Category Archives: trail running

50 Years of Running: Eighth-grade realities

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Despite my love of laughter and being considered funny if I could make that happen, my anxious nature also meant grappling with a conflicted mind. I loved making friends but worried about what they thought of me. I worked hard … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, aging is not for the weak of heart, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cross country, fear, healthy aging, healthy senior, life and death, love, mental health, nature, running, running shoes, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commonly known as fun suffering

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

We ran a long way in the wind and rain yesterday. Fortunately, the trail we use sits down in the Fox River Valley, providing shelter from the storm bringing gusts of 20-30 mph. At the start, a spitting mist struck … Continue reading →

Posted in love, trail running, training | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

3Disciplines and a trail of joy

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

The folks at 3Disciplines deserve thanks for putting on a well-organized, safe and interesting triathlon event in the Muncie, Indiana area. Communications in advance of the race were clear and helpful. Event registration was simple and quick, even with the … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, running, swimming, trail running, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Summer’s almost over. Do you love autumn?

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

The cool rains driven by early September storms have come to the Midwest. The dry grasses of August don’t know what to do with all this sudden moisture. Our drought is perhaps broken, but the browns will perhaps persist all … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, anxiety, competition, cross country, cycling the midwest, riding, running, swimming, trail running, training, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons, we run and ride | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Moving on down the dusty trail

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

The Great Western Trail is a former railroad bed running from St. Charles, Illinois out to the town of Sycamore, seventeen miles away. For much of the trail from St. Charles to Lily Lake, there is ample shade at all … Continue reading →

Posted in cross country, running, trail running, training, training for a marathon | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Leaving tracks

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

Walking our dog in the morning is like being back in field biology class looking for signs of wildlife everywhere. On a typical morning we’ll cross the tracks of numerous animals left in the snow. There are coyote and fox … Continue reading →

Posted in running, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A run through the legal weed patch

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

My wife and I do training runs on the Fox River Trail, a strip of asphalt on a former railroad bed that runs the length of the valley from Aurora all the way up to McHenry, Illinois. As such, it … Continue reading →

Posted in running, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A walk through the old running grounds

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Christopher Cudworth

Yesterday was a wonderfully dank November day here in Illinois. I needed to pick up a prescription at the Meijer store in Geneva and drove up to the corner of Route 38 and Randall Road. Our dog Lucy came along … Continue reading →

Posted in cross country, running, trail running | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The trials and tribulations of a right hand man

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Christopher Cudworth

This weekend my wife completed the Half Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin. That’s no mean feat given a course that is hilly beyond belief. At several points the grade reaches 10% and a long steep stretch up a country road called … Continue reading →

Posted in 10K, 13.1, aging is not for the weak of heart, bike accidents, bike crash, blood on the highway, Christopher Cudworth, competition, cycling, cycling the midwest, cycling threats, death, I hate cyclists, race pace, trail running, training, tri-bikes, triathlete, triathlon, triathlons | Leave a comment

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins… and anxiety

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Christopher Cudworth

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