Category Archives: mental health

50 Years of Running: Lessons learned

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

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 →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, half marathon, marathon, marathon training, mental health, race pace, running | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 years of running: building on success

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

During years of competitive running from the age of twelve through post-collegiate success on the roads and track, the most important lessons learned were how to set goals and plan the process to achieve them. After being coached through high … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, mental health, running, training, TRAINING PEAKS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: On anger, forgiveness, and those voices in your head

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Three years into selling ads for what became the Kane County Chronicle after the company was sold to Shaw Newspapers out of Dixon, Illinois, our newspaper announced its plans to build a new corporate headquarters on Randall Road on the … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, blood on the highway, Christopher Cudworth, competition, foregiveness, God, mental health, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Chasing career options

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the time I’d turned 27 years old, the decision to stop racing and training so hard was well-established in my mind. With a child to raise and a wife to please, I focused on work-life as the central priority. … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, Depression, God, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Eighth-grade realities

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Despite my love of laughter and being considered funny if I could make that happen, my anxious nature also meant grappling with a conflicted mind. I loved making friends but worried about what they thought of me. I worked hard … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, fear, healthy aging, healthy senior, life and death, love, mental health, nature, running, running shoes, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 3

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The advent of DNA genealogy and its revelations make it practical these days to understand family history even to the point of health risks and almost pinpoint accuracy about ethnic origins. While those scientific tools are helpful, they never tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, Depression, evangelical Christianity, mental health, mental illness, sex | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 2

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The town of Seneca Falls, New York, is well-known as the cinematic source for the town of Bedford Falls as depicted in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Even at the age of 60+ years old, I can well recall … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, Depression, fear, foregiveness, life and death, love, mental health, mental illness, running | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: BSA Blues

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Coming from the world I’d inhabited in the City of Chicago, where there were few rules and fewer people to enforce them, the culture shock of working at the Boy Scouts of America was profound. I’d enjoyed being in Cub … Continue reading →

Posted in marathon, marathon training, mental health, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Transition time

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Forty years after my 1984 engagement as an essentially ‘full-time runner,’ I got interested in triathlon and started competing in Sprint and Olympic distance events. I quickly learned that the most awkward part of triathlons are the transitions, those moments … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, life and death, love, mental health, running, running shoes, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The Fuse

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

And the years that I spent lost in the mysteryFall away leaving only the sound of the drumLike a part of meIt speaks to the heart of meForget what life used to beYou are what you choose to beIt’s whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, mental illness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment