Category Archives: half marathon

50 Years of Running: Lessons learned

I can think of several big mistakes that I made during my competitive running career. The biggest blunder of all was running a 20-mile final training run the week before I was scheduled to compete in the Twin Cities Marathon. … Continue reading

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50 Years of Running: Party till you drop

I had a problem during the summer of 1981. The coach house I was renting became Party Central for my circle friends including my running buddies and a group of co-workers who loved having a place to toke up in … Continue reading

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50 Years of Running: Where Respect Is Due

Midway through the 1973 season, I’d run well enough, and our team was doing so well, that we began to gain the attention of some local sportswriters. The newspapers that covered our team included the St. Charles Chronicle, the hometown … Continue reading

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An unexpected climb on the Great Western Trail

Having lived in the Fox Valley region of Illinois for many years, I vividly recall fast-moving freight trains from the Great Western line crossing the bridge over the Fox River through downtown St. Charles. Those trains would sometimes veer off … Continue reading

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A run of luck with Glen Kamps

This morning I met up to run with one of the leading personalities of the Illinois running world. That would be Glen Kamps. We go back a long ways to the early 80s when he was first working for Dick … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 13.1, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, cross country, half marathon, marathon, race pace, racing peak, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Useful takeaways from a triathlete’s first 70.3 Half Ironman

Five years ago, standing on top of the spiral parking ramp by the Madison Hilton, I watched the start of the Wisconsin Ironman race in which my wife Sue was competing. She had a decent go of it that first … Continue reading

Posted in 13.1, bike accidents, bike crash, bike wobble, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, competition, cycling the midwest, duathlon, half marathon, healthy aging, IRONMAN, marathon, running, swimming, training, training for a marathon, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, We Run and Ride Every Day | 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

Races that stand out in your mind

I suppose it would be possible to go back and count all the races. All those times toeing the starting line. Looking around at your competitors. Wondering how the body and mind will respond on that day. In that moment. … Continue reading

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A half-marathon that was half and half

Let’s begin with what will seem to many people like a bit of a weird confession. The last time I raced a half-marathon was in 1985. Even that fact requires a bit of revisionist history because that half marathon was … Continue reading

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Kick you fool

This weekend we’re heading up to Madison, Wisconsin to do the half-marathon. I’m simply hoping my tight old hips hold up all thirteen miles, but I’ll take what I can get. On Saturday, both Sue and I are having swim … Continue reading

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