Category Archives: cycling

Seeing a young man off to college

With social occasions delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it was difficult for graduating high school seniors to find the right time to transition toward college or other plans beyond. As a result, the graduation party for a young man … Continue reading

Posted in college, competition, cross country, cycling | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I figured out why it’s so hard to run, ride or swim in North America

While researching technical information for an engineering client’s website, I found a series of maps that answer a ton of questions I’ve had over the years. For example, why does it always feel like the wind is against me no … Continue reading

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, cycling, cycling the midwest, religious liberty, swimming, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With dogs and cats the gratitude goes both ways

Just over a year ago we adopted a rescue dog that had been abandoned on a roadside in Tennessee with a broken leg. She was gathered up by Safe Haven, a Chicago area dog adoption organization and fostered by our … Continue reading

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If you want better workouts, warm up like the pros do

Over the past few months I’ve conducted an unintentional experiment with which you may be familiar, but don’t always abide. It’s called doing a legitimate warmup. On runs, this means taking the first two miles no faster than your body … Continue reading

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, running | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Turning too fast and all that garbage

A few years back when I was first putting in big miles on my road bike, I came to a turn at the juncture of two semi-rural roads. It had rained slightly that morning. When I leaned into the right … Continue reading

Posted in bike crash, bike wobble, cycling, cycling the midwest, cycling threats, death | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Keeping your distance while going the distance

While setting up transition for the Springfield Olympic distance triathlon this past Saturday, I was greeted by a tall guy parking his bike on the same rail. It was Denny Koonce, a reader of this blog and a solid triathlete. … Continue reading

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, half marathon, healthy aging, healthy senior, mental health, racing peak, swimming, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Have you ever been underestimated?

When my son Evan was perhaps ten years old, he turned to me and said, “Dad, have you ever noticed that when people say “Good for you” they are often being condescending?” Yes, my son understood the meaning of condescension … Continue reading

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, cycling, marathon, marathon training, mental health, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What athletes can teach the world about surviving a pandemic

Yesterday’s news was dominated by the fact that the State of Florida broke the record for the most cases of Coronavirus in a single day. That outcome was the result of hundreds of thousands of people flooding back to beaches … Continue reading

Posted in bike accidents, bike crash, competition, cycling, healthy senior, religious liberty, riding, swimming, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Country roads are calling you

Country roads beckon In the era of Covid-19, there aren’t as many group rides happening. But even if there were, one of my favorite things to do in early summer is to go for twilight rides on the country roads … Continue reading

Posted in bike accidents, bike crash, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, cycling, cycling the midwest, doing pulls in cycling, it never gets easier you just go faster, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We’re all on a lifelong mission of self-recovery

At one point during my early 20s, I worked part-time jobs while training nearly full-time as a distance runner. Though I knew I wasn’t world class by any means, the mood among serious runners in the early 80s was one … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, cycling, healthy aging, IRONMAN, marathon, racing peak, swimming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment