that wasn’t the only way that life felt like it was getting back to normal. The year that I joined Aspen Marketing we … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, cycling, 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