Category Archives: track and field

The glory days are not always what you think they are

Posted on December 30, 2019 by

I got my gripe session about the travails of 2019 out of the way yesterday. Now it’s time to look ahead to 2020. Let’s spare each other the obvious cliches about “vision” and “seeing clearly.” I’m sure we’ll find plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, healthy aging, IRONMAN, swimming, Tarsnakes, track and field, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, trolls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Menstruation chronicles

Posted on November 29, 2019 by

As a young runner living in the City of Chicago during the early 1980s, I met a woman through track workouts at the downtown Northwestern University cinder track next to Lake Shore Drive. After scoping her out the entire workout, … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 400 meter intervals, bike accidents, bike crash, blood on the highway, Christopher Cudworth, running, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History in the making

Posted on November 10, 2019 by

The day after the 2019 Illinois state cross country championship, I turned to the website of my former employer, the Daily Herald, to find a story by Michael Eaken of the record-setting run by a Hersey high school senior Josh … Continue reading →

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We need more liberal arts majors in this country, not less

Posted on July 16, 2019 by

This past weekend was spent at Luther College in the company of more than 100 alumni from a track and field program that won Iowa conference track championship titles 26 out of 30 years. The event was illuminating on many … Continue reading →

Posted in running, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Reunion of Champions

Posted on July 10, 2019 by

Last evening I received a call from Paul Mullen, a college roommate and teammate from both cross country and track. He works in Development for my alma mater Luther College. He wanted to reach out because he is super excited … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, 5K, aging, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, track and field | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I never made the state track meet, but still scored

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

The events I’m about to share happened quite a long time ago. But like a good Bob Seger song, some things never quite fade from memory. It was May of 1975. As a senior in high school I was gunning … Continue reading →

Posted in running, track and field, We Run and Ride Every Day | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On actually seeing a woman

Posted on April 18, 2019 by

This morning on the way to the train station for her weekly once-weekly commute, my wife pulled an item out of her purse and opened it up. “I have new lipstick,” she told me. She applied it by memory, checked … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, cycling, track and field, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, we run and ride, We Run and Ride Every Day, women | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An artistic kind of workout

Posted on April 8, 2019 by

From Thursday through Saturday last week I got in some great training. First an indoor speed session at the track doing 8 X 400m at 6:20 pace. Then a Friday morning 3 X mile repeat session with Sue at sub-9:00 … Continue reading →

Posted in 400 meter intervals, 400 workouts, aging, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling the midwest, running, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins… and anxiety

Posted on March 30, 2019 by

Like millions of other children raised in the 1960s, I grew up reading books by Dr. Seuss. One of the most perplexing was the story of Bartholomew Cubbins, a kid who upon encountering an authority figure was supposed to remove … Continue reading →

Posted in running, track and field, trail running, training | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Positive takeaways

Posted on March 20, 2019 by

Over the years I’ve read that journaling your emotions is a positive way to get a grip on your feelings. Way back in high school I kept a running journal that recorded results and thoughts about the races in which … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, cross country, death, running, track and field, We Run and Ride Every Day | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment