Category Archives: running

The five craziest endurance feats of my life

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

As I wrap up this serialized autobiography titled Competition’s Son, I began thinking about the craziest experiences I’ve had in running, cycling, and swimming. I’ve been a runner more than fifty years, a serious cyclist just under twenty years, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, climbing, cycling, cycling the midwest, cycling threats, IRONMAN, it never gets easier you just go faster, marathon, marathon training, PEAK EXPERIENCES, race pace, racing peak, riding, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The year I damn near died in a toothy fashion

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Somewhere in the middle part of my 60s a tooth went bad in the back of my jaw. I’d gone to some sketchy dentists right after my wife died and the first dentist I visited didn’t explain clearly that my … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, Christopher Cudworth, cycling, death, Depression, half marathon, life and death, love, mental health, race pace, racing peak, running, swimming, Tarsnakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lessons learned in how to carry on

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Following the passing of my late wife in 2013, I remained the principal caregiver for my father, Stewart Cudworth. My mother died in 2005, and despite my father’s condition as a stroke victim, he remained in their home under the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cross country, foregiveness, friendship, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Building our lives together

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

During the early phases of our relationship, Sue and I focused on enjoying time together. She’d just taken on a new job, and I was in a state of transition working as a freelance writer for companies like Aquent and … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, adhd, bike accidents, bike crash, Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cycling, cycling the midwest, IRONMAN, marathon, marathon training, racing peak, running, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Passing the girlfriend test

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

Following Sue’s bike accident in July 2013, she was initially not able to swim due to a torn rotator cuff. When the Naperville Sprint Triathlon rolled around in August, she reached out to a Master’s Swim buddy named Lida to … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, bike accidents, bike crash, Christopher Cudworth, competition, friendship, IRONMAN, running, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carry on

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Christopher Cudworth

After several years straight of focusing all efforts on maintaining my late wife’s health through cancer treatments, and stumbling through financially, I had some catching up to do on my own health in 2013. The previous year ended with a … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, death, foregiveness, God, healthy aging, love, running, sex, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the run through a world of hurt

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

One of the key things a distance runner learns over time is how to deal with a world of hurt. Among track athletes, it is those who circle the oval multiple times that learn to deal with sustained levels of … Continue reading →

Posted in anxiety, healthy aging, it never gets easier you just go faster, life and death, love, mental health, running | 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

70.3 miles of key learning experiences

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

For those of you who do triathlons, I’m sharing what it was like to do my first-ever 70.3, a Half Ironman race in Madison, Wisconsin. Those of you who don’t know the sport well are invited to find out what … Continue reading →

Posted in adhd, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, coaching, competition, cross country, healthy aging, healthy senior, IRONMAN, running, running shoes, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A definite feeling of unsurety

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Christopher Cudworth

Have you ever wondered exactly how good you really are at something? Pick anything. It could be gardening. Your job. Relationships. Marriage. Divorce. We all face these pursuits in our own way. Yet it’s really hard to judge whether you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, mental health, running, steeplechase, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment