Farmdale Ultra Tomorrow!

I just went out for my second little running jaunt since the marathon last sunday, and everything seems to be in working order. I went for 6 miles yesterday, and a super easy 4-miler tonight. All of the lingering muscle soreness is gone and I even surprised myself with how easy 8:30 miles felt.

Race time in the morning is 7:30 a.m. I'll be crawling out of bed in the wee hours and making the 3 hour drive down to East Peoria before the race. (That worked out well last year.)

I can honestly say I have no idea how it will go tomorrow. Last year, I felt pretty good the first 22 miles, then on the 3rd loopI struggled mightily. I finished with a 6:22. This year, due to flooding damage in the park, they've had to amend the loop course. Instead of 33 miles, it will, apparently, be just shy of 32. But if I can duplicate last year's time tomorrow (pace adjusted, of course), I'll be very happy. If I better it, I'll consider the day a complete success. If I somehow manage to break 6 hours, I will be ecstatic.

Most of all, whenever I finish I'll have completed the 1st Annual (we hope) Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam! I am actually - based on my own rudimetary research methods - one of just two people to be the first ever to run all four particiating races in the same year - last year. But it was not an official foursome in 2007. This time, I'll get an extra award (a T-shirt, I think) for finishing the quartet. There are 18 other runners signed up to run Farmdale who are trying to complete the Slam. Good Luck, Everybody!!

Ok. The alarm's going off way early, so off to bed am I......