Category Archives: sex

50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 3

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

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, Depression, evangelical Christianity, mental health, mental illness, sex | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: An end to the city experiment

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

Posted in 10K, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, mental health, running, running shoes, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Noble causes and otherwise

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

Posted in 10K, addiction, Christopher Cudworth, college, cross country, love, mental health, nature, running, sex | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Race after race

On June 27, a day or two after the big win at the Geneva Community Classic, I dropped by to visit my former coach and business buddy Trent Richards. His partner Marietta was a lovely Jewish woman with hair that … Continue reading

Posted in 10K, 5K, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, healthy aging, running, sex, steeplechase, training | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Desires and distractions

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

Posted in alcohol, mental health, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The Rain King gets no satisfaction

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

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, fear, God, love, mental health, mental illness, sex, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The cold heart of a Chicago winter

Our landlord was a cheap bastard when it came to heating our building. At times, the inside temps sank to fifty degrees indoors. I’d struggle to keep painting or writing under those conditions. We complained, but it was no use. … Continue reading

Posted in fear, God, life and death, love, mental health, nature, race pace, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The singular nature of a double life

In late October of 1983, with the racing season nearing its end, I was still attending workouts with the Tom Brunick crew at both University of Illinois-Chicago as well as the odd little cinder track at Northwestern in the upper … Continue reading

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, gay marriage, God, love, mental health, mental illness, nature, race pace, running, sex, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Closing time

All of us who run know the difference between a good race and a bad race. There are empirical factors such as time and place by which we measure our efforts. Yet even these are subjective depending on conditions such … Continue reading

Posted in alcohol, competition, cycling, duathlon, God, mental health, nature, race pace, racing peak, running, running shoes, sex, triathlon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

50 Years of Running: Love letters and tell-alls

During all those weeks and months away in Philadelphia, I kept up a steady stream of correspondence with Linda back in Geneva. She kept all those letters, and I found them in our house years later. In the week after … Continue reading

Posted in love, mental health, nature, running, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment