Category Archives: healthy aging

50 Years of Running: Wonder Left

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The running scene in the early 1980s was largely about adapting to the road racing world. During the late 1970s, runners such as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Craig Virgin led the American scene while African and European runners racing … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak, running, track and field, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

50 Years of Running: Why running is life

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The Rails-To-Trails movement in Illinois started in the early 1980s. The most significant development in the Fox Valley where I lived was the conversion of the Great Western railroad tracks to a running and cycling path. Most of the training … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, it never gets easier you just go faster, life and death, religious liberty, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Graduation Blues

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

With nothing left but nationals in the 1979 track season, I walked across the stage to pick up my degree with my parents present during graduation. I’d earned a precious “D” in that horrifically dry and accounting-based marketing class that … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Where Respect Is Due

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

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 →

Posted in 13.1, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, half marathon, healthy aging, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fireworks on our minds

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Our family once had a blast setting off fireworks on the 4th of July. For the most part, they were the legal kind easily available here in Illinois. On several occasions, we also brought home louder, more dangerous fireworks from … Continue reading →

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Going fast and built to last

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The cycling season has ramped up kind of slow for me this year. For the last few seasons, we’ve gone to a triathlon camp that kicks fitness into gear. Like most athletes, I need that sustained period of training to … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, college, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, healthy aging, healthy senior, it never gets easier you just go faster, riding, running, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the flip side, I don’t have to prove myself at the family picnic

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Yesterday I wrote a short lament about the way sports consumes so much of our lives if we let it. That’s not a total regret. I’ve gained quite a bit from sports, including the aptitudes of perseverance when called upon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, healthy senior, mental health, running, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, werunandride | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Step on the gas and wipe that tear away

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The famous closing suite of songs on The Beatles album Abbey Road offers a ton of quotable lyrics. As spring leans toward summer here in Illinois, I’ve been thinking about a few of the transitions I’ve endured over the years. … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, cross country, death, healthy aging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Different dimensions than our own

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

While walking our dog Lucy this morning, we passed through a playground where children made sidewalk drawings in chalk. One of the images attracted my eye. It showed two intertwined rectangles. Or was it something more? I’ve just completed a … Continue reading →

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The fabric of life and a sense of home

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

I’m substitute teaching at the high school a block from our former home in Geneva, Illinois. The streets look the same as they always did. The giant cottonwood tree on the corner of the block was a favorite waiting place … Continue reading →

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