Category Archives: mental illness

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

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

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

A trip back east in search of a sense of hope

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Following a departure from an audio-visual company reeling from its inability to finish a new product for which they never completed the software, I engaged in full-time caregiving for my wife as she sank into another recurrence of the ovarian … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, fear, foregiveness, friendship, mental health, mental illness, PEAK EXPERIENCES, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not “woe is me,” but resiliency

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Following the emotional breakdown of my wife after the cancer returned in 2007 after two years of treatments and remission, I proceeded to lose my new job at the marketing agency. It had taken months to work up the courage … Continue reading →

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Rough landings

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

I was a high jumper during my high school career and first year of college. I jumped 6′ 1/2″ in college, my best ever. Not bad for a distance runner with skinny calves and not much in the thigh area … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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