Category Archives: running

50 Years of Running: Pirates in spirit

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

On a cold January night in 1982, one of my running buddies showed up to have a few beers, talk about training, and shoot the bull about life in general. But that evening, I had a surprise to share with … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, alcohol, anxiety, competition, cross country, cycling, cycling the midwest, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The winter of my discontent

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

When the temperature hit -26 degrees on January 10 of 1982, I’d already been inside for two or three days, and was getting cabin fever. Even girlfriend company didn’t help. I was stir crazy and needed to get out for … Continue reading →

Posted in competition, cross country, fear, God, mental health, mental illness, nature, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Life tectonics

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the winter of 1981, I’d completed much of the fictional book Admissions that I’d written on the train while commuting to Chicago. One of the main characters in the book was a professor that invented a concept called Life … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, college, competition, cross country, love, mental health, nature, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Hawaiian getaway

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Somewhere during the middle of November, 1981, I received a call from the father of a woman I’d dated earlier in the month. She’d been sweet, and demure, and I was respectful toward her. So I didn’t automatically think the … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, Christopher Cudworth, death, love, nature, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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: Party till you drop

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

I had a problem during the summer of 1981. The coach house I was renting became Party Central for my circle friends including my running buddies and a group of co-workers who loved having a place to toke up in … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, alcohol, anxiety, college, competition, cross country, half marathon, love, mental health, mental illness, racing peak, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Why running is life

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The Rails-To-Trails movement in Illinois started in the early 1980s. The most significant development in the Fox Valley where I lived was the conversion of the Great Western railroad tracks to a running and cycling path. Most of the training … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, climbing, college, competition, cross country, healthy aging, it never gets easier you just go faster, life and death, religious liberty, running, running shoes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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: The smell of candles burning at both ends

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

As a hormone-driven, partially obsessed early 1980s distance runner in his early 20s, I was constantly seeking partners in crime. One in particular, a best friend you might say, had followed a similar path from the same high school to … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, love, mental health, mental illness, running, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Chicago Time

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

I have an embarrassing confession to make about starting the job with Van Kampen Merritt in the late summer of 1980. On the first day of work, I was scheduled to show up at 208 S. LaSalle, the office headquarters … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Christopher Cudworth, running | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment