Category Archives: race pace

50 Years of Running: Wonder Left

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The running scene in the early 1980s was largely about adapting to the road racing world. During the late 1970s, runners such as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Craig Virgin led the American scene while African and European runners racing … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 5K, aging, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, mental health, mental illness, race pace, racing peak, running, track and field, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

50 Years of Running: The running rube factor

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

All through college, one of the keys to my self-esteem was running. A large chunk of personal identity was wrapped up on the sport and its year-round commitment to training and racing. Like many runners in those days, when I … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, addiction, alcohol, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, mental health, mental illness, nature, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, same sex adults, sex, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Detachments

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Once the optometrist found the retinal detachment in my left eye, all the other stuff that occupied my mind fell away. I pushed him for information about how the condition came about. Was it trauma? I’d recently gotten hit in … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, Depression, God, life and death, love, marathon, mental health, race pace, steeplechase, track and field, We Run and Ride Every Day, werunandride | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Sorting through a box of slides

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

One of the most challenging aspects of life on the road doing admissions work was feeling disconnected from the core mission of Luther College. It all seemed abstract out there in the field; showing photos ins a binder, talking with … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, bike wobble, cycling, mental illness, nature, race pace, racing peak, sex, steeplechase, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: What a fool believes

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Somehow I managed to squeeze in a race back home in Illinois amid all the new obligations with the admissions job. The race raised funds for my high school cross country program, and I ran a solid 25:40 five-mile after … Continue reading →

Posted in fear, foregiveness, love, mental health, race pace, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Graduation Blues

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

With nothing left but nationals in the 1979 track season, I walked across the stage to pick up my degree with my parents present during graduation. I’d earned a precious “D” in that horrifically dry and accounting-based marketing class that … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, alcohol, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, Depression, healthy aging, healthy senior, nature, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: First steps to clarity

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Coming off the two semesters that my friends called “Cud’s weird year,” I arrived home at the farmhouse where our family lived for a year and took a hard look in the mirror. My hair was so thick and long … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, healthy senior, race pace, racing peak, steeplechase, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: If you can’t stand the heat

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

There is nothing quite like setting personal records at any distance that you run. There’s no better feeling than running faster than you’ve ever run before. Heading into my sophomore year at Luther College, the goal was to achieve continual … Continue reading →

Posted in college, competition, cross country, race pace, racing peak, running, steeplechase | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: JV and The Dedicated Crew

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Those first few weeks of cross country competition as a freshman in college always features ups and down. At our most important early season meet, the Luther All-American Invite, I ran a credible 21:23 four-mile on the rolling home course. … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, alcohol, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

50 Years of Running: Where Respect Is Due

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Midway through the 1973 season, I’d run well enough, and our team was doing so well, that we began to gain the attention of some local sportswriters. The newspapers that covered our team included the St. Charles Chronicle, the hometown … Continue reading →

Posted in 13.1, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, half marathon, healthy aging, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment