Category Archives: mental health

Wear and tear and ‘wouldn’t change a thing’

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Christopher Cudworth

While attending a Luther College reunion, I was walking next to my cross-country coach Kent Finanger, who was bent over and limping due to back issues likely related to his years of playing football and basketball during his college career. … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, alcohol, coaching, college, competition, cross country, death, Depression, foregiveness, friendship, healthy aging, healthy senior, injury, life and death, love, mental health, mental illness, running, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Rise of Women in Sports: Breaking Barriers in Running

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Christopher Cudworth

The author reflects on the impressive achievements of female athletes, like Jane Hedengren, and their unique challenges in sports compared to men. They highlight the bodily and societal hurdles women face, including menstruation, body image issues, and motherhood, while emphasizing the resilience and strength women exhibit in overcoming these barriers in their athletic pursuits. Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, college, competition, cross country, mental health, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Erections come with a cost

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Christopher Cudworth

When my daughter was just into junior high, we sat watching together TV when a Viagra commercial appeared on the air, concluding with a warning that users should “seek help” for an erection lasting longer than four hours.

“Four hours!” she burst out laughing. “Oh my God!” Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, friendship, healthy aging, healthy senior, mental health, mental illness, running, sex, track and field, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ironman, humanity, and humility

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Christopher Cudworth

Things didn’t go that well for my wife at Ironman Chattanooga last weekend. While she finished the race last year minus the swim, the hurricane that made landfall and traveled north from the Gulf of Mexico through the eastern United … Continue reading →

Posted in death, IRONMAN, life and death, love, mental health, mental illness, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How it all went down

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

We all make mistakes in life. Sometimes, it’s because we’re not present in the moment. At other times, we make choices that turn out to be wrong. And then, there are those times when we try to do all the … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, mental health, mental illness, nature, running | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The year I damn near died in a toothy fashion

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Somewhere in the middle part of my 60s a tooth went bad in the back of my jaw. I’d gone to some sketchy dentists right after my wife died and the first dentist I visited didn’t explain clearly that my … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, Christopher Cudworth, cycling, death, Depression, half marathon, life and death, love, mental health, race pace, racing peak, running, swimming, Tarsnakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What else was I gonna do?

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Over the eleven years since my late wife died and I met and married my wife Suzanne, I’ve given much thought to that choice to date so soon after the loss of a spouse. My answer to that question comes … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, mental illness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The unexplainable

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

In the wake of my wife’s passing, my children still had obligations to meet. My son was in a job out in New York. My daughter had a semester to finish at Augustana College. Yet all of time seems to … Continue reading →

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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

On the run through a world of hurt

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

One of the key things a distance runner learns over time is how to deal with a world of hurt. Among track athletes, it is those who circle the oval multiple times that learn to deal with sustained levels of … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, healthy aging, it never gets easier you just go faster, life and death, love, mental health, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment