Category Archives: mental health

Confessions of a tree-sport athlete

Posted on April 10, 2019 by

The weather here in Illinois was stupendous yesterday. Clear and warm by spring standards in this part of the world. In the cool early morning, I rode 20+ miles on a favorite loop through Aurora, out along the Virgil Gilman … Continue reading →

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The day my eyelids froze shut

Posted on January 30, 2019 by

It’s true. I once went running in temperatures of twenty-three below zero. A half mile into the run, my eyelids froze shut. That’s a weird feeling I can assure you. I stopped, covered my face and warmed the area the … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, cycling the midwest, healthy aging, healthy senior, mental health, riding, running, training | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Two great sources of motivation: “better than” and “better for”

Posted on January 24, 2019 by

As young athletes, we frequently spend all our time trying to be “better than” others. We train hard to get better times. We race hard to get better places. We take home trophies or medals if we’re lucky. Those serve … Continue reading →

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The Athlete’s Lament

Posted on January 22, 2019 by

I didn’t get up and work out at the crack of dawn this morning. In fact, I didn’t get up at all until about 6:24 a.m. That’s late for me. More typically I’m either out the door running, dipped into … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, competition, mental health, race pace | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The legs have it

Posted on December 20, 2018 by

I have a lot of mileage on my legs. They’ve carried me through countless miles of training and racing, first as a runner, then as a cyclist, now as a triathlete. Performance My running career officially started in 1970, the … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, cycling, cycling the midwest, healthy aging, mental health, racing peak, running | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The eyes have it

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

Where do you look when you’re out riding and running? Do you gaze all around you, or keep your eyes fixed on the road or trail ahead? It’s a blessing to be able to see, you see. People who lose … Continue reading →

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Competing goals and the secret to life

Posted on December 11, 2018 by

Yesterday I mapped out a training program. How many days a week to run, ride and swim. It’s nothing crazy.  Those are exciting to think about as I also fixed up my former racing bike and this past weekend picked … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, healthy aging, healthy senior, mental health, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Leave a comment

When it comes to gender power, look out below

Posted on December 6, 2018 by

I had a laughingly light discussion with my wife this morning  about the equipment we respectively sport “down below.” It started with me teasing her about the fact that her panties matched her toenails/ she laughed and said, “Well the … Continue reading →

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Finding your motivation

Posted on December 3, 2018 by

It would be nice if the motivation to work out and improve performance could be stumbled upon like some glowing blue object in a video game. “Oh look!” you could marvel. “A big chunk of motivation! I’ll put that in … Continue reading →

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The ins and outs of the common cold

Posted on November 30, 2018 by

So I went home and laid down. Then my brothers called me on the phone and said, “Hey, we’re going down to Mother’s in Chicago tonight. Wanna come?” And of course I did. I wound up drinking and dancing until three in the morning. Frankly, I got home feeling much better. Go figure. Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, cross country, mental health, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment