Tag Archives: relationships

50 Years of Running: Escape from prisons

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

From the age of twelve through the time I reached twenty-seven years old, I dedicated myself largely to the sport of running. At times, that commitment constituted total immersion. An endurance athlete is both reduced and enlarged through a lifestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in race pace, racing peak, running | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: An end to the city experiment

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

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: Dark nights and glimpses of light

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As October days grew shorter the days at work started and ended in darkness. Fortunately, Van Kampen Merritt uprooted from its Chicago office and moved out to a newly constructed building at the corner of Naper Boulevard and I-88. It … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, anxiety, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, God, life and death, love, marathon, mental health, mental illness, nature, running shoes, sex, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: What a fool believes

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

Somehow I managed to squeeze in a race back home in Illinois amid all the new obligations with the admissions job. The race raised funds for my high school cross country program, and I ran a solid 25:40 five-mile after … Continue reading →

Posted in fear, foregiveness, love, mental health, race pace, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Wonder Left

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

After the 800-mile season in cross country in the fall of ’78, it felt good to back off running twice-a-day. But then I sprained an ankle playing pickup basketball. So I was out of action completely for four days. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, running, track and field, training | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Performance time

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

As the last two weeks of cross country season wound down, there was little time for looking backward as all our focus came down to one thing: getting through the Regional Championships to make Nationals. That was our whole goal … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, mental health, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: The Achilles Heel

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

On October 2nd of 1978, our cross country team ran a hill workout in Palisades Park, a bluff reserve on the southeast side of downtown Decorah. That weekend, we were scheduled to race at the St. Olaf Invitational. My former … Continue reading →

Posted in 13.1, 400 workouts, Christopher Cudworth, college, competition, cross country, life and death, love, mental health, mental illness, sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Years of Running: Rough surfaces and deep dives

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Christopher Cudworth

The winter of 1977 was, like so many winters in the late 1970s and early 80s, as cold as hell and frozen over. We trained through the cold by running on snow-packed roads. We’d often leave in the near-dark and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Cudworth, college, foregiveness, mental health, track and field | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life is a long letter being written one day at a time

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Christopher Cudworth

The letter was written seven weeks into my senior year in college, the season in which our cross country team would go on to place second in the NCAA Division III championships. Continue reading →

Posted in aging, coronavirus, covid-19, cross country, healthy aging, healthy senior | 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