Category Archives: mental health

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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50 Years of Running: Exhaust fumes and lane changes

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By November of 1984, I’d raced enough that by the 17th of November when I ran a 20:17 four-mile… that should have been enough to call it quits. But then my former coach and then-business associate Trent Richards got involved … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: An end to the city experiment

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

For almost two years my roommate and I made the best of our city life together. But both our lives were starting to change. His graduate work in exercise physiology at the University of Illinois-Chicago was winding down, and my … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Noble causes and otherwise

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

We didn’t even spend $500 on our trip out west to Colorado in mid-August 1984. Over the years, I’ve met other people traveling around the country on similarly meager funds. They always seemed happier than people spending tons of money … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Desires and distractions

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By mid-summer of 1984, I’d gotten quite used to life in the City of Chicago. Essentially I was leading a double life, with a girlfriend in the suburbs and one in the city. But that wasn’t the whole story either. … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Tears for Fears

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

All around me are familiar facesWorn out places, worn out facesBright and early for the daily racesGoing nowhere, going nowhere Lyrics to Mad World by Tears for Fears, later recorded by Gary Jules As I continued working hopefully for Trent … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: “Faster than you”

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

On April 15 of 1984, I raced on home turf for the Running Unlimited store in Arlingtonn Heights. Though it had rained overnight, and dawn arrived with 43-degree temps, I was eager as hell to run a five-mile race after … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: The Rain King gets no satisfaction

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

On March 20, 1984, the vernal equinox arrived with typically chilly March weather. But like a maple tree with its sap starting to run, I was eager to start using the fitness I’d built over the winter. After the freezing … Continue reading →

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